Cuzco | Blue Lapis Road

FAREWELL TO THE INCAS, Cusco, Peru

After the 4-day Inca Trail, we had one final full day in Cusco. We started off our day with visiting Qorikancha, the colonial church and convent of Santo Domingo that built upon the stone walls and foundations of the richest temple in the Inca empire, the Inti Wasi, or the Sun Temple. Qorikancha in Quechua means “Golden Courtyard”. Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, the famous Inca Emperor who expanded the Kingdom of Cusco into the mighty Inca Empire, and was probably the one who ordered the construction of Machu Picchu, transformed much of Cusco into his capital city and erected the Inti Wasi as the most important temple of the empire. Pachacuti decorated Inti Wasi with gold vases, gold statues, gold ornaments, and walls covered with sheets of solid gold. Much of the gold was given to the Spanish as ransom money for Atahualpa, the last emperor of the Incas. Inti Wasi was looted and destroyed by the first Spanish conquistadors. The Spanish colonists then spent almost a century building the Church of Santo Domingo over the walls and foundations of Inti Wasi. Much of the church was damaged by earthquakes throughout the centuries, though much of the Inca foundations and walls remained intact because of their magnificent craftsmanship.

After Qorikancha, we strolled along Pampa de Castillo and picked an eatery to try some of the local delicacies. It was lunchtime and the restaurant was quite busy. There were only three things in the menu. We ordered one of each and a large bottle of Inca Cola. The dishes included adobo de chancho (Peruvian slow-cook pork in a soup/sauce made with jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, salt and spices), chicharrones (deep-fried chunks of pork served with corn, mint leaves, potato and onion), and the truly awesome caldo de gallina (chicken soup with real taste of chicken).

After lunch, each of us did some shopping at Kuna, a local knitwear fashion brand with a good collection of alpaca garments. Then we walked over to the Cathedral (Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus). The Cathedral actually consisted of three different churches, Iglesia del Triunfo, Cathedral and Iglesia de Jesus Maria. We entered the Cathedral through Iglesia de Jesus Maria. The three churches were good examples of colonial architecture, with lots of silver treasures and historical artifacts. Famous paintings include the Quechua’s version of The Last Supper (a small feast with Andean ceremonial food), and the oldest surviving painting in Cusco that depicted an earthquake in 1650.

We couldn’t resist but went for another round of lucuma milkshake at Mercado San Pedro. After the drink, we took a taxi to the district of San Blas one more time to shop for jewellery and souvenirs. We didn’t get any jewellery, but instead, a few souvenirs including t-shirts and two small water-colour drawings. On our way back down from San Blas, we strolled pass the alleyway of Hatunrumlyoc to admire the Inca stonework one last time. This was once the palace of Inca Roca, then converted to a grand colonial residence, then a archbishop’s palace, and now, Museo de Arte Religioso. Each stone of Hatunrumlyoc was smoothed, shaped and fit together by hands, without any use of mortar. Given the splendid stonework, the Incas and the Quechua people were truly master builders of their time. It was hard to imagine that their empire lasted for only 100 years. Within a century they built all these palaces and lost cities on the Andes such as Machu Picchu.

Since I needed more rest to deal with my fever, I decided to called it a day and returned to Ninos 2 Hotel, while my friends went out to Plaza de Armas to meet up with our Inca Trail group for a dinner gathering. They brought back a bowl of delicious chicken soup for me that truly brightened my mood and whetted my appetite. Since we landed at Arequipa, it had been 13 days traveling in the Peruvian highlands. In the next morning, we would left the Peruvian Altiplano for Lima.

Nino’s Hotel 2: across from our room there is the facilities for street children supported by the hotel and other donations.

Entrance of Nino’s 2 Hotel

Entrance of the Qurikancha.

Urban view of Cusco from Qurikancha.

Reconstructed Inca temple structure with original materials.

Colonial ceiling panels at Qurikancha.

Outdoor garden of Qorikancha.

Adobo de chancho, chicharrones, and caldo de gallina

Atrium of the eatery.

Live music at the eatery.

Staff preparing chicharrones near the eatery entrance.

Plaza de Armas of Cusco.

The Cathedral of Cusco.

After the two churches, we strolled around the Plaza de Armas area, and found our way through some of the alleyways that are still flanked by Inca stonework. The first alleyway we walked through was Loreto.

Walking to Mercado San Pedro again.

Mercado San Pedro.

Magnificent Inca stonework at Hatunrumlyoc.

