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…
Today was a good day. The weather was beautiful and everything went smoothly! My cultural experience of the day, Qorikancha, close to where Anastassja will soon be living, only cost me 10 soles and was top quality – I didn’t need a guide because everything was beautifully explained on clear wall panels in English and Spanish. This site was once the richest temple in the Inca empire – it’s name means “Golden Courtyard” in Quechua - and in the mid-15th century, when it was built, it was literally bedecked in this precious metal. The conquistadores destroyed the temple, looted its wealth and melted down the gold. However, the 6m-high perimeter wall, inside of which they went on to build the colonial church and convent of Santo Domingo, as well as some interior temples, dedicated to the moon and the sun, have withstood all the violent earthquakes in which the conquistadores' colonial buildings crumbled. Today’s site is a combination of Inca and colonial architecture, covered with a modern roof of glass and metal (top picture). I particularly appreciated the gardens and a representation in mounded grass of the Inca trilogy – the condor, the puma and the snake – (middle picture) but I doubt that this dates from Inca times. The colonial artwork was very well presented and in perfect condition and it was interesting to see how post-conquest artists of the so-called Cusco school sought to make religious figures look more like the Inca people – a virgin Mary with black plaits for example.
Upstairs, there was an exhibition of contemporary Inca-inspired art – all a bit tortured to my tastes – (picture below) but I guess it can’t be easy for artists to cope with both Inca and colonial blood running through their veins and reconcile the two…
After my “bain de culture”, I met Anastassja in town at “The Muse”, a trendy bar where we enjoyed an apéro and some guacamole before my 5km walk back to the family house (and she her evening class)!
The Lonely Planet guide describes the Museo del Sitio de Qorikancha as “small, mangy and underground” with “sundry moth-bitten archaeological displays”. I can now confirm this evaluation, but as this visit was included on our “boleto turistico”, we went anyway. Guides always present themselves once you have entered an “attraction” and, up until now, depending on feeling and my mood, I have accepted or not. To this lady I said yes, after agreeing on the fee of 15 soles for a 20-minute visit. What she told us was interesting enough, but she was quite speedy – she didn’t wait for me to finish reading the English explanations on the exhibits before moving to the next. At the end of the visit I paid her with a 50-sole note (12.50 euros), which caused tremendous problems – she went off to seek change but came back 10 minutes later not having found any… I suggested she ask at the entrance but they only had 100-sole notes. I asked her name and said I would pass by and leave her fee at the entrance the next day – but that was not acceptable either. By now I was getting a bit fed up – she had a problem yet I was expected to solve it. In the end, Anastassja saved the day by running off to nearby Maximo Nivel, where she did her TEFL course, and changed the note there…Phew! The photo (above) was taken just in front of the museum – I gave these ladies 1 sole before taking the photo and yet they pestered me for more afterwards. This constant hunger for money (although, of course, I understand why) is one of the very tiring aspects of Cusco.
Later on in the day, by myself, I decided to visit the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus on the Plaza de Armas. The young guia who guided me was called Guido and he said his fee for a 15-minute visit was discretionary – i.e. I could pay him as I thought fit after the visit. I agreed. Well, he certainly restored my faith in guides – his visit was excellent – pedagogic and clear with lots of anecdotal information that you don’t find in the guide books. The church is well worth a visit– it so rivaled the splendour of the cathedral while it was being built in the late 1560s that the Archbishop of Cusco called in Pope Paul III to arbitrate, but by then it was too late – the church was finished. At the end of what ended up being a one-hour visit, Guido even offered to take a few pictures of me, from the choir with the Plaza de Armas behind me (photo above). As a fee, I gladly gave him a 20-sole note and he very gratefully thanked me for it… I realise this account of my experiences with guides may irritate, but surely the notion of value for money and service has its place in poor countries too – or have I become too Swiss? (One thing I should add maybe to give an idea of "going rates" is that Anastassja is paid 20 soles an hour for the classes she teaches at respected institutions - this hourly rate includes her preparation time, which is probably another 30 minutes on average).
We haven’t been out a great deal in the evenings because Anastassja teaches from 7-9pm every weekday evening at the Alliance Française, but Sunday was an exception – we went to see a live performance of Andean music and dance. Entry was included on our “boleto turistico”. The show was surprisingly good – lots of costume changes, attractive and energetic dancers of both sexes and a mixed audience of tourists and Peruvians – apparently the programme changes regularly, so people come back. This show really brought it home to me how out of place the Peruvian musicians to be found in the tunnels of the Paris metro are! And how much they must miss their beautiful Peru!
I’ll let the pictures do the talking, but just a few lines to describe what was an unforgettable day...
We set off at 4am by car, minibus, train and bus to reach the ancient mountain, 112 km from Cusco. I knew we were in for a good day when I saw the white peak of the 6,372m Ausangate, the highest mountain in southern Peru, just before dawn. As we got closer to our destination, I got my first glimpse of the lush jungle vegetation, which kept this ancient site hidden until 1911 … (My avocados would be happy here!) The Machu Picchu “machine” is very well-oiled but not nearly as unbearable as I had expected. Sure, there were tourists, but not as invasive as I had feared they would be and it is Machu Picchu itself which steals the show… More vertical than horizontal, the site itself is breathtakingly beautiful and the man-made constructions – or what is left of them – are in perfect harmony with their environment. I think the Incas who lived here must have had it good… although the ruins of what was a prison and their unexplained departure suggest that all was not perfect in paradise… The return journey was somewhat epic: bus, train, minibus and minibus, with the last rally-driven section from Ollyantaytambo to Cusco to the sound of full-blast Bob with an upside-down Big Dipper in the sky above…. Increible! (And a big thank-you to Eddy Ponce of www.innovatravelperu.com for the smooth organisation of our day).
