Cusco, Perú

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After a lengthy delay, and turbulent but short flight, we were excited to finally make it to Cusco – once the capital of the Inca Empire, and currently the gateway to Machu Picchu!  We have been warned by several friends that Cusco is a challenging place to visit.  At 11,000 feet above sea level, your body moves slower, you breathe a lot heavier, and all of a sudden you feel completely out of shape.  It takes time for your body to adjust to the altitude, especially if you are two California kids used to being at sea level.  We spent two days in Cusco and even though we didn’t see it all, we sure did a lot.

In Cusco, we met two people from Alexandria, Virginia!  Dana & Richard – I hope you have an amazing time in Perú and enjoy Colombia!  Maybe we will see you back in VA!

 

Where We Stayed

We stayed in the San Blas area, at El Mariscal B&B.  We were able to get a great rate, and the location was exactly where we wanted.  We were about a 15-minute walk to the main plaza, and had plenty of restaurants nearby to try.

 

How We Got Around

Cusco is a much smaller town than Lima, so we weren’t shocked to find that Uber hasn’t made its way over here.  You can travel by Taxi to a lot of places.  As seems to be the standard in South America, there are no meters so a rate must be negotiated prior to entering the car.  We did see some busses, but we believe they are privately owned, and it was challenging to find information about them.

 

Our Favorite Eats

A nearby restaurant specialized in Mexican food, so it was a no brainer that we had to go there.  I ordered a chicken burrito and Steve had chicken tacos – we noticed it wasn’t like the Mexican food we get back home in the Bay Area.  They served it very simple – meat, cheese & tortilla.  The tortillas were freshly made and heavenly.  I would recommend this place to anyone staying in Cusco’s San Blas area.

 

What We Did

We decided to spend day visiting the various ruins in the outskirts of Cusco.  We had a taxi driver take us to the farthest one (S/15), Tambomachay and we hiked back to our hotel.  In Cusco, to visit the ruins, we needed to buy the Boleto Turístico – a ticket that gets you into all the ruins in Cusco and nearby towns (including the one in Ollantaytambo) as well as museums in the city of Cusco.  We spent S/130.00 on the tickets for each of us.

 

Tambomachay – Archaeologists believe this was site to worship water.  There were several waterfalls and canals flowing through this site.  Steve and I spent about 30 minutes exploring the features here.  Some of the stairways were blocked off, we aren’t sure if it is always blocked, or if they closed it because of the heavy rainfall the previous night.

 

Puka Pukara –  A military fort of the Inca empire.  We spent 45 minutes here walking all around the fort.

 

Temple of the Moon & Temple of the Sun –  On our hike down from Puka Pukara, a local told us to take the trail to Q’enqo rather than the road, and promised it had better views and was shorter – he was right!  We also stumbled across the Temple of the Moon and Temple of the Sun.  When visiting these sites, we were treated to flute music by a local who allowed us to take photos of him as well.  We gave him a tip for the photos and the music.  We are happy we didn’t take a tour bus to these sites, because if we had, we would’ve missed out on the beauty here.  I have tried to find information online about these sites, and have come across only a handful of theories.

 

Q’enqo – (There are various spellings for this site, but the ticket spells it this way).  Believed to be a shrine in the Inca empire, it is where sacrifices and mummification occurred.  Throughout the ruins, there were several altars, both above and underground.

 

Saqsayhuaman – The main attraction of the city’s ruins is here.  We spent close to 3 hours exploring the vast ruins.  It is a massive fortress built on top of a hill, inside is an amphitheater, temples, tunnels, and stunning views of the city of Cusco.

 

Plaza de Armas – During the Inca empire, the main square of the city was much bigger than it is today, with creeks running through it.  They held festivities and celebrations here.  Once the Spanish arrived, they built Cathedrals, mansions and more, even on top of the creek.  Today, the plaza still holds many celebrations, but is the main area of tourism.  You can find tours here daily to ruins nearby, a McDonalds and a Starbucks.

 

Church of the Society of Jesus – We only went into one church during our visit here and so we made it this one.   Built in 1576, this church is home to the largest altarpiece in Perú – 21 meters tall and 12 meters wide, made of wood and covered completely in gold leaf.  We are bummed we weren’t able to take photos inside the church, because it was quite the site.  One of the most notable pieces of art the church is famous for is the painting of the marriage of Sir Martin of Loyola and the last Incan Princess, Lady Beatriz Ñusta.  It is considered one of the most important paintings in Perú.

 

 

What’s Next

Ollantaytambo, Perú!