LIMA to CUZCO / CUSCO
Our flight left at 06:00 - it was an early morning for us. This was our first view of the mighty Andes mountains.
Eventually, after a +-4 hour flight, we saw Cuzco below. Cuzco was the historical capital of the Inca Empire. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983. Can you see the broad green lines among the houses? Later we were told that Cuzco was laid out in the shape of a Puma by the Incas - we only saw a section of the design. And we would walk around the head of the Puma when we visited Saqsaywaman, one of the Inca sites.
Does the look on Sarel, Mrad and Inanda's faces tell you what happened? Leezyl's suitcase had been left behind in Lima.
So, after some consultation between Dewald and Aletta, we boarded the bus to our hotel - (without Leezyl's pink polcadot suitcase).
The San Francisco Plaza Hotel welcomed us with a Coca drink to prevent altitude sickness as Cuzco lies at +-3600m. Not a very pleasant taste! The alkaloids in the coca leaves are the source for cocaine base, but the quantities used to make one cup of tea do not send you on a trip. Merely gives you a slightly lightheaded sensation!!
Directly after lunch we were picked up by our dapper guide, Raoul, and taken to the Incan Sun Temple Coricancha (which means Temple of Gold). Peruvian women pose with their llamas for tourists.
The Incas dominated the Peruvian Andes from 1438 - 1533 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_Empire.
Their Sun Temple Coricancha, was changed into the Convent Santo Domingo by the Spaniards after they had crushed the Incas in 1533 over a period of 4 years. Raoul briefly explained the Inca history.
This is the inner quart-yard of the present day convent.
This vase was one of the colonial exhibits on display in the church.
Subsequent earth quakes damaged sections of the convent, but the sun temple sections withstood the quakes due to superior building techniques. An example of the Inca blocks is below - protrusions on the inter-locking stone fitted into the holes of a stone such as this one, making sure that movement did not let the structure collapse.
What a pity the Spaniards destroyed such superior buildings.
Another technique was the use of trapezoidal building angles. These angles appear solid, stable and unmovable and are structurally more stable than rectangles. The Incan Empire ran through the Andes in a known seismic zone and obviously the Incan architects used trapezoids to prevent damage to their buildings in times of earthquakes.
Here Mrad is showing the angle at which this trapezoidal doorway was built.
Another well-developed science the Incas applied to their daily life was their astronomy. Raoul explained to us how the rotation of the sun on its axis impacted on the positions of shrines in the Incan Empire.
This is a close-up view of the above painting. The links between earthly life and special places of prayer can be seen - each day of the year had a specified religious feast.
The heavenly galaxies played a major part in the Inca's agriculture and daily life. Their proximity to the equator gave them an advantage in the study of the northern and southern galaxies and constellations.
Here we are standing in front of a golden object which depicts the cults of the Incan temple. It was created in 1613 by Joan de Santa Cruz Pachacuti Yamqui Salcamaygua based on oral traditions.
Just imagine how this whole temple must have shone - all its walls clad in solid gold! No wonder it was called the Sun Temple.
Our next stop was "Sexy-woman" - at least that's what the site's name sounded like! See picture below for the correct spelling!
Saqsaywaman was an enormous site of 3000 hectares 2km north of Cuzco. Tourists (apparently totally weather resistant!) were dwarfed by the enormous blocks of hewn stone which weigh between 128 -200 tons! No mortar was used in the building of any Inca sites. The lighter stones were taken by the Spaniards to build their houses and cathedrals in Cuzco.
Roaul showed us a "tool" which he believes was used to finish the edges of the stone.
Can you see how the edges are rounded? These stones originate in a quarries +-35km away. They were pre-cut at the quarry and dragged to their final position in the building complex by 100s of people. The fit is so exact that not even a razor blade can be inserted between the stones. The curves often followed the shape of the original natural stones of the sites! This method is typical of all the Incan sites http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf044/sf044p01.htm and many theories abound regarding the method which was used to move these monoliths into place - even aliens are credited for this feat.
We left (drenched!) from Saqsaywaman with a feeling of awe - we had rubbed shoulders with giants of a highly developed society.
The panorama below was copied from the internet and gives you an indication of the extent of the walls.
This beautiful cross graces the hillside near Saqsaywaman - fortunately our tour passed here again the next day.
After a good night's rest, we breakfasted in the hotel's quart yard and set off early to explore more Inca ruins.
En route - a typical Cuzco roof top.
Some of the houses cling to the mountain side on the outskirts of Cuzco.
Left:
A minor ruin near the start of the Inca trail. In the background - the mighty Andes!
Below - the start of the famous Inca Trail!
Tambomachay is opposite the Inca Trail's start. A long sloping trail leads to the site.
