Peru Vacation: Chapter Cuatro

Date: Tue, May 27, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Subject: Cuzco and the Sacred Valley of the Inca

Cuzco...Night One:

At some point on our train ride from Puno to Cuzco, Gerson struck up a conversation with a train attendant (I don't know if there is a better term for the equivalent of a flight attendant who happens to work on a train). Gerson liked that she was attractive and had a nice smile. She liked that he was Peruvian American and had eyebrows that could make little children cry out of shear terror. He found out that she and the other train attendants were going to a discotheque called "Boom!" later in the night. She liked it because it was mostly locals who graced its dance floors, unlike most other places in Cuzco, the "Gringo Capital" of Peru where tourists seem to out number residents (but still not llamas, alpacas, and vicuna who always enjoy a comfortable majority). With a little encouragement, I convinced Gerson that we should also go, so that he could continue his ‘dialogue’ with her. We ate light that night, took a nap, and headed out. She was right. Locals only. In the entire establishment, there were probably 90-100 people, only 1.5 of that number being gringo. We had a beer or two and saw no sign of Gerson's dream girl. People danced below us, and not after too long, someone came by and subtly slid a "Reserved" sign onto our table. It was time to leave. It seems to me that when the train attendant mentioned that the disco was off the beaten tourist track, she was saying that was a good thing. It seems that's how they like it, and I can't blame them. I would compare Cuzco to Arequipa in beauty and appearance, but the infestation of "turistas" in Cuzco makes the city feel cheaper and inauthentic. We called it a night.

Cuzco City Tour:

On our first (and only) full day in Cuzco we were to take a tour of the city. Much to our surprise, we didn't need to wake up ungodly early for this tour...instead it met in the afternoon. While Gerson saw this as an opportunity to sleep in, I could not willingly cheat myself of Cuzco time, which was already to be a scarce resource. I spent the morning wandering the streets aimlessly, being approached every 20 feet by someone wanting; to sign me up for a tour, give me a massage (and probably more), or sell me one of their paintings. Even the hostesses at the restaurants were more aggressive here, often stepping in your path, shoving a menu in your face, and chasing you down if you tried to escape their attention. It seemed too much to ask for to just have some time alone to take in the surroundings.

Gerson woke around noon, and we set off to find lunch. We settled on a place called "Inka Grill" which is the same name of a restaurant back home that Ai and I frequent. I thought for sure that with a name like that, the food would have to be pretty authentic to the Peruvian style. I was wrong. Looking over the menu, I felt like I was taking a trip around the world, stopping in every Gastrocentric Capital along the way. I saw dish that said "steak" in the description and selected that. What was placed in front of me about 10 minutes later was unlike anything I have ever eaten before in my life. It was called "carpaccio" and apparently made famous by Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy...a place frequented by Charlie Chaplain, Truman Capote, and Hemingway. It is basically raw (as in not cooked at all) beef covered in a mustard sauce, peppered by a few capers here and there. Thinking back to all the warnings I had heard prior to this trip, I heard voices telling me not to drink the water, not to eat the fruit/veggies, not to leave my drink unattended, etc. None of the pre-trip advisers said anything about eating uncooked meat..although 25 years of accrued common sense told me it wasn't a good idea. "Go big or go home", I said to myself and put it down. It was actually really good and to date, I have no symptoms of Ecoli, Eboli, or Mad Cow.

We met up with our tour after lunch. It started out at a site that was the Catholic monastery of Santo Domingo that the Spaniards built a top of the Inca sun temple, Coricancha. If I learned anything on this trip, it's that the Spaniards really must have enjoyed ravaging and demolishing the Inca Empire. I also learned that the Incas were true architecture geniuses...for anytime there are major earthquakes..about every 100 years or so...the Spanish colonial buildings get damaged or destroyed..while the Inca foundations they were built upon remain standing triumphant, tall, proud, and undamaged. Inca stone work is truly amazing...not only did they use enormous stones, but they carved them so that they were interlocking, and fit so tightly together that you literally can not slide a piece of paper between them...all this without use of any type of mortar. The Incas also had a fondness (and abundance) for gold, although they did not view it as having monetary value. They used it everywhere and although none of it still remains at Coricancha, there used to be gardens full of solid gold, life sized statues of people, animals, and other objects that surrounded the temple.

Our next stop was the cathedral in the central square. There were no less than 5 enormous alters in the cathedral, that were meticulously carved out of cedar wood and covered with jewels and gold (no doubt the gold that the Spanish "borrowed" from the Incas). It was all so rather impressive, gaudy, and Spanish.

Our tour officially concluded with visits to the ruins of Sacsayhuaman (no joke...pronounced "sexy woman") as well as a few other impressive sites, one of which featured a natural labyrinth and another that featured a fountain the Incas had built whose waters still run to this very day (the Incas were also amazing plumbers). Supposedly if women drink the water from the fountain, they will be blessed with fertility. If men wash their hair (or lack thereof) in it, they can prevent/reverse balding. I didn't have to be told this twice. I soaked my head plenty.

Our tour then unofficially continued to a community that raises alpaca and vicuna and manufactures/distributes goods made with their wool. We were lectured yet again on the differences between, llamas, alpaca, and vicuna. All I can tell you is that vicuna is more expensive, alpacas make for better meals, and the llamas are pretty much good for nothing. We were given free time to browse through the store hocking various woolen goods...I am certain our tour guide must get a commission for every sale that came from her group. I honed my haggling skills here...you know you are doing well when the person has to consult with their manager several times. We went to bed early that night, for the next day we were to set out on a tour of the "Sacred Valley" of the Inca.

