Peru: Adventure in the Land of the Incas
- Susanne
- Mar 3
- 7 min read
Updated: May 4
The Andes mountain range is beautiful, especially when you get to see it from 38,000 feet up in an airplane. There were very few trees on the higher reaches and the roads were a series of multiple switchbacks winding around the mountains that were sure to be challenging in any vehicle. It was a very cloudy day and the mountains had an air of mystery about them as Cusco came into view.
First impressions of Cusco were very good. There were a variety of interesting monuments on the way to the historic part of the city and we were able to get a look at some of the amazing things that we would soon learn more about. We arrived at our hotel and once again found out that we were the only guests. The Midori Hotel, built on original Inca foundations, was a former Colonial home. There was a covered courtyard with tables, chairs and couches right outside our room. I suppose traveling in the off-season has some perks and we enjoyed sitting in the bright space whenever we could.
One thing that we were cautioned about was giving ourselves some time to acclimate to the altitude. Cusco is at 3400 meters or 11,200 feet above sea level (or, 2.121 miles!). This elevation is very different to our home which lies at 3300 feet. Altitude sickness is a real thing and we felt some effects of it within a couple of hours of arriving. Walking around the historic center of the city required walking up and downhill and we noticed our shortness of breath right away. Unfortunately for us, the hotel was near the top of a very steep hill and we were shocked that we had to stop a few times to catch our breath before continuing.
We signed up for a week-long tour with a company that arranged several different activities for us including exploring local Incan ruins, Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, and a birding excursion in the jungle. Our first guide came to meet us at our hotel and briefed us on our schedule for the week. As it turned out, we would have 3 different guides and would have to travel some long distances to see everything. Although we were expecting a group tour, we were told that we were, in fact, the only 2 people and our week would be a private tour. It appeared that off-season travel was treating us very well indeed!
The first day's adventure began with a tour of the Qoricancha and Santo Domingo Convent. This site was built on top of an Incan temple that was dedicated to the sun god and was considered the most important temple in the entire Incan empire. Original Incan walls still stand and you can see their incredible craftsmanship in how the stones were cut and placed.
Inside the sun temple.
Our second stop was to a place that I had been looking forward to seeing for a very long time. Sacsayhuaman is located only 2 kilometers from the city but it might as well be in another world. This ceremonial fortress is the site made with huge megalithic stones walls. It is simply an architectural wonder. Standing beside these immense, hand-carved stones leaves one wondering how the Inca managed to build something so impressive on such a grand scale. Many people have heard about the Incan method of placing stones so tightly you cannot insert a piece of paper between them, but seeing it with your own eyes is an unforgettable experience. Climbing the huge stairs to get to the top of the fortress takes a bit of effort but the view of the valley with Cusco in the background is well worth it.
Within the same general area as Sacsayhuaman are pre-Columbian worship places, Puca Pucara or "Red Fortress," and a spectacular site called Tambomachay. Here you will find a series of water infrastructure including canals, aqueducts, springs and waterfalls. How the Inca constructed these structures and manipulated the water remains a mystery but, the fact that the structures are all still functional is a testament to their ingenuity. There are a lot of vendors, mostly women, at the site selling artisanal wares Amongst the alpaca blankets, baskets and other handmade items, there was what looked like a shrine but, inside, was an effigy of a man. There was a sign in front of him with several lines of text. When I asked about it, our guide told us that the women had a very good sense of humour. They liked to tease men and they came up with a variety of nicknames for their man in the shrine. One lady told me to choose one and, when I did, she burst out laughing. A flurry of conversation in the native Kechwa language quickly erupted into more laughter. Apparently, I chose a name that alluded to a certain part of the male anatomy that was "bent." Our guide told me I may have picked the wrong name on the list, but I think I chose well. Not all is holy but there is always time to enjoy life and have a good laugh.
