Peru Trip

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Wednesday November 4, 2009 - Before the Trek

After what was the best brekkie I´ve had - fruit with yoghurt and honey-smacks as well as the usual items, Kim, Stephen, Kath and I head to the "Art District" to exlore the shops and markets of this area. The remaining group members headed to the "Sacred Valley" for a day long tour.

We duck in and out of many, many stores either window shopping or actually purchasing a trinket or two. Some of the artwork and jewellery was amazing - particulalry the Incan inspired statues at a jewellery story but at US$10,000 each, they were marginally outside my spending budget. Marginally.

After a few hours we head to the one place that all westerners flee to for some home comfort and/or to have traditional food that held no surprises (hoepfully) and for me, settled a disruptive stomach - Maccas.

To my relief, the regular burgers had not been replaced by the McGuinea-Pig or Filet-O-Llama and I tucked into what was the best tasting McChicken burger I can recall! Plus, they had self-serve sauce buffet which I promptly used to fill my two sauce cups with mayo and chilli sauce for dipping my chips! (probably not the best idea to eat chilli with the state of things but I like it and I did and there were no ill effects to follow!).

At about 3:30pm, after returning to the hotel to pack my duffle bag for the Inca Trail, I made my way back to the Plaza de Armas´largest cathederal to meet-up with the other three once again for our tour of some nearby Inca sites.

The fist stopped, "Sexy Woman" as it is pronounced, showed close-up the scale of the blocks used by the Incas to construct their temples and buildings and made me wonder just how they managed to not only move these massive stones but how did they manage to shape them all to fit together like a giant 3D puzzle? Granted, the volcanic rock used is ´soft´ but it still would not be an easy or light!

Many theroies abound as to the purpose of this site but whether temple or a place to study astronomy, it obviously had significant impotance to the ancient race which amplifies the tragedy that was the looting of the area by locals who then used the rocks (after blowing them up with dynamite and hauling them off in trucks) to build their own homes. Luckily, the site is now has national historical protection.

Our next stop was at a water temple where it is said that to drinking the water by a woman guarantees she will become pregnant or splashing the water on your face ensures youthful looks - a fountain of youth perhaps? Kim gave it a try so we will await any results...

Finally, we arrived at what looked like an ordinary, though large, rock formation just off from the roadside. On closer inspection, the back side overlooking the sity of Cusco was an area carved into the rock that formed an arena of sorts which we´re told was used to witness the sacrificial ceremonies of the Inca. Along with the viewing area there were also some altars wheret the sacrfices were made - apparently, mostly llamas. The altars were intentionally situated next to large and seemingly deep crevaces so that the blood of the victims would flow into it and drain away.

We return to Cusco and our hotel where the other 5 have returned from their trip to the Sacred Valley. We convince most, though Chris needed no persuasion whatsover having craved it since learning of it, to have dinner at McDonalds. Yep, I had "Double Donalds" in one day when back home, I would have it every few months but the comfort it brought was immeasurable. Thank-you large homogenised international fast food peddling corporation, thank-you!

Along with the euphoria of fast food, we also had dismay with Megan still battling a flu that would prevent her from participating in the Lares Trek (a soft version of the Inca Trail that´s more of a Sunday stroll than the physically demanding trek I was about to undertake, no offence). So the small duo of Kim and Stephen had grown into a quartet with Megan and Kath struck down with illness leaving Aine to do the Lares Trek alone and myself, Chris, Richard and Mike to tackle the Inca Trail that would lead us to Maccha Picchu - the pinnacle of my trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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