I saw Cusco when I saw it from Saqsaywaman. The Incas designed their capital in the form of a puma and the site of Saqsaywaman formed its head. Once I had been to this site all became clear and Cusco conquered me. I hope I will go back one day. It is quite unlike anywhere I have ever been. I miss the red earth, the mountains all around, the end-of-afternoon rain, the presence of the Incas, the kind and unpretentious people with their soft Spanish. My lovely daughter is still there and I miss her too. But now I can picture her... and I know why she wants to stay there a few months more...
The same adjective as in my previous post, qualifying two very different but historically intertwined things. And if it weren’t for a disgruntled Pachamama (Mother Earth) in the form of an Icelandic volcano, then I would not have spent two nights in the shadow of the cathedral Gaudi laboured away at in Barcelona for most of his life, and which is still not finished. In the 5 days it has taken me to get back to Geneva overland from Madrid via Barcelona and Montpellier I have experienced acute culture shock – but the other way round. In 2 weeks in Cusco, I had got used to walking everywhere or to taking a beat-up Toyota taxi when a splendid natural treasure beckoned me further afield. It was easy to be careful about my water consumption and not to put paper in the toilets. There wasn’t a lot to buy in the shops and I had even started to feel a bit guilty about an occasional “gringo” treat (a caipirinha, cosmetics…)
Madrid airport on Saturday 17th April was about as far from dusty, annoying but beautiful Cusco as it is possible to get. And although I was lucky to get a room that night – and needed it as I hadn’t really slept on the plane – there was something surreal about paying 300 euros for it and being asked in the Mercedes courtesy car from the airport if the level of the air conditioning was to my liking…
Barcelona was better – I was with a friend, the soothing sea helped and I could wander back to the Iglesia de Santa Maria del Mar that was my favourite monument when I spent 2 weeks in Barcelona 2 years ago (above left). It was there that the wives of sailors prayed for the safe return of their conquistador husbands… gone to evangelise (understand civilise) the barbarian populations of the New World… I think it is clear to you, my readers, which to my mind of the 2 things qualified by the adjective sagrada best deserves it. I’m not saying the Incas were perfect and I’ve certainly still got those magnificent southern hemisphere stars in my eyes but their closeness to nature was tangible and the way our planet has been protesting lately at our total disregard for our environment really brings this home. Coincidentally, it was international Mother Earth day on Thursday. But we all need to make every day Mother Earth day before it is too late.
For my last full day in Cusco, Anastassja and I went back to the Valle Sagrada. We were not with the same driver and guide this time, but Joel and Willy, who accompanied us today, proved to be very pleasant and competent company too. The weather was fantastic, about 25°, and after our late night yesterday (see below), fresh air and some exercise walking were just what we needed.
We visited 2 new sites and returned to Ollantaytambo (see my post of April 5th) after lunch for a last walk around a true Inca town, inhabited continuously since the 13th century, and tasted a glass of home-brewed Inca fermented corn beer called chicha.
Our first stop was Moray (4 photos left), about an hour and a half from Cusco. We drove through the most splendid countryside, with rocks, animals and rivers to negotiate along what was a dirt track for the last 30 minutes or so. At Moray, we saw what initially appear to be sunken amphitheatres, but were in fact agricultural laboratories. Because of their circular shape, these arenas have their own microclimate and as you go down a terrace, the temperature goes up by 1°. Here, the Incas tested the optimal conditions in which to cultivate their crops: quinoa, corn, coca… As in all Inca sites, this one emanated great peace. Parts of the site are under restoration and it must be wonderful to see dawn break or to camp here under a starlit sky as the archaeologists do
Next stop was Salineras (bottom 2 photos), which is really quite unique. Since Inca times, a hot, salty spring has run out of a nearby mountain and the local people have recuperated this salt in salt pools (100 in number in Inca times, but now 3500). The salt from here supplies Cusco and the surrounding area. I bought a sachet to take back to Geneva and one for Anastassja, for her new self-catering life!
