Lord of the Earthquakes - Peru Day 6

Sacsayhuaman Gateway, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

Cuzco was a welcome sight after Aguas Calientes. As amazing as Machu Picchu had been, the city was familiar in a way, our home base in Peru as we spent more days there than anywhere else. We had a full day planned for our last entire day there, seeing the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, the colonial demolition of Q'orikancha, and a few other historical sites surrounding Cuzco.

First off, what's interesting is that many of these sites are lumped together by the city of Cuzco under a boleto turistico or a "general tourist ticket." By purchasing the ticket, you are guaranteed entrance to several of the historical venues as they are unavailable to be visited without said ticket. It's a racket of sorts, but by seeing many of these spots on the same day we were able to put many of what we saw in a greater context.

We started our day at the grand cathedral in Cuzco in the Plaza de Armas. Erected during the colonial era, as many of the ancient Catholic churches were, the Cathedral is a gallery in itself as many Peruvian works of art in the baroque style adorn its walls. There were pieces indicative of the early Spanish influence, but more interesting were the blatantly indigenous works. Specifically, we were treated to the crucifix known as the Lord of the Earthquakes. Possessing darker skin and adorned with a traditional Inca kilt, this crucifix is a stark contrast to the European works that abound in the cathedral. The miracle behind the crucifix makes it all the more striking, as it was said to have stopped a major earthquake, but it was its appearance as a work of protest that really emphasized its significance.

Moving along, we came to Q'orikancha. The Spanish conquest claimed this ancient city, as so many others had been overtaken before it. Amongst the plaster walls and tiled roofs were the remains of the ancient city, defiant. Amazingly and fittingly, the Inca walls inside were the only parts of Q'orikancha undamaged by many of the great earthquakes Cuzco has felt. The Spanish originally kept the walls intact for areas of worship, little did they know that it would be vital to the Inca identity of the indigenous people that still lived within Q'orikancha's walls.

From there we traveled to the outskirts of the city to the more ancient ruin of Sacsayhuaman. While impressive, Sacsayhuaman paled in comparison to the might of Machu Picchu. Our guide allowed us to walk freely after he exposited upon the origins of the city, the innovativeness of the architecture, and even some of the hidden aspects of the city. Most fascinating perhaps was the 80 ton boulder built into the walls. How could anyone move such a stone? It was most impressive.

A few of the other sites, Q'enko and even our dinner that night, were notable, but contextually, they didn't make as significant an impression. We were in awe at the knowledge and pride of our tour guide, but mostly we were awash in so much knowledge that we are still processing it weeks afterwards. We were even more amazed that we hadn't even seen all Cuzco had to offer. Knowing that we would leave the next day, we tried to absorb as much as possible as we could on our own, but were glad that we weren't able to. This meant we could one day glean more from Cuzco whenever we returned.

City in the Sky - Peru Days 4 and 5

Here We Are, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

Days 4 and 5 are best combined, seeing as we spent most of our 4th day either in transit or holed up in our hotel, resting. The train ride itself - which some might call mundane - was anything but, as the vistadome was the perfect way to see the Cuzco valley without destroying our lungs and legs along the Inca trail. At some point, with more training and more motivation, the trail would be amazing, but the train ride is a great way for anyone at all to transport themselves to Machu Picchu.

There we were, dropped off in Aguas Calientes with a day to explore and admire the city. Aguas Calientes is very much a tourist town, quite small, but bustling and perpetually under construction. The main attraction is the ruins, of course, but the eponymous hot springs also draw as many weary travelers as it can. According to our tour guide, they weren't much to look at, so we decided to skip the springs and instead take a mini-hike to the base of Machu Picchu and learn a bit about the ruins prior to our visit at the site museum. Let it be said that the museum may be small, but the content is extensive enough to be worth the 30-minute walk. Extensive, but in all reality, it didn't prepare us one bit for the awesome sight of the ruins themselves.

