Cuzco

Oh hi! Finally at the airport with a hour and a half flight ahead of us instead of an 18-28 hour bus journey, we felt that we could put our frustrating experiences in Lima behind us and relax on the flight. Wiji was a bit miffed because we only got a box of biscuits each and no inflight meal. What?! No inflight meal to play with? We concerned ourselves with looking out of the window at the Andes proper.

Wiji took these brilliant piccys...








When we arrived at Cuzco we were immediately struck by the bright twinking light, the sort of light that makes St Ives even more beautiful...but this was soo much brighter. After Lima, Cuzco was even more appealing! We were especially chuffed with ourselves for booking a couple of nights at the Nino's Hotel, a charitable organisation set up by a dutch women who initially adopted two street children and then addressed the issues of child poverty in Cuzco though setting up a hotel, foster homes and two restaurants for street children to eat in.

Here's Wiji in our first super lush room. We had to take it easy after the plane so that we could become acclimatised to the altitude. This was the highest that we had been at, a whopping 3280 metres, and we had flown straight up there from sea level! We both felt quite lightheaded, nauseous and dizzy...so we were suffering a little from altitude sickness on the first two days.


Nino's hotel is a beautifully restored colonial building. Looking down from our room.


Lol...it was great to have breakfast here in the morning sunshine.


It was a very relaxing place to stay and because the nights were quite chilly, the streets seemed deserted by 11pm, we and everyone else were well and truly tucked up in bed!


On our first night after having a chillax we made it to Chez Maggy's for Wiji to have a calzone from their wood oven. The place was filled with objet d'art. I was feeling really dizzy, but Wiji assured me he was well enough for a beer!


The wood oven made for a very cosy reataurant...we were freezing! We returned to one of the three restaurants over the course of our stay, loving the warmth of the ovens and rustic cooking.


We took it easy the next day too, and had a general slow wander around the town taking in some of the colonial architecture and Inca stone work.


A view of the Plaza de Armas with the cathedral behind us. The cathedral itself sits on the site of Inca Viracocha's Palace and was built by the Spanish using Inca blocks from the site of Saqsaywaman.


Inglesia de la Compania de Jesus...


and a detail on the door, one of the knockers and stud work.


We wandered slowly up hill through the narrow cobbled streets. The air had an icy chill if you were in the shade.

Taking it easy in Plaza San Blas...well actually still feeling dizzy, but at least getting a tan!


Looking back at Cuzco stretching off into the mountains.


Following the cobbled streets as they got steeper and steeper, we branched off down a mud brick alley way, where cactii were planted in the top of the walls.


Waiting for us as we decended a deserted cobbled street, two ladies in traditional dress wanted some money for their photo. No one had asked us that before, so we agreed, having very few photos of people in our blog. This is certainly a great one. It really did add to my Llama (yamma) facination! I think that the one on the left is a Llama and the one on the right is an Alpaca...but I don't really know. I love the knees...on the animals! We have seen lots of women spinning carded wool like the women is doing on the left.


This just had to be cropped to be fully appreciated! LOL! What a brilliant portrait! I love the smile, beautiful eyes and eyelashes. What I really love about Llamas is that they appear to be quite strong willed and feisty.


After some discussion the ladies with the Llamas came back to us and asked for some more money, so they didn't have to split what we had given them. This must have been their most sucessful sale! We gave them some more and went off chuckling, and so did they!

This street is know as Hatunrumiyoc after the 12 sided Inca stone that fits in beautifully to the wall with its cushion edges. On the right of the picture some teenagers are standing in front of the large stone so it can't be seen by tourists without paying a fee.


At the end of Hatunrumiyoc street is the beautiful building Museo de Arte Religioso, combining the Inca hewn stones and fantastic carpentry.


On descending to the Plaza de Armas again we came across a large peaceful demonstration by Indigenous men and women that seemed to be about mineral rights and possibly damage to the environment?


The demonstration continued for some time, the road was closed and people marched around Plaza de Armas chanting and clapping. Many stall holders came out to stare.


We watched from a convenient cafe balcony.


Cuzco is the continent's oldest continuously inhabited city. Its clear that tourism provides much of the cities income. On Plaza de Armas every other building is a restaurant or high end craft store. It still retains a relaxed and genuinly local, unspoilt feel.


Looking towards the train station and the market with the mountains everywhere as an awe inspiring backdrop.


The local market...


Packed a massive array of goods including locally made cheeses, chocolate and really delicious nectarines...all of which we tried! Many Indigenous women were selling bundles of herbs and a herbal drink made with infusions that they displayed on the bucket lid.

A small child having a tantrum on the floor!


Masses of fruit including custard apples, figs and delicious pineapples.


We brought some brazil nuts and saltanas for our camping trip.


High on one of the mountans just outside the city inscribed into the earth or rock 'Viva El Peru'.


Another day...another hilarious photo opportunity presented to us. I had a kid goat thrust into my arms...if only it were a Llama...


A beautiful alley way.


Taking in the views of the city...with Cuzco's 'Arco Iris' flag in the foreground. Developed in the 1970's the flag is a reference to the Incas who believed that the rainbow was sacred. Not to be confused with the gay-pride banner, then.


Cuzco was a really beautiful place to have visited. We loved the hot, bright sunshine and the chilly nights. If we had more time we would have loved to visit the Sacred Valley and do lots more camping...