Cusco: Museo Inka, San Blas & Chicha

Standing by the famous 12-sided stone....at least I think this is the one...

Our first tourist stop on Monday was the Museo Inka. As promised, the museum itself is nothing fancy but there was some good info about the various indigenous cultures of Peru. It was cool to learn about all the cultures that came before the Inca even:

• The Paraca tribe made beautiful woven funeral cloths
• The Pukara would include feline faces on their pottery and art
• The Mochika had 11 different colors they used in painting pottery
• The Nazca, while famous for their lines, also made really beautiful pottery with many colors and in lots of animal forms, even mythical creatures
• The Wari tribe, which took over Cusco for awhile, also included feline faces in their art, complete with colorful eyes
• Of course the highlight for me was seeing the Inca mummies, still very well intact

It was interesting to finally see cats represented. Most ancient cultures seem to have recognized something spiritual or significant in felines, but I hadn’t heard or seen too much of that in Peru until now. There are definitely a lot of dogs around town, but barely any cats.

After lunch, we went up by the San Blas neighborhood to see the Iglesia de San Blas. It was a very simple church, but known for its intricately carved wooden pulpit, complete with human skull! We also took advantage of San Blas’ unique shops and galleries to do some shopping. Continuing our souvenir shopping closer to Plaza de Armas, I officially topped myself in buying the most ridiculous souvenir ever by spending too much money on an antique iron that weighs probably 20 lbs. I also finally got a photo with a little lamb!

Antique plancha from Cusco

Me and a baby lamb

That night, we had dinner at Chicha, a restaurant of famed chef Gaston Acurio. Considering all the hype, the rest of the group was disappointed in the food. I felt it was simple but good. The tamales appetizer and pumpkin ravioli I ordered were pretty much what I expected so overall I was happy with the dinner, although it didn’t necessarily blow my mind. I’ll admit that the ambiance definitely didn’t compare to Fallen Angel.

Back in Cusco: La Catedral, Mercado San Pedro & Qorikancha

View of Cusco from our new hotel, Siete Ventanas

Now back in Cusco, we attempted to actually see the sights. We got off to a slow start though, because our first stop, the Inca Museum, was closed. So we walked around town and ended up at the Chocolate Museum. Which is really a coffee shop with some info about cacao in Peru and a few souvenirs. But admission is free, so it wasn’t a bad stop. I did actually learn a little about cocoa production and history. I also learned that Poland is one of the biggest consumers of chocolate (of course not compared to the US). And of course we bought some souvenirs. There was a complimentary cup of really cool tea they gave us that tasted like chocolate even though it was tea, so I bought a bag of that.

Santa Clara church...closed

Then we walked past the church and convent of Santa Clara, which sounds really cool with mirrors covering the interior, but it’s barely ever open and indeed was closed now.

So we did what we do best – shopping – at the Mercado San Pedro. And I finally got to eat choclo!

Mercado San Pedro

Choclo & cheese!

After the market, we walked back down Calle Nueva to Avenida del Sol and visited the Qorikancha, billed as the most important Inca site in Cusco. That’s because it was the richest temple in the empire and center of Inca civilization – until the Spaniards came and looted it and built a church on top of it. All that’s left from the temple are the remains of those super-fitted stone Inca walls.

A couple cool new things I learned at Qorikancha:

• Killa means moon in Quechua
• When the Inca looked at the Milky Way, they didn’t focus on the stars but rather on the colored spaces between those stars. So they saw a snake, a fox, a llama and its baby in that constellation.
• The sacred wakas extended out from Qorikancha throughout Cusco, marking sacred sites.

That being said, I would actually recommend shelling out a few extra soles for the tour at Qoricancha. There isn’t that much left from the Inca days, so it would have been really helpful to get some more of that history from a guide. I just relied on the few paragraphs in my guide book to get me through the site, which wasn’t ideal.

