Inca Inca Moche, Inca Inca Chimu

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Sorry I haven't written in such a very long time. I've been busy busy busy! So many things have happened!

Well, since I left off, I was heading from Puno to Cuzco to start in on the motherload of archeaological sites in Peru. The ride was uneventful, and I arrived in Cuzco unscathed. Some advice for travelers though: I've learned the hard way to stick to my guns about what taxi prices should be. Anywhere in Cuzco is 3 soles, and no more. However, at the bus station, they charged me ten soles. The drivers were all in agreement over it, and everyone charged that amount... I had to accept! If I was smarter, I would have waited on the street for a different new taxi. Its difficult though because the bus station isn't supposed to be in a safe area. Cuzco is a shady place in general, I suppose because there are so many silly gingo tourists to take advantage off. And speaking to those tourists... I'd like to say I wish they would take more time to be knowledgable about stuff like this. I think many of the older, richer tourists ruining it for us little guys by not caring about these expenses. 50 year old white couples may not care about the difference between 3 and 1 dollars, but I do. So... CARE!

More about being a shady place: I was strongly harrassed by a man that my shoe was untied... it wasn't, and it was likely an attempt to distract me so that someone could slip in a take some money from a back pocket. The ATMS were full of suspicious little children waiting and watching and staring at you... maybe so they could slip in and grab some money. My suspicious are not unfounded. Jason is very weary of such people in public here. THe other day (now in trujillo) a man walked up to him and said... shake my hand!... and just sort of grabbed him. It was weird, and Jason panicked that something had been taken. Its not always clear what is going on. It just... well, in general... in Peru you have to be on your gaurd.

I stayed in a really cool hostel. It was called the Loki Hostel Inn.... it was a 450 year old house. It had a giant courtyard, and the entire thing was made out of stone and gaint raw wood logs. It had several stories, and balcony that over looked the courtyard. The best part was the winding and passage way nature of the layout of the building. Small half staircase broke out here and there, leading to short doors the entered into stone floor rooms with tiny little windows (updated with panes of glass, I'm sure). Also, the water was hot. It was a huge place, but it didn't feel like it. Actually, I stayed in a room with 16 people, but just about every numk was placed in some little niche or other, and it seemed perfectly comfortable. The only bad thing that happened there involved storage. We had these perfectly awesome rolling, top-open boxes to store out stuff in. Nice and deep, and I couple put my whole pack in. Unfortunately, the heavy lid fell on my fingers while it was open once. OWWW! Took out a nice chunk across my fingers at knucle level. My fault!

Cuzco is a beautiful city. Many of the stones used to make the buildings were taken from Incan buildings near the present city. In fact, Cuzco was an incan city, and it has been inhabitated for 700 years!!! But, back to the stones... they are mostly well cute largish stones forming high walls. The ability of the stones to fit together perfectly is amazing! They took a lot of time making each individual stone fit into the others.... I guess for effect because there are lots of other ways to make a stone wall.

Its a lot of work and more money than you anticipate to organize going to local archeaological sites. It costs almost 200 dollars to get to Machu Picchu! Oh well... I really enjoyed all of these things in the end. The first night I was there, I didn't have enough time to start these adventures, it gets dark quite early. I went to the archeaological museum and the modern art museum. They were pretty mediocre and I don't recommend them. the archeaological museum was particularly funny because it insisted in treated the pieces in a western modern art sort of way. It was all analysis of line and composition and artist's intentions and feelings. Funny, ebcasue I learned almost nothing about what the peices were used for, when or by whom. I would prefer reall archeaological information! I did however, learn more about peru, and had a better outline of only peruvian pottery then I've seen elsewhere. I can't wait to see better museums in Lima!

I wondered a bit in Cuzco as well. Many of the buildings are white, and have bright blue painted wooden balconies and doors. There are a series of beautiful plazas with fountains and the usual trees and flowers. One plaza was filled with christmas lights, and it made me lonesome for the USA... since this is so common around christmas in the states. Cuzco, like Puno, is very high above see level, and I had a hard time with the altitude. It was funny, because it didn't both me too much in Puno... but I got struck a few times in Cuzco. I was walking home later at night... like 8... and I wanted to walk briskly so that I wouldn't look like a target for mugging or something. The hostel was at the top of the hill. I was doing alright climbing it, when suddenly I was out of breath and couldn't push on any more! I could hardly breath at all! I went into a shop and sat down, and the travel agent there ran up to me and ask are you all right are you all right? I was completely fine. I'm so silly.

