This would be the appropriate time to thank everyone for their travel advice, the wet wipes, extra TP and over the counter meds came in handy. Also, Megan I took your advice and practically wore my camera as a necklace. Julianne, I said hi to Machu Picchu for you.
(Stairs in Plaza de Regocijo, Cusco)
(Obviously, I can't get enough of these blue doors. I just think they are so stunning, Cusco)
(I love the street signs here, a new sign on a crumbling building, Cusco)
Having finally adjusted to the time zone, we slept in and enjoyed our breakfast before heading out for the day. To get into Chinchero and Ollantaytambo you have to buy the boleto turistico or tourist ticket. This gets you into 15 sites around Cusco, museums, ruins and cultural experiences. I had Steve get an international student card before we left and that saved us 50% on these plus our Machu Picchu tickets plus it pretty much paid for all the stuff we did the next few days in Cusco.
(Inside the Museum of Cont. Art, Inca Wall in gallery)
(This is the fundamental struggle for balance, indigenous person, driver's license, do you think his real name is Franklin? Museum of Cont. Art, Cusco)
We started the day in Cusco at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The building was beautiful, a government building with a courtyard, fountain and open galleries. Some of the art was really fascinating, focusing on the traditions of the people in modern mediums. This museum also had no toilet seats in the bathrooms. Adventures everywhere!
(Open galleries at Museum of Cont. Art)
(Museum of Contemporary Art, people associate the rainbow flag with gay pride, this is the city flag of Cusco which confuses many travelers looking for a good time. Our tour book said that people are often disappointed in the gay scene in Cusco, I thought that was funny, what a mistake to make!)
(There was an interesting installment piece, this clown leading empty birdcages and Steve)
(During our jaunts we found some bookstores-shocker, us in bookstores? This is what they all look like, single books lined up on parade, Cusco)
(The colors of Peru are astounding, everywhere there is something for the eye to catch, houses in San Blas, Cusco)
Next we headed over to the Cathedral. This huge building is actually 3 churches put together and was insanely beautiful and intricate. Alas, no photography allowed. We accidentally hired a guide to tell us about the significance of the different altars and the workmanship. I say accidentally because you just kind of assume they are included in the ticket price and then at the end they tell you they get a tip of at least 10 soles. Oh well, $3.33 for a lot of information, it was worth it.
(The Cathedral, huge and looming, Cusco)
(Steve above Cusco, taking a break on our hike to Sacsaywaman)
(Street graffiti, girl screaming, Cusco)
After the cathedral, we trekked up to Sacsaywaman (pronounced Sexy Woman). The climb was exhausting and we are sweaty enough in the pictures to prove it. Sacsaywaman sits above Cusco on a hill, it was a fortress city, protection for Cusco. Like most of the other ruins in the area, it was partly destroyed by the Spanish to build buildings in Cusco.
(Sacsaywaman, it was huge and very impressive, they say it is more precise than Machu Piccu in construction)
(Me standing in an immense doorway)
I couldn't believe the sheer size of the stones, totally huge. And very precisely fitted together. In the pictures you can see how intricately they worked each piece into place. Really very mind blowing. The place was huge and we didn't hire a guide but we had our books to read about it. It was hot so we didn't stick around too long. Suffict it to say, the walk back down to Cusco was much more enjoyable.
(Us in Sacsaywaman)
(Beautiful construction, look how rounded they shaped them so they would fit together)
(look how tiny I am in comparison with this stone, I'm just happy I wasn't one of the original builders.)
After that hike, (which was only about a mile uphill but the altitudes and warmth are the things that got us) we went back to the hotel and took a nap.
(Heading back down from Sacsaywaman. Notice the gutter is in the center of the street)
Included in the boleto touristico was a cultural performance of singing and dancing, Peruvian style. The dances and costumes were bright and fun. It reminded me a lot of performances we had seen at BYU but instead of white students, we got real Peruvians. The music was played by a live band dressed in traditional costumes too. The hall was filled with other tourists so I didn't feel totally lame taking pictures.
(Dancers at cultural center, Cusco. I know it is blurry but I love the movement)
After the show we headed back up to San Blas to a restaurant we had read about in our tour guide, Macondo, named after the mystical town in Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. The restaurant was definitely my favorite place we ate. Totally charming and funky, the tabletops were glass with hundreds of random candids underneath, the napkins were made out of denim and we had our own candle on the table. The place felt like a boutique. It actually sold fashionable alpaca wear too. The food was delicious. We both had alpaca dishes, Steve had an alpaca steak with a yummy white wine and mushroom sauce and I had Alpaca Casserole which ended up being a thin piece of alpaca served under a sauteed onion and tomato concoction. The flavor of the meat was mild, kind of like a combination of pork and beef. The texture was softer than beef.
(Yummy Alpaca dinner. Oh and that spiral metal thing above my plate is the napkin ring, totally cool, and every table has little pots with salt and pepper in them-I looked for some to bring back but we ran out of time)
Eating in Peru took some getting used to. Not the food but the time it takes. They don't rush you at all. You know how you go to Chili's and they bring you your check but they say "Take your time" when they really mean, "Hurry up so I can get more customers in here." Well in Peru, they don't bring the check and if you sat there long enough, they might not ever bring it. Seriously, you have to ask for it. Steve and I had two theories to explain this. 1: they don't want to seem rude. 2: they want you to stay in their restaurant so it looks like they have business. A lot of the places we ate, we were the only customers. There are just so many restaurants. I started getting really annoyed at being held hostage especially when the whole family was watching tv in the same room since the dining room and kitchen were often very close. It was different and even though I am going to miss the cosy places to eat and the food, I am not going to miss the weird feeling of eating with someone watching over your shoulder.
(La Merced, convent, Cusco)
(Cusco at night as taken from our hotel's courtyard)
Yes, I spent more on knobs than on the actual desk but I don't even care. I love it and think it turned out better than I had expected. I spent about an hour yesterday organizing and filling it with sewing notions which was almost as fun as refinishing it.
Who doesn't love a Harry Potter marathon followed by the Fugitive?
