We began with a half day tour in Cuzco to see Incan ruins; our first stop was Saqsaywaman, otherwise know as "sexy woman". Huge limestone blocks with nary a space to pass a thin blade between was much pontificated on. We went on to view an Incan hillside then onwards to a jumble of large limestone blocks housing a sacrificial altar (Miss Chicken insisted!)
Miss Chicken poses on the the Puma shrine, at Q'enqo
We returned to Cuzco proper to visit Qorikancha and an Inti God shrine, the site on which Santo Domingo church was built by the Spaniards. This temple is reputed to have been completely covered in gold during Incan times. We also visited the main cathedral housing "The Cross" which arrived with the first conquistadores. Greg explained the rarity and significance of this cross in that it is not a crucifix (no Jesus present) but instead a simple yet noble silver cross dating from the early 1500's.
Cathedral in the main square, Plaza del Armas
The next day we took a fabulous three and a half hour train ride down in elevation to the town of Aguas Caliente, the small tourist-oriented town at the base of Machu Picchu. On the ride back later that evening, they had an enroute fashion show of baby alpaca items. One of the male passengers joined in by modeling one of the sweaters. Seriously. It was quite unexpected. This was after the scary dancing puma, one of the animals venerated by the Incas. Though quite entertained, I waited to purchase my hand-woven baby alpaca shawl until we returned to Cuzco.
A dizzying twenty minute bus ride up the mountain brought us to our destination. It's difficulty to describe Machu Picchu as Greg will attest:
Greg's pontification on Machu Picchu
http://youtu.be/Yh4h1N7q26Q
Kim and Greg enjoying another adventure, together.
Probably it's best to just look at the pictures. It rained the entire time we were up there except for when we shot the quick video at the end of our walk through the ruins. We protected our cameras by carrying them under our coats, so the 'bump' is a large camera, not ahem, something else! Experts believe that Machu Picchu was a ceremonial compound whose remote location protected it from the devastating side effects of discovery by the Spaniards. In fact, the secret of Machu Picchu was not revealed until 1911. They say that the energy of Machu Picchu is "all around us" while within proximity of the complex but honestly, I guess Greg and I just aren't believers because all we felt was wet. It was amazing, but not particularly mystifying.
Flickr pics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56669888@N07/sets/72157628541795487/
Miss Chicken's first view of Machu Picchu- the Urubamba River canyon surrounds and hence protects the complex on three sides.
Everyone else stayed at Machu Picchu for a second day of sight seeing but Greg and I opted to return to Cuzco. Greg and I have a similar frustration level for sight seeing, museums and such. We enjoy the hell of these amazing places but really our pleasure is hanging out in a public area taking pictures sampling the cuisine and observing local life. Apparently, pretty much everyone reported back that they felt like the half-day tour we all did was plenty and were pretty tired after day two.
Greg and I, on the other hand, enjoyed an absolutely wonderful day together back in Cuzco. After a late breakfast, I went back to sleep for an hour as I hadn't been sleeping well since well before our trip (finals week, end of semester grades). Greg came up to the room after checking and sending some email and napped with me for a bit. After we got up, we went across the street to the Artisan Center for copious purchases of local crafts; two sets of table runners and placemats, a pair of really creepy antiquated cloth dolls, gifts for Greg's kids and such. It was necessary to drop-off our purchases at the hotel, then onward to Plaza del Armas for a stroll around and lunch at an Irish Pub. A strong piece of advice; if you ever have the opportunity to drink a Peruvian Cusquena beer, do it. Fabulous.
Plaza del Armas, Cuzco, Peru
Enjoying an beer at "The Highest 100% Irish Owned Pub in South America"
Enjoying a beer and the view.
The gang returned and we were off for our final full-day tour of various sites; a llama farm, viewpoint of The Sacred Valley, an Incan outpost at the town of Ollantaytambo and of course, more shopping opportunities!
The wide angle distorts the picture somewhat, but I just loved these guys, so soft!
Pisac Market
Vendors eating mangoes at Pisac Market
Greg having a lesson with his new Andean wooden flute, Pisac market
In the Sacred Valley at Ollantaytambo; we hiked along the edge of the cliff on our way back down.
Later that evening, we returned to Cuzco and Plaza del Armas for dinner and a show. I absolutely loved the show; indigenous musicians and dancers...what's not to like? (see videos below) Well, actually, the food. I had a foreboding sense of doom when they were out of the chicken and I had to order the fish from our prix fixe menu. I avoid fish unless I'm sitting next to a river or the ocean but the only other option was lamb and that doesn't sit so well with me either. Needless to say, it took a Prilosec, a couple Ibuprofen and a motion sick pills for me to make it home without, ahem, spewing. Which I did later that evening in the comfort of our home. Ah well, food poisoning three times in five months is a personal record, I guess I can be proud of that. All in all, it was a great trip and I feel incredibly lucky for the experiences I've had and that I have a wonderful husband to share them with.
These guys were great! We bought their CD (and three others from various performers this trip)
Indigenous Musicians
http://youtu.be/gSRc-ZLPDNA
Be patient; I am still playing with iMovie and managed to splice the same clip (at the beginning) twice, but it's a short repeat. Keep watching if you want to hear the enlightening commentaries.
Dancing with the Devil(s):
http://youtu.be/xHuMJty1XoQ
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