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5 December 2003
It was 3 hours flight, mostly over the Pacific Ocean. Lima is two hours
behind Santiago; we arrived around 10:00AM, Lima time. From the sky Lima
looked like a typical third world urban mess, more like Dhaka, where I
originally hail from. The Airport was worse than Dhaka, no air-conditioning,
only overhead fans it was hot and humid. After clearing the customs I took
the 400m walks to the domestic terminal - to check in for my 2:00PM
connecting flight to Cusco.
First there was a long que for checking in then there was the second long
que for paying airport tax third long que was for security check to enter
the departure lounge finally I got into the departure lounge around 1:00
PM.
Around 1:30 PM as we were again queuing to board the plane, we were told the
flight is being delayed for how long no body knows. In that chaos,
suddenly there were smoke inside the lounge, it was coming out of a
souvenirs shop there is an electrical fire inside few minutes later fire
brigade arrived and brought it under control. However, nobody tried to
evacuate the departure lounge during this entire period.
Around 3:00 pm we were told the flight has been cancelled due to technical
reason another round of chaos Lan Peru (Peruvian national airline) crew
informed us to collect back our checked luggage so that they can take us to
the Sheraton hotel to spend the night. The flight will depart next morning.
After collecting our luggage and after a little wait we headed for the hotel
at the city center. Yes, Lima is more like Dhaka with occasional sprinkle of
colonial type buildings rather an ugly urban sprawl. It was an hours
drive to reach the hotel at the center, located opposite to a massive
colonial building, Palace of Justice or something like that.
Except for a quick jaunt to nearby Internet cafι to check my emails, I
mostly stayed inside the hotel Lima did not appeal to me at all, I
disliked the place. After dinner there was an Inca cultural show at the
hotel dining room. It was very colourful I watched it for a while and took
few snaps then retired early, tomorrow morning I will have to get up
around 5:00AM to catch the early morning flight to Cusco.
6 December 2003
Caught the 7:00am flight to Cusco without any further hitch. However, it is
not a direct flight it was a longer flight via Arequipa, little Southeast of
Lima. I did not mind, flying over Andes and amazing landscape of Peruvian
Altiplano (high planes) was hypnotic I have not seen such unique landscape
before gorges, jagged peaks, deep narrow valley, then wide open planes
between the Andean ranges - mostly prehistoric reddish earth and rock,
occasionally there are green fertile valleys along a river then sudden
change in colour chrome coloured mountains snow line in Andes at this
latitude is much higher and less frequent I wished we were flying at a
much lower altitude to devour this amazing landscape more closely.
After a brief stopover at Arequipa we arrived at Cusco around 10:30 PM. From
the sky Cusco looked as amazing as the landscape I just flew over the
land, the roof tiles and even the house walls are mostly of burned clay
coloured radiating a glow of the same colour in the bright morning sun.
Cusco used to be the capital of the Inca Empire. Cusco is located at 3.7Km
above the sea level, so far I am faring well - no altitude sickness, it is
advised to take it easy on the first day.
Anyway, a tourist agent (they are all over the place) grabbed my attention
as soon as I came out she convinced me to lodge at the Colonial palace
Hotel, few hundred meters from Plaza Armas, the central square of Cusco. She
drove me there; I liked it; it is a large colonial building with big central
courtyard. I got a nice tidy room for US$15, breakfast included.
Soon I was feeling a bit nauseated from altitude sickness, Cusco is located
at an altitude of 3,800m. After having some Coca tea, provided by the Hotel
I was feeling little better. I went out for a quick bite and returned to
hotel for a siesta, as suggested by the hotel staff.
In the early after noon I was still having a light headache as I went out
for a guided bus tour of Cusco and surrounding. Because of the thin air, I
began to huff and puff just taking the few hundred-meter walk from my hotel
to Plaza Armas, where I joined the tour bus.
As I was watching around, I felt that I have finally arrived in real South
America (Chile and Argentina is so Europeanised and you hardly see original
Indians) here, Inca's are everywhere - city is full of Inca ruins, so is
the surrounding areas - Once upon a time Inca empire included, Peru,
Bolivia, Argentina, Chile and part of Brazil, they were very highly
developed in many fields, the ruins bears the witness - only lack of guns,
internal rivalry and betrayal and Spanish treachery brought their fall.
Since conquest, Spaniards being aware that Inca civilisation is much
superior than theirs they destroyed whatever they can, and deliberately
downplayed the remaining.
First stop was at the Spanish built Cathedral Its built on the foundations
of palaces of Inca emperors inside it is gorgeously decorated with gold
inlay and adorned with many Spanish paintings simply glorifying Spanish
colonialism not God or Jesus. I asked the guide while Jesus has lived and
died as a simple man, teaching simple Ten Commandments, then why would one
need so much grandeur and splendour to reach him or pray before him. The
guide had only an embarrassed smile for me.
Qoricancha
Next stop was Qoricancha (gold courtyard), what used to be the sun temple of
the Incas, located at slight distance from the central plaza. Now it is the
Church of Santo Domingo, built on the remains of the Inca temple. It used to
be the most gorgeous and most important place of worship in the Inca empire-
the famous temple of the Americas. It was also the principal astronomical
observatory of the Incas.