We woke up before the sun the next morning and dragged our zombified carcasses to the bus depot in anticipation of the tourist rush. 5 am is an ungodly hour to be awake. Your eyes barely function and the faint thought of hunger barely resonates, but it's cool enough to keep you awake. A few citizens drifted amongst the tourists with platters of bread and hot coca tea for a few soles. It was a 30-minute ride up the mountain across numerous switchbacks and our meager breakfast of bread was less than adequate, but we were too tired, and excited, to care. At the top of the mountain, the throng of tourists assaulted the front gate to sub-Disney proportions, it was then we knew we'd arrived.

Walking up the granite steps, hewn from who knows what type of ancient technology, we caught our initial glimpse of the ruins. In all honesty, there are no words that can adequately describe the emotions you feel when one's eyes first alight on Machu Picchu, so I can only attempt to ruminate a bit. It was simultaneously amazing, awe-inspiring, incredible, and inexplicable. All the photographs in the world cannot convey the entirety of emotions one feels in a single visit. It is massive. It is mysterious. It is everything it is billed to be. If it were built in a flat basin at sea level, it would be just as incredible. The fact that it lies between two massive mountains only makes this ruin more stunning than it already is.

There we were, walking around this ancient relic, in shock of its size and its engineering. The architecture is ingenious for its age and the purpose behind it is somewhat unknown, but for all the enigmas that surround it, it is a testament to the hardiness of the Inca people. It is speculated that the city took hundreds of years to build, but no one really knows why it was abandoned. There are several more curious aspects surrounding Machu Picchu, but they are all too numerous to mention here.

Our guided tour after exploring the ruins on our own was well worth it as we learned quite a bit more, applying our personal knowledge of the ruins we had visited before and what we had seen at the site museum. While it was educational, it deeply enlivened the structures around us, placing people amongst its buildings, crops in its terraces, and brought us through each season of Machu Picchu. We were left there with ample time to explore yet again, but we chose to relax and absorb as much of the experience as we could. People talk of an energy that surrounds the ruins, as if you can feel it in each stone, but for us it was enlightening; as if you wanted to image what the city were like when it was full of life, but sad with the knowledge that time had stripped all that away.

Pork and Beans

We take a break from our regularly scheduled program to post this most awesome of music videos, the last from Weezer:

Sampling Chicha in Pisac - Peru Day 3

Signs of Chicha, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

Cuzco was beautiful, but we'd be back in a few days. This day, we were on a guided tour of the Sacred Valley. Our guide first drove us out from the deep Cuzco valley and up into the hills before venturing back down towards the small town of Pisac. Our final destination for the day would be the ruins at Ollantaytambo, but we would make a few stops on the way, mostly to discuss the origins of Cuzco city and the importance of the Sacred Valley.

The Sacred Valley itself lies in between Cuzco and Aguas Calientes and acts as a good mid-point for all travelers on their way to the city in the sky, Machu Picchu. We heard tell of the grand flea market at Pisac, but seeing as the mercado only takes place on Sundays, and since we were there on a Wednesday, we didn't get to see it in all its hectic majesty. Instead, we were treated to a short walk around the city and the smaller local market, replete with Inca streets and ramshackle doorways.

Typical of "Old Peru" the cobblestone streets are dusty and narrow. The locals walk about carrying whatever goods they can on their backs in colorful, woven blankets, aware of the tourists, and always friendly. Between the ancient aqueducts and the watchtowers built into the adjoining hills, posts adorned with colorful tissue paper signified the presence of homemade Chicha for sale, Chicha being the corn-based alcohol of choice for most rural Peruvians. Braving the unknown, G and I are treated to some of this Backyard Chicha (strawberry flavored!) and reminded that although it is an alcohol it is still water-based including all the strange bacterias and who-knows-what that come with it. We sip it from rinsed glasses, staring at a herd of guinea pigs nesting in the dirt-floor of the kitchen, a small wood-burning stove blazing in the background. Luckily, we don't consume enough to cripple us for a day. Luckily still, it was delicious.