Tambomachay and an underground ceremonial chair
One very important site in Cusco is the Cathedral, located next to the plaza in the historic centre. When the Spaniards conquered the Inca in Cusco, the revered Incan moon and sun temples were destroyed and Incan labourers/slaves had to build the Catholic cathedral using stones from their own holy place. Construction too approximately 100 years. A European artist trained Incans to paint like the masters and all the artwork on the walls, with exception of a few paintings, were created by Incans. To appease the Inca, the Spanish permitted certain changes to the normal European standard. For instance, sculptural images of Jesus are darker skinned so he looked more like the Inca. These paintings and carvings are also far more graphic than we’ve ever seen in European cathedrals. The one change that really caught my eye was the painting of the last supper. Rather than bread, wine and fish, the Incan artist featured Peruvian food.. As a result, the table is laid with a platter of passion fruit, bread and roast Guinea pig. Unfortunately, photos are not permitted inside the Cathedral, but the entrance ticket featured this painting.
The Incan empire is vast and we were able to visit and learn about several more ceremonial, military, and sacred sites. Pisac, known for being the southern gateway to the Sacred Valley, was a key agricultural and military zone. Ollantaytambo is an original, still inhabited Incan city that was built to guard the northern access to the Sacred Valley. It was here that we invited into the home of a local Kechwan man. He had a lot of guinea pigs (a favourite food) on the floor, condor feathers, skulls of 2 of his ancestors, and many more significant spirtual artifacts. We asked how many guinea pigs he had but we were told that it is bad luck to know the exact number. So long as there are animals, people know that they have enough food. Although the dwelling was humble, he obviously considered himself very rich and was proud of his heritage.
Ollantaytambo dwelling with Guinea pigs, Aguascalientes, terraces at Pisac
It was at this point in our tour that the altitude sickness became very real. Throughout the day, we started to feel weaker. Every stop entailed climbing hills or stairs and we were getting slower and losing energy. By the time we left Ollantaytambo, we were ready to get to our hotel for the night. We wanted to be rested because Machu Pichu was on the next day's agenda. After about an hour's drive, we eventually arrived at the hotel. It was not in a convenient location with respect to be being near restaurants or grocery stores. Terrence ordered a moto-taxi (tuk tuk) and purchased some apples, cheese, and other snacks to get us through the night.
As I mentioned earlier, we had to travel long distances to see the amazing Incan sites. So, we rose at 4:00 am and had breakfast at 4:30. Our driver took us back to Ollantaytambo where we were boarding a train. The train took us through a mountain pass for a couple of hours to Aguacaliente, the town where we would take a bus to the top of the mountain to finally see Machu Picchu. Under normal circumstances, this is a tiring journey but Terrence was feeling unwell. The altitude was affecting him worse than we thought it would, and the heat and humidity did not help. We were able to get about half-way through our tour of the city but Terrence had to seek some shelter and make his way back to the main entrance where he could sit in a restaurant and hydrate. In the meantime (and at Terrence's urging), I continued the tour to see the rest of Machu Picchu. It was fabulous! Seeing the ruins of the temples, school, agricultural terraces, surrounding mountains, and other amazing structures was a dream come true. As with the other Incan sites, their ability to create something so magnificent in such hard-to-reach locations is astounding.
Macchu Pichu
Making the journey back to Cusco required retracing our steps back to Ollantaytambo and then boarding another bus for an additional 2-3 hours. We were very grateful to get back to our home base but had to make a difficult decision. It was apparent that the altitude was going to be a problem and we agreed that going to Rainbow Mountain the next day would not be a good idea. This mountain is even higher than Cusco and, although it was also on our bucket list, we could not take the risk of making things worse. As I have said in other posts, sometimes things do not go as planned and having the ability to change course is important while traveling. We informed our guide that we could not go and took a day to recover.
We took advantage of having some "home" time by downloading and organizing our photos. We also had to repack and prepare for the next leg of our adventure in Peru, a long trip to Manu National Park where we would pass through the cloud forest on our way to 2 jungle camps. Little did we know how much adventure awaited us!
To read about the next leg of our Peruvian journey, see the next blog, "Peru: Jungle Love?"
Comments