Cusco. Peru

The Captain and Admiral had felt triumphant on surviving the biggest and most dangerous jungle in the world, but what awaited them at the end of their flight was equally as daunting. Altitude. Altitude sickness, is an illness used to describe physical distress from difficulty adjusting to lower oxygen pressure at high altitude. The higher you go the lower the amount of oxygen. Altitude sickness can make you dizzy, nauseous, and, in extreme cases, can even kill you.

Generally the sickness typically occurs only above 2,000 to 2,500 metres above sea level. Where the Captain and Admiral were off to, the altitude was 3,399 metres above sea level. They arrived at Cuzco airport to surprisingly find that a Taxi driver had been walking around saying the Captain’s name. When the driver popped over to near where they were standing, they didn’t acknowledge him calling the Captain’s name, thinking surely he wasn’t calling for them. Later he came back with the surname and a board, it was at this point that they did realise he had been infected by the same venom that the Captain had coursing through his veins. “Bad pronunciation syndrome”. Unfortunately for them there was no antivenom.

The city of Cusco is located in the Andes mountains, and was once capital of the Inca Empire. It is now known for its archaeological remains and Spanish colonial architecture as well as being the home to one of the seven wonders of the world, Machu Picchu. En route to thier accommodation it was evident that Cusco was an ancient city. The roads all very narrow (barely able to fit one car), they were made of what looked like pebbles and extremely steep. They even hear a tourist compare the steepness to the famous Lombard Street in San Francisco. Additionally as they drove up the steep hills, they noticed the abundance of yoga relaxation retreats,  ayahuasca healing sessions, vegetarian restaurants, boutique coffee shops and artisan shops all of which brought one word to mind.. ‘hipster’

They arrived to their accommodation which was atop a hill in the San Blas district of Cusco city, an area full of boutique eateries and bars. When they entered the accommodation they were greeted by a cheeky and often sarcastic, but very nice manager Fernando. They nicknamed him Cheeky Fernando. Upon checking in Fernando pointed out to them the oxygen tank indicating that people had fainted and struggled before. He also told them to take it easy and rest for the time being and adjust. The Captain and Admiral felt amazing at this point and there was not  a chance in the world that the Captain would miss out a day exploring. So off they went.

It was not long until they had to really eat their words. The Captain was a little out of breath whilst walking but the Admiral was a new resident of struggletown. Overrun with instances of fatigue and breathlessness, they slowed down, as they explored the streets. They stopped at a random street seller and bought some Coca leaves that locals believe helps with energy and counteracts the altitude impacts. They chewed on the leaves, the Captain instantly felt better  and his mouth numb but the Admiral being a practitioner of modern medicine had her doubts. In any case they felt more energized. Enough to convince the Captain If (and its a mammoth IF), the aliens did not build the Incan buildings then it could be natives high on coca leaves running around with bricks.
As they explored, the evidence of the city being very hipster became more apparent. The Captain says this in a positive light as the food was fresh, the coffee pretty decent, and the vibe friendly (at times very ‘one with the earth’). They stopped at another vendor and had ‘Chicha Morada’. It is a national drink of Peru, the base ingredient of the drink is corn culli, which is a Peruvian variety of corn known commonly as purple corn which is abundantly grown and harvested along the Andes Mountains. It tasted like raspberry and pomegranate juice.  The burst of sugar once again helped as they now joined the walking tour.

Before we continue just a quick disclaimer since the Captain and Admiral are in an ancient City alot of this log will contain research and information about the Inca Empire. The Captain will do his best to keep this entertaining, however if you don’t like history stuff you may get bored. Also most research is from the Wikipedia and the interwebs. The Captain is not attached to it so please feel free to reach out if some of it sounds wrong. He still maintains the belief that there was Aliens involved but will play it out the ‘their’ way for this entry. Ok with that out of the way – Time for a bit of a history crash course! #thankswikipedia

The Inca Empire, was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. Its political and administrative structure is considered by most scholars to have been the most developed in the Americas before Columbus’ arrival. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in the city of Cusco (Qosqo). The Empire was only around from 1438 to 1533 (that’s less than 100 years!). Incan is a term reserved for the king’s and rulers while the common peoples of the empire were Quechuans. The Incas incorporated a large portion of western South America, centered on the Andean Mountains, using conquest and peaceful assimilation, among other methods.

