Cusco and bumping into our new friend!
Trip Start
May 27, 2008
1
18
26
Trip End
Sep 06, 2008
Cusco,
Peru
Monday, July 21, 2008
We pretty much spent this time chilling in cusco, plus we found cider!!!!!! in a place on the Plaza de Armas called The Norton Rat Tavern, man that tasted good it wasn't strongbow it was some kind of suffolk cider I think. So that totally made my day :-) We have decided to go into the jungle near Cusco rather than going all the way up to Iquitos, so we went off in search of the best deal. And guess who we bumped into! Herman from our drunken night in Aguas Calientes, lol. He was really happy to see us and eager to show us some sites of the tourist track so we agreed to meet him in the morning and he was to be our guide for the day.
The next day (23rd) Herman showed up at our hotel and off we went up the Huatanay River Valley, the first stop was Huaro a tiny town in the middle of nowhere and the Museo de las Rocas Sagradas which was no more than a small hall within which is a collection of rocks with carved symbols, petroglyphs, of the Incan cosmology and gives an understanding of Incan philosophy. It also has some other good examples of Incan stonemasonry, including perfectly carved circular holes used for water conduits and a stone table (see pic) that when you tap it with another stone has the ring of iron. After the museum he took us to Huaro Church which has an amazing interior with murals all over the walls and ceiling, absolutely beautiful. Check out the video and photos.
The next place was The Inca Gate to their imperial capital of Q'usqo. Which was built to control entry from the Altiplano into the Inca capital. It was really interesting as you can see the Inca stone work ontop of the pre-inca stonework (see in the pic the inca work is the neat blocks perfectly joined), the difference is astounding. Quite a sight and very big, I was surprised that no other tourists were there but I guess most people come to this area for the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu and don't explore anywhere else.
The final place he took us to was to the Inca ruins of Tipon. Located 23 kilometers southeast of Cusco they're not on the usual tourist track so it was relatively quiet. The temple includes well-preserved agricultural terraces, baths, irrigation canals and aqueducts that show the Inca's skillful building technique. The aqueducts reach all the terraces via a number of small waterfalls. It was definately a spectacular site and well worth the visit, unfortuneately I was suffering from the altitude, again! so I went a waited in the car after having a quick look around whilst Bushy and Herman went exploring. After this we went back to Cusco, to hire the cab for the 5 or 6 hours that we were out cost about 80 soles so about £13 and much simpler than doing it by public transport. We said our goodbyes and took Hermans e-mail so we could keep in touch then went back to the hotel.
Comments
mistake
sorry bushy, did I say Ronaldinio. I meant Ronald Mcdonald, he's the only clown West Ham are liable sign.
Hope things are going well on the trip and the budget is not getting to much of a hammering. Still can't find the pictures of beach babes.
Take care and get a hair cut.
N&K