Cusco
Cusco is at an elevation of over 11000ft, so AMS can cause headaches and heavy breathing. We booked our stay in Cusco at the Tierra Viva Cusco Centro. This is a 10 minute walk to the Cusco city center, where all the restaurants are. The buffet at Tunupa was one of our favorites- for food and views. We had the hotel arrange pick up from the airport (we paid).After some rest, we walked to the city center. Due to altitude, the walk was quite tiring. We exchanged Sol and had a light brunch. We then walked around the square. Cusco is a world apart from the Amazon. Cusco is a very busy tourist place. People trying to sell you merchandise and get your attention to their wares or services. Busy cabs on the aged cobbled stone streets, transferring tourists to their destinations. We booked a city tour for the afternoon. This included the Cathedral, Sun temple (Coricancha), Saqsaywaman and Tambomachay. It is recommended to book tours while you are in Cusco, as they are cheaper. We took group tours with a bus full of people, as well as private tours. Both were cheaper than booking online from the US. Group tours are chaotic, and you get herded along with a large group of people. There was a person on our tour who got on the wrong bus! So be sure to make a few friends on your bus and chain yourself to your guide if you have to! Spanish is the most spoken language on the streets and the tours, with quick summarization in at the end. Shop around the square and get rates from a few people before you buy, and make sure you confirm it is a bi-lingual tour with English (bi-lingual tours are a tad bit more expensive).
Cusco cathedral at the city center
The tour started at the Cathedral. This time we lucked out with a small group of only-Engligh speaking people (so the tour was in English). Our guide was a history student and spoke passionately about the Incan times. The cathedral is beautiful, but pictures are not allowed. We then walked to Coricancha. The Incans mined gold and silver but had no concept of currency. They used the precious metals purely for ornamental purposes. The sun temples had massive amounts of gold structures. The Spanish destroyed and looted all this when they conquered the Incas.
Coricancha
The Incans were also masters of stone masonry. The structures they built are earthquake proof. They did not use heavy mortar; so the stones shook and fell back in place. The stones are cut and packed so expertly, there isn't room to fit a credit card in between them. Trapezoidal shapes are very common in their construction.
Stone work at Coricancha
We were then transferred to a bus, to join a larger group enroute to Saqsaywaman- pronounced as sexy woman with a heavy accent. It's pronunciation has nothing to do with the monument. Saqsaywaman is also a sun temple. It has some very large stones that are from a quarry near Cusco. How they were brought up here is a mystery.
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| Saqsaywaman |
| The Incans studied astronomy deeply. This is reflected in their construction as well. The sun temples trace the path of the sun. They were able to construct structures to capture sun rays at solstice. |  |
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Tambomachay was a resting place for travelers and message bearers. The messengers ran across the empire to communicate the harvest produce and other things to the administrators. They stopped at these "motels" for rest. The entire kingdom is connected by these aqua ducts and underground streams, that run all year round. They Incas were thus experts at irrigation and agriculture as well
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Cusco city view from the mountainsMachu PicchuThe next day early morning, we left for Machu Picchu. These tickets sell out fast. We had booked train tickets and entry tickets couple of weeks in advance. Even then, Huayna Picchu had already sold out. I forget which website I had used to book the entry tickets. There are a ton of blogs about how to purchase the tickets. I had followed the steps outlined. Train tickets were easy. We booked train tickets on Peru Rail's VistaDome. We took a cab to Cusco PeruRail (Poroy) station. It was about about 30 mins away and around 30-40 Sol. We asked the hotel to call a cab for us. Some people stay at Ollantaytambo and take the train from there (shorter distance). But there is not much to do at Ollantaytambo, other than be close to the train station.
The train journey was very comfortable. We were traveling light on our entire trip and only had two backpacks. People who have suitcases, leave their bags at the Cusco hotel for a small fee. The train does not have room to store a lot of large bags. The views of the country-side from the train were breathtaking, and the food was great too! From the train you can see the starting point of the Machu Picchu hike and hikers on the trail. Right before you reach Aguas Calientes, on your left you will see another ruin.
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We reached the town of Aguas Calientes by noon. This town is purely for Machu Picchu tourists to stay overnight. We had booked a hotel for one night in advance from. Google shows you the Machu Picchu bus stop. Book a hotel as close to that as possbile. The town is on a slope, and carrying bags up and down the slope is cumbersome. Also, the few restaurants and shops are all near the bus stop. The shops in the marketplace are bright and colorful- perfect for some pictures. We spent the evening walking around and buying small souvenirs. There is a town square and museum. We had dinner at the square. There are a lot of mosquitos here so remember to bring your repellent with you. On this day, we also purchased our bus tickets to Machu Picchu entrance (available near the bus stop). We, like most people, decided to take the first bus out at 5:30am.
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| Aguas Calientes |
After you enter, it is a short but steep hike up for 10 mins. By the time I reached the top, I was out of breath and starting to wonder if I let my enthusiasm get the better of me. But when you make your way out of the tree lined path, and step out to grand panoramic views of lush green mountains and valleys, all your pains fly away with the wind. It is absolutely gorgeous!
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| view on walk up to Machu Picchu |
A few more steps forward and right there, in plain sight, appearing out of nowhere, is Machu Picchu!
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| Machu Picchu as you enter |
The best view of Machu Picchu are from the watchman's hut, and as you walk down from there. We spent a lot of time exploring and taking pictures. Since we were there early in the day, clouds swept over us, enhancing the magic of this palace on the mountains. As the sun came out, the views got clearer.