In 1438 a guy named Pachacuti became the king of the Quechuan people. He greatly expanded the lands that Cuzco controlled. Soon Cuzco was the center of the vast Inca Empire.

Then in 1532 came conquistador Francisco Pizarro with 168 Spanish soldiers and fought 3000 Incan warriors and won. They only had three or four Spaniards casualties. He discovered the treasures and ordered for more reinforcements. Over the next 5 years they eradicated 90% of the 16 million Incan population, most had escaped deep into the jungle and by 1575 had killed the last remaining Incan king. To this day it is unclear why the aliens did not help the Inca people.
#crashcoursecomplete

On the walking tour other cool things that they learnt were about how the Peru flag has the quinine tree on it, as it was the key thing that helped save the Spanish from Malaria. Another dark and rather morbid story was about a native farmer that went out for the day but realised he had forgotten something, so he returned home. At home he found the bishop trying to do things to his daughter. In disgust he started yelling frantically down the street about what he has seen. The local police officer arrested him. Later the bishop came out and instead accused the farmer of the same crime. With that the local mam was executed. As a lesson his bones are built into the ground. Now that part of ground is the entrance to a restaurant. The Captain and Admiral went in and saw these bones.

By the end of the tour the temperature had significantly dropped and it was freezing. The Captain who had not anticipated this change had clearly not dressed appropriately. They had to quicky scurry home and get ready in warmer clothes before they went out again. The kababs from Iquitos had worked their magic and both the Captain and Admiral’s stomachs were destroyed. The insects and lack of refrigeration should have been an indication of things to come, however it must have been over looked. They took a recommendation of commander Raul from the Amazon and decided to head to Green point, which was the top rated vegan and vegetarian restaurant, in a town full of vegan and vegetarian restaurants. The ambiance, staff and menu was very impressive.

When asked if they were allergic to anything, the Captain proudly proclamimed to the amusement of the wait staff that “I’m is allergic to hungry”. There was a loud and emphatic face palm from the Admiral. Her gag reflex had kicked in and this time it was not due to the Iquitos kebabs. They ate some spectacular food, which included vegetarian Ceviche (consisting of three variations of the dish, mushroom, tomato and combination of mango and avacado), veg tacu tacu and Pad Thai. The food was great, although a little bit more pricy – Recommended. Exhauseted from a full day of adventure they called it a night and headed home.

The next morning they awoke to tingling feet and hands, a known side effect of the altitude drugs they had been taking. This however did not stop The Admiral once again heading straight to struggle town as they left to explore. With a breakfast consisting of crepes, coffee and Coca leaves they set off to explore the mountain ruins of Sacsayhuaman or as the Captain liked to call it Sexy human. Climbing a steep hill they both huffed and puffed often taking breaks to get there.

It was all worth it when up the top they found a herd of wild Llamas! Their thoughts distracted from the exploration wavered to “quick Llama take a selfie”. A life lesson. It is not easy to take a selfie with a Llama, especially one that is making noises that resemble a congested human. The Shepard warned them that he was about to spit and he was an angry one, yet in the name of fame (not so much fortune) they envisioned what an Inca would do – the answer to which was useless since they didn’t have cameras. So they just went with it and got as close as possible and SUCCESS. Llama selfie in the bag.

Now back to things of historical significance. They reached the grounds of Sexy human and a tour operator offered to drive them to a few other sites before they went in.  After significant bargaining they agreed. These sites included:

Qenko –  the largest holy places in the Cusco Region – here the Captain attempted to sacrifice the Admiral but did not have consent. Puka Pukara – a site of military ruins. This fort is made of large walls, terraces, and staircases and was part of the defense of Cusco. Tambomachay – Also known as “the bath of the Inca” It consists of a series of aqueducts, canals and waterfalls that run through the terraced rocks.

Finally the tour operator and driver dropped them back to sexy human. Sacsayhuaman – Located on a steep hill on the outskirts of the city was the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. This fortress was guarded with a series of huge stone walls. It is believed that more than 20 thousand men extracted the stones from the nearby quarries and moved it 20 kilometers to the hill of the city of Cusco. There are individual stones in the walls so big they are estimated to weigh nearly 200 tons!
Many of the stones in the walls of Sacsayhuaman fit so closely together that you cannot even slide a piece of paper between them. Good point to note here is that this civilisation did not have the wheel or horses. It still is a mystery as to how  these structures were built.  If this does not spell out Aliens the Captain is not sure what does.