Convent connected to the former Qorikancha

La Catedral

Next, we walked back towards the Plaza de Armas to visit La Catedral. It’s so interesting to see all the mirrors in Peruvian churches. Apparently, the Catholic Church used them to attract the locals, both for their novelty as well as for their symbolism. And it’s an interesting concept overall that to be comfortable with your reflection, you should be a good person. Some of the other highlights of the cathedral included the famous Last Supper painting featuring a cuy (guinea pig) as the center dish, and the black Jesus statue. One of the most impressive sights here was the first-ever cross brought to South America and used to convert the locals, which lives at the cathedral. It’s simplicity is impressive.

At that point, we decided to rest before heading out to the highly-recommended Fallen Angel for dinner. Kitsch is definitely the way to describe it. The restaurant has bathtubs converted into aquariums with live fish converted to tables with beds as seats. And paper mache flying pigs. And a huge metal angel. Also, an eclectic collection of local art for sale on the walls. The food was quite good, if not a bit heavy. But overall, it was a nice dinner out, full of food, wine and random conversation.

Fallen Angel

Lasting Impressions from Machu Picchu

Once the Huayna Picchu adventure was over, we headed back down to Aguas Calientes to stop by the souvenir stands, eat and get our stuff together for the train ride back to Cusco. I finally bought my llama duffel bag!

As we were on the excruciatingly long train ride back to Cusco (the train stopped several times on the way for some technical difficulties – I think we even started going backwards at one point!), I actually felt sad that our hiking adventure was over. In a way, I felt like our vacation was over. What would tomorrow morning be like when we didn’t have to wake up at the ass-crack of dawn, in a cold tent, baby-wipe shower before a breakfast feast  prepared by Jorge in preparation for hours of walking?

So in the end, I really enjoyed the hiking experience. It was challenging and exhausting and fun and unforgettable. Our group fought, laughed and made it through together in the end.

I would also recommend Q’ente to prospective Machu Picchu hikers. The price was right, we had a cool guide, an awesome cook & crew, and it was nice to be hiking in a smaller group instead of some of the massive crowds of tourists we saw a couple times. Even though we didn’t get to take the “official” Inca Trail, I enjoyed the route we took. It had glaciers (you don’t want to miss Salkantay), snow, mountains, jungle, tropical flowers and everything in between.

Looking back on the trip, I want to go again! I want to check out the Inca Trail tours, I want to see more of the ruins in those mysterious mountains, I want to revisit Machu Picchu and spend more time there now that I kind of know it. Also, I recently read this awesome book, Turn Right at Machu Picchu, that really reignited my desire to return to the mountains. What you hear is true – the mountains and the people who live there, are just different.

Hasta luego, Machu Picchu!

My Favorite Machu Picchu Monuments & Moments

Machu Picchu is so overwhelming, it’s almost hard to make sense of it all and to truly take it all in. That being said, I wanted to highlight some of the most memorable parts of my visit to the ruins.

The Condor Temple
I loved how the wings of this temple are pretty much nature-made yet are so strikingly condor-like. No wonder the Incas worshiped nature.

The wings of the Condor Temple

Llamas, and sparrows, and chinchilas, oh my!
Yes, as I mentioned, I loved that there were animals throughout the ruins. From the bold blue sparrows to the photogenic llamas, the seemingly isolated ruins were really not that empty of life. And what better place to call home for this family of chinchillas that reside at Machu Picchu?

Family of chinchillas at Machu Picchu

Can you spot the chinchilla in this photo?

The morning mist
I’ve read that the busiest times to visit Machu Picchu at from 10 am – 2 pm. I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t sacrifice a few hours of sleep to arrive right when the ruins open. That quiet morning mist is incredible, and that’s how you should be introduced to Machu Picchu.

Misty morning at Machu Picchu

More mist

P is for Peru
I’m guessing that’s not really why this important Temple of the Sun is shaped like a P, but it is known for it’s stonework. Ok, I admit it, I mostly like it because it’s shaped like a P.

Temple of the Sun

A few other things you should look out for:

• The cuy (guinea pig) -shaped stone
• The king’s toilet: yes, they hooked up some impressive plumbing for this VIP
• Speaking of plumbing, look out for the various fountains at Machu Picchu, through which water still flows

And, just so you don’t think that the sun never shines at Machu Picchu, here’s a photo I took in the afternoon when the sun did indeed come out bright & strong.

