Cusco located in the Urubamba valley of the Andes mountain range is
a fascinating city that was the capital of the Inca Empire. Cusco is a Unesco
World heritage Site and is one of Peru’s most visited cities as it is the
largest and most comfortable city from which tourists can begin visits to Machu Picchu, the sacred valley of the
Incas, and other Inca sites in the region. Cusco is a beautiful city with well
preserved colonial architecture, evidence of a rich and complex history. The
city itself represents the center of indigenous Quechua culture in the Andes,
and by merely walking the streets one sees the layers of history. Spanish
colonial buildings erected directly atop Inca walls line the square, while a
bustling nightlife that tourists love to experience, flourishes in their midst.
At 11,150 ft above sea level, altitude sickness can be a problem. Same as Leh.
For most travellers, Cusco is the highest point on their trip or any trip for
that matter and altitude sickness is
a big problem for some tourists. A major earthquake on 21 May 1950 caused the destruction of more than
one third of the city's structures.
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| Panoramic view of Cusco from the hotel balcony |
We flew into Cusco from Lima on the
morning of 05 May. We had booked our accommodation in La Morada Suites through
the internet. We had made the choice based on the inputs from the net. It
promised a majestic view of the city from the balcony and an excellent ambiance.
As we approached the hotel the taxi driver
informed us that the road leading to the hotel was very narrow and he would not
be able to negotiate the car. He dropped us at the San Blas square leading to
the hotel. To our horror we found that we had to walk up a considerable
distance up a fairly steep and narrow street to reach the hotel. High altitude
had already started to take effect and walking up a slope was a huge task. We finally
reached the hotel after many stops, totally exhausted and short of breath. Even
a 300 meter walk was too much to take. After checking in, we also realized that
the rooms were duplex, the bedroom on the top floor and the bathroom and the
toilet on the ground floor. We soon realized that getting down to the bathroom and
struggling back to the bed at night was a herculean task. Some of us had to
visit the toilet a number of times during the night. Carrying a camera and a
small bag pack in high altitude can be an ordeal. The elderly should choose a
hotel which is reachable by a taxi and with a lift facility.
As planned, we decided to stay put in the
hotel and get acclimatized to the high altitude. To help matters, the hotel
provides ‘Coca Tea’. Coca tea, also
called mate de coca, is an herbal tea made using the leaves of the coca plant,
which is native to South America. It is made either by submerging the coca leaf
or dipping a coca tea bag in hot water. The tea is most commonly consumed in
the Andes mountain range, particularly Argentina, Bolivia, Columbia and Peru. It
is greenish yellow in color and has a mild bitter flavor similar to green tea
with a more organic sweetness. The leaves of the coca plant contain alkaloids
which, when extracted chemically are the source for cocaine base. However, the
amount of coca alkaloid in the raw leaves is small. Something that may surprise
you is the open sale of coca leaves and coca tea in markets, cafes and even
supermarkets. Where coca leaves really come in handy, however, is for the
treatment of altitude sickness, something that many visitors to Cusco will
experience. The benign properties of the plant are somewhat of a ‘miracle
medicine’, and are highly effective at treating the symptoms of altitude
sickness, or ‘soroche’. In addition to frequent helpings of coca tea we also
took ‘Sorojchi Pills’ twice a day throughout our stay in Cusco and all of
Bolivia.
Once we started feeling better we enjoyed
Cusco, the hotel and all of its surroundings. We went out for a stroll in the evening
and did some shopping. We had carried a few MTR Bangalore ready to eat food packets,
which came in extremely handy in the high altitude. The next morning we went
off to Machhu Picchu and spent the day after visiting the city and its outskirts.
The city is extremely old but maintained very well. Medieval architecture can
be seen everywhere.
The city is throbbing with tourists and there are a number
of restaurants and pubs offering the best of cuisine and drinks. The city has a
very vibrant night life and one can hear music till the wee hours. Cusco was
home to an all time high of 4.57 million tourists in 2016.In spite of this staggering
number, the city is extremely clean and the entire infrastructure is in good
shape. This speaks volumes about the strength of their civic administration. There
is a lot to learn from them.
We went on a city tour on foot with a
guide and later on in an open bus. We visited an Inca village and participated
in a tribal ceremony heralding peace and happiness to all the tourists. The indigenous
people, especially the women are colorfully dressed and most of them wear top
hats or Monteras. We were told that these hats are very unique and represent different
parts of Peru. They also wear Polleras which are very colorful. Most women wear
many layers of Polleras. All of us bought sweaters, headgear and shawls made
from the famous Alpaca wool.
In spite of high altitude sickness and the
intermittent rain, the visit to Cusco was worth it.
View from the hotel
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| Cusco situated in a valley surrounded bu hills all around |
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The brown house tops merge excellently with the blue and grey sky
Clean streets of Cusco
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| All the city attractions are in walking distances |
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| The city centre street |
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| Houses with small balconies are all over |
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There are a number of healing centers attracting tourists for alternate therapies
Indigenous women
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| Women dressed in colorful traditional attire - Polleras |
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| A Lamma always accompanies them |
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Top hats or Monteras
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Spanish Architecture dating back to 1600
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| Cusco Cathedral, is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cusco built in 1654. The cathedral is located on the Plaza de Armas. The cathedral was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the City of Cuzco listing in 1983 |
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| From a distance |
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| The Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus dates from the latter part of the
16th century, when it was built by the Jesuits, and stands alongside the
cathedral, on the Plaza de Armas. |
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| City view - The sky was overcast throughout the day |
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| In Inca times, Qurikancha
(Quechua for 'Golden Courtyard') was literally covered with gold. It is said that the mummified bodies of several previous Inca kings were kept here, brought out into the sunlight each day and offered food
and drink, which was then ritually burnt. |
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| Photo op in the hotel lobby |
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| Peruvian headgear keeps you very warm |
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| The girls on a stroll |
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| Rita all smiles after a very happy shopping experience |
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| San Blas square leading to the hotel |
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| Sushama modelling with her new Peruvian coat |
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| Very local |
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| The Southern Valley of Cusco is full of curious myths and great archaeological sites from the times of the Incas. |
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| A view of the country side |
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| Perched high above the colonial centre of Cusco, Cristo Blanco is a large statue of Jesus Christ
that can be seen across the city. Towering some 8 meters (26 feet) high
the white structure was a gift from Arabic Palestinians who sought
refuge in Cusco after World War II. The statue depicts Christ extending
his arms outwards, very similar to Rio´s Christ the Redeemer, but in
miniature format |
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| City centre and open architecture |
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| Another example of street art |
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Old Inca sites in the Southern valley
Participating in Inca ceremony for health and happiness in a village on the outskirts of Cusco
The Inca priest
Sushama being blessed
Jai with priest
Sushama very happy after being blessed
Rita is all thrilled
Finally my turn to pose
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