I only spent the one night in Cuzco. The next day I got up and went to the ruins closest to the city. Something like Sasquqaman (I can never remember spelling and I don't want to look it up for you). Its a neat, big site with more of the fitted stone walls, and some still standing stone doorways, walkways, etc. It was another breathless hike to the top - ack! I really enjoyed it there. Actually, the funnest things that happened was that I ran into the same to German men I crossed the Chilean-Peruvian border with. They go by Stephen and ABC (I dont know). They were very nice. I was happy to have them around becasue it felt safer walking from place to place in the company of other people. They were chatty, and I think they were happy to have me around as a novelty as well (after having traveled together for four months, they were bored of each other?). We went on to the next closest site outside of the city, and spent a few hours together. They wanted to meet up for new years to party! But I told them I had other plans.... 😞

The unfortanate thing about being with boys sometimes is that they insist on doing things... in a not very practical way. Anyway, when we left the second site, they decided we shouldn't take the road, and should go right through the forest straight back to town. (This probably isn't to safe, so I wouldn't recommend it). We walked down a very steep, large hill, and came out on a dirt road. We had to walk along a long way of road under construction, and finally reached the city, not really knowing where we were. After just striking out in the supposed right direction, we did finally reach an area that was on a map that I had. We had a nice lunch together. Hey guys where ever you are... hope your having a good time! Thanks for going to the ruins with me.

At this point, I was getting pretty nervous because I had to catch a bus to Ollytantambo before 8 pm, so I could get the train to Agua Calientes, the last stop outside machu piccu (its very remote, and it takes a lot to get there). I had to rush home to the hostel, get my stuff and try to find the bus place where combis go (like buses, sort of) to pick up passangers to Olly. Actually, I thought I had to transfer from Urubamba to Olly, but that turned out not to be true. I could take a direct trip (unlike what it said in Lonely Planet). Anyway, I had more stress when I got on the bus. I paid for one trip from one guy. The Combis leave when they are full, and there are multiple ones to choose from. However, others were filling up and leaving while I sat and sat! I guess I choose the wrong one or something? Or maybe those were the only people going directly to Olly. Anyway, it was stressing me out. I was already low on time, and then we sat there for an hour and a half. I felt bad later, I was really rude to the bus guy, because I kept asking him... are you going to leave soon? But I wouldn't have been so stressed out if he hadn't continued to lie and say... yes in 15 minutes... ever 15 minutes. I suppose he didn't know when he was going to leave. Anyway, we finally did leave. A recommendation: for anyone traveling this way in the future, I recommend going through the valley before going to machu piccu. Its beautiful, full of rugged step mountains, and all very lush and green. Its one of the most amazing landscapes I've ever seen. People that take the train directly to machu piccu miss out on seeing this sort of thing. Oh well.

I did get to Ollytantambo in time for the train. Its a cute town, but I'll get to that later. I sat in the train station for an hour, and was harrassed by some European guy that wanted to tell me to many details about a sickness he had caught on the Inca Trail. He was unable to finish, and so was taking the train in the end. Wonderful. Oh well, it passed the time.

The train ride was pretty fun. Its only 2 hours (but 60 dollars, the most expensive trip I have taken in S. America) to agua calientes. I meet a nice couple from the states, and a nice guy from Ireland. We all hung out for the rest of the trip in Agua Calientes together. It just made things easier that way. Plus, the guy from Ireland was hilarious. The trip up the mountain went very quickly.

Agua calientes looks like an ok town at first, but it really really sucks. Just like Lonely Planet said. Everything is rediculously overpriced, and of really poor quality. I found this out right away that first night. We all went out for a bite to eat. I ended up paying 15 soles for a little tiny ham sandwich that was stale and dry. It was terrible. In most of peru you would pay maybe 4 to 5 soles for that. Anyway, the restarant also added a 20% tip to the waiter to the tab. 20%!!!! And it isn't like service... exists in Peru. Actually, this became a point of contention. The other people didn't want to pay it, and said we didn't have to. The guy at the restaraunt said we had to, and that we were warned on the menu that we had to pay such a tip. He pointed to a percent sign penciled in at the bottom of the last page. Just a percent sign. We walked out without paying. The waiter followed us, and yelled at us to give him our money. We declined, and abig arguement insued from the guys in our group. The policeman in the square standing next to us didn't do anything, so it was sort of obvious that we could walk away. This happens no where else in Peru! This is why I am so upset at tourists. Things like this wouldn't happen if other tourists were smart enough to know that this isn't really legal (the guy showed us that he had been doing it to people all night). Tourists should know better! And demand the right to pay what ever tip they want to. Anyway.

