Pictures from November 23: Part 2

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The title is a little bit misleading. Obviously this trip was over a week, not all in one day. Especially with our navigational skills. I digress...After our visit to Lima, we took a flight to Cusco. The town of Cusco was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and was historically the political capitol of the Inca Empire and was pronounced something closer to "Cosco" before the Spainish changed the name to a more appropriately Iberic: "Cusco". The city was planned by Pachacutec, the ninth Inca leader ,and was built to resemble a puma, which was sacred, lying on its side. It was very well planned, not only for security purposes, but also for having a source of fresh water, the Urubamba River, which eventually runs into Lake Titicaca.

Cusco is located about 11,000 feet above sea level. The oxygen is much thinner at this altitude. I didn't think much of it until I had to go uphill and was struggling like an octogenarian smoker with asthma (which I am not). The city had a certain atmosphere in the center, all old stones and narrow paths. Its charm, however, was mitigated by the thich stink of automobile pollution. There was traffic and cars everwhere (hello, UNESCO, maybe we should cut down on traffic?) and the lack of oxygen made the problem feel so much worse. Oh, and the large amounts of tourists in the off season. The rainy season had well begun by the time we reached the highlands.

I think at that point, we began to wonder if the whole venture up here was not some kind of tourist trap. We stayed at a very lovely, rustic hotel (located in the middle of a very steep hill). We arrived in Cusco with train tickets the next day to Machu Picchu and not much else. Luckily, an enterprising and ultimately lovable local, whom we nicknamed Big Al, ambushed us as soon as we got in and before you know it, everthing was planned out for the next day. We would take the train from Poroy station to Aguas Calientes, take the bus up to Machu Picchu, where a guide would be waiting for us to show us the sights.

As we sat on the train to Aguas Calientes, we had some serious doubts about what awaited us in Machu Picchu. Alas, you will have to wait until the next installation to find out how we fared. Stay tuned!

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Photos

Home Sweet Home
A view from our room of the hotel courtyard. Cusco can be seen in the distance.

La Catedral
A view of the corner of the Cathedral, which was started in 1560. It was built on top of the palace of Vircocha, the eight Inca, to symbolize the defeat of the Inca empire. In addition, granite slabs brought from the fortress of Sacsayhuaman were used for the construction of the first chapel to further demonstarate Spanish dominance.

La Catedral 2
A view of the Cathedral from the Plaza de Armas.

La Catedral 3
A close up of the statues on the facade of the side of the Cathedral. On the left is Archangel Michael killing the dragon. Not sure who is on the right.

San Blas
The church of San Blas in the plaza of the same name. It was a nice area with a good view of the town. We went up here to do our present shopping.

San Blas 2
The view from behind the church of San Blas onto Cusco.

San Blas 3
A view down one of the streets of the San Blas neighborhood.

San Blas 4
A view down another street in the San Blas neighborhood.

San Blas 5
An interesting blue door in a carved stone frame. Also from the San Blas neighborhood in Cusco.

Iglesia de la Compania
The second largest church in the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, following the Catedral. It was built in 1571 on the palace of Huayna Capac, the 11th Inca. It was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1650.

Iglesia de la Compania 2
A closer view of the stone facade. This church is considered one of the best examples of Colonial Baroque architecture in all of Peru.

Iglesia de la Compania 3
A view of the church from across the Plaza de Armas. This particular Plaza de Armas is the actual site where Tupac Amaru, the Sapa Inca, was beheaded in 1572. It was the same site where Tupac Amaru II, his descendant, would be executed the same way for attempting to overthrow the Spanish in one of the many indigenous rebellions against colonialism almost 200 years later.

Iglesia de la Compania 4
Notice the beautiful symmetry of the bell towers on either side. And the fine, ornate fountain, of which there is surprisingly little information.

Poroy to Aguas Calientes
The Vistadome train getting ready for the trip to Machu Picchu.

Poroy to Aguas Calientes 2
The rest of the pictures are of the train journey between Poroy and Aguas Calientes. Enjoy the landscape as it passes by.

Poroy to Aguas Calientes 6
Our train heading around a bend.