When going to Calca last Sunday we took a combi, which is like a collective minivan that drops people off at different stops. Nothing too special except when you're driving plays Ellie Goulding the whole ride.
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| Plaza de Armas at its finest |
Buses here in Cusco are quite something. For me to go to the city center it's only S 0.70, or US 0.15. There's no technological system in the bus so there usually is a man standing by the door yelling out which stops are coming up. You're also supposed to give them your money when you're getting off of the bus. I've learned to give my money a few minutes before my stop so that I can get my change, instead of me rushing out and handing the bus attendant 5 soles.
This week we started classes. I have Spanish, History, and Research Methods. It's pretty intense but we only have five weeks of traditional classroom instruction, since the last few weeks is when we conduct our independent study. Class times vary from week to week but I usually have lunch at my house around 1:30, which is the biggest meal of the day (I will try to have a later post dedicated to Peruvian food). I try to keep my afternoons busy, considering that I'm in Cusco for such a short period of time. This past week I went to the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Qorikancha, and Saqsehuaman (all followed by my homework! Don't worry!)
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| Saqsehuaman (or however you spell it! Quechua wasn't a written language in the first place!) |
We only had three days of class this week since we went on four night excursion through the Sacred Valley. Thursday we went to Chincero, Moray, Calca and Ollantaytambo. Chincero is this town known for it's textiles and famous for a church that was built on top of some ruins. It was really something! I could have spent hours looking at all of the intricate details and the paintings from the Cusco School.
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| Why it was so hard to soak it all in! |
Moray is believed to have been an agricultural laboratory, with each terrace having a different plant with different attributes (they knew about genetic modification before Europe. They also didn't even use the wheel!) After Moray we went to Calca where there is a new museum about all of the Peruvian civilizations leading up to the Incas. It was super interesting and interactive, considering that after every room there was a diorama of what life was like for each corresponding civilization.
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| Moray |
In the late afternoon we arrived to Ollantaytambo, which is one of the main towns where tourists stay before taking the train to Machu Pichu. There are also some amazing ruins there, which were also the location of one of the few Incan victories against the Spanish.
The Friday morning we went to a non-profit called the Sacred Valley Project. This organization tries to improve the accessibility of secondary education for girls living in rural villages by providing them room and board (without this they would have to walk three hours in each direction to go to school). For those that know me well you could only imagine how stoked I was after hearing one of the workers talk about the project. Definitely am going to try to do my independent study with them!
Afterwards we went to an indigenous community called Huilloq. The main objective for our visit was to observe and take notes, as if we were anthropologists. I was really surprised how different the community was, even though it was a 35 minute drive from Ollantaytambo. The majority of the people were still wearing traditional clothes and spoke Quechua in place of Spanish. I've never done an observation like this and definitely learned that I need to prepare myself better for these experiences but due to my inexperience I ended up throwing colored powder and water balloons with a group of little boys.
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| The after shot of playing with the locals |
In the afternoon we went to the Ollantaytambo ruins. If you are going to Machu Pichu I would highly recommend going here beforehand. Ollantay is huge yet aesthetically pleasing. If you walk to the top you can find a wooden door which will lead you up to a path to the top of a mountain where there is (at least it looks like it) an old religious temple, where you can overlook all of the ruins, town, and valley. Really incredible!
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| The vista from the top of Ollantaytambo |
Saturday morning we got up at 5 AM so that we could get the train to Machu Pichu. The train ride was two hours and had picturesque mountain views. We got to Aguas Calientes, also known as Machu Pichu Pueblo, we got a bus to Machu Pichu, which brought us up a steep, curvy road. Machu Pichu looks just like the photos, but those don't even do it justice. Located in the middle of a circular valley Machu Pichu has beautiful views in every direction. After a 2.5 hour tour I was dumbstruck with how advanced the Inca were, through there advanced systems of astronomy and engineering, all without having a written language or using the wheel! In the afternoon we walked to the Puerta del Sol, or Intipunku, which is the first place on the Inca Trail where you can see all of Machu Pichu. The sun also goes right through it in the afternoon of the winter solstice (June 21st).
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| A picture of Machu Pichu by yours truly |
I'm really enjoying my time here in Peru and even though I've been cramming my first two weeks here I look forward to see what else this country has to offer!
Cheers!
Louisa
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