Well, it finally happened! After five years, countless daydreams, a few bumps in the road, a deep calling from my soul, one wonderful ticket purchase, and 22 hours on a bus, I've finally made it back to Cusco and the sacred valley. I can't begin to describe how happy I am to be here again. As I finish writing this, I've actually moved on to Pisaq, a much smaller town about 40 minutes from Cusco. But I'm still in the area, and loving it.
And I had forgotten how much the altitude takes it out of you! A night without sleep on the bus here (hard to sleep on a bus taking steep switchbacks all night), plus a jump from sea level to 11,000 feet makes for a rough landing in town. That said, I first settled into Atawkama hostel, which is in the old location of Hostal Magico where I stayed a number of years ago for several weeks. Memories are flooding back, of friends made here, adventures shared, and generally enjoyable experiences. The rooms even have the same names, 'Pintor', 'Principito', 'Danza' to name a few, and after I finish writing this tonight I intend to go sit on the terrace, sip on some beer, and watch the world go by. (actually, I got distracted and ended up watching a movie! ) Cusco really is a neat place, although I've heard it said that it has lost much of the charm which made it such a great place to visit. It seems that practically every corner is a hostal, restaurant, tourism agency, massage studio, alpaca wool shop, or cafe. And everywhere a person is hounded for massages, to buy expensive and fake reproduction products, to take an overpriced Machu Picchu tour, and eat at a restaurant. Yes, you can still find amazing holes in the wall, such as the well-hidden studio of a master luthier, one of only two such masters in all of Peru, whom makes the most amazing charrangos, flutes and 16 string guitars. Or the unfortunately not-well-advertised Coca Museum, where you can learn an incredible amount about that marvelous plant, and buy a wide assortment of coca products (I bought coca honey, tried coca wine and coca pisco liquor, and found an alternative to baking soda to use as the alkaline material to chew coca with). The museums and cathedrals here are incredible, especially the exhibits on colonial religious art (moving in ways I can't describe). The viewpoints in the city are incredible, the big white Jesus statue is fun to hike up to, there are lots of cool ruins nearby; there really is so much to do and see. But I felt the need to leave Cusco soon for somewhere quieter, and I think my wallet and head space will thank me too.
For my sake and yours, I'm not going to rehash the details about Cusco, it's history or my first impressions of it. All of that stuff was covered in great detail in a previous blog entry (http://nagdeo.blogspot.com/2011/03/thoughts-from-afar.html) If you want more, the internet is full of great writeups on Andean history, culture, and spirituality. But I wanted to share a few interesting new observations and such which I've picked up this time around.
First, I'd always been curious about how the vendors here can make so much alpaca wool stuff (blankets, sweaters, etc) for the tourist market, and still sell them so cheap. I've seen sweaters sold as low as s./25, about $10, though many are sold for around $20. Amazingly cheap though. So I spoke with a woman whom runs a higher end alpaca wool shop (with absolutely stunning handmade scarves, sweaters, and other textiles). She told me that, indeed, the vast majority of stuff marketed as 'alpaca' and sold on the street or in artisan markets is made of synthetic materials, and contains little, if any, real alpaca wool. Many are labeled '100% Peru', with a picture of an Alpaca, suggesting a connection. So the 'Peru traveler's uniforms' one sees so many people sporting, the leg warmers, scarves, sweaters, gloves, etc which tourists fawn over and buy in droves? All mass produced with synthetic materials. Yep. Sorry to burst anyone's bubble. True alpaca wool garments will be labeled with exactly how much of it is alpaca, should feel much softer to the touch, and supposedly are cool to the touch as well. And you will not find them for $10. The store I was in (yes, it was high end) sold sweaters for s./ 300 - 500, about $120 to $200. This evening, I saw scarves for s./800, or $350. Another was a full bedspread for close to $800. That said, these higher priced items are handmade, are of exquisite quality and detail, and are made by master weavers using traditional means. That is the true difference between real and fake alpaca.
And now I can't bring myself to buy anything but the real thing. Perhaps ignorance is truly bliss.
Second thing I've noticed - it is SO much easier to find amazing coffee in Cusco (and almost everywhere else I've been in South America). Today alone I had coffee at two different artisan cafes, and saw quite a few more during my previous city tour. During my last trip it was almost impossible to find decent coffee, and for this reason I assumed I'd be off coffee for these two months. Ha. Silly gnome.
Third - the microbrewery revolution has made it to Cusco! The old standard and best of the larger companies, Cusqueña (whose dark lager I'm drinking as I write this) now has a few more brews, including a red ale and a quinoa beer (nothing to write home about, but still enjoyable), while the menus at pubs here often advertise micro-brewed and artisan beers alongside the usual domestic and imports. There are even pubs exclusively dedicated to craft beer. Cusco has it's first microbrewery now, called Dragon, and there's also the Sacred Valley brewing company nearby. I haven't yet tried any of their beers, but fully intend to. And might have to write an entire blog entry about it. Last night I thoroughly enjoyed a barley wine made in Lima, oddly named after Barry White.
