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Cusco - the Land of the Incas

I flew to Cusco today to scout it out a bit before Bill comes in on Friday.  Luckily, I had a window seat on this leg of the trip, so I was able to see the Andes in all their glory.  The day was incredibly clear, so the high peaks of the Andes stuck out like pinnacles.  The Andes changed quite a bit during the flight from being totally barren, to snow capped glaciers, to high mountain jungle with glacier lakes. 

Cusco is nestled in among some very high Andean peaks.  Mountains loom all around, so it is hard to remember that Cusco, itself, sits at an elevation of 11,300 feet.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but was definitely surprised.  It was clear, sunny and 68 degrees making for a pleasant day.

The town is mostly brown in color with lots of tile roofs, rock walls and foundations (left from the Incas), barren ground, cobblestone streets and rock houses perched on all the slopes surrounding Cusco.  Most of the town sits in the hills, making the streets very steep and windy like the streets in San Francisco.  The major difference, though, is that these streets are only wide enough for 1 car and the streets are NOT one way.   So, there is some fancy maneuvering and horn honking going on as taxis move people from place to place.  The sidewalks along the streets are very narrow and steep as well with many passageways made up of very steep stairs.   

Tourism is Cusco's main economy and everyone here knows how important the tourist is to them, so service is fantastic.  Every street is filled with little hotels, hostals, restaurants, laundries, and shops with vendors on every corner selling their wares and merchants enticing you into their shops.  It is surprising how many of the people know English or at least enough to communicate basic information - especially for selling! 

The town really bustles with people walking all over and taxis rushing through the streets.  It is crowded with tourists from all over the world either waiting to go to Macchu Picchu or resting up after their trip, so there are lots of people hawking "massages" and other therapies.

Cusco is a very important city in Peruvian history.  It was the foremost city of the Inca Empire and is the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America. It is also considered the archeological captial of the Americas.  The massive Inca-built walls line the city's central streets and form the foundations of both colonial and modern buildings.  The streets are thronged with Quechua-speaking descendents of the Incas. 

The legend goes that in the 12th century, the first Inca, Manco Capac the son of the sun, was charged by Inti the sun god to find 'qosuó'or the navel of the earth - a spot where he could plunge a golden rod into the ground until it disappeared.  When at last Manco discovered such a point, he founded the city that was to become the thriving captal of the Americas'greatest empire.  In 1553, the Spanish conquistadors came and began keeping chronicles which included the Inca history.  Cusco means the "naval of the world".

I have spent hours wandering the streets of Cusco, scouting out the museums and cathedrals, bargaining in their multitude of markets, eating incredible food and keeping altitude sickness at bay.  I was told to put some newsprint next to my belly during my flight here, then to have cafe de coca upon arrival and to rest a bit before eating - that would keep away the nausea.  And, believe it or not, it did!  I just ended up with a bit of a headache my first night since I did do a little too much exercise my first few hours.  I was a bit leary of the altitude sickness, since I have been at sea level for 10 weeks and I sure didn't want to ruin this part of the trip being sick!

I stayed at the Hostal El Grial (www.cusco-peru.de or grial_celta@yahoo.com) the first two nights before Bill's arrival.  It is a great little 2 star hostal and I recommend it for the budget traveler ($20/night for 1)!  On Friday, I moved to Hostal Pension Alemana, a 3 star hostal, which is also super and very economical ($45/night for 2) (http://www.cuzco-stay.de/ or pensionalemana@terra.com).  Lovely place above town with a great view.  And the people have been fantastic!!!         

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