Gallivanting Grandma

Wednesday – May 27, 2015

Yesterday had been a very long day when we arrived at the Libertador Lago Hotel late last night. Marcos gave us a “leisurely morning” and we needed it. When I finally awoke and looked out on glistening Lake Titicaca, I was relieved we made it there. It had been a grueling night driving slowly in the bus on bumpy roads in pitch darkness. We didn’t know when the curfew would start or if we could avoid it. We passed through several very poor, shuttered villages and I was glad we didn’t have to ‘find a place to stay.’

Lake Titicaca! The incredibly blue lake is one of the largest lakes in South America and, at 12,500 feet elevation, is the highest navigable body of water in the world. I learned the deep lake is 120 miles long and fifty miles wide and divided into three parts. We were in the northern, shallow section across from the city of Puno.

After a restful morning, Marcos arranged for us to visit the Uros people on one of their floating reed islands. In order to be fair to everyone, they try to regulate which island tourists can visit at any particular time. We were allowed to visit ‘Big Fish’ Island.

The people originally built the moving islands to flee from invading Incans who were pushing south but were eventually conquered. Today, the Uros continue to live as they have for centuries subsisting on fish, birds, edible parts of the reeds, and quinoa.

We watched a demonstration of how the islanders use bundles of dried totora reeds and roots to construct the islands. Reeds are also used to build their houses, mats, boats, towers and anything else they need. Dense root bundles form supports which are anchored to the ground.  New reeds are piled on top for a thickness of approximately two or three feet. Because they rot away, the reeds are replenished every three months, or as needed.

We were invited to enter the home of the Uros man and woman pictured above. It was a simple room with a carpet-covered large bed and reed benches along the walls. A single light bulb hung from the ceiling which was attached to a small outside solar collector.  I noticed a pan-pipe and a boom-box in one corner. A few articles of clothing hung on pegs pushed through the reed walls. The man said they had five children and two grandchildren who still lived on their little island.

There were currently about forty-two islands ranging in size from three to ten families. The islands are approximately a hundred to two hundred feet across depending on the number of people/families who live there.

Tourists have helped the economy of the Uros people, to enable them to purchase what they need from the city. However, numerous tourists have caused damage to the islands, increasing the need for maintenance. Recently, more young people prefer to live in the city. I wonder about the future of the gentle Uros people who live such a fragile existence. 

Tuesday May 26, 2015   Another bright beautiful cloudless day.
Last night we had just enough time to find our rooms and get ready for dinner at the Monasterio’s elegant dining room.  Unfortunately, one of the women in our group became very ill due to altitude sickness.  Cusco, located at 11,200 feet above sea level, caused the fierce headaches I experienced during the night. I used the oxygen tank in our room for ten minutes, according to directions, took two Advils, and felt better.  We explored the Monasterio grounds briefly and then had a wonderful buffet breakfast outdoors in the garden. Someone commented that the former monastery was still owned by the Vatican, but I find that hard to believe. Nonetheless, it’s a fabulous place to stay and I wish it was at a lower altitude because I would enjoy a return visit.

Marcos, the tour director, warned us about a miners’ strike in southern Peru which might cause us to change our schedule.  He promised to keep us posted.  Our local guide, Maria, met us at the Monasterio and we went out to see Cusco. Our first stop was Coricancha, the Sun Temple of the Inca. The structure had been used as a shrine for offerings to the sun, as well as a solar observatory, and a storehouse for mummies. 

The Incans had covered the south-facing wall with gold to reflect the sun and gold sculptures filled the shrine. After the Spanish conquistadors took over Cusco, they melted down the gold, dismantled most of Coricancha, and built Santa Domingo church and convent on top of the temple. The sacred place of the Incas was hidden until an earthquake in 1955 destroyed most of the newer construction and exposed the solidly built walls.

The site is now a museum and a testament to the ingenuity and skill of the Inca people. The solidly built blocks of stone were precisely carved and placed to create the temple which is expected to last through any future earthquakes.

The city of Cusco had been the capital of the Inca Empire and was known by the Incans as the ‘Navel of the World.’ It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Francisco Pizarro and his Spanish conquistadors arrived in Cusco in 1532 driven by their greed for gold. Our next stop was the covered Mercado San Pedro. I love markets! Here were the descendants of the Incas, the Quechua people, shopping for their daily needs. 