Spending hours exploring they were fascinated by this place. So much mystery and intrigue filled them like many other visitors as they leave Sexy human.

Next on the list to explore was Cristoblanco. Perched high above the colonial center of Cusco, is Cristo Blanco a large statue of Jesus Christ that can be seen across the city. Towering some 8 meters  high the white structure was a gift from Arabic Palestinians who sought refuge in Cusco after World War II. The statue depicts Christ extending his arms outwards, very similar to Rio´s Christ the Redeemer, but a lot smaller. They struggled to take a photo as it seemed it was seniors day and every person there had grand children to Whatsapp photos to. In a brief 10 second window, in which they assisted one of the members find the camera icon on their phone,  the Captain snapped a few photos.

Absolutely drained, the Captain and Admiral started their decent down the mountain. The Captain had discovered a new greeting and much to the dislike of the Admiral, tilted his head and said “Howdy” to everyone on the way down.
They finally reached the bottom and headed for some much needed refreshing beverages. They headed to the Central Market for some fresh and delicious juice, followed by burgers. Refreshed but exhausted they headed home for a rest and to meet up with their tour guide Juan for all the right documents needed for the Machu Picchu Adventure that they were to start the next day.

After a briefing and handover with Juan as well as  some much needed rest they changed into warmer clothing before setting out for dinner and to explore the late night Cusco scene.

During their walk the Admiral randomly stated “It smells Beautiful here” to which the Cap responded ” Honey we are outside a KFC” she was not wrong. It smelled delicious. They could not be distracted as they were on a mission to try the local cuisine and staple meat Cuy.

Cuy was what we call guinea pig. Based on recommendation and referral they headed to an Indian restaurant called  Korma sutra restaurant for tandoori guinea pig. Although they were sorely disappointed with the food and put the bad curries and naans down to Puruvian fusion Indian, it was not what they had come there for. The Guinea pig had very tough skin and big layer of fat with very little meat. But the meat was ok. It tasted like duck. It was like pig fat on duck. Meat was nice, although very little of it. Calling it a night they retreated back and packed their day packs, the next 2 days were going to be full on, but what dreams are made of.

At 7 am in the morning a private taxi picked them up, Red eyed and exhausted the Captain and Admiral smashed down some crepes for breakfast and boarded the vessel for the adventure that was to come. Today they were off to visit the Sacred Valley, before being dropped to Ollantaytambo for their train up to the base town of Machu Picchu or Aguas Calientes.

First up was the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley of the Incas is a valley that contains many famous and beautiful Inca ruins. It was called the Sacred Valley because it contains some of the best land in the region and was not a part of the Empire but the property of the Emperor or Inca himself.

They moved on to the next destination however were hindered by a mob of sheep crossing the road. They waited patiently until the herd dispersed.

Finally reaching one of the most fascinating sites the Captain had ever seen.  Moray.  The site consists of several enormous circular depressions made from concentric circular stone terraces which diminish in size towards the middle in a similar fashion to an amphitheatre. Experts have suggested that Moray may have been some kind of Inca agricultural laboratory to study the effects of the different climatic conditions on crops and possibly helping to domesticate and acclimatize certain crops for use at high altitudes.  Each platform has a different climate and the temperature difference of as much as 15 °C between the top and the bottom.

Once again it becomes hard to comprehend a civilisation that did not have access to the wheel, building such a place and undertaking agricultural experiments as if they were part of a modern day pharmaceutical company. The ‘How’ being put aside, the complex was astonishing. The last stop on the tour before they had to board the train was the Salineras de Mara’s – Salt Mines.

3000 pools of natural salt. These mines are still in operation supplying salt to a large part of the population of the country. The salt mines also produce Pink salt, which can only be found in four places in the world. The Incan legend says that four Ayar brothers, sons of Viracocha, were sent by their father in search of fertile land. But one of them, Ayar Cachi, had huge strength, so his brothers, scared of him, decided to lock him up on a mountain. The tears of Ayar Cachi were so many that created this amazing place.