Sunny afternoon at Machu Picchu

Huayna Picchu: Heavenly or Horrifying?

That's Huayna Picchu, overlooking the ruins

While at Machu Picchu, you can’t avoid noticing Huayna Picchu, the huge mountain overlooking the ruins. The ruins actually sit between two mountains – Mount Machu Picchu and Mount Huaynu Picchu. Interestingly, in all the photos you see of the ruins, the mountain in the background is actually Huaynu Picchu, not the namesake mountain.

We had planned on climbing Huaynu Picchu (an option which is only available to the first 400 visitors to Machu Picchu each day I believe), but as I looked at how high and steep the mountain was, I started to panic. I didn’t want to climb it anymore, screw the $15 ticket I already paid for, I’d rather relax at the ruins and meditate on my own.

Standing in line to climb the mountain, genuinely concerned for my well-being

But of course the rest of the group talked me into it. Damn peer pressure. As we stood in line to “enter” Huayna Picchu, the panic was back. The fact that two paramedics ran past us with a stretcher just as we entered did not help.

That's what we're climbing?!

The climb up is exhausting and crazy steep  at times. The entire time, you are following a narrow dirt path interspersed with stone steps. At certain points, you are literally climbing the mountain with your hands and feet – like real mountain climbing! Or by holding onto a rope at super steep passes.

I don’t know how some of the older people going up did it. Being so high up was nerve-wracking but I kept going. At the risk of sounding repetitive, we were ridiculously high up. Perhaps I should mention that I’m a bit afraid of heights.

Yes, we literally had to climb through a tunnel. Words can't describe how sweaty I was at this point.

Finally, we had to climb through a tiny tunnel to reach the top. All we reached was a pile of rocks! The top of Huaynu Picchu is literally a mountain peak. No platform, or rest area, or guardrails. Just a couple boulders you can climb at your own peril to take photos. I don’t know if my words are making this clear – but we were literally at the very top of a huge mountain. No security, no handrails, no ropes even! I was freaking out. There was nowhere to go. I ask our guide, Alex, how we get down, and he points over the side of the boulder I’m leaning against. To me, it looks like he’s pointing to nothing. I see nothing beyond the edge of this boulder. You might as well just ask me to jump off the mountain and kill myself.

At this point, my paralyzing fear turns into genuine panic. There’s no way I can get down from here or move at all. I read my breaking point and the tears come. Clearly, I’m just going to die on Huayna Picchu. The paramedics weren’t going to make it up here with a stretcher. Goodbye, cruel world.

Ok, I know it sounds a little melodramatic, and I can kind of look back and laugh on the situation, but it really was quite traumatic at the time!

Finally, Alex somehow convinced me to move and inch my way across this boulder, so I could see that there were actual rocks to climb down on. This was barely a consolation, to get to climb down a steep pile of rocks thousands of feet up in the air. But somehow, I made it. There were tears and Alex literally had to hold my hand the entire way down, but I made it. I should have listened to my intuition and stayed at Machu Picchu instead of climbing that mountain!

Tiny ruins of Machu Picchu way, way down below

I would encourage travelers not to take that adventure lightly, it was truly challenging. But, of course the views from the top are gorgeous, and Machu Picchu looks tiny from up top. And then I felt like a jerk when my cousin told me she took her seven-year-old son up Huayna Picchu. Although, in my defense, he’s much more fearless than I am, which I also discovered when I freaked out in the middle of a much less high obstacle course in Poland last year while he sped through it with no problem.

Anyways, once that little adventure was over, I was about done. I needed a drink. So I treated myself to a nice frozen passion fruit pisco cocktail. And a coke. Hey, I earned both!

Cheers

Mission Accomplished: Machu Picchu

We finally made it to Machu Picchu! We got up super early in Aguas Calientes so we could take one of the first buses up to the ruins. By the way, most people seem to really hate Aguas Calientes, and it’s only true purpose is a pit stop to Machu Picchu, but I didn’t think it was that bad. It’s an interesting town, with the railroad running straight through the middle of town, intersected by a river and surrounded by hostels, restaurants and gift shops. To me, it seems to symbolize a little mountain town.