Yes, I realize that all this stuff involving coffee and beer is simply catering to the demands of international tourism, and that folks like me from privileged nations are driving these industries, many of which are potentially detracting from the rich indigenous culture and heritage which people came here for in the first place. That said, it's a fact that tourism isn't going anywhere, and that the locals (and gringo expats) can make a good living by bringing here those little things which folks like me really want. And honestly, I'm willing to pay the extra dollar to drink good beer and coffee instead of shitty beer and Nescafe. And who knows what kind of creativity can flourish here through those mediums, creating beautiful new expressions of local culture. Perhaps beer using plants only found in this region (there is coca beer in Cusco!) Or Cusco-style kopi luwak, or black ivory coffee, but digested and excreted by llamas instead of civets or elephants. And without the animal cruelty issues.
On another note: the civic design of Cusco was originally designed by the Inka Pachacutec to resemble the side profile of a Puma. That said, the city has grown and changed so much that it's not really obvious anymore. Check it out on Google image search: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNPkizRuzhGlMoKSDg-x0b4OTq9PUDe-3MxWenY75FX7l90IXSoq_qKYn6REzmLUe1BRuofKpubTxzU8bFhSksJBoPmEo9XU1IjlGy8XNafHlY5W0B_YlSAX9hIeASE4hT9wD8gQWgs-K/s1600/Puma-1.jpg
Coca, which many people know is a plant I very much love and adore, is apparently not the highland plant I thought it was! I learned that grows best between 600 and 2500 meters in elevation, and is more prevalent in the humid areas of the mid-Andes. Contrary to popular thought, it goes not grow around Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Boo. I was really hoping to see one in person! I also learned that it takes 300 kg of coca leaf to make 1 kg of cocaine. The coca museum really was an amazing resource. Check it out online : http://www.museodelacoca.com/index-en.html
And lastly.... Machu Picchu is a name invented by Hiram Bingham, the man whom 'discovered' the archaeological site and made it famous. No one knows what the real Inka name for it was. Machu Picchu literally just means 'old mountain' in Quechua. The site is still pretty cool though, and I'm considering going again. Though it's awfully expensive!
The last few days involved lots of socializing, museums, markets, househunting, and a lot of walking. First, my roommate at the hostal and I took in the Inka Museum, which showcases art, artifacts, and accounts of the myriad pre-Inka civilizations which flourished through Peru, with a heavy focus on the Inka. This National Geographic article is a good read: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/inca-empire/pringle-text . The museum had an impressive display of artifacts, featured a collection of European style oil paintings of Inka rulers, and had a small shop which sold traditional Andean textiles (and still incredibly expensive). A great experience. I later met up with a friend whom I had met in Lima for a wander in town and some adventures. We took in the aforementioned coca museum, wandered up to the gigantic white statue of Jesus (whom is inaccessibly surrounded by fences and barb wire), then hit up dinner in the square. The next day had me take in the impressive Convent of Santo Domingo, a 16th century Dominican convent built upon, and using materials from, the Inka ceremonial center of Qorikancha. Qorikancha, the temple of the sun in Cusco, was the most important temple in the Inka Empire, and was described by the Spanish as 'fabulous beyond belief': the walls were completely covered in gold, as was the entire ceremonial area. The temple was completely looted and destroyed the Spanish, and the remaining walls were incorporated into the Convent. A few of the original Inka walls survive, with almost no sign of damage from the earthquakes which shook the area over the last 500 years. You can read more about it here : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qurikancha
I really enjoyed Qorikancha, though honestly my favorite part was the exhibit on colonial religious art. Starting with paintings of Santo Domingo, the exhibit primarily featured work from the 'Cusco school', a particular style of Catholic art from the 16th to 18th centuries. I'll let wikipedia fill you in (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuzco_School), but suffice it to say that through the style, focus, color, and exquisite nature of the work (they used an incredible amount of gold leaf), the Cusco school style conveys Catholic teachings almost without a word. The beauty of the art, the dedication to it, is extremely inspiring, and captures the love these artists felt for the subject. Well worth the s./10 entrance fee.
I'm now in Pisaq, making ghee and chilling out after a home cooked dinner. After the museum yesterday, my friend and I came into Pisaq to see the sites, and to help me look for a house to rent. I came across a home potentially for rent, which happened to be the very house I had dreamed about staying in 5 years ago, right on the road leading out of Pisaq, towered over by stunning mountains and Inka ruins. It's a 20 min walk from town, and here I sit, writing and quietly enjoying music. It's not a super cheap rental (about $100 CDN a week) but I'm happy. From here, I can explore the sacred valley with ease, enjoy the ruins, hike the terraces (on my to do list for tomorrow), and go into Cusco if I need to (which will happen, particularly when I go to the dentist!)
If you haven't already, check out the photos in my Dropbox folder. I'll be adding new photos asap of Cusco and Pisaq. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3r8lkbc5cesepys/AADO5K4kBx5PRChZEwis0fHba?dl=0
Thanks for travelling along with me. Much love to all of you, wherever you are. Drop me a line via email or Facebook if you want to chat, or leave a comment below.
Paz y luz,
Chris
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