The second stop on our Peru adventure was the city of Cusco. Cusco is in the Sacred Valley, and is the closest large city to Machu Picchu. We gave ourselves one week in Cusco, hoping to get to know the city well and do some awesome day trips. We did a lot in this past week, more than I ought to write about because it would be a lot of words, so I am going to include many photos to help me tell the story. We stayed at another Pariwana hostel in this city. Our room was set back a little from the main gathering areas so it was a little quieter, and we really enjoyed our stay. Same as the Pariwana in Lima, there were games that we got to partake in. My favorite here was futbol tennis. We also took part in a BBQ on Sunday night which was mediocre but came with a free beer, and a Christmas Eve dinner which was quite pleasant and tasty. City Exploration Cusco is home to about 500,000 people and is the fourth largest city in Peru. It was once the capital of the Inca empire and remains a culturally robust place to visit. Phil and I walked all around the city, as our hostel was in an awesome central location. If you know me, you know I'm a picky eater. If you've lived or traveled with me, you especially know how challenging this can be. But, I had in mind a goal to try new foods so here ya go! Phil and I tried guinea pig, which is a delicacy in Peru. Neither of us liked it very much. At this same meal Phil also got an alpaca burger which I tried a bite of. That's enough food exploration for me for the year. Day Trips We took four day trips while in Cusco. Each was too amazing to leave out of this post, and I honestly think these four day trips have been the highlight of my trip so far. Awana Kancha & Ccochahausi Animal Sanctuary Awana Kancha is a Llama/ Alpaca museum and farm. Free to enter, we learned all about how these Camelids are used in textiles. Textiles from these animals are a huge industry in Peru, and Phil and I both made sure to buy sweaters before leaving Cusco. The Ccohahausi Animal Sanctuary was a tiny zoo on the way home from Awana Kancha. We did not even intend to stop there, but our taxi driver offered so we said hey why not. We were so glad we stopped! We got to see spectacle bears, colorful birds, pumas, condors, and of course more llamas. All of the animals at this zoo were rescued and were either being rehabilitated to be released into the wild, or they would not be able to be released again so they are given a good life here. We had a private tour of this small zoo, which was included in our 5 soles ($1.50) admission charge. Our taxi driver was named Elvis, and he drove us to and waited for us at Awana Kancha and the zoo, plus he gave us tons of information about Cusco. Phil was able to communicate with him in Spanish, and it ended up working out so well. Rainbow Mountain A new iconic Peru destination is Rainbow Mountain. This mountain was discovered only three years ago, and is one of only three rainbow mountains in the world. Our day trip to visit this gorgeous natural wonder started at 3am, and was the most challenging of all of our day trips. The summit of the mountain was at 17,000 feet, which made the hour and a half hike up one heap of an effort. The views were well worth it! The Andes Mountains provided a landscape so grand it took my breath away (wait maybe that was the elevation?). But seriously, I enjoyed my time in these mountains so much, even with the bittersweet knowledge that I may never be in the presence of mountains this dramatic again. The photos here hardly begin to do them justice. Via Ferrata & Zip Line Adventure Via ferrata is Italian for "iron path", and there are via ferratas all over the world. A via ferrata is a climbing route up a cliff that uses metal ladders, bridges, and other man made features. As you ascend, you are clipped onto cables which would save you from death if you fall, but would not prevent serious injury. Just outside of Ollantayampo, Peru, one of these via ferratas exists and upon its completion you go on 6 huge zip lines back down to the ground. Phil and I thoroughly enjoyed this tiring and thrilling activity. Macchu Picchu Everyone's heard of it, it's one of the 7 wonders of the world, and if you're in Peru you're going to visit. A huge price tag on a day tour doesn't stop an average of 10,000 visitors per day. In the high season (late summer) it sees 15,000 people per day, while in the low season (winter) around 5,000. Our guide told us that because of this Machu Picchu is sinking about 2cm per year, and UNESCO has in the plans to close it in the next few years. Walking around the city the way we did will no longer be an option, instead he mentioned a potential cable car, or simply only viewing from the top view point. This information made me very glad that I visited now. Phil and I were both super stoked to visit Machu Picchu, as one should be. And when we actually got a tour of the place, it surpassed all of my expectations. The construction was genius, the methods backbreaking and time consuming. The town is believed to have housed around 800 people, all of whom would have been important people including priests and nobles. The Incas had amazing techniques for telling time, storing food, and distributing water. Our tour guide was wonderful, he knew everything about Machu Picchu and lead us through the town in a two hour walking tour. I learned so much about the Incas and their way of life just in this one day. Aside from finally seeing this gorgeous site with my own two eyes, this new knowledge was the coolest part of the tour. In summary...
The past week in Cusco has been one of the most adventurous, adrenaline filled, aesthetically pleasing of my life. So many interesting, different, and new experiences all packed into one memorable city. Apparently it is supposed to be rainy season in Cusco but we only got rained on once, and not even during one of our day trips. The weather gods were smiling on us and we could not have asked for a better time visiting this historic place! Next up we head to Puerto Maldonado in the Amazonian Jungle. The forecast is for 90s and humid with a chance of Malaria. Should be exotic! Comments are closed.
|
Archives
February 2024
Categories |