sedativegunk

Cusco is a picture postcard city of 350,000 perched up in the Andes at a breathtaking 3,400m. Disembarking the plane, sea level dwellers like myself notice the thinness of the air right away. It was at this point I realized I hadn’t started taking my altitude sickness pill the night before as I was supposed to. Oh well, I’ll play it by ear and see if I really need it…

The city’s name comes from the Quechua word for “centre” – Qosqo. Prior to the Spanish invasion in the 16th century, this city was the politcal and religious centre of the Andean empire. The Spanish destroyed the Andean settlement here and replaced it with a colonial city of narrow cobblestoned streets, Baroque style churches and quaint stone and plastered buildings. Much of the evidence of an Andean presence here has been wiped out. Even the Dominican church sits upon the foundation of an Andean temple.

(If you’re wondering why I use the term “Andean” instead of “Incan”, it is because the term “Inca” is often misused to describe an aboriginal civilization. It is not. In fact, the term is properly used to describe the ruling class – i.e. kings – of the Andean people.)

Clearly the city of today caters to tourism. Hotels, hostels, restaurants and nightclubs abound in all directions radiating from the central square, Plaza de Armas. Thankfully, the city somehow continues to keep its charm. Travellers are happy to be in this relaxed atmosphere and locals are happy to accommodate their every need, but not in a desparate, dependant sort of way. It’s a symbiotic relationship, so to speak.

Our hostel is absolutely gorgeous. The Kokopelli hostel is bright, with 3 courtyards bringing light into its 2 floors of rooms. The old building it occupies still has original wide-latted hardwood flooring, heavy wood beams supporting the roof and comfortable old furniture and in the public areas. Despite the old-world appearance, the place has been well looked after. Amenities have been modernized and everything seems to work as it should. The dorm beds even have duvets to help keep patrons warm on the cold Andean nights.

From this base, my friends and I have a few days to acclimatize to the high altitude before setting out on the Inca Trail – the real reason why we came to Peru in the first place. After checking in to the hostel, Alex and I decide to take a walk to one of the Andean ruins on the edge of town called Saqsaywaman (when pronounced by the locals it sounds like the person is saying “sexy woman”, so you can understand why it may cause confusion among the gringoes). Our friend Paul is feeling under the weather, so we leave him at the hostel to rest.

The road leading to the ruins rises almost immediately from the centre of town and even the slight grade begins to drag on our unacclimatized heart and lungs. By the time we reach the edge of town, the road is now rising steeply and Alex and I take frequent rests to catch our breath. A local reminds us that there is a entrance fee to enter the ruins, so instead of going to the ruins at this late time of the day, we decide to visit the nearby Cruz Blanco (White Cross) overlooking the city. We struggle, winded, to the top of the hill and are rewarded with a panoramic view 150m above the city. We take pictures of the cross, the view of the city and a lone musician playing his panflute for tips. The sun is beginning to set now, so we retreat to the city and enjoy the easy, downward trip back to the city.

Over the next couple of days, we explore the sites of interest around the city and the nearby Sacred Valley and eat really great meals in the local restaurants. The tours are informative and give us a good basis of knowledge for Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. With each site visited, one can’t help but wonder how a culture that had no iron, wheel or written language could have developed such a sophisticated society. Almost equally stunning is how such a society could all but disappear in a hundred years (civil war among the Andeans and small pox introduced by the Spaniards do more to undermine the Andeans than the Spanish invaders). Even today, archeologists, astronomers, biologists and anthropologists are still trying to piece together the mystery of the Andean civilization.

After 3 days, we’re really excited about our trek. More about that in my next posting.