A courtyard of souvenir shops at Hatunrumlyoc.

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LIMA
1. Peru Trip 2010
2. Bumpy Arrival, Lima & Arequipa, Peru
AREQUIPA & COLCA CANYON
3. Monasterio de Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru
4. Plaza de Armas, Arequipa, Peru
5. Volcanoes and Vicuna, Pampa Canahuas Natural Reserve, Patahuasi, and Patapampa, Peru
6. Yanque, Colca Canyon, Peru
7. Cruz del Condor, Colca Canyon, Peru
8. Farming Terraces, Colca Canyon, Peru
PUNO & TITICACA
9. Road to Titicaca, Colca Canyon to Puno, Peru
10. Afternoon on Taquile Island, Titicaca, Peru
11. Morning on Taquile, Titicaca, Peru
12. Inka Express, Puno to Cusco, Peru
CUSCO & SACRED VALLEY
13. Pisac & Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley, Peru
14. Salinas de Maras, & Moray, Sacred Valley, Peru
15. Lucuma Milkshake & Plaza de Armas, Cusco, Peru
16. Saksaywaman, Cusco, Peru
INCA TRAIL
17. KM 82 to Wayllabamba, Inca Trail, Peru
18. Wayllabamba to Pacamayo, Inca Trail, Peru
19. Pacasmayo to Winay Wayna, Inca Trail, Peru
20. Winay Wayna to Machu Picchu, Inca Trail, Peru
21. Machu Piccu, Inca Trail, Peru
22. Machu Picchu in Black and White, Inca Trail, Peru
23. Afterthought, Inca Trail, Peru
LAST DAY IN CUSCO & LIMA
24. Farewell to the Incas, Cusco, Peru
25. Last Day in Peru, Lima, Peru

February 17, 2016 | Categories: Cusco and Sacred Valley, Peru, Peru 2010 | Tags: Adobo de Chancho, alpaca, Caldo de Gallina, Chicharrones, Cusco, Cuzco, Hatunrumlyoc, Iglesia de Jesus Maria, Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus, Iglesia del Triunfo, Inca, Inca Cola, Inti Wasi, lucuma, Machu Picchu, Ninos Hotel, Pachacuti, Pampa de Castillo, Peru, Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha, San Blas, Yupanqui | Leave a comment

MACHU PICCHU IN BLACK AND WHITE, Inca Trail, Peru

Situated at 2,430m above sea level on a mountain above the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu was an estate of the Inca royalty. Abandoned before or around the time of the Spanish Conquest, the lost city was not known to the Western world until 1911 when American Historian Hiram Bingham rediscovered Machu Picchu. Compared to the early 20th century when most buildings in the site lay in ruins, today many parts of Machu Picchu have been restored for everyone to admire. Much research has been done over the past century, but according to the UNESCO, many of the mysteries remained resolved.

As UNESCO puts it, “the Inca City of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is the articulating centre of its surroundings, a masterpiece of art, urbanism, architecture and engineering of the Inca Civilization. The working of the mountain, at the foot of the Huaya Picchu, is the exceptional result of integration with its environment, the result from a gigantic effort as if it were an extension of nature.” While we wandered around the site, we could truly witness the powerful integration of manmade architecture and natural landscape. The stepped terraces, temple structure incorporated into natural rock formation, and the stone pyramid all reveal the same story of harmony between Machu Picchu and the natural world. For us this feeling was very powerful, especially after we had firsthand experienced of the Andean landscape from our three days on the Inca Trail.

Temple of the Sun

Mummy vault (royal tombs) at Temple of the Sun

Alternative entrance to the Temple of the Sun.

Terrace of the Ceremonial Rock and Guardhouse at the top.

Terrace of the Ceremonial Rock

Stone quarry at Machu Picchu

A viscacha on an Inca wall.

Principle temple at Intiwatana Pyramid (damaged by earthquakes)

View from Intiwatana Pyramid.

Terraces at the side of Intiwatana Pyramid.

East urban section

Lane going up to upper section

East urban section

East urban section and the Huaya Picchu.

Overview of Machu Picchu with llamas.

