Mindblowing Incas

Sunday, May 27 — Part 2

Armando and our driver Wilman picked me up at 8 a.m.  Our first stop of the day was back up on the hill where Sachsayhuaman is to see Christo Blanco, a large white statue of Christ (think, Christ the Redeemer only smaller) that was gifted to Cuzco as a thank you gift at one time by the Palestinians.  It sits high up over Cuzco and is floodlit.  I saw it last night from the main square in Cuzco.  The view over the city from up there though was spectacular.  I’m amazed at how much larger Cuzco is than I thought. I thought it was a town but it’s actually a good sized city with almost 500,000 inhabitants.  It’s a short city though, with no true skyscrapers and a lot of adobe roofs, so it’s very monochromatic nestled at the base of the mountains.

Our next stop was Quenco which is known for its mysterious cave that is thought to have been used to enbalm and mummify the dead.  That the Incas were smart enough to realize that a deep dark cave with limestone slabs would be cold enough to do that kind of work and do it before the bodies rot is pretty impressive.  But getting the stone up into the hills where they built with it is quite a feat too.

Then it was off to Pukapukara which was meant to be a lookout for the Incas to keep watch and be warned of incoming evildoers.  About all they could do if anyone nasty approached though was club them or use a sling shot on them, as nothing else has been found in terms of Incan weaponry.  But given how high up the lookout is, it gave an advantage to the Incas, knowing that someone was coming long before they actually arrived.

Pisac market was our next stop, where there was stall after stall of Peruvian crafts and handiwork.  I fell hard for some jewelry (of course) and a woven wool tapestry of cats that I had to have.  There are a LOT of alpaca products out there and it will be near impossible not to splurge on a sweater or something.  There are a lot of small mats made of alpaca that have Maisie and Simon written all over them.  I’d of course have to get two to keep the peace.  It was amazing to see how many handmade things are made here.

I am hoping what we did as we left the market doesn’t come back to bite me.  But Armando bought me street corn from a vendor at the entrance to the market.  It was a huge cob that was in a large vat of boiling water.  She pulled it out and put it in a husk and we ate it just like we do at home.  It was sweet and crunchy and really good.  I just hope I don’t end up sick from it.  I just wasn’t thinking and really wanted to try it.  Fingers crossed.

Lunch was at a hotel that offered up a wonderful buffet.  I’d already found the quinoa (created here) and polenta with three types of spicy salsa and sauces when Wilman told me about the ceviche on the other side of the room.  Damn.  Nothing worse than loading up one plate to only go and load up another.  I had more great ceviche and causera, which is mashed potato stuffed with avocado.  The avocado here is so good.  And potatoes are ubiquitous.  Armando said that there are hundreds of types of potato here.  And corn too.

On our way to our last stop, Armando had Wilman pull over to the side of the road.  We bailed out of the car on a two-way highway and crossed the street.  We came upon one of many cacti that I’ve seen here.  Armando wanted to show me what looked like a white fungus growing on the paddle of the cactus.  He scraped some of it off and flipped it over and I saw a tiny black beetle.  The beetle, he said, was feeding off the sap of the cactus.  And with that, he smooshed the beetle in his hand, revealing a gorgeous deep crimson dye that is used to color alpaca yarn.  I was amazed that he knew that and cared enough to stop to show me.  He also showed me a large plant called a “century plant” because it only blooms once in its life and then withers away.  It has a large bulb at the bottom that contains a sweet juice used at home.  We know it best as a blue agave plant or a “tequila plant”.  Very cool.

Another “almost” stop was in some town on the way known for the high quality of their cuy, or guinea pig.  Armando mumbled something to Wilman and the next thing I know we’ve pulled over and some local lady is running over to the car with a guinea pig impaled on a broomstick, having just suffered the spit roasting of its little life.  I remember seeing herbs like rosemary and thyme sticking out of the stomach.  Armando encouraged me to get out but I was 1) traumatized from the sight of it all and 2) I don’t eat meat!  So off we went. But I appreciate them trying.