Anyways, I digress. So, 5:30 am and we’re standing in the long, but quick-moving line of people waiting to be shuttled up the mountain. Our 30-minute bus ride was terrifying to say the least. Let’s just say the bus goes up along endless switchbacks and our bus driver was loco, speeding towards the edge of the road and whipping the big bus around bends at breakneck speed.

Mist creeping up the edge of a cliff of Machu Picchu

I'm pretty sure this is a famous stone platform at Machu Picchu

But we arrived alive at about 6 a.m. to Machu Picchu and it was beautiful. It was still a little quiet and had this calm air of mystery. Since the clouds were rolling through the ruins, at times you couldn’t see the surrounding mountains or even the entire city. It’s cool because Machu Picchu is this “jewel” almost hidden by the mountains around it, which are all higher. The ruins are actually located between two huge mountains, Mount Machu Picchu and Mount Huayna Picchu. I’ve been dreading writing this blog post, because it’s hard to describe this mountain of green grass and big boulders that still has such in-tact ruins which peek in and out of the early morning mist. In a way, it’s exactly how you would imagine Machu Picchu. Those first couple hours were my favorite time at the ruins.

Then, more tourists came. Machu Picchu only allows a few thousand visitors daily, but that’s way too many, if you ask me! It was annoying to have so many tourists packed into the space, some more respectful than others.

Regardless, Alex gave us the tour and it was interesting to imagine how life was back then. I still can’t get over the fact that the Inca seem like such an ancient culture but in reality were around from 1200 – 1500 AD, which in the grand scheme of things was not that long ago. Oddly, we still don’t really know a lot of things about Machu Picchu. Much of the tour even, is based on speculation and theories about the ruins and their purpose. It’s weird that none of these Andean civilizations had a written language. Especially at that point in time, in the 1500s, when most of the world did have a written language, what made these mountains so different that it never occurred to the people to create a formal written communication?

The temples at Machu Picchu were really interesting. I especially loved the Condor Temple, which seems to have wings just placed there by nature. It was interesting to learn about the three levels of Inca’s world: the condor reigning over the sky, the cat/panther/cougar on land, and the serpent overseeing the spiritual world below.

Perfectly carved steps into one big stone at the Royal Tomb

Other than that, the stonework was super cool. The Incas’ calling card is their ability to make flawless walls, with stones fit together so well that there was no mortar required. Just imagine the patience and dedication it took to perfectly shape and fit together the stones of those temples and royal homes. Does that kind of dedication even still exist today? If so, what motivates it in today’s world?

Some of the other “stonework” that stood out was the replicas of two mountains carved into a couple rocks at Machu Picchu, so that you could line up the outlines almost perfectly. Then, there was a solid large stone, barely carved but in a shape that perhaps represents a cuy (guinea pig)? Adrian didn’t buy that theory but I thought it was a fun one.

It's kind of hard to tell because of the bright sunlight, but the carved stones in the front match the shape of the mountains in the background

Famous intihuatana stone at Machu Picchu - shaped after Huayna Picchu?

C'mon - that totally looks like a guinea pig!

The other thing I loved about Machu Picchu was the animals (big surprise). Sadly, I did not end up getting a photo with one of the llamas at the ruins. But I did snap a shot or two of them from afar. Then, we also saw a family of chinchillas hanging out on the rocks, almost camouflaged completely. They were super cute. The thing that surprised me was all the swallows up there. Their bright blue feathers and light, airy flight around these heavy, old ruins was beautiful.

A view of those famous Inca terraces at Machu Picchu

The misty, quiet morning at Machu Picchu turned into a hot, sunny afternoon. And while viewing the ruins on a clear sunny day is great, the atmosphere changes drastically also. All of a sudden, the place is brightly lit and teeming with tourists. I definitely loved those first hours at the ruins, and recommend you sacrifice a few hours of sleep to experience it! Next up, Huayna Picchu…

Top 5 things Adrian keeps saying

The top 5 things Adrian keeps saying during our trip:

1. I could look away, but I won’t
2. Let’s make math
3. Everything hurts!
4. My body feels weird
5. GIRL!