Monday- Cusco tour

Monday March 13th


Today we had a bit of a sleep in- not long enough according to Danica. Also the hotel was super noisy early in the morning- most tours leave early as do the trekkers for Machu Picchu. We had our breakfast at the hotel- a light one as we didn't think we would be too long without food today. Then we were off to the Plaza de Armas, in search of a free walking tour guide. We found Diego, of Free Walking Tours Cusco, in no time and a group formed. Promptly at 10 am we were off. First we learnt about the Inca statue in the middle of the square- one of the most important Inca leaders- Pachacuti - as he built Machu Picchu, Ollanaytambo and Cusco to name a few sites. Cusco was initially built in the shape of a Puma, to represent its importance with the Earth. We found this plaque which is in the centre of Cusco, apparently the name Cusco means small dirty dog, it was originally called Cosco which means center of the universe- which it was the center of the Incan universe. At this time in the tour a dog decided to join the tour- our guide says it was not his dog- but that it always joins him (the dog walked with us the entire 2 hours.) On a side note- there are SO many stay dogs in this city- no wait this country from what we have seen so far- the restaurants apparentley keep them fat!
Diego took us to see an Incan musician- who was mesmerising to watch, playing flutes made of condor wings, drums and conch shells. Next we got to learn about the Incan architecture- just how ingenious they were, but sadly so much of it was covered by Spanish buildings- who literally destroyed so much history. He showed us the "image" of the condor and the serpent built into the walls out of stones- so impressive. We were introduced to a store owner- she taught us all the difference between real baby Alpaca and baby Alpaca/sheep wool. The price should be a telling factor as real baby Alpaca is not cheap, but so soft!
We the stared the climb uphill and ended at a bar up in the San Blas district (a lot like Montmartre in Paris) overlooking the city below. At Limbus bar, we learnt how to make a Pisco Sour, ceviche and enjoyed the view. A great tour and free to boot- we learnt more than our brains could possibly contain.
Then we were on our own - we needed lunch so on the way back down, we saw Jack's a place that was highly recommended for lunch. We lucked out with a table and enjoyed some huge sandwiches and smoothies. The girls were super exhausted at this point, we really hadn't expected it to be so hot. This is the rainy season, so we have lucked out so far- 3 days of gorgeous sun. We dropped the girls at the hotel and then Frank and I caught a cab up to the ruins above the city Saqaysayhuman.
We explored these ruins (after paying 70sols to get in- a little pricey at about $30cad), but they were worth it. "The stones used in the construction of these terraces are among the largest used in any building in prehispanic America. They display a precision of fitting that is unmatched in the Americas. The stones are so closely spaced that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones. This precision, combined with the rounded corners of the blocks, the variety of their interlocking shapes, and the way the walls lean inward, is thought to have helped the ruins survive devastating earthquakes in Cuzco. The longest of three walls is about 400 meters. They are about 6 meters tall. The estimated volume of stone is over 6,000 cubic meters. Estimates for the weight of the largest block vary from 128 tonnes to almost 200 tonnes." How did the make the cuts so straight and the edges so round??
Near this site there is also this huge statue of Jesus (or Cristo Blanco) - Towering some 8 meters (26 feet) high the white structure was a gift from Arabic Palestinians who sought refuge in Cusco after World War II. The statue depicts Christ extending his arms outwards, very similar to Rio´s Christ the Redeemer, but in miniature format.- we hiked up there, which seemed easy but this altitude makes it so tough to walk too far uphill. We passed the ladies and Alpacas on the way and had to stop for the obligatory pose with them. We then decided to walk down the steep path to the city- it is a long walk down- at least the altitude doesn't come into the downhill too much, but knees don't like me anymore.
After a small rest we headed back up to San Blas to get our Alpaca sweaters from the vendor we met on the tour (special price for us :) - can't leave here without one. Then back up to Limbus bar for a night view of the city and a pisco sour. We ended our night at Cicciolina's tapas bar and then back to pack and bed early. Tomorrow we are headed to Machu Picchu so up early.