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Published: October 31st 2007
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Sorry folks, we seem to have lost a bit of momentum on the blogs. A combination of a new camera and no computer has meant that I´ve had to rely on external resources (downloading of photos in retail shops and use of internet cafes) to get them rolling again, so there will be a bit of a delay, but we´ll get there. Regretfully, this will likely mean a reduction in the length of my narratives and the number of photos I include, but that may well come as a relief to some readers!
This blog covers a bit of territory. We flew from Arequipa up to Cusco, which is well and truly nestled in the Andes and is real Inca country. Almost everywhere we travelled was magnificent scenery, most of which is beyond my limited powers of description, so I will hope that photos (those from the Sacred Valley were borrowed from others) do justice to these locations. Everywhere we went, you would see some evidence of Inca ruins, not only at the commercial sites, but on a smaller scale just scattered along the countryside as we travelled along. Those at the commercial sites were amazing, as much as anything
for the size and scope of them, and more particularly because most of them comprised large rocks very high up in the mountains. It was tough enough for us to climb up to these carrying a bottle of water and sunscreen - I have no idea how thw Incas managed to carry so many of these huge rocks up such huge heights.
We initially spent a few days in Cusco, as much as anything to get ourselves used to the high altitudes again. Fortunately, we were better prepared this time, and they have given us limited difficulties, although climbing up to the various ruins has been hard going from time to time. Cusco is unashamedly a tourist city. Like all South American cities, it features a central square (Plaza de Armas), flanked by a Cathedral, and everything within a few blocks is geared for tourists - hotels & hostals, restaurants & cafes, tour operators, internet cafes etc. The particular hassle with Cusco is the constant being touted to buy evertything under the sun, from alpaca jumpers, to paintings, to cigarettes, to single lollies - the latter being a sad reflection on the economic state of many of the people
here.
There are four large Inca ruins just out of Cusco that we managed to cover in a single half day. The most impressive is a site called Sachaywaman, which was a fort and the site of most of the bitter battles of the Spanish conquest. The site comprises some zigzag fortifications, including stones weighing as much as 300 tonnes, all interlocked so you can´t even get a razor blade between them. Opposite is a hill full of crumbling retaining walls and polished rocks, while between is a large flat parade ground. The other major ruin we saw was at Tambomachay, where a ceremonial stone bath channels spring water through the ruins.
The following day, we took an organised tour of the Sacred Valley, which covered the famed Pisac markets, and more specifically the Inca ruins of both Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Each of the latter required significant climbs, along at times extraordinarily narrow paths with sheer drops (I think its the first time Joan has held my hand for years!), but at the top the sights were just amazing, not only for the ruins themselves, but the views down into the valley itself. I won¨t even try to
describe in further detail, but hope that the photos give some small perspective of what we saw there.
Given the likely interest in it, I have left Machu Picchu for a seperate blog (hopefully I will get this one in the system tomorrow), and then the next one will cover our trip down to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca, and our few days in that region.
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Lorna Coochiroff
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You did well Neil. I would have gone into withdrawal if you hadn't got everything going again. It's the first thing I do when I get to work - go into the emails to see if you've posted anything else. Absolutely breathtaking scenery but Joanie, forget holding hands I'd have been clinging to his back like a limpet on that trail and Neil - I'll start cooking the minute the wheels hit the tarmac.