Salineras de Mara’s was thier last stop before getting dropped off to the train station in the town of Ollantaytambo   and just as they arrived “Living on a prayer” was blasting on the car stereo. Ollantaytambo is a town and an Inca archaeological site some 72 km  by road northwest of the city of Cusco.  During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti, who conquered the region and built the town and a ceremonial center. Now it was the location where most tourists caught the Peru Rail train to the Machu Picchu town of Aguas Calientes.

The train was a similar generation model to the old school Indian coal engines, but it lacked the 100 people per square metre rule found in most Indian trains. The train ride took 2 hours and was extremely picturesque, running on the side of the the river, it went past beautiful streams and waterfalls.

They arrived at the town of Machupicchu or Machupicchu Pueblo, also known as Aguas Calientes. It is the closest access point to the historical site of Machu Picchu which is 6 kilometres or about a 1.5 hours walk. There are many hotels and restaurants for tourists, as well as natural hot baths which gave the town its colloquial Spanish name. The baths were destroyed by floods several years ago, but have been rebuilt. At the station a pirate from the Captain’s hostel arrived holding a sign for the Admiral. He led them about 500 metres uphill to their accommodation which was a small room in a hostel with a private bathroom. Once they had checked in they started doing some research on where to grab food, to their shock every restaurant was 3 to 4 times more expensive than Cusco. E.g. a 3 course lunch in Cusco would be 15 SOL (AUD $7) and in Aguas Calientes it was 45 SOL (AUD $21). Additionally restaurants there have a service tax or illegal gringo tax that could range from 10% to 25%. Note this is not legal and it eatery owners have descretion on what they charge.

Slightly disheartened they decided to walk down to the local market, as one thing their researching did tell them was the market remained a local hangout with local prices. The market was pretty overwhelming, it was much more raw then any of the other markets they had visited, with many more doggos walking around. They grabbed a nice fresh mixed juice and then headed back. The Captain wanted to eat there, but the chances of death with food poisoning was at record levels.

Spending dinner time researching they were able to find a place that had no add on tax and the food was highly rated ‘cale totoria’. Coincidentally this place was just next door to the hostel. The food was pretty decent although the manager was a bit surprised by their order of vegetarian pizza with chicken. The manager was also super entertaining.

Finishing up they went and gathered supplies for the hike water, energy bars, oreos as well as bananas to start in the morning with. When they got back however the hostel lady came over with a lunch pack for them that contained the same things (minus the Oreos). They now had double foodies.

This may seem simple but it led to great debate and some arguing as they only had 1 little day pack that they could take up the mountain with them.  After some heated discussion and tears, they were finally ready to go, with one (very packed backpack and one that they would leave behind as check out was 9 am (another tourist exploitation) Time had escaped them they had to be up in 4 hours to start the epic hike up to the inca landmark.

The clock struck 4 and it was time to undertake the massive and daunting task of hiking up to Machu Picchu. This is a moment of this journey that was marked as a highlight and a mental challenge for the Admiral and Captain. Visiting one of the 7 wonders would be a bucket list item ticked off, it meant a lot to them to succeed at this challenge.

After a quick shower and a breakfast of 2 bananas and energy bars. It was pitch dark as they left. The first part of the hike was a 35 minute walk to the check point. Like noobz both of them had forgotten to bring flashlights and started walking in the dark, until they got close enough to start tailgating others that had flashlights. Reaching the checkpoint they were confronted with a large line of people waiting to get past the border check. They waited in the dark for 20 minutes until finally amidst distressed tourists they were called up. Without any issues they got through this hurdle and started the climb.

The hike consistented of thousands of steps made of boulders, each with a different height and width, making it super difficult to navigate with phone flashlights. It was not long until the sun started to rise. The hike was tough. It was not easy by any means. The altitude combined with the steep steps made it a real challenge. They often stopped to catch a breath, at times they felt like calling it and heading back, but they motivated each other and like a finely oiled machine backed and supported each other with every step. They knew what waited on the other side was going to be worth the effort.

The views along the way are out of this world, being surrounded with forest and gigantic mountains and clouds is something to be seen with your own eyes. Severely exerted and very exhausted they reached the entrance point at Machu Picchu at 6.20 am, they got a Machu Picchu stamp in the passport and entered. Due to the volume of tourists they impose a time limit at the park, the Admiral and Captain  had a limit of 6 hours to explore the grounds before they would be asked to leave.

