Monday, February 15, 2016 - Sacred Valley

Our first tourist stop this day was the Cathedral in Cusco. In Peru we learned there is only one cathedral in each city or town. There may be other churches but there is only one cathedral. It is often located at the central plaza of the town. This was the case in Cusco. No picture taking inside. I purchased a book so I would have pictures. Lots of gold and silver. And more evidence of the merging in subtle way of the Catholic religion with the Inca traditions and religious practices. One outstanding example of this was a huge painting by an Incan artist of the Last Supper. Instead of a lamb on the plate, as would be eaten at the Passover meal, there was a guinea pig, a main stay in the diet in Peru. 

As our bus left Cusco to head toward the Sacred Valley, I snapped this picture of more stairs. Lots and lots and lots of stairs in this country. These reminded me of stairs we saw in one of our ports of call in Alaska. The houses were built up the hill but there were no roads up the hill. Everyone hiked up and down the stairs to their homes. There was a road at the top of this hill however.  

We were taken to the Santuario Animal de Ccochahuasi. This is a wildlife sanctuary that takes in injured and sick animals then cares for them until they can be reintroduced into their native habitat. The setting is very natural. Not at all like a man-made zoo habitat. Gotta love the expression of that bird in the middle picture.

One of the highlights of this stop for all of us was the Andean condor. This huge bird is endangered and protected. Each of their feathers is worth hundreds of dollars. They live to be up to 90 years old. The ones we watched were about 25 years of age. And we watched one considered a baby. They are all brown feathers until they reach adulthood and then their feathers turn to black and white. They only lay one egg every 3-4 years. The huge area in which they live at the sanctuary goes from the side of the mountain across the little valley to the other side and is enclosed with a wire netting. Condors really only eat things that are already dead so there was no danger of them hurting us. We were seated on bench seating on one side of their habitat. A worker came in with a bucket containing strips of the meat from a dead animal. He held it up for them to see at the other end of the habitat, tossed it to the ground and we waited for the condor to fly over and down in front of us to eat it. Huge wing span on these birds. They had two adult condors fly over first and then a baby one flew over last. Totally fascinating to have them so very close. I have video of these short flights.

As we came to the end of our tour, we were led through a shed where the making of dyes from natural material was demonstrated. Alan placed a dead beetle that lives on the local cactus in the palm of one of his hands. With the pointer finger of the other hand he ran his finger over the dead beetle crushing and smearing it across his hand. It instantly changed to a deep red color. Then the tour guide from the sanctuary held up yarn that had been dyed with that kind of beetle. Then he poured what looked like orange soda on the the smeared beetle on Alan's hand it changed to an orange color. They can continue to do this and come up with 20+ different colors just from this one beetle. 

We watched another lady in traditional Andean clothing sitting on her mat weaving away. She uses a llama bone to separate the threads for the pattern she is creating. Then she takes the llama bone that is laying on the ground with the dyed yarn on it and runs the colored of thread through the spaces made with the first llama bone. Hours and hours of work to make a small piece of fabric. It can take a month to two months to make one piece of fabric. The pattern is in her head. She learned this skill as a little girl and just does it from memory or as it comes to her. The pattern will be the same on both sides of the fabric. I just love this fabric and the colors. Amazing, simply amazing.

As we left the sanctuary we saw just a few more things. First, and Andean hairless dog. I mean really. No offence but these were some of the ugliest dogs I have ever seen. They have a Mohawk hair on their head and a tuft of hair at the end of their tail. That is it. They are black in color. I ached for them. But they are loved by the people and we would see more on the trip. Then we saw this little bear. It's parents were killed by poachers. It is 3-4 months old. It will be raised and then restored to the wild. It was a very cute bear with very different markings than I have ever seen.

My final picture at the sanctuary was this one. I marveled at the children in Peru. Their moms work long hours and the children are just right with them wherever the parents are. It didn't matter if it was a booth at the Mercado or in the sanctuary. They find whatever is available to entertain themselves. This little guy had two other little ones playing with him when we arrived. They would climb to the top of this little grassy hill on which I am standing. Then they would roll down the hill and laugh at themselves. I also took video of this. As we left this little one had taken one last roll down the hill and then paused at the fence to watch these two big birds. It just symbolized how happy he is in this environment. No fancy toys were needed. He has the love of the adults that work there, the green grass to roll in and animals in abundance to watch and enjoy. He has a very happy life and to me this picture shows that. 

Off to the Sacred Valley. This is our first view of this important part of Peru. A river runs through it that will eventually empty into the Amazon. The valley is a fertile place with lots of agriculture there.  Our destination would be from Pisac at one end to Ollantaytambo at the other. We would shop in Pisac and visit history in Ollantaytambo. 