Inca Bridge and original Inca Trail

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February 14, 2016 | Categories: Machu Picchu & Inca Trail Hike, Peru, Peru 2010 | Tags: Cusco, Cuzco, Hiram Bingham, Huaya Picchu, Inca, Intiwatana, llama, Machu Picchu, Peru, Temple of the Sun, Terrace of the Ceremonial Rock, Trail, viscacha | Leave a comment

MACHU PICCHU, Inca Trail, Peru

We validated our tickets and got a souvenir stamp onto our passport at the main entrance of Machu Picchu, then our guide Freddie led us into the site once again. We walked past the Terrace of the Ceremonial Rock and sat down at a terrace where Freddie gave us a talk about Machu Picchu. Then Freddie took us to the Temple of the Sun, where former Inca priests observed the sun, performed sacrifice rituals, and stored the royal mummies at the mausoleum.

Lastly, Freddie took us to the Main Temple and then Intiwatana Pyramid, a high point in Machu Picchu where the Incas studied and worshiped the stars. After some last words on the Inca astronomy, Freddie and his assistant Miguel left us to freely wander around the ruins on our own. They left for a restaurant at Aguas Calientes where the space was reserved for Peru Treks. All members of our group, including our friends, dispersed all over Machu Picchu. We decided to take a break at the entrance cafe before climbing up to the guardhouse once again to take a few more photos of Machu Picchu under the sun. At the lookout, there was a few funny looking llamas grazing the lawn. After a few minutes photographing the friendly llamas, we ventured further out for 15 minutes to see the Inca Bridge.

Back to the lookout, we saw another llama standing on a terrace behind a stone wall peeking at the passing tourists. We slowly walked back to the main entrance and hopped on a bus for Aguas Calientes, where our friends, Freddie and the entire group waited for us at the restaurant reserved for Peru Treks.

Main tourist entrance of Machu Picchu.

More tourists arrived as bus loads of people were transported from the train station at Aguas Calientes below Machu Picchu.

Terraces of the Ceremonial Rock and the surrounding mountains.

Tourist in Machu Picchu.

One of Freddie’s sessions explaining the history of the lost city.

Temple of the Sun was built upon a natural rock, with the mausoleum situated underneath.

Mummy vault (royal tomb) at Temple of the Sun

Doorway to Temple of the Sun.

Damage to the stonework of the Main Temple by occasional earthquakes.

The Intihuatana stone on the top of Intiwatana Pyramid.

Terraces on the side of Intiwatana Pyramid.

View towards the Terraces of the Ceremonial Rock.

Llama, Machu Picchu, Una Picchu and Huayna Picchu (mountains behind Machu Picchu).

Urubamba River down at the valley bottom.

The Inca Bridge and part of the original Inca Trail, 15 minutes walk from Machu Picchu.

Curious llama peeking out from the ruins.

Llama in the ruins.

One last classic overview of Machu Picchu before we left the site.

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February 13, 2016 | Categories: Machu Picchu & Inca Trail Hike, Peru, Peru 2010 | Tags: Aguas Calientes, Cusco, Cuzco, Huayna Picchu, Inca, Inca Trail, Intiwatana, llama, Machu Picchu, Peru, sundial, Temple of the Sun, Terraces of Ceremonial Rock, Una Picchu, Urubamba | Leave a comment

WINAY WAYNA TO MACHU PICCHU, Inca Trail, Peru

Last day of the Inca Trail. We got up super early and joined the queue marching towards Machu Picchu. At 05:20 the gate of the final stretch of trail opened and we went in as a group to hike the final 5 km. Despite a little wet, we hiked in a relatively quick pace and felt quite excited. Our destination was Inti Punku (Sun Gate), where we were supposed to get a glimpse of early sunlight shining on the legendary lost city. Though the night of heavy rain brought us another morning of mist, so that scene of golden Machu Picchu at dawn never happened for us. At least it wasn’t raining when we arrived at Inti Punku. We only stopped briefly for a drink, took a few pictures and continued our way marching towards Machu Picchu.

Before entering the legendary ruins, we stopped at the guard house to have a closer overview of Machu Picchu. We stood at the Terraces of the Ceremonial Rock near the guard house and waited for the fog to lift. Magically it did happen in front of our eyes. We could see first the ruins and then later Huayna Picchu, the iconic mountain behind the lost city. After some moments of excitement, we descended to the main entrance. At the main entrance, we used the toilet, stored our day-pack, and had some morning snack before heading back in to Machu Picchu for a tour with our guide Freddie. And then the dog appeared again, which had been mysteriously following our group since we left our first camp site two days ago.

At 5am, we woke up to a grey sky of clouds and fog.

Clouds and fog was still present, but the fog seemed lifting a little by the time we reached Inti Punku (Sun Gate).

Lush green mountains around Machu Picchu.

Llamas and the Terraces of the Ceremonial Rock near the Guardhouse.