Afterwards, we continued our tour of Cusco to another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The red tile roofs of houses reached up over the the sides of the mountains surrounding the city as our bus climbed up to the ruins of Saqsaywaman. This is a huge hilltop Incan fortress overlooking Cusco. It is a maze of zig-zagging walls and terraces built from gigantic stones in about 1100 AD.  The Incan people’s most ferocious battle against the Spaniards took place here in 1536. 

Below is a view of Cusco from an overlook at Saqsaywaman.  Today there is a population of 500,000 people living in the city which attracts two million tourists a year. Two flags fly in the plaza: one is the red and white symbol of Peru and the other is the rainbow flag of the descendants of the Inca people: the Quechuas. Maria proudly told us that the people of Cusco are ‘Mixtos’ and the culture and traditions are a combination of Incan and Spanish. 

Marcos informed us that a forty-eight hour miner’s strike was planned to begin tomorrow and our south-bound train was canceled. He said he was trying to find transportation for us and we had to leave Cusco today. We would have to take a bus to Puno because all the roads will be closed beginning at midnight.  We had time for one more tourist attraction in Cusco, the famous cathedral in the Plaza de Armas.

The  baroque Catedral de Santo Domingo was built between 1560 and 1664 from red granite stones taken from the fortress of Saqsaywaman. The cathedral houses several altars and chapels made of beautifully carved wood overlaid with gold and silver.  Distinctive “Cusco School” paintings created in the eighteenth century adorn the walls.  The most famous of these is a painting of The Last Supper by the Peruvian Quechua artist, Marcos Zapata in 1753. The table is laid with Peruvian food including the Andes delicacy of cuy, cooked guinea pig. (Sorry, no photography in the cathedral!)

Lucky Bulls on the Roofs

There was a lot of activity and so much to see and do in the Plazas de Armas, but we had to return to the Monasterio Hotel to prepare for an early departure to Puno. We were originally scheduled to leave tomorrow on the famous Orient Express Train to Lake Titicaca, but the train company cancelled all trips because of the strike taking place in southern Peru. We learned later there had been riots with bombs and four people had been killed by the military.

We packed quickly and had a light lunch of quinoa soup in the hotel restaurant. Then we boarded a bus and drove out of Cusco about 3:30 for the long ride to Puno. We watched the Peruvian countryside from the window of the coach until darkness and finally stopped for supper about 7:00 PM at a roadside restaurant. The food was cold so I didn’t eat anything except white rice and a few fried potatoes. At 8:10 pm the guide announced that we were passing the highest point of the trip: the town of Raya at 14,200 feet above sea level. We finally arrived at the hotel on the shores of Lake Titicaca close to midnight. It had been a very long uncomfortable drive, but we made it!

Monday – May 25, 2015

The weather was cool, drizzly and overcast this morning. We had the option to get up before dawn and catch the bus back up to Machu Picchu to see the sun rise over the mountains. However, we both felt we had been fortunate to have a bright sunny day yesterday when we visited the historic site. Seeing it in the rain would not be much fun and we were tired and needed a rest!  

At 7,000 feet above sea level, walking up the hills was an effort for me. So we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, explored the beautiful grounds of the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel and walked slowly around the town of Aguas Calientes. 

There are no automobiles in Aquas Calientes because of the narrow steep streets with many steps. The town was built on the slopes of the mountains along the Rio Vilcanota and is purely a tourist stop on the way to Macchu Picchu.

The only vehicles are the green buses which take people to Machu Picchu and the trains which transport tourists in and out of the village.

After lunch, we boarded the Peru Rail train to take us back to Ollantaytambo to get a motor coach for the three-hour ride to the city of Cusco.  We were treated to music and a fashion show on the train.

Below are my last views of the Sacred Valley and the Andes Mountains which surround and protect the incredibly beautiful and fertile high plains.

We stopped at a rest area which overlook the valley. There were families of local people selling handicrafts and some children in costume who charged one nuevo sol for photographs. They were really cute and they enjoyed practicing their English skills.

We arrived in Cusco and changed buses from the large motor coach to two smaller buses which could navigate the narrow streets of the historic neighborhood of the city. It was a short drive to the Belmond Hotel Monasterio on Calle Palacios. Two wide doors were opened and we were greeted by monks serving hot coca tea. We stepped over the threshold and into a gold filled chapel. I didn’t know whether to pray or whip out my camera and take pictures. (I did the latter!)

