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We ended up spending just under 3 weeks in and around Cusco and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. I have written separate blogs on the Salkantay and Choquequirao treks so here I will just concentrate on Cusco city itself and the nearby "Sacred Valley".
The city of Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire and has therefore been around for over 500 years. As it was an important city to both the Incas and the Spanish Conquistadores there is an impressive array of architecture and sights to see and we fell in love with Cusco from our first day there. Whilst lots of time was spent wandering between different agencies sorting out our treks we still had plenty of time to explore Cusco city and as always to enjoy its culinary delights. One of the best things about Cusco is the exciting street life. There seemed to be some kind of parade or festival on most of the days that we were there, always with colourful costumes and music.
Whilst in Cusco we were also kept well entertained by museums and historic sights. Some highlights included:
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Qorikancha. During a major earthquake in 1950, parts of the
Santo Domingo Church and Convent were destroyed. Significant ruins of a very important Inca sun temple were revealed. The site is now a wonderful mixture of Inca and Colonial architecture, maintained by the Church.
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Inca Museum. It was after visiting this museum that we came up with the idea of trekking to the Inca city of Choquequirao so clearly it is a very influential place! We enjoyed the exhibits and they helped us to understand much better the Incas and the history that surrounded us in Cusco.
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Museum of Pre-Columbian Art (MAP). The descriptions of artefacts here were slightly ridiculous (along the lines of "you can sense the pre-colonial, yet post-modernist sexual yearnings of the artist in his sculpting of this jug..."), but the arhaeological pieces themselves were superb and looked like they had been created only yesterday. A wonderful exhibition if you can get past the pompous commentaries!
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Museum of Popular Art. This was much better than we had expected it would be, with photos by the famous Martin Chambi, modern paintings of Cusco life and an exhibition of clay models with Peruvian themes.
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Numerous churches and the Cathedral. Whilst Barry
and I are not religious we certainly visit a lot of religious places! The churches in Cusco are well worth the visit for the fabulous Colonial architecture mixed with Andean themes. The intricately carved wooden pulpit in San Blas Church took my breath away.
Plenty of our time in Cusco was also taken up enjoying the plentiful food and drink (as always). A particular recommendation has to go the the "2 Nations" restaurant which as far as I am aware is not in any guidebook, and therefore cheaper and with bigger portions than most places! We also ate good ("British") food at the Real McCoys, drank Pisco Sours at the Cross Keys and enjoyed great hot chocolates at "Aji" overlooking the Plaza de Armas. For those who are self-catering or about to go trekking, make sure you visit the "Mega" supermarket on Matara - cheaper than those near the Plaza de Armas and with more choice.
From Cusco we were also able to visit the "Sacred Valley", which is full of interesting Inca sites and easy to reach on day trips. Some of the best places included:
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Sacsaywaman. This is an uphill walk from Cusco, no
need to get a taxi. A stunning location, overlooking Cusco with views to snow-capped mountains in the distance. Sacsaywaman is thought to have been a fortification for the Incas and was heavily damaged during fighting between the Incas and the Spanish during the conquest.
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Pisac. We visited on a sunday so that we could see the local market as well as visit the ruins. The market provided a lovely mix of food, textiles, handicrafts and souvenirs. I just wish I had more room available in my backpack! The ruins at Pisac are in a spectacular location overlooking the town and the valley beyond. And of course they contained the usual selection of sun temple, moon temple, etc!
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Ollantaytambo. We visited the fortress citadel here, once again in a great location, on our way back to Cusco from Machu Picchu. Particularly impressive terraces line up below the main city and the stonework here was some of the most impressive we saw in the Sacred Valley.
It was hard to pull ourselves away from Cusco as it is an attractive city with plenty to keep us entertained. But, as always, we finally had to bid farewell and
continue our journey north...
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Carolyn Taylor
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Another Cusco lover...
Having just spent over 3 1/2 weeks in Cusco I loved reading your blog. We actually lived on Calle Belen so the market on Matara was a haven for us also. We did use the huge San Pedro Market for most fruits and veggies. We left Sat. and niss Cusco already.Carolyn ( blogger name'gunga')