To Cusco...

Feeling pretty comfortable with the altitude, we headed for the airport en route to Cusco.  Our cab ride was not quite as expected, sharing a small cab with two other Canadians after neither of our pre-arranged transfers arrived as ordered.   Luckily, even encountering an unexpected road closure due to a parade, we still made it in time.

Cusco, a UNESCO heritage site, was the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th to the 16th century, until the Spanish Conquest.  The English translation of the Quechuan word, "Cusco", is navel.  The city was named as such because it was located in the center of the Inca Empire and was considered the heart of the territory.

Cusco's flag is a rainbow design

Cusco and the Incan Empire were conquered by a small Spanish army in the 1500s, due to inferior weaponry, the mighty spread of Smallpox and many of the Incans belief that they were demi-gods due to a fairy tale that pale-skinned gods riding beasts would come from the sea to lead them to great things.

The Spanish were impressed with the Inca's skillful city planning and stonework.  To assert their dominance, they destroyed many Inca buildings, temples and palaces (worshipping the sacred aspects of nature such as the sun, puma, condor...) but used the walls as the foundation for the new Spanish-controlled city.  These Inca foundations were exposed as a result of earthquakes that hit the city in the early 20th century.  As such, the exquisite stonework can be now seen (still standing strong) at monuments around the city such as the Church of Santo Domingo.

The city felt much busier than Puno, packed with hikers and backpackers eager to see Machu Picchu. The city streets were lined with hiking shops (offering both real and not-so-real versions of the big brands), souvenir kiosks, cheap laundry services and lots of restaurants, including several delicious vegetarian options. It also had a seemingly limitless number of hotels and hostels, including the Palacio Del Inka, our beautiful hotel (where we enjoyed a "triple upgrade" thanks to booking.com) built over Inca foundations, with parts dating back to the 16th century. 

Out for lunch one day at Green Point, we met a Norwegian and Danish girl. The Norwegian had Beth's dream job - she was a graduate student at Yale studying climate change's effect on local farming techniques. However, as she was researching a potato plantation, her real job was to eat potatoes all day, every day.

It was at the Palacio Del Inka where we met our Mountain Travel Sobek hiking group to begin our trek to Machu Picchu.  The first day started with a walking tour of Cusco, checking out the Plaza De Armes, including the dramatic Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin (aka. Cusco Cathedral).

In the Cathedral are two important local figures.  The first is the Lord of the Tremors.  This statue is a depiction of Christ, which is said to have saved the city from earthquakes back in the 1600s.  The statues of him are designed to represent the local people, with darker skin, a humble expression and slightly bowed legs. The second is Saint James, the patron Saint of Spain, who was believed to have descended from heaven to help the Spanish conquer the Incas and whose representations show him riding on a horse and stepping on a fallen Inca.  How they can reconcile these two sacred figures in one church is still a mystery to us.

Confusion aside, we were pleased to meet a group of fellow travellers who seemed friendly and eager and a really good bunch of people to spend the next week with.  And so we were ready to head out to the hills...

Cusco Restaurants:  Greens, Green Point and the Inka Grill were three of our favourites.