Sunday May 24, 2015

We awoke to another glorious bright sunny day in Urubamba. Below is a view looking out from the lobby of the Tambo del Inka Resort. At 9,400 feet the air is thin and dry. The cool air felt fresh and exhilarating but I had to walk slowly to avoid breathing heavily and having my heart pound.  I wondered if I would be able to get used to the altitude.

I understand why the Incas called the high plains between the mountains ‘The Sacred Valley’. It is a fertile protected area which provided farmland and water for the people. The Incas valued food more than gold and silver and thrived for many years until the conquistadors arrived to take the gold.  The valley is incredibly beautiful.

The festival in Urubamba continued today and streets were closed so our buses were late to pick us up. We rode to Ollantaytambo to catch a train to Aquas Calientes which is the nearest town to Machu Picchu.  Then we would continue by bus up to the Lost City of the Incas.  We expect to arrive in four hours which is much faster than the famous Inca Trail which takes four days and three nights to cover about forty miles over the mountains.

After riding a bus and a train for three and a half hours, we arrived in Aquas Calientes:

One more bus up to The Lost Empire of the Incas – Machu Picchu. 

We explored, climbed, and stepped up and down all over Machu Picchu. It was the fulfillment of a dream and I felt astonished and overwhelmed. The Inca people had created an incredible majestic place. Emperor Pacchacuti had a wonderful vision.  He built the city between the peaks of several mountains at an altitude of only 7800 feet and chiseled out a protected, self-sufficient territory.  Machu Picchu was incredible.  After several hours, we returned to Aquas Calientes and arrived at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel for the evening. It had been an amazing day….

Saturday May 23, 2015  

I kept waking during the night with fierce headaches until I finally took a couple of Advils. We had an excellent buffet breakfast in the dining room. I hoped the ‘coca tea’ will help my head acclimate to the altitude. The Tambo del Inka Resort is very peaceful and comfortable. It’s a wonderful place to stay.  Too bad it isn’t closer to home.

We collected our day packs and joined the rest of the group in the lobby.  A local woman distributed walking sticks decorated with textile caps and water bottle holders labeled Machu Picchu. We boarded the buses at 8:30 and drove forty minutes to the nearby village of Ollantaytambo to explore the Parque Arqueological Nacional which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Below is a view of the village of Ollantaytambo as seen from the former Inca terraces which date from the mid-15th century. Originally built for farming and irrigation, the stone constructions were used as strongholds against the Spanish conquistadors.

Later, we explored the village below the site. Located at 9,200 feet above sea level, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of the Inca Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region.  Nowadays it is a popular tourist attraction because it is one of the starting points for the Inca Trail.

Ollantaytambo has some of the oldest continuously occupied dwellings in South America.  Below is a view across the valley to the Inca terraces:

We were invited into the ancient compound of a local family. It consisted of four buildings around an inner courtyard. Ears of corn were spread out on the ground to dry in the center of the yard. One building served as living accommodations and the others were for storage and animals. A pen of guinea pigs was in the corner.

The guide held up a skull which the farmer found in his field some years ago. He gave it a name and believed it was good luck so it had an honored position in his storage room.

A festival was being held in Ollantaytambo during the week. The family in the photo below was washing and preparing a pig for slaughter in their courtyard. They waited until the tourists left before they did the deed.

We returned to our hotel for a cooking demonstration (ceviche and lomo saltado) given by the sous chef, Jose. It was fun to watch the preparations, but I’ll pass the recipe to the cooks in my family. We had a wonderful buffet lunch which included alpaca ribs, quinoa, and potatoes.

Then we took a short walk from the hotel to Pablo Seminario’s pottery studio in the village of Urubamba. His work is on display at the Chicago Field Museum.

Later in the afternoon, a local shaman came to the hotel to bless our journey and share spiritual insights of the Sacred Valley and the descendants of the Inca Empire. We sat on chairs set up on the lawn and watched as he prepared his offerings and listened to him chant and pray. At night he would go to a sacred place in the mountains to give the offerings to the gods.

After dark, we were entertained by the folk-art group, Kusiwasi, who performed the Inca legend: The Apus of the Andes.  They danced on stilts and sang songs based on Incan and Quechua stories.  The performance had a fiery finale:

Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner of fire-grilled meats and assorted vegetables and potatoes. At the end of the day, we returned to our rooms to pack our duffle bags for our trip to Machu Picchu tomorrow.