Finally we arrived at Ollantaytambo.  This is a very small town in the Sacred Valley with an incredible spread of Incan ruins.  I’d read that it is really underrated by many, but I had no idea how crazy good it would be.  When you approach it, you first see a series of reinforcing terraces leading up the mountain to some obvious building, which turns out to be the Temple of the Sun.  (See, the Incas were really all about the sun, there are temples to it everywhere and they made a point of paying homage to it by paying attention to when it rises every day). But after first examination, it dawned on me that the terraces spread farther right than at first glance, that there are building built high up into the side of the mountain and even “storage units” for fresh vegetables on the other side of the main lot in front of the ruins.  They’re everywhere.  And if I’d known that this was this vast, and this interesting, and this amazing, I’d have booked a full day here just to hike this all (after getting past the acclimatization).  It’s nuts.

The climb up all those steps wasn’t horrible.  It took maybe 15 minutes with two stops on the way.  I’ve done longer and more torturous step mill workouts at the gym, but at sea level. I didn’t break a sweat but I was certainly feeling my age, or maybe just lack of oxygen.  Along the way Armando would have anecdotes about how many people it took and how long to build this, where the stone came from, how it came here.  It’s purpose was a “resting area” for pilgrims making their way to Machu Picchu, but it also became a fortress and lookout at various points in the region’s history.  The views from the top weren’t anything spectacular but the satisfaction of having done it was worth it.  The stone work is stunning, how every stone is perfectly carved to fit the ones around it.  Cooler still was that I could see the upper reaches of most of the ruins right from the grounds of my hotel.  The locals here can see this all the time!

After the ruins, Armando and Wilman dropped me back at my hotel.  The Pakaritampu is quite lovely. There are a few houses on the property that each have five or so rooms.  There’s a reception building and a restaurant and bar building. The grounds are lusciously manicured and gardened with a beautiful array of flowers.  It’s a 3 minute walk to the train station and about 10 minutes up to the main square, which I did once I was alone.  The highlight of that journey was the ice cream I got on the way (cappuccino and Cusco chocolate in a cup) and being able to see the sun go down on the ruins.  The rest was a near death experience.  There are no sidewalks and the streets are narrow, so getting around on foot is dangerous.  Once I got up into the town there was no where I’d want to chance eating at, so I made a loop around the square and  headed back to the hotel.  Thankfully I can eat in the restaurant there.

After a bit of a rest in my room, I headed over to the restaurant for dinner.  No one was in there yet but I could be seated anywhere and they were ready to serve.  I ordered a quinoa vegetable soup and the most un-Peruvian dish of veggie lasagna (I am craving veggies big time, plus I’d already had ceviche today!). I also ordered my now usual Pisco sour.  

(Pisco sour, by the way, is a local drink made of Pisco, which is a local grape brandy, lemon juice, simple syrup and an egg white for the foam on top.  It’d be a great hot weather drink at home, very refreshing!)

No sooner had my Pisco sour been delivered than an elderly couple came in and of all the other 88 seats they could have sat in this 90-seat capacity room, where do you think they sat?  You got it, right next to me.  So for the next 45 minutes I had to listen to this woman complain to her husband not only about this trip, but every other trip they’ve ever taken.  She was to me everything I worry about becoming as I get older.  To top it off they were American, surprise?!?  Ugh.  So to numb the pain I asked for “uno mas” Pisco sour.  Why not? I’m on vacation.  Dinner was delicious though and it was a joy to just cross the lawn back to my room.

One thing that is immediately noticeable here is the number of dogs out on the streets.  I assumed at first that they were all strays, but when I asked Armando, he said that people here keep them as pets and let them out to wander all day and call them in at night.  Cats are kept as pets too, but aren’t let outside.  Funny how that’s the opposite of what we see at home.  My mind is tired from all the things I’m learning!

Up early tomorrow to head to Machu Picchu, finally!