Just as the sun shone through the crevices through the mountains they reached a site that blew their minds. Macchu Picchu. The Captain can not do any justice by even attempting to describe the site before them. The Sun rays making the city shimmer.  It was just beautiful. The scale and size could not be captured by the photographs, neither the detail or the finesse in the structure.

It was spectacular. For some history, Machu Picchu was a city of the Inca Empire. It is sometimes called the “lost city” because the Spanish never discovered the city when they conquered the Inca in the 1500s.

Machu Picchu means “Old Peak” or “Old Mountain” in the Quechua language of the Inca. Machu Picchu was not a large city. Probably only around 1,000 people lived there. It was likely a city for the Inca nobility and priests as well as their servants. Machu Picchu was built as the royal estate for the ninth Inca King, Pachacuti. Archeologists aren’t sure why he built it, however. There are a number of theories as to why he had it built. One theory is that it was a vacation retreat for the king. It is in a warmer spot than the capital city of Cuzco. It also is in a beautiful location and would have been a nice getaway for the king. Another theory is that it was built as a sacred religious site. Perhaps it was a combination of both theories.

The Captain’s theory involves other reasons as to the what and how, but with government agencies monitoring this  he would rather not document it.

After spending several hours exploring the ruins the heat and the exhaustion got to them and as much as they wanted to stay, their time in the park was running out and they needed to catch the train back to Cusco. The hike down was tough on the knees, it took an hour and by the end of it the Captain was dragging his feet. The heat made it more difficult, and as they reached the last step they let our a triumphant yell of victory. Knees weak, legs like jelly, they walked the last stretch back to town.

Once reaching the city the Captain took charge and since there was still a few hours before their train. He started walking up to a nice shaded area where they could relax until the time to board the train. Little did he know that this area was uphill at the top of the town. It was as they were walking up that it finally happened, the Admiral broke. She stopped sat down and started crying, she was done, she couldn’t walk anymore. With great convincing the captain asked her for 5 more minutes and she reluctantly agreed. It was 4 minutes as they reached the shaded area. Phew!! A short nap on the park bench later the sun has shifted and no longer was it viable to sit on the park bench, they moved back to the restaurant they had dinner at the day before. They ordered some snacks and in her delusional state the Admiral took a bite out if the rose petal that was on the plate for decoration. Both the Captain and restaurant manager chuckled. She thought it was lettuce.

The day had gotten the best of her and soon enough they were on a train back to Cusco. It was a long trip, taking 3.5 hours and then a half hour taxi ride to reach back into the city centre. Although extremely exhausted their tummies got the best of them and they decided to visit a close by vegetarian restaurant called Prasada. The food here was fantastic, fresh and delicious, however it was the conversation of the table next to them that had them super intrigued.  It was a group of people discussing a plethora of drug related topics including:  LSD and Ayahuasca trips that they have had, how shamans are pretty funny guys and tell the best jokes, experience with acid (are you a laugh’er?), Boom music festival, Menergy etc. They left after dinner with a ton of items to debrief on, which they discussed on the way home. At home a hot shower and the best sleep ever awaited them.

On the final day at Cusco, after a decent sleep in they dropped off their laundry and visited the Ruins of Coricancha – The most important temple in Cuzco was the temple of the Sun god Inti. It was called the Coricancha which means “Golden Temple”. During the time of the Inca Empire the walls and floors of the temple were covered in sheets of gold. The temple was interesting, it would have been completely different Pre Spanish invasion, it highlights the importance of the stars which dictated almost every significant and deliberate Inca action. The last remaining item for them to do in Cusco was stocking up on Llama and Alpaca items. They headed to the artesan markets and ticked off all the gifts and cool presents for the awesome people at base camp.

Still struggling from the previous day’s adventures and exhausted from shopping, they went home for a pitstop and ended up passing out waking up just in time for dinner.

It was time for TacoMania! The Admiral and Captain had been looking forward to this culinary taco experience for a while, and it did not disappoint. The shared chicken tacos and had Alpaca Fajitas. Alpaca tasted very similar to overcooked lamb, but it  was a delicious red meat that they both enjoyed. With that they completed the Peruvian adventure. Reflecting on the epic week they spent in this rich country and looking forward to the next part of this epic journey, the boarded a tiny tiny plane to Bolivia.