The splendour of this temple is beyond imagination today the walls around
the central courtyard used to be covered by more than 2000 gold plates each
weighing 4.5lb. There used be a golden disc of the sun positioned to catch
the morning sunlight and reflect them on the gold lined temple walls,
filling it with radiant light. There was a silver disc of moon as well, this
was set to cast moonlight into a silver lined Temple of The Moon. Other than
these two temples there were also temples for Thunder, lightening, Venus and
other stars. It used to house around 4,000 priests and attendants.
The Monastery of Santo Domingo which was built over the ruins of Qoricancha,
obscured most of the archaeological jewels of the temple until 1950, when an
earth quake destroyed much of the Spanish building and laid bare the inner
walls of the temple, which we were seeing. Walls of the Qoricancha represent
the finest Inca stonework in existence. The two rooms to the right of the
main courtyard are believed to be the Temple of the Moon and Lightening.
I was simply awestruck by seeing these remains only I vaguely knew about
the Inca civilisation, but had no in depth knowledge I did not expect to
see, what the remains indicated a very superior civilisation with a very
advanced knowledge base, particularly architectural and astronomical.
Saksayhuaman
Cusco city is laid in the shape of a Puma, Saksayhuaman stands on a hill
(where tradition says guardian spirits lived) looming over the city to the
north, represents the Pumas head. Saksayhuaman is variously identified as a
fortress, the house of weapons and war. This is where Spanish put down the
last great Inca rebellion in 1536 and finally subjugated the Incas.
The limestone blocks in three tiers of outer perimeter wall are the largest
in any Inca site. The largest stone block in the outer wall stands at 8.5m
high and weighs 361 tons. The three parallel zigzag ramparts stretches more
than thousand feets. There is saying that it took the labour of 20,000 men
over a period of 50 year to build the whole complex. The early Spanish noted
a labyrinth of buildings on the summit of the hill, with room for an
estimated five thousand troops. The hilltop was crowned with three great
towers, whose foundations can still be seen.
Here I met an Inca Saman, thats what he said he spoke good English
probably there for tourist trade.
Since the Spanish conquest until 1930s, Saksayhuaman served as a pre-cut
stone quarry for the city of Cusco, and the site has been denuded of all the
smaller stone structures that once covered the hilltop today only the
mighty outer walls remain.
I was again dumbfounded, I did not expect anything like this - the whole
sight; its majestic and commanding location over Cusco, and those massive
outer walls, constructed by precision fitting of huge irregular shaped
stones. Now a day, every year, the Inti Raymi or the Festival of the Sun is
celebrated here during the solar solstice in June. I wanted to stay there a
bit longer, but the tour is to cover more, so we left for Qenqo.
I began to realise that I have come here with too little time to soak it in
completely I know I will have to come back again.
Qenqo (zig-zag)
About 2km away from Saksayhuaman is Qenco ruins. These are not exactly
ruins; rather Qenqo is one of the finest examples of Inca rock carving in
situ. It is a stone outcrop, riddled with fissures, all artfully curved to
utilise the rocks natural shape. Centred on a tall rock there is an
amphitheatre, with remains of a wall around the base.
Qenco is an Inca shrine. It is believed that caves around here were used to
keep the mummies of the lesser royalty. Stone steps lead to the top of the
rock, where there is a curved zigzag channel that gives the place its name.
Puca Pucara (Red Fort)
This small site is about 5-6 km from Qenqo. It is not actually a fort, more
like a way station or travellers lodge, where travellers stayed with their
goods and animals.
Tambomachay (Popularly know as Incas Bath)
This was the last stop of the tour. This is a finely preserved site for
ritual bathing- Incas revered water as one of the principal elements of
life, and they frequently practiced devotional ablutions.
Here, from a spring emerging from the hillside, Incas built a series of
three waterfalls, channelling them through fine stone courses. There is a
mystery in the location of the spring itself; the slope behind is not high
or large enough to provide so much water: dominant assumption is that it
comes through an U shaped natural underground conduit from the mountain
opposite to the site.
Soon it was getting dark, and we returned to Cusco.
On return, after some haggling with few tour agents located at the central
plaza, I booked a three day round trip from Cusco to Machu Pichu through the
Sacred Valley of Incas.
This would be a semi touristy trip. We will go up to Ollantaytambo in a tour
bus, visiting major ruins and markets on our way through the valley. Then I
will take the train from Ollantaytambo to small town of Agua Caliente,
located at the foothills of Machu Pichu. Stay overnight there next day
visit Machu Pichu ruins stay another night at Agua Caliente and take the
early morning train next day to get back to Ollantaytambo from there I
will return to Cusco through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, on my own using
the public buses or taxis. The plan sound good lets see how it works out.
Later I had dinner in one of the restaurants around the glowing Plaza Armas
(the central plaza), vibrating with life; tourists, backpackers and the
locals enjoying a beautiful evening at the square and the busy shopping
arcades around it. It was so captivating to watch it all from the first
floor window of the restaurant. I did not have to dine alone I met up with
a group of English tourists, whom I met earlier at Sheraton Hotel in Lima
and flew to Cusco in the same flight. They were a jovial group we
exchanged lot of travel tales and had a raucous time with lot of boisterous
laughs.
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