Journey of a Lifetime ( Part 7 ) Cusco " The Imperial City "

Located at an altitude of over 11,000 feet above sea level in the heart of the Andes mountains, is the dynamic and historic city of Cusco. Cusco is the famed capital of the ancient Inca Empire, and it has served as a travelers’ mecca for hundreds of years. When you visit Cusco, you feel as if you’ve been transported to another dimension of sorts. Perhaps that is partly due to the altitude’s effect on your body and mind. If you haven’t yet adjusted to the Andes Mountains, it would be best to spend the better part of your first day simply lounging around with altitude sickness. Cusco is more than just Inca relics and magic leaves, there is a hearty Spanish colonial feel to the city as well.

When we arrived in Cusco, we had to transfer to a smaller bus. Jesus informed us that our bus was not allowed to enter the main city because their streets were narrow and it would be very hard to navigate a huge tourist bus around the city.

On our way to our hotel ( San Agustin International ), I was surprised to see that Cusco had cobblestone streets, stone buildings with big wooden carved doors and central courtyards, fountains with statues of inca warriors, and the mountains in the background. With such a fantastic sight it  will make you want to study the history of the Inca people and the Spanish conquerers who made this city.

After checking in our hotel, we went on a tour of the city. 

We went walking down to the Plaza De Armas and shopped around in the local artisan areas. I really loved seeing all the different souvenirs, crafts, and artwork they have for sale. Everything was so colorful and there were so many choices.

Here are some places we visited in Cusco :

** THE CATHEDRAL OF SANTO DOMINGO or CUSCO CATHEDRAL

Built in 1550, the baroque- style cathedral in the central tourist gathering spot of the Plaza de Armas is one of Cusco’s most impressive architectural structures. In 1983, the Cusco Cathedral was listed as a UNSECO World Heritage Site. There are two chapels built on either side of the main chapel. The one on the left is called El Triunfo or Church of Triumph. It was built on the site of the main Inca armoury. It symbolizes Spains victory over the Inca. On the right side is the chapel of the Sagrada Familia.

As we were entering the main cathedral, Jesus informed the group that NO PICTURES ALLOWED! I felt disappointed. But when we entered the cathedral I knew why they did not like any pictures inside. The art work was fantastic, from the paintings to the carvings and everything else in between. Spectacular! It had a huge collection of colonial art. Their craftmanship was simply mind boggling!!! I do not know which was more impressive, the solid silver altar or the carved cedar choir. In my opinion, I would surmise that the choir was the most outstanding !! - there were a lot of wonderful wood carvings as you walk around the cathedral. I was very impressed with the intricately carved gold altars stunning and the silver religious vessels. The "Lord of the Earthquakes" crucifix was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers. One should not miss the Andean version of the "Last Supper" which was tucked away behind the main altar, It was done by local indigenous artists of the Cusco School and is unique in the world. In this rendition of the  passover, Jesus and the apostles are dining on cuy ( guinea pig ) and drinking chicha. How else would you celebrate Passover if you were an Inca?  This is a must see!!! According to Jesus, many silver artifacts that are on display in cathedral are still used in current day ceremonies.

** The Church of Truimph or  Iglesia de Triunfo was built in 1536, just three years after the conquistadores settled in Cusco. This building is important because it was the first Christian church to be built in the area.

A Journey of a Lifetime ( Part 6 ) Machu Picchu " Lost City of the Incas "

If you were to sit down to make a list of the top tourist destinations in all the world, you would undoubtedly have to include Machu Picchu. It is  a journey of a lifetime, a dream travel destination to one of the top  pre-Columbian archaeological sites in the planet. These are just a few of the possible ways to describe Machu Picchu. You could never justify it in words, and as amazing as it looks in photographs, there is simply no match for seeing it in person.

Machu Picchu is one of Peru's famous tourist spots, and thankfully the country willingly shares its crown jewel with anyone who is fortunate enough to make the trip. Whatever your expectations for Machu Picchu are, they are sure to be blown away when you finally get there, as nothing can truly prepare you for its intoxicating power. It is also referred to as " Lost City of the Incas ". According to Jesus, the government has limited the number of visitors to Machu Picchu to just 2500 people per day. To avoid disappointment it is essential that visitors purchase their Machu Picchu entrance tickets well before arriving at Machu Picchu. It is better that you go to Machu Picchu with a tour group than going there on your own.

Our wake up call was set for 4:00am. All of us were ready at 5:00am at the lobby when Jesus came to get us. He informed us that we will be going to the train station at Ollantaytambo to take the train to Machu Picchu. We had to make sure we brought sun screens, sun glasses, hats, bottle of water ( in case we get altitude sickness ), our passport and the most important item -- our cameras with lots of SD cards.

It was still dark when we arrived at the train station. I thought that I am going to be one of the lucky ones to get a SUNRISE shot in Machu Picchu.. I was wrong!! Our train left at 6:00am. The train ride to Agua Calientes was an hour and a half, and we had to take another bus ride ( 30 minutes -- on a narrow dirt road ) up to the site.

Aboard the train, Jesus explained to us that there was another way to get to Machu Picchu. Using the Inca Trail. There are 2 Inca trails to Machu Picchu. The Inca Trail is by far the most famous trek in South America and is rated by many to be in the top 5 treks in the world. There are 2 Inca trails to Machu Picchu. One was a 4-day trek which would cover 26 miles ( or 43kms ) which manages to combine beautiful mountain scenery, lush cloud-forest, subtropical jungle and a stunning mix of Inca paving stones, ruins and tunnels. Or you can opt for a shorter trek ( 7 hour trek ) to the site. Of course this shorter route to the site would largely depend on how fast you walk!

We passed several camp sites of the trekkers on our way to Agua Calientes.

We reached Aguas Calientes at 7:30am. According to Jesus, Agua Calientes is the closest access point to the historical site of Machu Picchu, which is 6 kilometres away or about an hour walk. The surroundings reminded me of Baguio.

There is little in the way of shopping to be found around Machu Picchu itself. The closest selection of shops are located in the small and rather commercialised town of Aguas Calientes. The market stalls of Aguas Calientes are particularly convenient and a good place to begin shopping for souvenirs of your trip to Machu Picchu. The stalls sell all kinds of Peruvian treasures, such as elaborately decorated wall hangings, alpaca woollen sweaters and blankets, ponchos, hand-painted T-shirts, and an array of folk art .

The bus from Aguas Calientes up to Machu Picchu takes about 20 minutes and costs US$8 each way ( US$16 return ). We expected that since it was still early -- there would be not much of a crowd ( the gate opens at 5:00am ), but we were wrong!! There was a gigantic line waiting for the buses! It didn't take all that long actually, and before I knew it we were heading on a very narrow uphill zig-zag road toward the site. The scenery you see as you ride up the mountain is a lush cloud forest with great views of the sacred mountain on the opposite side of the valley. The ride itself was spectacular as the narrow track winds its way up the mountainside. It can be a bit scary at times with almost vertical drops plunging down into the valley below especially when you meet a bus coming in the other direction!  I kept being paranoid that the bus would veer off track and we'd tumble down the cliffs to our imminent death. Finally --- we arrived at our destination! I was so so excited!