Last night, Anastassja initiated me to another dimension of Cusco life – salsa! After supper, we took a taxi into town, destination the “Mythology” in the Plaza de Armas. Anastassja, clearly a “habituée” ordered us a couple of Caipirinas and was soon whisked off to dance. From what I understood, those who can dance the salsa and want to just turn up between 9 and 11pm and dance! No need for a fixed partner – you find one there. This results in a joyous, fun atmosphere where everyone knows everyone and where age, nationality, shape, size or even level of dancing skill are irrelevant. At 11pm though the salsa stops, and more habitual disco-type music starts to play. It was a bit too early to go home so we moved on to another bar which was much more gringo-oriented – a big TV screening a football match, and a group of Peruvians playing the music they must suppose we want to hear – Hotel California – can you imagine! All a bit “ringard” as they say in French! I can understand why Anastassja has opted for salsa, that’s for sure!
Today we got four more holes punched in our “boleto turistico” for taking the inappropriately named “city tour” to Tambomachay, Pukapukara, Q’engo and Saqsaywaman (gringos cope with the pronunciation by calling it “sexy woman”!). These are all sites that are within a stone’s throw of Cusco. The weather was glorious and in addition to our driver, Reinaldo and Clevar, our guide, we were joined by Eddy, Clevar’s brother and Anastassja’s contact, in charge of the company they all work for. He was dressed somewhat incongruously in a suit and tie (which, unlike in Geneva, you don’t see here very often) as he had just attended a graduation ceremony at Cusco University!
Here are a few comments on each of the sites, each of which served a different function in the Inca world.
Tambomachay (top left) – this is an intimate site where Inca chiefs went to get away from it all and take the waters. The same fountains they used then still function today. Pukapukara – (top right) this means “red fort” in Quechua and this site served the function of receiving and re-despatching produce from other Inca sites in the area. The views from here were particularly panoramic.Q’engo – (left) this had an even more ancient and slightly “spooky” feel to it. The rocks themselves are naturally occurring limestone and in some underground niches black llamas were ritually sacrificed to mark the summer and winter solstices.Saqsaywaman – (bottom 3 left) no visit to Cusco is complete without discovering this site, just above the city. The Inca Pachacutec conceived the city of Cusco in the form of a puma (the Inca symbol of terrestrial life) and this site formed its head. Only 20% of the original Inca structure remains – the conquistadores pillaged the site for stones with which to build the cathedral and other buildings in the city, but were unable to transport the biggest stones, weighing up to 300 tons, and it those that remain today. A terrible battle was fought here in 1536 when Manco Inca challenged the Spanish cavalry led by Juan Pizarro, Francisco’s brother. The Incas lost by a hair’s breadth and retreated to Ollantaytambo, from where they continued to defy the invader.
Anastassja took me to this covered market where all the Cusqenos do their shopping. We visited the food part first and now I understand how she caught salmonella when she ate like the locals do. The meat part was the worst – flies everywhere, a particular smell, and the severed heads of goats and cows… luckily in the American-run Family House where Anastassja lives and I’m staying, South American exoticism only runs to fajitas and home-made pop corn! The rest of the market sold everything from lipstick to mountain bikes – not forgetting pirated versions of all the latest films – Avatar seems to be a current favourite, projected on the enormous flat screens of all the CD/DVD stalls.
San Blas
San Blas is the “arty” part of town and I spent a very enjoyable late afternoon looking at the more up-market souvenirs on offer there. In one jewellery store, I got chatting
(in Spanish!) to the young artisan whose creations I was admiring and it turned out that he knows Anastassja! She was his teacher at Maximo Nivel, the language school where she recently passed her TEFL certificate! A small world! This encounter put me in a very good mood and I decided to add a bit of culture to the day’s menu by visiting the nearby Iglesia de San Blas. I’d never heard of this saint before (Saint Blaise in English) but apparently he was a 4th century Armenian Christian martyr who, like the poor Molino goats and cows, got his head cut off too… as pictures on the wall of the church confirmed. He is also the patron saint of throats… so let’s hope he does something for mine - but not too drastic please! This church is famous for its exquisitely carved pulpit, made from a single tree trunk. Perched above what is allegedly the finest example of colonial wood carving in the Americas is the skull of the craftsman whose legacy it is…. All in all a topping day!
The Incas had a very special relationship with the earth – two of the levels of their three-dimensional universe are linked to it and it was this soil that they cultivated so successfully which allowed the population to eat to its fill and flourish.
The soil here is fertile – the people are poor but they are not emaciated.
Their animals: llamas, small black pigs, big pink hairy ones, goats and even the dogs look healthy (but muddy!) The red earth is something which I saw and photographed, unaware of its significance, from the aeroplane between Lima and Cusco. Upon arrival I saw it everywhere in the streets – in piles.
When you drive out of the town, along the Rio Urubamba, which runs through the sacred valley, it is everywhere. Red adobe houses grow out of the mud. People and animals live in it. Even the gorged river is itself red. At first I wondered if it was due to the floods of February but apparently not. Mud gives life and is a part of life here.
I can’t make up my mind about Cusco, but I guess it’s still early days. I think it’s the sort of place that accentuates your mood – but your mood comes first. If you’re feeling happy because it’s sunny and you’ve slept well, Cusco has a lot of charm – it’s lively and there are some beautiful colonial buildings. The surrounding mountains are impressive and it has a kind of togetherness about it. However, if it’s grey or rainy and your nerves are a little frayed, it’s noisy, dirty and full of poor people (in traditional attire or not) hoping to get a sole out of you by fair means or foul. At night, it is beautifully lit and Cusco’s unique location, cradled in a nest of mountains that are often higher than the Mont Blanc, is even more apparent. I’ll come back to the theme of Cusco later in my stay here….
