Cuzco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas

After Copacabana I had another 12 hours on a bus. This journey was a bit crazy for as soon as we got through customs into Peru we heard that a general transport strike was to commence the next day in the Puno area. We were hounded by locals all trying to get on to the bus to get out of town so I was forced to endure most of the journey with people sitting in the aisle with all their associated pots, pans and children and associated wildlife. We also got stopped by the police who hauled 3 people off the bus for smuggling contraband. This involved a lot of screaming, crying and shoving until finally they were off. To make things even worse, the toilet was broken, so when I decide to go relieve myself outside, the bus decided to move on. Quick action on my part had me sprinting alongside the bus banging on the side for it to stop.

12am and we reached Cuzco. I caught a cab to the Hostal Familiar Llimpimpac and I met Britters who was enjoying a good sleep. After some quick exchanges of pleasantries I also went to sleep.

The next day Britters and I took a stroll around the city of Cuzco admiring all the Spanish churches, convents and cathedrals. The town itself used to be the cultural and religious hub for the Incan empire until the Spanish conquistadors came in and took over. They enforced Catholicism by tearing down Incan religious buildings and using the same stone to build Catholic churches and cathedrals. This seems to have almost entirely replaced the local religion which was quite shocking.

The town is a tourist hub with Gringos (white people) everywhere you look. The main square (Plaza de Armas), as expected, was full of the usual scam artists and tour advertisers who wouldn´t stop pestering you. There is a fairly lively nightlife in the town too. We frequented Mama Afrika and Mythology for a few fun nights out where we caught up with some old friends we had met along the way.

Cuzco

Plaza de Armas and one of the Spanish-built cathedrals

Britters staring through the Incan ruins

Street art in a convent was something I never expected

The food in Peru is fairly interesting to say the least. Specialities include roasted (or fried) Guinea Pig, called Cuy, Alpaca and skewered beef hearts. Peru also has over 5000 varieties of potato . Wikipedia confirmed that potatoes actually originated in Peru and Chile and were brought across to Europe. The guinea pig was something that sounded mildly interesting to try, but when they dump a whole roasted rat (head, feet and tail intact) on your plate, your appetite is quickly lost. We decided to steer clear of the "specials" or any restaurant that promoted "Traditional Peruvian" cuisine.

We visited the nearby ruins of Saqsaywaman ("Sexy Woman" in Gringo talk). This place was where the Spanish conquistadors finally defeated the Incan resistance led by Manco Inca. Cuzco is designed in the shape of a puma, a plan from the greatest Incan leader Pachakutec. The ruins form the head of the puma and were regarded as having great religious and cultural significance. The ruins are incredible to view as they are composed of massive cut stones weighing up to 70 tons. The nearest quarry was over 30km away meaning that the Incas has to lug these bad boys quite a distance! We also popped into the Q´enko ruins nearby where suspected religious sacrifices took place.

Saqsaywaman overlooking Cuzco

Still at "Sexy Woman" with Cuzco below

These rocks were huge!

Q´enko ruins

The following day we took a tour into the Scared Valley with some crazy old Mexican dude who could only speak Spanish and the local Quechua language. My Spanish had improved a fair amount so I managed to pickup a few things along the way. although I think 90% of what he spoke about involved the 2010 world cup in South Africa!

The Sacred Valley

Ruins of Pizaq

These ruins were fairly impressive considering they were built on sheer cliff faces

We visited some very impressive ruins near the town of Pizaq and I tried some of the local Choclo which is a super huge boiled mielie (corn to the non-Saffas) covered in salt and cheese. It was pretty good considering it only cost like 2 Nuevo Soles (about 50p).

That evening we attended a pre-Inca trail hike briefing where we met our guides, Orlando and Danny and the other hikers. Britters had decided to go the soft route and get a porter to carry 9kg of his gear. I on the other hand, was made of sterner stuff and decided to haul all my possessions myself.

One final thing I needed to do was to shave off the massive accumulation of hair that had developed on my face over the last 3 months. It was decided that an obligatory "Comedy Moustache" would be observed for a week. Before and after pictures below.

Before: The "Jesus" beard

After: I like to call it the Dirty Mexican with a Salvadore Dali touch. Sideburns are not clear but they are pretty long and bushy too!