From the guard house, Machu Picchu stood right below. We sat on one of the terraces to wait for the fog to lift.

Our group among other trekkers waiting for Machu Picchu to emerge from the mist.

Machu Picchu in the mist.

Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu in the mist.

Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu after some minutes of waiting.

Entrance tickets into Machu Picchu.

And here is the dog that had been mysteriously following our group since we left our first camp site two days ago.

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February 12, 2016 | Categories: Machu Picchu & Inca Trail Hike, Peru, Peru 2010 | Tags: Cusco, Cuzco, Huayna Picchu, Inca, Inti Punku, llama, Machu Picchu, Peru, Sun Gate, Terraces of Ceremonial Rock, Trail | Leave a comment

PACASMAYO TO WINAY WAYNA, Inca Trail, Peru

After a night of rain, it was cloudy and foggy throughout much of the day while we trekked through the cloud forest. This third day of the Inca Trail saw us went past mountain passes with the highest at 3,950m, passed by several Inca ruins, wandered through the Peruvian cloud forest, and descended 1,000m down to the Winay Wayna campsite at 2,650m. The dramatic difference in altitude allowed us to experience the distinct environment between cloud forest and tropical woodlands. After a day of hiking in the humid forest, where heavy mist lingered around tree canopies, we were delighted to reach Winay Wayna, our last campground before reaching Machu Picchu, in late afternoon. Similar to the previous two days, our guide Freddie was always enthusiastic on explaining the history and legends about everything we saw along the way. That evening, we had another rainy night. The campground at Winay Wayna was fully packed with trekkers. We were told that hot showers (fees required) were available, but we rather waited another day until we arrived back at Cusco for a well-deserved hot shower.

Mountains and mist were the first things to greet us in early morning.

5090437132_21417b7677_o It was cloudy and misty throughout much of the day.

The misty landscape was poetic and picturesque.

One of the first Inca ruins we encountered was tampu Runkuraqay.

At certain moments, the scenery looked more tropical than the Andean highlands.

Qunchamarka was another decent Inca ruin down at the valley.

Sayacmarca (3,600m), another impressive Inca ruin that we actually climbed up for a visit.

Sayacmarca could be translated as “Town in a Steep Place”.

After climbing about 100 narrow and steep steps, we reached the main platform of Sayacmarca. We sat down at one of the terraces in the complex, where our guide Freddie explained to us some brief information about the site.

Similar to Machu Picchu, Sayacmarca was first discovered by the American explorer Hiram Bingham in early 20th century.

The third day also saw us walking on some section of the original Inca Trail.

Ferns, moss and tropical trees were common in the cloud forest.

Misty path in the cloud forest.

5089808991_124f794f1e_o Phuyupatamarca, “Town in the Clouds”, was another prominent Inca ruins along the Inca Trail.

Just as its name suggested, Phuyupatamarca was truly a “Town in the Clouds”.

Winay Wayna (forever young) was the last Inca ruin we visited before reaching the campground.

Overlooking Urubamba River, the ruin and the campground at Winay Wayna (forever young) was impressive and very popular.

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February 12, 2016 | Categories: Machu Picchu & Inca Trail Hike, Peru, Peru 2010 | Tags: cloud forest, Cusco, Cuzco, Hiram Bingham, Inca, Machu Picchu, Peru, Phuyupatamarca, Quechua, Qunchamarka, Runkuraqay, Sayacmarca, Trail, Urubamba, Wiñay Wayna, Winaywayna | Leave a comment

KM 82 TO WAYLLABAMBA, Inca Trail, Peru

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Peru. In order to reduce trail erosion, the government sets limits of 500 trekkers per day and a handful of companies that can provide guiding service. Most people go for the Classic route, starting the trail from Km 82, reaching the highest point at Warmiwanusqa (Dead Woman Pass) on the second day, passing by Andean cloud forests and Inca ruins on the third day, and ending the trek at the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu at sunrise on the fourth day.

At 05:30, a 4×4 from Peru Treks came to our hotel in Cusco to pick us up for our 4-day trek. They took us first to Ollantaytambo for breakfast, and then to the trail-head at Km 82, the starting point of the Inca Trail. At Km 82, we left our rented sleeping bags, mats and warm clothing to the porters. With a small day pack of personal belongings, water, broad brim hat and a pair of hiking poles, we followed our guide Freddie to embark for a full day of challenge. As we departed for the hike, a tourist train ran ahead of us into the valley towards Machu Picchu, taking a train load of tourists (70% of visitors of Machu Picchu) who rather skipped the magnificent Inca Trail to reach the lost city in about three hours (train + shuttle bus).