At the site itself, four 2m high trapezoidal niches overlook all visitors. Clean water flows into a small stone pond all year through the two lower aqueducts. Raoul explained that it probably was a religious pond where the water was worshiped by the Incas. The symmetry of the architecture was pleasing.
On our way back to the bus, Raoul pointed out the Peruvian national flower: the Cantuta (Cantua boxifolia / Fuchsia buxifolia). The bright pink agains the blue sky was striking.
We stopped at a small roadside market. The stall keepers' children were doing what all happy children do ... playing.
Not much farther on, we stopped at an animal sanctuary where diverse animals were being cared for.
Inanda could actually stroke a llama!
This beautiful macaw was obviously happy to be here.
The condors were magnificent. This young one was more interested in his lunch than in us.
This typical Peruvian hairless dog got a smile from each one of us. No wonder he needed a coat in the cool weather.
We travelled further to the Sacred Valley where the Rio Urubamba peacefully wends its way to the Amazon River (a long way off in Ecuador). Roaul says its the most polluted river in Peru, but that did not detract from its beauty at a distance.
The entrance of Pisac is guarded by this noble Inca.
The world famous Pisco market immediately charmed us with its cobble stone walk ways. Here one can buy just about anything typical of Peru.
Typical Inca dress is common - imagine putting fresh flowers on your head dress each morning!
This lady sold natural dies - a fascinating mixture of colours which when wet often changed colour!
Here I am holding a half-eaten grenadella in the foreground (one is supposed to eat the white pith too!) The variety of fruits was amazing.
Peru has nearly 4000 types of potatoes. Some are dried according to an Inca recipe and can then last up to ten years (see bottom picture)! Peter, our crop specialist, said that the Western world actually ran a risk of a potato famine as we only had a few cultivars - what would happen if these were infected?
A wisened Peruvian lady going about her daily business.
Guinea-pig "castles" (castillos de cuyes) where these rodents awaited their turn to be roasted - a delicacy in Peru.
Does this little guy know what fate is waiting for him?
In Peru no child owns a pet guinea-pig.
Busy, busy, busy - and it's genuine as there were very few tourist shoppers.
The Inca women carry the load on their backs in a carrying-cloth whether it be a baby of groceries.
Chicha Murada is the wholesome delicious drink made from black maize. When it is cooked, even the pith is eaten for its health properties!
Raoul pointed out the oven in which Peruvian "empanadas" are baked - these are delicious pie-like snacks.
I was fascinated by the plants that grew on the telephone wires - apparently these are miniature bromeliads which flourish up there in the air.
La Alhambra was our next port of call - for a magnificent lunch!
The deserts called for special mention!
Directly after lunch, we drove to Ollantaytambo another magnificent Inca site built against the steep Andes. It is about 60km from Cuzco, +-2800m above sea level.
The site has magnificent defense walls. Take note of the aloes on the slope. Their leaves were apparently used as lubrication to help move the massive building blocks from quarry sites as far as 5km away.
These agricultural terraces between the cliffs reflect the Inca's success in growing crops. They created a micro-climate which was 2-3 degrees warmer than typical of that height, allowing them to cultivate crops which naturally grew at lower elevations.
The site is called the "Living Inca Site" as it is located next to present day Ollantaytambo referred to as Ollanta (in the background).
Can you see the store houses high up against the mountain? These are granaries dating back to the Inca times. Just imagine the effort it took to lug your harvest there to be stored?
Climbing up the steep stairway to the unfinished/demolished Sun Temple was an excellent way to counteract the cold day.
The Incas had woven their magic at Ollantaytambo too, complete with trapezoid niches (which echo beautifully) and the beginning/remains of their calendar.
Below are the remains of the Wall of the Six Monoliths (courtesy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ollantaytambo). Can you see the above calendar on the monoliths?
As we left we paused to listen to this Peruvian man strumming on his harp. Quite incongruous - and I couldn't find any information regarding this.
This was the final destination for today: Station Ollantaytambo. Here we rushed to catch the train to Machu Picchu.
Our train. Show your passport (yes!!), show your boarding ticket .. and sit in the seat allocated to you.
Leezel and Dewald
Christo and Aletta
Unfortunately, the other photos were far too shaky as the train had left the station and was chugging towards Machu Picchu.
The next post can be seen at
http://mi60peru.blogspot.com/2012/04/20120416-17-machu-picchu-peru.html
However, the evening when we returned from Machu Picchu, we were taken for a traditional cultural evening. Buffet supper and highly entertaining dancing - thank you, Dewald, for being such a good sport!
Not much farther on, we stopped at an animal sanctuary where diverse animals were being cared for.
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