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| Watchmen's hut, Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu |
After wandering around for a few hours, we decided to get a guide. We went back down to the entrance. There are guides available all the time. Once the morning rush is over, the rates also may have dropped. I highly recommend getting a guide. Our guide was very knowledgable. She took us around the entire site (which can be a little hard to navigate on your own since they close certain paths). She explained the different temples- sun temple, moon temple and the temple of the condor. The tall peak behind the clouds in Huayna Picchu. Along the middle of the site is a green patch. That is a garden area. To the right of it are homes of the royalty, while on its left are the homes of the commoners.
Grand entryway Temple of the condor
Lamas Temple of the moon
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| Aqua Ducts for year round water |
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| Terraces for agriculture |
Sun Temple
The sun temple. On Equinox, the window at the sun temple gets the ray of light that comes through the Sun Gate. The sun-gate is another structure about 1.5 miles away from Machu Picchu
Moon Temple
The 3-steps are symbolic of three phases of life. The Condor represents life above, the Puma represents life on earth, the Snake represents life under earth. The three steps represent the extremes and the middle ground where there is balance. This can also be thought of as the good, the bad, and the middle where most people are. Like the dark, the light, and a bit of both where life thrives.
Temple fo Condor
The rocks behind are wings. the rocks down are the body, head and beak
Entryways
Notice the ridge on top and the holes on the sides. Incas did not have secure doors for their houses, only curtains for privacy. The punishment for crime was very severe- death by torture. So there were no wood doors required, except for entrance to royal areas or temples- like this one
Houses
Some houses were two storeyed. The top floor was use to stay pure for rituals. Cubbies were a feature in all homes, probably used to keep a light. Roofs were thatched with hay, and had leather -lining for water proofing.
Sun Gate
After the tour was over, our guide left us to walk around some more. We decided to go to the Sun Gate (IntiPunku). There are sign for it nearer to the entrance. If you were at the entrance, to your right is Machu Picchu site, and to your left is Intipunku. It is not very visible from Machu Picchu, but keep walking the 1.5 mile road/stairs. From the trail you can see Machu Picchu, the road up to it, and Huayna Picchu.
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| View from Sun Gate. Huayna Picchu is the tall peak to the right |
The trail was tough, with stairs straight all the way up. There are points when it is scary since there are no guard rails, and the stones are slippery. But we were so tired and exhausted, we were just focused on getting there. The Sun Gate itself was over crowded. Tourists were perched in every corner atop the magnificent Sun Gate, so I couldn't really appreciate what I was looking at. Though to think that the Incas were able to catch a ray of light from this far away in a tiny window is admirable! It was past 1pm, so we headed back in a hurry to hotel and then the train. The train ride back had lot of entertainment. The staff did a fantastic job cheering us up after a long and tiring day! We got off at Poroy, and took a local cab to Cusco.
That night, we had a hearty meal and drank up a few Pisco Sours to celebrate a beautiful new memory.
Pisaq
Sacred Valley from Pisaq. Pisaq was a burial ground. It is high up on the mountain so that the souls of the dead can fly away like a Condor.
That night, we had a hearty meal and drank up a few Pisco Sours to celebrate a beautiful new memory.
Sacred Valley
The next day we had a tour scheduled for Sacred Valley (booked on the first day). This included Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero. Just getting on this tour was chaotic. Our tour did not pick us up. Then they rushed us to the next tour when we threatened to post a bad review online. After a chaotic and nerve recking start to the day, we finally got on the bus. We made a few acquaintances on the bus ride. Half way on the journey, our friend realized he was on the wrong tour. Too late, he had to take this tour! So make sure you get picked up, and are picked up by the right people! This was a tiring day, since these sites are quite far from each other. We were also tired from hiking and had not had a rest. The tour guide spoke mostly Spanish. After a while we quit trying to ask for clarification. We took some pictures and enjoyed the views.
Pisaq
Sacred Valley from Pisaq. Pisaq was a burial ground. It is high up on the mountain so that the souls of the dead can fly away like a Condor.
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Ollantaytambo
The city is shaped like a maize. Ollantaytambo was also a resting place early on. After the Spanish took over Incan empire, Manco- an Incan emperor in exile, launched guerilla attacks on the Spanish. One such battle was fought here. The Spanish were defeated and chased back to Cusco, where their headquarters were.
 
Chinchero
Incas built cities and connected them via trails. Chinchero is connected via the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. It is also connected via trails to Cusco. Chinchero was a trade center. Here you can see Spanish construction on top of Incan construction. This is common throughout the region, even in Cusco.
 Maras Moray
On our last day in Cusco, we took a private tour (car) to Maras & Moray. The group tours needed a full day, which included shopping. We had an evening flight out, so we decided to do a private tour. We found someone at the Cusco town center and negotiated a rate. The driver doubled as a tour guide, except he could not speak English. He was a nice guy though and we managed with signs. He stopped a few places along the way, took pictures, bought us special corn that is grown in the Maras region. All in all, we really liked it. It was relaxing, at our pace and we absolutely enjoyed the drive through the country side.
Moray was a research center for terrace farming. The circular shape allowed experimentation for different wind and sun directions. The soil in the terraces is not simply earth. They built the terrace walls, then filled it with sand, gravel and soil. This allowed for water to be held longer, providing moisture all year round.
Pre-Incan salt mines at Maras. These are leased.
By afternoon we were back in Cusco. We bought some souvenirs from the markets around Cusco town center. We stopped at the chocolate store for some Peruvian chocolate. Lastly but most importantly, I refused to leave without this and the man had to give in-- a picture with a baby lama!
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