Cusco

The beautiful city of Cusco is the historic capital of the Inca Empire. Built between the most fertile valleys in the Andes, the area was sacred to the Incas whose lives revolved around nature and agriculture. It was also the centre of the Spanish colonisation which is evident by the number of churches which have been built on the sites of Inca temples which were destroyed and replaced. It is this sad fact of history that gives Cusco its interesting and beautiful hybrid architecture - colonial churches and houses built on foundations of incredibly sturdy Inca walls. There is something sad about experiencing Semana Santa in a place where you know that Spanish culture and religion was imposed by force, but we are assured by the locals that most South Americans practice a hybrid of religions somewhere between Catholicism and the ancient Inca religion which worships nature and the Pachamama (mother earth). Quirky traditions such as placing figures of bulls on your house for luck (apparently they were probably originally llamas before they were Spanishised!) or hanging up bloody scary voodoo dolls of people you dislike are still prominent and visible and the indigenous languages such as Quechua are still spoken by many descendants of the Inkas, but sadly not much is known about the ceremonies that may have taken place in the incredible ruins that surround the city.
Unlike the Spanish, the Incas did not build their impressive structures with the use of slavery. Temples were built collectively by communities and as they did not use currency, the Inca way of paying taxes was through manual labour - the type of 'tax' that was paid depended on the skills of the person in question. Women cooked and weaved, children would pick flowers for use as dyes, men would work in agriculture or construction and the people would work for the benefit of the whole community. Cusco was an important centre for trade connecting trails from the mountains and the jungles, the Inca people would meet in what is now the main Plaza de Armas and trade goods from different areas of the Andes. Silver and gold were used purely for decorative purposes and as offerings to the gods rather than as currency.
As a modern city it's economy is driven by tourism and as well as its historic beauty there are plenty of trendy bars, cafes, restaurants and nightclubs which made it a nice spot for Cata and I to rest our bones for a few days. We stayed in the area of San Blas which has a lovely Saturday market and plenty of nice places to shop, eat and catch some live music. One of the days was spent exploring the surrounding areas on horse back where we had the luck to see an amazing double rainbow across the mountains. The walk down from the statue of Christ that overlooks the city was also worthwhile with beautiful panoramic views of the city (and really slippery cobblestones).

On a random note, if I see another knitted alpaca jumper/sock/hat/glove/leg warmer I might just have to set fire to it... Just letting you know so that if I do get arrested you know why.

Now we are heading for a four day hike of the Inca Trail which should be interesting considering that walking up a flight of stairs feels like running a marathon at this altitude! Tomorrow is our first (and apparently easiest) 6 hour trek... Wish me luck!


Key info, Cuzco
How we got here: 15ish? hour night bus from La Paz

Where we stayed: Hotel name tbc in the lovely San Blas area. The hotel was cheaper than most others we saw for a nice, basic ensuite twin room and great location.

Best breakfast EVER: Jack's cafe in San Blas, serving the crispiest bacon and the fluffier pancakes. Mmmm... English breakfast at Paddys Irish bar on the main square was also epic (don't judge me, I've been away for 2 months and sometimes you just NEED an English brekkie!!!)

Best sandwiches ever: Juanitos in San Blas, just down the road from 7 angelitos... I recommend your was it down with an amazing Inka Cola which to those Llanis out there reading this tastes just like Vimto (specifically Gibraltarian Vimto not the crap you get in England!)

Live music: Revisiting my teenage angst with Radiohead cover band at 7 angelitos bar was a highlight. Nightly live music from 9.30pm... And when that was too rammed km0 5 minutes away also has nightly live music and more of a chilled out vibe.