Our trek started off with an easy hike into the mountains. After some uphill walking, we arrived at the first Inca ruin Patallaqta. It was an Inca settlement for ancient travelers and soldiers located at the intersection between two valleys. Our guide Freddie called this the Valley of the Wind, because of the constant strong wind. An optional climb up a hill gave us a better view of the terraces of Patallaqta. We continued to hike towards our camp site of the first night at Wayllabamba. Along the way, we get glimpses of the Cordillera Urubamba. After about 12km of hiking and a few resting spots where water and gatorade were sold, we arrived at Wayllabamba in mid afternoon. The camp site has a great view to the Cordillera Urubamba.

At Wayllabamba, we were assigned with our tents, one tent for two people. We settled ourselves and took a short break. Our guide Freddie, porters and some local villagers decided to play a game of football (soccer) on an open field. I joined them for the game but retreated after playing for about 30 minutes. It was extremely tiring to exercise on high altitude, no wonder I was the only one from our trekking group willing to join the game. After the game, we went to get water at a nearby village, and passed by a community church as we headed back to our camp. At night, the entire group (16 of us) and the guides had dinner in the dinning tent. The meal was very impressive given we were high up on the mountains. We got to have a good sleep to gear up for the toughest challenge of the Inca Trail, the 1100m climb to Warmiwanusqa (Dead Woman Pass) in the next morning.

Tourist train rushing ahead of us at Km 82.

Beginning of the Classic Inca Trail near Km 82.

The Kusichaka Valley led towards the magnificent ruin of Patallaqta.

The ruin of Patallaqta, at the intersection of Kusichaka River and Willkanuta Rivers.

Patallaqta was once an important Inca settlement in the Sacred Valley.

Snow-capped mountains of Cordillera Urubamba often came to sight.

The community church near our camp site at Wayllabamba.

Our camp site at Wayllabamba.

A nearby settlement from Wayllabamba where we could use the toilets and get water.

The mighty Andean peaks dominate the backdrop of Wayllabamba.

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February 10, 2016 | Categories: Machu Picchu & Inca Trail Hike, Peru, Peru 2010 | Tags: Camino, Cusco, Cusichaca, Cuzco, Huillca, Inca, Inka, Km 82, Kusichaka, Llactapata, Machu, Patallaqta, Peru, Picchu, Raccay, Trail, trek, Urubamba, Wayllabamba, Willkanuta | Leave a comment

SAKSAYWAMAN, Cusco, Peru

In Quechua, Saksaywaman means viaiable hawk. Standing above the northern end of Cusco, Saksaywaman is the perfect place to admire the impeccable Inca stone construction. Huge boulders weighting from 25 to 200 tons were used in Saksaywaman to construct the famous stone walls constructed without the use of mortar. Stones were shaped and placed together precisely by Inca craftsmen, and the joints so tight that not even a knife blade or a piece of paper could fit in. Despite its fortress appearance, Saksaywaman was in fact a religious complex back in the Inca times.

We arrived at Saksaywaman by taxi. The sky was grey and it seemed that rain would be inevitable. We quickly walked around the ruins. Not much interpretation information was presented at the site. Nevertheless, we were amazed by the magnificent Inca construction and its simple but monumental stone walls. As we wandered around the site, we reached a spot by a cliff overlooking the city of Cusco. The vista from the lookout was gorgeous. Despite strong winds, we stayed there for quite some time to take photos and checked out every small details of Cusco from a birdeye’s view.

Rain clouds were approaching fast. As planned, we decided to walk back down to Cusco. Via steep stone steps of Calle Palacio, we quickly descended to the city as it began to rain. Soon we were reaching the door of Museo de Arte Precolombino when rain poured down heavily. We decided to visit the museum partly to avoid the rain and partly wishing to know more about the pre-colonial cultures of Peru. Museo de Arte Precolombino is an excellent place to understand the history and art of many pre-colonial Peruvian cultures, including Nasca, Mochica, Huari, Chimu and Inca.

From Museo de Arte Precolombino, it was only a few minutes’ walk to Jack’s Cafe, where we had a cheerful early dinner. We were all getting excited about the upcoming Inca Trail trek. Next morning, the 4×4 from our trekking agent Peru Treks would come to pick us up early in the morning to officially kick off our 4-day trek towards the Andean lost city of Machu Picchu.

Monolithic stone masonry at Saksaywaman.