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It has been a delight to have a free day to explore Cusco. While Martin snoozed I did a couple of emails, half an hour's pilates and a shower all before breakfast - felt like a real treat. After a phone call with Caroline and negotiating the process of changing money in a local bank we set off up the hill passing by the site of the former Inca palace.
Coming in the opposite direction was a whole school, dancing down the street, the girls twirling in their dresses, some boys carrying religious images and others dressed in strange costumes with whips. All were having a great time.
This is a reminder of the strange mixture of the Inca and Spanish heritage. The Inca was a god-like figure who ruled the land absolutely - all were subsumed to his will. The population paraded mummies of their ancestors on feast days. It is not surprising that today's Peruvians has translated this wholesale into Catholic traditions. 80% of the population are Catholic and the majority are practising. The huge cathedrals built on Inca shrines, are elaborate on the outside, simple construction on the inside but with shrines that have a gaudiness
that with my Church of England background I struggle to appreciate.
However, the Inca heritage is strong. Quechua, the language of the Inca is still spoken at home in the Highlands and women wear the traditional costume with pride and not just to appeal to the tourists. But Quechia is only a spoken language, so that once school starts Spanish takes over.
We visited the pre-Columbian museum today. The contents were fascinating, a reminder of the 15 or so different civilisations that had existed in the region before the period of Inca expansion. But I was really very unimpressed by the presentation and interpretation of the objects and wondered if the legacy of the conquering Spaniards and the Inca rulers has resolved into a a modern culture. Miguel in Lima minded us that the Spaniards were conquerers and therefore in any football match Peruvians will support Manchester United rather than Real Madrid.
We are in our favourite cafe, Sepia Club Cafe, just round the corner from the site of the Inca Palace. We had lunch here and I opted for a lemonade and mint drink. The colour was an amazing green - see the photo - but
it was wonderful - just what I needed and I am drinking a second now.
The chocolate museum was also on our hit list and I have to confess that the melted hot chocolate with hot milk and chocolate brownie proved too much and Martin had to help me out.
Finally, we went shopping! We visited two markets, the main one in the centre of town, which is full of sounds, colours and smells. Sacks of coconuts, a vast range of vegetables, clothing and sugar cane in big bundles. Then we went onto a smaller tourist textile market closer to the hotel which is mainly material, bags, clothes etc. Neither of us are good at bargaining .... but we were successful, including a hat with a flap at the back to protect my neck on the trail.
We are due to rise at 5:00 tomorrow morning ready to leave at 6:00 for the Inca Trail. I don't anticipate having Internet access on the Trail so my report on how we get on will have to wait until the weekend.
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