Cusco, Costumes, and Coca Tea

Wednesday, July 01, 2009
June 11

It took longer to get back to Lima than we had anticipated. We ended up staying at a little hostel just down the road from our original hotel. We slept well and got up early to head to the airport for a 9:30 plane.

Upon arrival we learned that our flight didn’t actually leave until 12:30 so we grabbed a table in the food court and started playing cards. Soon after Nancy left for the restroom everyone was asked to leave the area. There was to be no dawdling, all were forced out rather quickly.

We were given no answers to our inquiries. We were told by the burly man that Nancy was fine and that we would not be allowed access until further notice. Eventually we learned that a bag had been left in one of the shops. Only after it had been checked by the bomb squad were we given permission to re-enter.

Our flight took us to Cusco. This mountain town was once an Incan Mecca of sorts. During those times there were about 300,000 inhabitants. They built tremendous temples and structures throughout the area. The entire city was laid out in the shape of a puma. This sacred animal represents our earthly life in the Andean faith. It is rumored that there were great sculptures of gold and silver within the temple.

When the Spanish arrived in the early 1500’s they melted down the statues and tore down all the temples. There are now twenty-three Catholic churches within the city limits of Cusco.

It is a beautiful, clean city. The people are very friendly, although they are very pushy in their selling practices. We arrived there one week before their anniversary. This brought out hundreds of people dressed in traditional garb and dancing in parades. These parades changed from day to day so that we witnessed adults, little kids, adolescents, and young adults in this ritual.

We all spent the first day purchasing hats and warm clothing. Cusco is located at about 10,000 feet making it rather chilly. Our hotel had plenty of Coca tea which is said to help with altitude issues. We drank it regularly and none of us suffered any ill effects. Even Zachary came to really enjoy the flavor.

We were all excited to be in this mountain village. It was a significant step towards Machu Picchu, the culture was alive and dancing in front of us, and the Incan history was beckoning.

MJR

Drawings in the Sand

Wednesday, June 24, 2009
June 9

Zachary, JimBob, and I got up early to take a boat ride.

Paracas is very close to a town called Naska. It is there that the lines are. You know the Naska lines…if you have ever watched In Search Of then you have seen them. They are giant drawings in the sand. There is a spider, a hummingbird, an alien looking dude, and several others. They are most easily seen from the air so there has been speculation that they were drawn by aliens. We didn’t actually get down to see them, but they are important to my story.

We lined up for the boat down at the pier. Fishing is big business in Paracas so there are a ton of boats moored there. There are also pelicans and other sea birds vying for food and attention. We waited patiently until we were loaded in our craft. Zman and I sat together for the journey to Isla Ballestas.
On the way out we passed the Candleabra; a giant sand drawing in the side of a hill. No one is quite sure where it came from or who put it there. There are many theories, including aliens, but nothing conclusive. It’s pretty interesting to see and causes one to conjecture about it. The Paracas area gets very little rain. There is a lot of humidity, but not much precipitation. The sand on the hill side is actually a thin layer that gives way to a hard rock underneath. The image itself is drawn into the leeward side of the hill which protects it from wind damage. All of these conditions add up to provide an excellent canvas for a lasting picture.

After thirty minutes more in the boat we arrived at the islands. They are mostly just rocks sticking up out of the water, but there were more birds there than I have ever seen in my life. There were thousands of them perched everywhere. There were gulls and boobies and even penguins. Interspersed with them were sea lions. At one time people came here to harvest the guano. Walls were built to capture it so that it could be scooped up and carried off to make cosmetics among other things.

We toodled around for another thirty minutes or so and then journeyed back to town. On the way we were treated to dolphins swimming and playing near the boat. We got back in time for breakfast with the ladies. We packed our things and climbed in with Ricardo for a guided tour of the nature preserve just outside of town.

One of our first stops was at Catedral; a rock formation just off the beach. To get there we wandered through the most amazing landscape. There was sand everywhere. At the end of one road were salt mines that supplied the substance to Europe and the U.S. There was a lagoon filled with flamingos and miles and miles of sand. I half expected Luke Skywalker to come zipping up in his landspeeder.

It was like being on the moon; very strange. We journeyed through the sand dunes to arrive at several beaches, one of which was covered with red sand. We stopped off at a little bay for lunch. The fresh seafood was amazing. Afterwards we reluctantly bade goodbye to Ricardo and climbed back into the rental car for the long ride back to Lima.

MJR

Going South

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

After two days in Lima, we were done. We decided to rent a car and drive to the south coast. We had one day down and one day back so we chose to rent a car at a place near the hotel and then return it to the airport. We asked for a GPS to facilitate this since driving in Lima is a nightmare. There are no signs anywhere! The only way to know that you are getting closer to the airport is to watch the planes take off.

It turned out that despite being told by the gentleman there was a GPS, there wasn’t. This threw a serious wrench in the works, but we rolled with it. We asked for a map, but they didn’t have any. They finally gave us a photocopy of a road map of Peru which helped tremendously. Our car was battered and beaten and full of dings, but it drove alright. We loaded it up and headed out of town.

The drive south was fascinating. It was full of barrios and sand; lots and lots of sand. Almost immediately after leaving the city we encountered a sort of desert. Interspersed with nothing were little housing developments made up of straw shanties, wood shanties, and some metal shanties. We rolled and tumbled through this barren moonscape until we arrived at a little town for lunch.

We chose a place with a lot of locals and were escorted to a table in the back. The menu was huge, but my choice was easy; cuy. Cuy is a delicacy in Peru. It can be found in towns throughout the country. Usually it is grilled and the diner receives one half. Maybe I just got a particularly bad one, but that little guinea pig was one of the toughest pieces of meat I have ever had. It also contained very little actual flesh. Needless to say, I did not order it again.

We soldiered on, passed by the town of Pisco, and ended up in a little seaside burg called Paracas (from Caracas to Paracas!). We found a little inn and explored the town. There were a lot of restaurants and shops along the Malecon (beach walk), but many were closed. We wandered to the end where we encountered a neighborhood soccer game taking place on the basketball court. Those guys went at it solidly until one team won. They then left the court to allow another two teams their chance. Some of the players were quite good. Eventually, as busses went by, fellows would stop to watch, dressed in their work clothes.

The crowd was very supportive and none of them were drinking. This, even though the market right behind them had cold beer and beverages. Here, as in Lima, the streets were clean and there were plenty of trash cans everywhere. What a difference from Venezuela!

Next, we settled in at a sidewalk café. I was treated to a beautiful seafood dinner complete with Pisco Sours. Fit to burst, we meandered back to the hotel and tucked ourselves in. There was a boat trip in our future and we wanted to be rested.

MJR