This mountain was near Pisac. The reason I am posting it is so you can see the terraces on the mountain side. These are places for raising crops of all kinds. Claude and I were constantly marveling at these places to garden. If you have followed this Blog at all you know of my comments regarding our hill here in Sadieville and the difficulty in working it and growing things on it. Because of our experience we were in awe of these people and their chosen method for growing things. 

We also visited a silver shop where beautiful jewelry was made from silver and jade. Claude bought me a second bracelet at this shop. It was made of the Incan jade from the area inlaid in silver. But the highlight was a chance to eat corn-on-the-cob from Peru. They grow a white corn here with the largest kernels anywhere. These kernels were as big as the end of my thumb. The corn was really good. They do not serve it with butter however. They eat it with a slice of cheese from Peru. It was really tasty. 

Then we were directed to the market place in Pisac. Alan showed us where to buy a little tortilla like item for a snack to tide us over. Then we roamed through the shops at will until we returned to our bus. This little lady was pausing in her handiwork at her booth to have a little to eat as well. Lovin' the hat. 

Back at the bus I found another flower I am not at all familiar with. Bright orange and very delicate looking. There was a tree full of them. 

Part way between Pisac and Ollantaytambo we stopped for lunch. The next two pictures were taken from the bus as we traveled to lunch. They just show the variety of living locations. Then the next two pictures were taken where we had lunch. Lunch was a very nice buffet of many different local dishes. We were entertained by a band playing music of the Andes. Alan even joined them for a bit. Out on the lawn were two ladies in traditional dress making and selling their crafts. One of the dishes on the dessert table at lunch was a plum that was peeled and cooked a bit with the stem still on. It was a local plum and not something we ever saw before. As we were getting on the bus, there was a tree with fruit on it. Claude and I are thinking it was the plum we had for dessert with our lunch! 

We went to the far end of the Sacred Valley to visit Ollantaytambo. This was the royal estate of Emporer Pachacuti of the Inca Empire. It is also the stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui in the final Inca rebellion against the Spanish. A lot of very interesting history in this spot. 

The two white structures in the sides of the mountain were storage facilities for the Inca people. 

This is quinoa growing on one of the terraces.

When the group all got out to the parking lot to await the arrival of our buses, this cute little girl came up and indicated she wanted to sing for us. Of course that meant she wanted to raise her money by us paying her to sing for us. We all gathered around and she sang while Alan clapped the rhythm. I think he thought it would be a short song. It was not. There were many, many verses. She sang and sang. Alan got a perplexed look as the song went on. Then being the great instructor he is, he started to clap faster so she started to sing faster. We all picked up on it and laughed. She laughed. Alan laughed. When she finally finished she did a great twirl in her little costume and took off her hat to collect our dollars. We all cheerfully gave. It was a great moment. 

Alan had a friend he has made over the years in Ollantaytambo. Her home is one of the original Inca dwellings with no real electricity or running water. Alan had arranged for us to visit her home. We walked up the narrow old street to her home. She was there to greet us at the opening into the little courtyard around the buildings that make up her home. We entered two of the buildings. The first served as a living and kitchen room. The second was a bedroom and work room. Her grandfather was sitting on a chair here. 

Both rooms had guinea pigs running around on the floor.  Alan explained this was her food storage. The first room had a llama that had turned to jerky hanging from the ceiling. Strips would be cut off it for stews and dishes. There were niches in the walls. These contained the skulls of ancestors and things to remember their gods and ancestors. Alan had explained they raise potatoes, then they smash them and let them dry out. They can then be saved for a long time and used in dishes prepared for the family.

The bedroom/work room also had its share of guinea pigs running around in a corner. It also contained an old treadle sewing machine. On one of his visits Alan saw a need for this. He found one at Deseret Industries (our Church's thrift store system) in Utah. He made arrangements for it to be sent to her in Ollantaytambo. She can now help others as well as herself with their sewing needs. There was a loft where the children slept. The children are older now and do not sleep there anymore. And her grandfather was sitting on a chair in front of the bedroom portion of this room. 

Outside the front 'yard' was really this rock covered area. Each of the two rooms of her home were actually separate little buildings. This was an original Inca home and is still is use by her and her family today. We were extremely grateful we were able to see this manner of living. 