Sacred Valley Tour:

The tour of the Sacred Valley was really nothing to write home about, although I realize I am indeed doing just that. The Valley itself was beautiful with the Uramba River winding its way through and tiny villages sprinkled throughout. Farming terraces, much like those we observed in the Colca Canyon, seemed to cascade like waterfalls down the sides of the mountains. Much like the time of the Inca, the Sacred Valley today is a place of agriculture. We stopped at a few markets, the biggest of which was in the village of Pisac. The whole thing felt like a big shopping spree more than anything else, and we felt a little disappointed. On top of that, our tour guide did little more than tell us over and over again the name of the towns we were driving through, point out really neat views that for some reason we couldn't stop at to enjoy (or really see at all from inside the bus), and tell us to "Don't worry, be happy!". I hated her.

We stopped at some point for lunch, which was a buffet at an impressively decorated restaurant that was located at the end of a very unimpressive, dirt side road. The food was OK, but what were amazing were the gardens outside. I walked down to the river, snapped a bunch of photos of the flora (which earned me the nickname of "Flower" Fox from Gerson), and then it was time to leave. On the way out we came across a very photogenic parrot and yet another stray dog. On to Ollantaytumbo.

Ollantaytumbo is the starting place for those who set out on the Inca trail, and is home to probably the second most impressive ruins we were to see on our entire trip. It served agricultural purposes and was also a fortress for the emperor Manco Inca, and it was where he was able to launch successful attacks on the conquistadors. The ruins at Ollantaytumbo (or Ollanta as the locals call it) like the other ruins we had visited, also featured fountains that still had running water (and better water pressure than many of the hotels we had stayed at thus far). Most impressive were two sets of faces carved onto the side of a nearby mountain...one of which is clearly an old man, and the other the profile of an Inca warrior. It was like an Inca Mt. Rushmore, but the major differences being that one must look a little harder and use some imagination to find the faces. How the Inca did it, I could not guess considering the faces were carved into the side of shear, vertical cliffs...but the Inca were hardcore like that.

Our tour bus continued on without us, making its way back to Cuzco...but this was OK for we were to spend the night in Ollanta and set out for Machu Picchu the next day. Our hotel featured landscaping even more impressive than that of the restaurant we had visited earlier in the day, the softest beds we were to lay upon during the entire 3 weeks, and supposedly is owned by a former Peruvian Woman's Volleyball Olympiad. Dinner was OK that night, but the highlights were the drinks...my first being a beer made with coca leaves and my second being probably the best chicha morada in the entire world. I don't know if it was dinner or lunch, but Gerson and I were extremely gassy that night, shooting intense volleys back and forth all night and all morning. When we first arrived in our room, the smell reminded me of the inside of a wooden cigar box and I loved it. When we left....well...I just feel bad for whomever checked in after us...as well as for whomever had painted the walls so nice and meticulously...for after our vulgar display of gasses..the paint on the walls must have been peeling off.

Random Observations:

1) Babies in Peru get carried in a sack on their parents back, and they learn to walk very early. No one pushes strollers. I would compare it to teaching a child to swim by tossing it into a lake...you would often see children being dragged by their parents, falling, getting back up, and doing it all over again. For the most part, the parents were not in too much of a rush, and by taking this extra time and letting the kid struggle a bit...their infants could run circles (literally) around ours..who are pretty much helpless thanks to too much coddling.

2) Everyone is your "amigo" in Peru. I have never been called a friend by so many people in all of my life. The only problem is they are all trying to sell you something.

3) Horns are used excessively by every mode of transportation; cars, boats, trains, and probably by airplanes if they were appropriately retrofitted...their main purpose seems to be for telling people and livestock to get the hell out of the way or prepare to be flattened.

4) The same person who thought it would be funny to travel around Peru and remove all of the toilet paper and toilet seats, must have a cousin who thought it was also to be funny to steal seat belts out of cars. I can not think of any logical reason why anyone would ever decide it makes sense to go out of their way to un-install a seat belt, but it seems common practice everywhere in Peru. In taxis, on buses, and even in the car of Gerson's Uncle...your best bet is a tight grip on the seat in front of you and a prayer.

5) The Spanish really did a hell of a job at destroying beautiful cultures, demolishing what must have been breathtaking architecture, and plundering the riches of others. I have yet to forgive them, but this raises an interesting if not sad point; we did the same thing to the native North Americans…although our history books tend to ignore this.

Next Chapter....Machu Picchu and our triumphant return to Cuzco.

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Additional Details:

Amazing Hotel in Ollantaytambo:

Hotel Pakaritampu
Av Ferrocarril s/n Ollantaytambo
(+51 84) 204020-204104
http://www.pakaritampu.com

This place is located steps away from the rail station. Normally that would be terrible, but the trains don't come through very often, and chances are if there is a train passing through town, you are probably supposed to be on it. As I mentioned, the beds were comfortable, the landscaping gorgeous, and the ambiance superb; this place pulls off the rustic feel appropriate for where you are without compromising comfort and luxury.

Train Accommodations:

In this instance it's acceptable to be cheap; you will only be on this train for about 2 hours tops and the views aren't all that great since you are literally in a narrow valley with trees pretty close to the tracks blocking any amazing vistas. If you have the money you can opt for the 'Hiram Bingham' luxury train, which is supposed to be really nice, but because of the brevity of the trip it does not seem worth it. I think the only downside of the cheap train is that you aren't supposed to bring as much baggage, although this doesn't seem to be enforced. Plus, most hotels in Ollanta (and probably Cuzco) will let you check your baggage with them, and you can pick it up when you return from Machu Picchu.