A little bit about Cusco
Cusco is a popular tourist destination. From Cusco, you can explore many Inca sites including Machu Picchu. The city itself has a historical district with old buildings, lots of museums, restaurants and shops. It certainly feels safe and there are familiar favorites like McDonald’s. But I didn’t like Cusco.
It seems that most of the people walking around the historical district are tourists. The remainder of the people are there to hustle the tourists. You can’t walk more than 5 steps without somebody trying to sell you something. Most of the stuff for sale is junk; little trinkets or cheap jewelry. Some people were selling musical instruments, which aren’t going to fit in my backpack. And then there are the men selling paintings. They have big portfolio type cases that they open to display different paintings – but really, these are the guys that sell weed and magic mushrooms. Apparently, there are men also prostituting themselves out – to what end, I do not care to know.
I have to admit, the tiny alpacas around town are adorable, but you can’t take photos unless you pay – that’s the whole point. Women walk around with baby alpacas selling photo opportunities. They aren’t pushy like the other hustlers; they probably don’t have to be.
Food was expensive in the historical district, so I tended to eat closer to my hotel, where the locals eat. I had a lot of rice and potatoes, but the rotisserie chicken was always good. Unfortunately, the only way to get good coffee was to head to the core, so it couldn’t be avoided entirely.
It seems that most of the people walking around the historical district are tourists. The remainder of the people are there to hustle the tourists. You can’t walk more than 5 steps without somebody trying to sell you something. Most of the stuff for sale is junk; little trinkets or cheap jewelry. Some people were selling musical instruments, which aren’t going to fit in my backpack. And then there are the men selling paintings. They have big portfolio type cases that they open to display different paintings – but really, these are the guys that sell weed and magic mushrooms. Apparently, there are men also prostituting themselves out – to what end, I do not care to know.
I have to admit, the tiny alpacas around town are adorable, but you can’t take photos unless you pay – that’s the whole point. Women walk around with baby alpacas selling photo opportunities. They aren’t pushy like the other hustlers; they probably don’t have to be.
Food was expensive in the historical district, so I tended to eat closer to my hotel, where the locals eat. I had a lot of rice and potatoes, but the rotisserie chicken was always good. Unfortunately, the only way to get good coffee was to head to the core, so it couldn’t be avoided entirely.
One good thing about Cusco was that there were some ruins very close by that I could walk to. Saqsaywaman and Q’enqo. Saqsaywaman is impressive. It took something like 80,000 men to carve and place the rocks in the walls. They fit together so precisely they say that you can’t even squeeze a piece of paper between them. Sadly, the Spanish colonialists looted the site, taking all of the precious metals and whatever rocks they could move. The rocks were used to build the churches and monasteries in the city below; only the rocks too large to move remain at the site.
I overheard one tour guide explaining how the granite of the rocks emits some kind of energy which is why people visiting the site feel energetic. I was glad I didn’t pay for a guide.
I overheard one tour guide explaining how the granite of the rocks emits some kind of energy which is why people visiting the site feel energetic. I was glad I didn’t pay for a guide.
Saqsaywaman:
Q’enqo is a smaller site of religious significance. It has a small cave where an alter has been carved within. I was stuck behind a tour group and the guide basically said the same thing as Wikipedia – it was a place of human sacrifices.
Q'enqo:
I spent a couple more days in Cusco after my Inca Trail trek, but other than getting laundry done and catching up on sleep, I didn’t do very much. I visited one museum, but it was just okay. Some of the buildings that house museums looked nice, but the price of the entry was a little steep given that I was only interested in the buildings, not the Catholic relics within.
I took a bus from Cusco to Nazca – but more about that in the next post.