Our hotel room this night was at the San Agustin Monasterio de la Recolecta. Clearly it was a remodeled monastery. However, we arrived after dark and left just as it was beginning to be day. So our views were very limited. Our room was the hardest we had to deal with the entire trip. I have been watching the 'Tiny House Movement' shows while doing crafts. Spending one night in our hotel room let me know I am not ready for the tiny house living. Don't misunderstand. It was a lovely room. However, you opened the door and walked through a tiny hallway with a closet along the right wall. Directly in front of you was a stair case with three concrete steps at the bottom that turned to a set of wooden steps to get you to the loft area and they turned to go up the side wall. There were two twin beds and an lamp table between in the loft. In front of the stairs on the main level was a small table with two chairs. Under the stair case was a little refrigerator. To the left of that narrow entry at the back of the room was a small sofa with a large TV in front of it in a sitting area. Behind the sofa was the bathroom. The bathtub was also a shower. You had to climb up a step stool to get it. The water faucet was on the side of the tub and you had to reach into the tub to turn it on. The bottom of that tub was the slickest I have ever stood in. Claude and I both almost slipped in it. I just knew we would fall down the stairs if we had to get up in the night to go to the bathroom. We left the light over the tub on all night so we could see to get downstairs. In the morning, I was the first one down and those three white concrete steps all blended together. I took the first step fine but misjudged the second and found myself practically running down to not fall. I think my heart missed a beat during all that action. It was really an interesting hotel room. Very nice but also very interesting.

Sunday, February 14, 2016 - Cusco, Peru

Valentine's Day we would visit around the Cusco area. We started out visiting Blanco Christo. This is a white statue of Jesus Christ donated by a group of people who tried to settle in the Cusco area. After several years they determined that was not where they wanted to settle and they left. The statue remains on the hill and is a big attraction for tourists and locals. 

I've chosen six pictures for this Blog post of Blanco Christo. The first is the statue. The second is a tiny little boy learning to kick a soccer ball. Must train up a child correctly. The third is the closest I could get to a Kentucky view. This is a horse farm and there were beautiful horses in the field. Well, they sure looked beautiful from a distance. Up close many of the cows and horses looked a bit undernourished. However, my view of a well-cared for horse is slightly skewed from living in the Bluegrass area where those gorgeous Kentucky horse farms are located. The horses in our part of Kentucky have a very pampered life. Next is a gorgeous flower. Loved noticing their types of flowers in vegetation. Claude and I are in the next picture with a view of Cusco behind us. The final picture was taken of the view behind the statue. The scenery was amazing. Pictures really don't do it justice.

 

So many possibilities to post of the countryside as we drove from Blanco Christo to Puka Pukara. I am opting for this one. It was interesting to see the decoration on the front of these homes. Llamas on each end and a pyramid shape around the door with the Incan cross between on each side of the door. 

Puka Pukara means 'red fortress or red fort'. Some think it was a storage place for Inca nobility or a hunting lodge. It may have been all these things. It is in an ideal location as the road beside it leads to the Sacred Valley. We would visit there on Monday.

The first pictures is of the Puka Pukara area. The second was a donkey standing across the hill from Puka Pukara. It just looked like a good Peru/Andes type picture so I zoomed in and snapped it. The third picture is some of the ruins. Then we have Claude and I with the road to the Sacred Valley behind. I took so many pictures of that view. The sun was hitting it just right and it was simply gorgeous. The fifth picture is vegetation growing between the rocks. I just found that lovely but the truth is that is what will destroy the structures. More on that at Machu Picchu. The sixth picture is my honey walking ahead of me. I love taking pictures of him walking down or through something we are visiting. Next to last is a picture of some of the ruins. Finally, one more picture of Claude and me as seen through one of the windows. 

We would stop on our way to our next site in a little community that sells authentic sweaters made from alpaca and real silver jewelry. We were treated to a demonstration of Andean music. I truly love this music. It is very mellow (suave) and speaks to my soul. Then a young lady explained how to tell the difference between synthetic material and really alpaca. Once we understood, we were invited to browse their store filled with articles of clothing and another room for silver jewelry. I found a bracelet with lapis lazuli inlaid in it. This was a stone that was prevalent in Egypt and I kick myself for not finding some little something with it in it while in Egypt. This was my chance to correct that. This simple silver bracelet will now bring back great memories of both destinations. I also found a very pretty sweater out of baby alpaca and Claude found a sweater out of baby alpaca for him. It was much harder to find things for Claude. The people are now XXL. I did have him try on a sweater I liked in a style he has never worn before. We did not purchase this sweater as it was a little too snug. This is a picture of him in the sweater we didn't purchase. Where's Claudo in this picture? Then, can you find Alan photobombing the picture?

A word of explanation about baby versus adult alpaca. When a true alpaca sweater says 'baby alpaca' on the label, that means it was the first shearing of that sheep (alpaca). From that shearing point forward (2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.) that sweater would be labeled 'adult alpaca'. 

