Cusco

After the Inca Trail, we came back to Cusco. Amazingly, we saw Pete and Donna in the square – they had been delayed due to an airstrike. It was wonderful to catch up with them. Cusco is a wonderful town to chill out in, full of amazing restaurants and cheap (but great) massages. We look forward to charging our batteries before hiking Canyon del Colca down south. We hear it is as strenuous as The Inca Trail. Oh dear!




Update (Ally)


After walking it was rather nice to get back to a city for a while. As we arrived in Cusco we met Pete and Donna just by chance on the square. It was super to bump into them and catch up but I was sorry that we were too tired to go to dinner with them.

The next day we said a very sad farewell to Russell. Travelling will certainly not be the same without him.

We went for a delicicous hamburger on the Square and bascially slept the whole day. We met our group, from the Inca trail, that night and had a delicious Mexican meal.

The next day we went to Jacks (the best food in the city) and had breakfast with Angelina and Jaan from the hostel. Then we saw Kristy and Bruce who we knew from the pamapas. It was a wonderfully social time and certainly created a feeling of belonging for me. I love bumping into people and catching up with them.

We both went for a massage – they tout on every corner – and it was heaven. G was a little disconcerted when they pulled down his underpants to massage his bum but he loved it.

I had a great potter around the markets and found a picture which I just feel in love with. I took G back and thank goodness he liked it too. So after much hard bargaining we are now the proud owners of our first painting.

To while away a couple of hours before our bus left for Arequipa. I went to the Inca museum. And I am very gald that I did as I had seen the ruins but not the artifacts.

• I saw pottery from the 850BC (from the pre-Inca civilisations). All very fragile with no decoration. Then they had pottery from the Inca times which span a number of centuries. It consisted mainly of crokery and cooking stoves.
• Their weapons were scary with solid star shaped metal objects on the ends of ropes which they threw at enemies or animals.
• The stone working tools were cool to see as they had enormous chisles to smooth and carve the rocks used for their buildings. There are were also many pestle and mortars. (A civilisation after my own heart). They were used to work a number of things from colouring and food to gold.
• I also saw pictures of Machu Piccu when it was first being cleared in 1912. It was overgrown with plants and trees and certainly not its prestine self it is today.
• When the Spanish arrived the Inca royalty definately decided to enjoy some of the fine living the Spanish had. (This is a fact that the Quecha guides don´t boast about).
• I got to see the book which was written about the Inca´s history in the 1600´s. (I think it was written by a Spaniard). This book is supposed to have inspiried the anti-colonial movement in Peru through the 18th and 19th centuries. (I found it all rarther ironic).

Overall it was a powerful exhibition for me whcih was completed by seeing the mummies which had been found close to Inca ruins. It is always surreal for me to be looking at these people from a totally different century, with a totally different life and they are frozen in time. What I wouldn´t give for a cup of coffee and a chat to get the proper inside scoop on their lives).

The exhibtion helped me see the Inca´s as real people rather than just a race who built or who are featured as a Tintan cartoon.