Four days in Cuzco

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Tuesday 6th December to Friday 9th December

Four days in Cuzco

The first time I woke on the night bus to find it stopped, I figured it was just a driver break. The second time I woke to find it stopped, felt a little more suspicious, especially when Paul pointed out that 6hours in and, according to google maps, we were barely away from Arequipa. Trying to see out into the blackness more, we realised everything was covered in snow! Whaaaaat?! No information given, but no panic with no one seeming bothered, we continued to sleep on and off for the next several hours, following on google to see we were going a different route then expected, until, after a 10hour journey became a 17hour one, we finally reached Cuzco.

Uber, Hostal, Cafe, and, feeling real again, we wasted no time in getting some washing in to a local laundry and wondering around the streets of Cuzco. A high, hilly place we felt the altitude on our breath but enjoyed meandering around the narrow streets, passing many vendors (declining all their offers of colourful clothing, paintings, massages and drugs, many many times), more cafes and restaurants, outdoor shops, churches, temples and a surprising amount of traffic.

The coolest thing here though, is the huge Inca stone walls lining the streets and providing foundations to newer builds. You might not think much of them when walking past, but doing the free walking tour the next morning, really made the history of it all come alive, and started the next few days of learning about the Incas and Peru’s history. What is really fascinating is that there is still so much unknown. Whilst there are theories surrounding how the Incas built their walls and temples, and why and how they did sacrifices, with some parts being more evidenced by researchers day by day, the Inca history still remains pretty magical.

So, not only did we thoroughly enjoy the free walking tour, we also managed to find out about the tourist ticket that allowed us to visit a few museums and watch a traditional song and dance performance one evening which was really good. This ticket was also needed for our Sacred Valley Tour, where, after an early morning minibus pickup with mostly Spanish speaking tourists, we managed to visit and learn about several Inca sites in the area; Massive stone walls, buildings, temples, houses, farming areas, fountains, all set in a magnificent mountainous valley landscape. Pretty incredible. Of course we also stopped off to learn about traditional ways of making llama wool clothing (where they expect you to buy some), a salt mine where they sell salted chocolate and at a silver factory to learn how they mine and use silver (with jewellery shop!) but hey ho that is usually the case for tourist trips, and it is actually quite fascinating if you can get out without feeling bad that you didn’t buying anything.

Wanting to escape the ‘buy something tourist’ feeling, we ventured out and up on our own the next morning, climbing the many steps, high above Cuzco to Saqsaywaman; another famous Inca site, thought to be a fortress and ceremonial place, with a great view of Cuzco. Simply walking up ourselves, gave us some space away from the hustle and bustle for a bit, and we really enjoyed simply sitting on the grass in the sun, in the middle of this ancient site, watching llamas stare out and hiss at the daring children getting too close to them.

Feeling more refreshed, we headed back down into the craziness of Cuzco centre, and, after a bit of last minute Inca Trail shopping, met with our Italian friends again! A good catch up, in an excitable pub, as we joined locals and tourists watching Argentina play the Netherlands. We have never watched so much football, but, as we all felt the tension rising and the sheer electric in the air as Argentina won, it was a great place to be and join in with once again. Shame we will miss England’s match tomorrow, as we start our 3night/4day Inca Trail Hike to Machu Picchu.

Oh yea, the Inca Trail. Something we agreed to do a while ago, but has been quickly creeping up on us and making me feel pretty worried! I had found the Colca Canyon hike up difficult and just generally walking up the streets of Cuzco can cause breathlessness so how were we meant to complete the Inca Trail?! Thankfully, our briefing / meeting with ABTours, really helped settle some of my worries. They seemed nice, professional and fun, know what they are doing, and, to our huge surprise, we are the only ones in our group! That means I wont feel like I’m making anyone wait for me on the ups and we can take our time and do it at our own pace.

Packed and ready, with a not really early enough bed time, we’ve got a 5am start awaiting us. Wish us luck!

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