For the first time since arriving in Cusco, I actually forgot that I was in the land of the Incas for an hour and a half last night. I dared to venture out alone after dark to go to a jazz concert I had seen advertised. As I was sitting waiting for the music to start, I could have been in an auditorium in London, Geneva, Barcelona or New York: a Steinway on the stage in front of me (albeit an old and ornately carved one) and people talking in hushed voices or playing with their mobile phones. I must admit I found this ambience terribly reassuring – it must be all those Jazz Classics concerts I’ve been to with Erik at the Victoria Hall! This free concert, given by the Edward Perez Trio was held at the North American Bi-national Center – a hub of cultural events in the city and literally two minutes from Anastassja’s future home. Unfortunately, she was not with me (busy teaching) because I am sure that she would have loved it and in particular the pianist, Shai Maestro (could a name be more appropriate?). He clearly has a classical background (shades of Bach) and I was able to exchange a few words with him after the show to tell him how much I had enjoyed the performance. Click on the links in this text and judge for yourself! (My first attempt at posting a video I shot myself didn't work). Later in the evening, I met Anastassja at the Muse, where we dined gringo-style (again, very reassuring) and then on to the Mythology, where we did without the salsa (too late arriving) and settled for Lady Gaga instead! A very fun evening – my last night out in Cusco!
Today was an extremely busy day – as the last days of holidays often are, packing in all the things you said you would do but have left to the last minute… First, we moved Anastassja’s things to her new place of residence (see below), then we got her a mobile phone at one of the many Claro outlets there are here in Cusco (the most modern-looking shops in town), and then we went to the Kusi Uyacha Guarderia (Quechua, this means “Carita Feliz” in Spanish and “Smiling Face” in English), where Anastassja spent 6 months working as a volunteer every morning. These are the children of the poor people who try to sell things to tourists on the streets of Cusco… They were very happy to see Anastassja and curious of me. I found them surprisingly bonny; a bit grubby by our standards for sure, but happy, smiling and surprisingly autonomous for pipi, etc. Some of them got into a terrible mess with the Swiss chocolates we had brought them and I soon found myself wiping their little brown hands and faces to virtually no resistance – children are children the world over and mothers are mothers!
Since mid-October, Anastassja has been living in the “Family House”, run by the Cusco-based and American-run language school, Maximo Nivel, which is the local representative of the Global Volunteer Network, the organisation through which her volunteer programme was set up (based in New Zealand). The Family House is like a small hall of residence with about 20 residents at any one time. The majority of the people living here are young, American and working on volunteer projects with a medical, construction, teaching or childcare bias. There are some Australians and Canadians too and a few “mature” volunteers. The residence is staffed by absolutely charming Peruvians who work from dawn to dusk (and later) serving 3 home-cooked meals a day, cleaning the rooms, bathrooms and common areas. There is a 24-hour doorperson service so that nobody unknown can enter. There is a sunny courtyard, TV room, wi-fi and a low-priced, in-house laundry service. Personally, I think it is fantastic here and cheap at 20 dollars a day. Anastassja, though wants a change. At the beginning of her stay the anglo-saxon, “gringo” ambience here was almost as alien to her as the Peruvian one outside, but she stuck it, adjusted and even did a one-month TEFL certificate course at Maximo Nivel, qualifying her to teach English. Now that she is no longer a volunteer and has started to earn money from her teaching, she wants to live a more Peruvian life and, as of this weekend, immediately after my departure, she will be moving….
Her future place of residence is very well-situated, very close to Qorikancha, (see post below) and may even be on Inca foundations. She has a spacious room with cooking facilities and access to a hot shower. Her room is independent, off a courtyard shared with the family renting her the room. Their house is situated in a fully paved pedestrian street (no mud!) and the front door onto the courtyard from the street is impenetrable without a key. All of this appeals to the security-conscious “mama” that I am. There are some chickens living in the courtyard and the women of the family do their washing outside in bowls (but the important thing, after all, is to do one’s washing, is it not!) The landlady, Olga, seems very kind and she even told me not to worry…. Anastassja does have three more months here and I understand her motivations and her desire for independence… I just think she’s extremely brave to leave the comfort and company of the “Family House” for a 100% Peruvian experience…