Here are two other pictures from our shopping stop. This is the roof of an Incan home. True to the teachings of their Catholic faith they have a little cross on the top of each of their homes. But, in order not to lose their Incan traditions and beliefs, each of these crosses has a bull on either side. This is a sign of strength and protection. The Spanish had them become Catholic but all through the religion you will find Incan beliefs and traditions meshed with the Catholic faith. The last picture is a field but the back of it is being used as a makeshift soccer field and the buildings behind are the little village and the shop we visited.

Our next stop was at Sacsayhuaman. This can be spelled many ways. Our guide was always telling us the Spanish word for something and then he would tell us the Quechua word. Quechua was the language of the Inca and is still the language of many of the people. 

Sacsayhuaman is called a 'fortress' because that is what the Spanish recognized it as when they arrived based on their own life experience. However, to the Inca, it was probably a Temple to the Sun as well as a place of homes for rulers and people. It would have been a sacred sight to them and may have been a small city within the city of Cusco. It's construction was with the largest stones moved to a place and joined in Incan fashion in the Incan empire. The layout of Sacsayhuaman was in the shape of a jaguar. Here are a very few pictures of this gorgeous place.

Aren't these trees amazing?!  There is a herd, so to speak, of llamas that live here and roam at will. We were told to stay a safe distance back. They will hurl a wad of spit at you from a good distance if you disturb them. Alan had a first had experience with this in his past and was very careful to warn us.

The next three picture give you a panoramic view in three shots. The first is the mound to our left. The second was the huge field that ran between the two hills of structures. The third was the mound and structures on the right. 

When we got close to the opposite end of the three pictures above, I took this picture to show that the layout of the right side in picture three was a zigzag design. This would have represented a lightening bolt.  

The day before at Qoricancha we saw the tiniest stone carved and set in place by the Inca. Sacsayhuaman had the largest stone carved and set in place by the Inca. The man standing next to Franklin, Ron, is well over six feet tall. The stone is behind him.

Claude in his Samson pose. 

From the top we could look across in one direction and see Blanco Christo and in another direction was views of Cusco. We flew in between these mountains and the airport is in this picture of Cusco. Another things that fascinated me was the carving in the mountainside of words or symbols. This is like our putting the initial of the school on the mountain side in Utah with chalk. The third picture shows 'El Peru' done this way. Often this was done with how they laid out their terraces for planting. 

Time to wander back down the hill. First picture was more ruins. Second picture was of the Andean glaciers on a mountain far away. Alan assured us these were not always visible from this distance. We were indeed blessed with amazing weather during the entire trip. Just the right amount of rain at just the right times. The rest of the time sunshine and nice temperatures. 

I include this picture of our descent to the open space between the hills as it shows the three levels with which the one side of Sacsayhuaman was constructed.  The open plaza (field) would have been symbolic of the under portion of the earth (snake is the symbol), the level with the thatched roof buildings is the middle level or the earth (puma or jaguar is the symbol) and the top level would be the part representing the sky (condor is the symbol). These three levels also make up the Incan Cross. 

As we went back to our bus, we walked through this gorgeous grove of unique trees. They had planted a small garden in this portion.  

Back to Cusco our bus traveled with the intent of visiting the Cathedral. However, we were there during Carnival. The Plaza de Armas was filling with people and the police were blocking off streets around the Plaza to accommodate the celebration. The Cathedral is located at one corner of the Plaza de Armas. Our bus made it through the area but could not stop to let us off or return to pick us up. It was determined we would visit the Cathedral on our way out of town the next morning. 

One of the traditions of Carnival is the kids purchase cans of spray foam and soak each other with it and water guns. We were told we could come back and enjoy Carnival if we wanted but warned we would return to our hotel a soaked mess...and that is part of the fun. This is not unlike our daughter, Andie, and her family hosting the whipped cream wars on the last day of school on their street each year. We opted to have dinner at the hotel. 

We were treated to some more of that lovely Andean music. We enjoyed it so much, we purchased three of their CD's to bring home. Our server was the same as the night before. Such a kind man. He lit a candle at our table. It was a tea light candle floating in water that was colored red. Nice for Valentine's Day. A drop of water got into the tea light when he dropped it into the glass. In a bit the water put the flame out. Claude and I were not concerned. However, our server noticed it from a distance and returned to relight our candle. 

Cusco means 'navel'. As we toured all these sites right close to Cusco, we came to understand it was the 'center place' of the Incan empire which stretched from the top of Central America to the bottom of South America. Cusco was the capital and all things radiated from there.