I stayed in a pretty nice hostel though. It was basic, and they also made a really nice breakfast for us, cheap. It was called the Inca Wasi, and it was decorated sort of like the Swiss family Robinson's house at disneyland. I was pretty happy about that actually.

The next day I went to Machu Piccu! Its pretty awesome. I don't really know what to say about it. I stayed the whole day. I had a hard time walking around a bit because of the altitude. Its very green, and I really enjoyed the llamas on site as well. Its just such a huge, well preserved complex. I mean I guess it was really never that big, but in terms of what is left and what you can see, it feels bigger and more complete than other ruins. Its right on top of a mountain. I have no idea what the Inca were doing up there. What I get about the archeaology of the place, seems like other people can't really figure it out either.

I spent a good time exploring ... everything. Its sort of feels like a giant stone walled maze. Mostly, the walls are made out of fitted stones, bunt in some areas, stairs, walls, and other parts, are carved right out of raw rock. Water runs through the entire city as well. Small canals build out of stone, rundown the hillsides through the homes. I'm not sure how they watered the crops on the terraced mountain sides. I hope they had water from a source above. Otherwise... what a terrible existence.

At the end of the day, I hiked up to the sun gate, the entrance to the site from the inca trail. Its neat, the way the trail snakes up one side of the mountain, and then you go through the gate and around the bend, and you can see the city on the mountain top in the distance. Some nice dramatic planning there. I spent the whole day there, and didn't have much else to do for the rest of the day when I got back. Agua calientes sucks.

But speaking of leacing MP, I almost got mugged! I was going to walk down the hill back onto town (you have to take a bus up, which they charge you an arm and leg for as well), when I was surrounded by 12 year olds who wanted me to take their pciture with me. They were very fast and the boy kept going around behind me. Bad news!!! Anyway, I yelled at them and moved away. Luckily, my backpack is very confusing, and hard to take things out of. They didn't get anything. It was really annoying though, especially since it happened right there on the Machu Piccu property. Stupid kids.

Anyway, the next morning (at 6 am!!!) I got back on the train and went back to Olly. What a wonderful little town! If every there was a picturesque little adorable town nestled in a green valley... this is what you think it would be. Of course, it has the same problems like other poor towns in Peru, but atleast this one benefited from the building entreprize of the incas. The streets, and parts of the buildings are part of the original architecture laid down by them. In fact the ruins on the hillsides al around the town go right down into to town... its all part of the same thing. Like cuzco, this site has been occupied continuously since before the spanish arrived.

I really enjoyed the ruins in this place. They were smaller and more accessible, and there were fewer people, so in a way, I enjoyed it more than maccu piccu. The town was a continuation of the ruines... fixed up with mud brick housing, and cobble stone streets. I nice morning.

After that, I got back on a Combi, and went back to Cuzco. I had originally wanted to see Pisac, but I guess that will have to wait for another trip. There wasn't enough time! When you travel to Cuzco, you really have to give enough time just to sort out how to get places, buy the appropriate tickets, in advance, from the right place, etc, etc, etc. It takes a lot of work. The first day when I was doing this... I was pretty p.o. at the whole set up. Like it was meant to be a hassel. Back in Cuzco, I went straight to the bus station, and bought a ticket for Lima. 3 hours later I was on the 20 hour bus to the big city, and there, I met up with Jason.

Jason and I were only in Lima for about a day before we headed out to trujillo; he had to work the next day. But that can be left for another blog.

Sorry I took so long to write again. I love you all and hope you had a great christmas! I did (more to come...).

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Photos

Cuzco
Plaza de Armas

Saqsaswaman
I don't want to look up the spelling... first site outside of Cuzco

The Archeaological Mega Mecca
MP

Ollytantambo
The modern street leads right to the abondoned ruins on the hillside.