Saturday 13th April, 2019. We’ve been gradually scaling the heights on our Inca Explorer tour by coach, but today, we’re flying in from Arequipa to Cusco and Brunyfire confesses to being a little concerned about the effects of altitude sickness. Rumour has it that one can be hit with nausea and headaches on disembarking the plane on arrival…….
Nevertheless, the flight itself was uneventful, with a great view of the Andes or Cordillera de los Andes (Andean Mountains), the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America.
We disembark with no ill effects despite Cusco’s elevation at 3,400m, and we make our way to the Taypikala Hotel Cusco…..
……but the coach can only take us so far and we have to off load, and hike up a small hill with our gear – it’s now that the thin air takes effect – any additional effort has Brunyfire huffing – so it’s slow and steady from now on! After checking in we re-group with Juri, our guide, and head off to explore the city.
Cusco was once the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th century until the Spanish conquest in the 16thc. Now best known for its archaeological remains and Spanish colonial architecture. Plaza de Armas is the central square in the old city that beat reflects these combinations……
……..in the form of arcades, carved wooden balconies and Incan wall ruins. 
The baroque Santo Domingo Convent is a great example of this combination as it was built on top of the Incan Temple of the Sun (Qoricancha), and has archaeological remains of Inca stonework.
We’re entertained throughout by the photogenic locals out to make a few pesos…..
……the surruptious photo ops…….
……..as well as the posed!!
Brunyfire couldn’t resist posing with this Incan Adonis – who was actually really interesting when playing various wind instruments that he had on display – like the double chambered water whistling vessels, or Huacos Silbadores that we had seen earlier in the Larcos Museum in Lima.
These dual chambered ceramic vessels are designed to be filled with water and then either blown into or tipped back and forth by a handle fashioned between the chambers. This motion causes a whistling sound from the movement of water between the chambers and the intake of air.
The indigenous Quechua name of this city is Qusqu and the Spanish conquistadors adopted this, changing its phonetic application only slightly to the present day Cuzco. How Cusco was built specifically, or how its large stones were quarried and transported to the site remain undetermined.
We are amongst some of the 2 million visitors per year who pour into Cuzco. We continue to explore, loving the combination of the archaeological with the colonial……
……and the shopping opportunities – we treat ourselves to silver jewellery and alpaca clothing and stagger back to the hotel.
Tomorrow’s another big day……
brunyfire 