Ollantaytambo, the ruins just outside of Pisac were a small sampling of things to come, was a short and moderate climb in the high altitude. "Training." our guide told us. Mild training, truthfully, but our short legs and lung capacity suffered slightly. We gawked at the architecture, marveled at ancient feats of engineering, touched the sharp, sculptured stone angles, and learned many, many things about the valley's significance to the Inca. We also learned, however, that Ollantaytambo was not exactly an Inca ruin, but was still a key position protecting the Amazon and all its resources from interlopers. From the top of the ruin, one could see an ancient road, still apparent, stretching down one mountainside and up another, along which the ancient peoples of Ollantaytambo would transport giant boulders of red granite to build key portions of a temple.

And still, this is not the eye-opener of our trip.

Siroche and the Grand Cathedral - Peru Day 2

Cuzco Plaza De Armas, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

Lima was a great primer for the rest of our trip. What we didn't count on was that Cuzco would be an even greater challenge. At 10,000 ft elevation, it's quite possible the highest city we've ever been to and siroche (altitude sickness) is a real danger for all of us coastal dwellers.

We land and are picked up at the Cuzco airport. Our contact in Cuzco is a very nice Romanian expatriate and former UNESCO employee with a great knowledge of the country and the city of Cuzco which she claims to be the cultural heart of Peru. With great enthusiasm and a little scatterbrained-essness we are briefed on the remainder of our trip and reminded that we need to retain all vouchers for our trip at all costs. Luckily, my wife is an organizational genius and I have no fear that we will lose any of these precious strips of signed paper.

Our first sip of coca tea is a welcome cure-all for our shortness of breath and after a brief stint with an oxygen tank, we arrange for a short walk around the city center and dinner.

The Plaza de Armas blows us away.

Surrounded by three churches, the plaza is a testament to the Catholic culture of colonial Peru. A few days later, we would be treated to a tour of the Cathedral and some eye-opening dialogue, but for now we could appreciate the romantic architecture, the pointed steeples, and the people. One of which was a little girl offering up photographs of her and her baby "alpaca" for only one Peruvian sol. This was a harbinger of tourist treatment, but hardly unexpected.

For dinner, we enjoyed a light meal to combat the thin air and plenty more coca tea and returned to our hacienda-style hotel. While worrying about G's averse reaction to the altitude, I reflected upon the busy streets of Cuzco and read up on the town of Pisac.

So far, I love this country.

Feliz Viaje - Peru Day 1

Lima Plaza de Armas, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

It's beena while but I still have something of substance rattling around in the old can, right?

So we start here then, our first day in Peru in the capital city, Lima. A coastal town, Lima is characterized by the sights and sounds of the streets we drove down during our cab ride from the airport. The political slogans I see adorning the urban sprawl will become ubiquitous in the populous areas of peru, and the driving we experience will become par for the course. As our driver slalomed between lanes and honked without discrimination, it appeared that there were no rules of the road. I should have known that there would be one rule: get out of the way.

We spent the balance of the day familiarizing ourself with the city as much as we could, considering we only had the night. We toured the Plaza de Armas, with its vast colonial buildings, giant edifices of concrete, testaments to the grand opulence of their era. On each corner, police officers were posted. Some in riot gear. Some casually and carefully watching each passer-by. We had been assured that the policemen in white shirts were "Tourist Police" with enough command of the English Language that even the most spanish-less of tourists could ask for help.

We never saw any of these white shirts throughout our entire trip.

The city, like many of the tourist centers we encountered, houses many expat-friendly restaurants. After an hour or so of shopping around, we decided to sit down in the inviting restaurant "Haiti" for our first meal. My first traditional meal of roast chicken and fries accompanied the first Pisco Sour of the trip. G sampled the Lomo Saltado and we finished up with a traditional chocolate torròn. As first night's go, it was very low-key.

With that, we retired. Our first taste of Peru was an excellent dose of what was to come, but we really had no idea what the rest of the country would offer.

El Condor Pasa

Aaaaaand... we're back! So much to talk about and all of it cannot be explained in one post alone. Truly an amazing trip... more to come...

Gone Baby, Gone

And... we're off to the wilds of South America for a bit, but shall return! Thank goodness for vacation...