Festival Week In Cusco

The overnight bus dropped us in Cusco around 5am and it was quickly evident how cold the place is. After a day walking around the town with four layers of clothing on, we caught a bus the next morning into the Sacred Valley of the Incas, to a small town called Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is considered the best surviving example of Inca town planning, with very narrow cobblestone streets and town water being provided through the aqueduct systems the Incas used 500 years ago. The town is small (only 2,000 people) and is surrounded by beautiful green mountains on three sides.

Alycia Getting Stuck Into a Guinea Pig

Built into the side of the mountain nearest to town is an incredible terraced Inca ruin and fort which we spent almost a whole day exploring. The mind boggles at how the huge stones were lifted into place and carved so perfectly to fit into the joints of the surrounding stones. The position of the fort, on the side of the mountain, was perfect for battle and the ruins were one of the few sites where the Incas defeated the Spanish conquistadors.

Cuzco Plaza de Armas

We spent three very relaxing days at Ollantaytambo before heading back to Cusco, just in time for the start of the Inti Raymi festival (festival of the sun). The streets of Cusco are alive with the sound of the Andean flutes, drums and fire-crackers. The narrow cobblestone alleys built by the Inca Empire blend with the Spanish influence in the buildings, churches and plazas. Everywhere there is colour. The indigenous cultures are marching and dancing proudly around the main plaza in their brightly woven traditional dress. The flag of Cusco, stripes representing all the colours of the rainbow, flies off every building and constrasts with the brown bricks. The flag actually bears a strange resemblance with the gay pride banner. Llamas are walking down the streets as though they are pedestrians.

Inti Raymi Festival

At night, the plaza is standing room only as thousands and thousands of people gather for free concerts and fireworks. After the fireworks display one night, we were caught amongst the throng of people trying to leave the Plaza, all shuffling and swaying with each step forward. Being a foot taller than most Peruvian people, it was funny to watch a huge crowd of people all swaying as they crush each other to get down the street. Every day is an amazing spectacle.

We spent a day visiting four of the Inca ruins near to Cusco. Each ruin has its own significance, whether it be baths, hunting lodges or in the case of Saqsaywaman, a huge Inca village and ceremonial ground sitting directly above the town of Cusco. We have also visited many of the museums and galleries in Cusco, although we have found people watching in the Plaza a more interesting way to discover the culture. Speaking of culture... we went to the theatre one night to see a play about an Inca girl (Chaska) who prepares to be sacrificed to the gods to save her town from famine. Despite being in Spanish, the play was easy to follow and we found it really enjoyable, colourful and full of action.

Narrow Streets of Ollantaytambo

The Inti Raymi festival culminates on June 24 with a huge parade and party at Sacsaywaman ruins. Armed with some cheap red wine and a few new Aussie mates, we joined the masses crammed into every spare space of grass to watch the parade (from a distance though...pre-booked seating cost $90US per ticket). The rocks beside the main parade ground were off limits for the first time this year, which made it hard to get a good view of the ceremony, but as you see all over the world, thousands of people surging forward will always win against twenty cops and before long the rocks were again the domain of the locals. We met some really cool local people and helped some kids slide down the rocks (part of the ruin!) like a slippery dip. Eventually the cops stopped the fun on that one though.

New Mate at Inti Raymi Festival

And so the festival came to an end, with us half stumbling back to Cusco with a fair red wine buzz going. Alycia must have been inebriated because she decided to hook into the Peruvian delicacy ´cuy´ that night. Cuy is guinea pig and is served with claws and teeth still attached...much like roadkill really.

Despite all the fun and madness of the parade, it has been the best time to see first hand some of the negative impacts of tourism on Cusco that we haven´t experienced elsewhere. We aren´t joking when we say that you are solicited at least 200 times per day, whether to buy clothes, lollies, drugs, massages or to come for a meal or drink in restaurants. This also includes people wanting money for taking a picture of a random llama in a field (´but that´s my llama so you have to pay me a tip´!) and people talking to you at ruins and ten minutes later getting mad at you when you don´t pay them for being a ´guide´. 

Ollantaytambo Ruins

After the festival, we headed back into the Sacred Valley for a day trip to Pisac, a really picturesque town with a large Inca ruin. Of course, the Incas had to build ruins on top of the tallest hill and that meant a gruelling ninety minute hike to reach them, only to find out that people who paid for day tours were getting dropped at the ruins via a back road. The ruins were impressive and the views amazing.

We have also decided to go white water rafting in every country that we visit. So we grabbed the bikinis and boardies and headed to the Urubamba River near Cuzco for a rafting day. Unfortunately, it is the dry season at the moment, so the rapids were a little tame compared to previous trips.

PT Trying to Get a Good Price on a Llama

Off to hike the Inca trail now....

Ruins at Pisac

Ruins at Sacsaywaman

Sacred Valley

Stone Doorway Ollantaytambo Ruins