{"id":156,"date":"2007-09-01T21:08:14","date_gmt":"2007-09-02T01:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/svetanyc.com\/?p=156"},"modified":"2015-11-05T15:01:34","modified_gmt":"2015-11-05T20:01:34","slug":"peru-august-2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/192.168.2.119:1984\/svetanyc\/2007\/09\/peru-august-2007\/","title":{"rendered":"Peru. August 2007"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
Allillanchu! That’s how local people of the Andes greet each other and let me welcome you with the same sweet sound – “Allillanchu”.<\/p>\n

Peru<\/a>. Why Peru? This country has never been on top of my travel list. I have considered Costa Rica surfing school first and then Galapagos Islands diving trip but never Peru. Nevertheless, I ended up there and I wish I got lost in the beauty of the Andes<\/a>.\u00a0I was just as far from the civilized world as I could possible be and I saw life full of happiness, peace and tranquility. Besides opening my eyes on many things that I have forgotten or never knew about, this place was a true reality check for me. I bow to everyone who made this trip so unbelievable!<\/p>\n

Peru\u00a0–\u00a0a legendary place among the\u00a0trekkers. Like famous Peruvian Pisco Sour<\/a>, it combines Pisco of picturesque Andean highland towns with still existing Incan architecture, lemon taste of the remote jungle lodges in Amazon Basin, egg whites of snowcapped volcanoes and sweet and bitter 3200 km of Pacific coastline. And for dessert, you get to taste a place of stunning legacy of Incas – Machu Picchu<\/a>.\u00a0Machu Picchu was my goal, but the journey itself turned out\u00a0to be so much better!<\/p>\n

Before going to Peru I have read practically everything that I could find on Incas and Peru in NY Public library, but I want to recommend one book that made an enormous impression on me. It’s a classic work on Incan history and the Spanish conquistadores “The Conquest of the Incas” <\/b>by John Hemming<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The word “Peru” is derived from a Quechua word meaning “land of abundance” and it is indeed blessed with a variety of wilderness, so outfit yourself with Gore-Tex, water, repellent, fleece pullovers, hiking boots and daypacks and… Join me on my journey!<\/p>\n

History.\u00a0<\/b>First inhabited as many as 20 000 years ago, Peru was the cradle of several of the most ancient and sophisticated pre-Columbian civilizations in the Americas. Before the Incas, two other civilizations, the Chavin and the Huari-Tiahuanaco, achieved Pan-Andean empires. Most of what is known about pre-Columbian cultures is based on the unearthing of temples and tombs because none possessed a written language. As one culture succeeded a previous one, it imposed its values and social structure on the vanished but also assimilated features useful to it.<\/p>\n

Around 6000 B.C., the Chinchero people mummified their dead, long before the ancient Egyptians had thought of it. By the 1st<\/sup> century B.C. Andean society had designed sophisticated irrigation canals and produced first textiles and decorative ceramics.\u00a0Though Peru is likely to be forever synonymous with the Incas, the society was merely the last in a long line of pre-Columbian cultures.\u00a0 The Incan Empire was relatively short lived (1200-1532) but it left behind the spectacular city of Machu Pichhu and countless palaces and temples.\u00a0Even thought the height of its power lasted for little more than a century, the Incan Empire extended throughout the Andes, all the way from present-day Colombia down to Chile.<\/p>\n

The Incas were naturalistic and ritualistic people who worshipped the sun god Inti and the mother Earth Pachamama. They achieved the Andean dominance through formidable organization and a highly developed economic system. They never created a system of writing but they kept extraordinary records with a system of knots on strings, called “quipus<\/em>“. They laid a vast network of roadways (about 32 200 km) and used chasquis<\/em> (runners) to operate the roads.\u00a0 From what I was told from Paull (our tour guide), if Inca wanted to have a fish from the Pacific ocean, he would send a chasqui from Cusco and less than 36 hours later he would get his fish. Note that it’s about 1000 km one way!!!!<\/p>\n

The Inca’s agricultural techniques were very\u00a0efficient, with advanced irrigation systems and soil conservation. The Incas were also extraordinary architects and stonemasons. When you see some of the Inca’s structures\u00a0you are blown away by splendid landscaping and graceful constructions of perfectly cut stones and terraces on inaccessible sites with extraordinary views of the valleys and mountains.<\/p>\n

Spanish Conquistadores chronicled a dynasty of 12 rulers, from Manco Capac, the empire’s founder in 1200 who was said to have risen out of Lake Titicaca, to Atahualpa, whose murder in 1533 in Cajamarca by Spanish conquerors spelled the end of the great civilization.\u00a0We all know what happened next, but as for me, I was going to the land of Ancient Incas.<\/p>\n

Peru met with 7.9 magnitude earthquake.\u00a0 August 15th<\/sup>, 2007 will always be remembered as a day that brought devastation to southern part of Peru killing nearly 500 people. My heart goes to\u00a0those people and their families. \u00a0As my final destination was Cusco, after 7 hours of NYC-Lima flight, I switched my planes and went straight to the capital of the Incas.<\/p>\n

Day 1. Cusco. August 16<\/b>th<\/sup><\/b>, 2007<\/b><\/p>\n

I have arrived to Cusco at 10.30 and had a representative of SAS Travel<\/a><\/b> waiting for me by the gate. I have booked two of my trips with this company\u00a0and they were kind enough to meet me in the airport and take me to my hotel.\u00a0Hotels in Cusco divide into two category – either very expensive (p.ex. Hotel Monasterio or Libertador Palacio del Inca) or very cheap. I wasn’t planning to spend a lot of money on my accommodations so I went with the second option.\u00a0I booked 4 nights at a very cute Ninos hotel<\/a><\/b>,\u00a0three blocks away from Plaza de Armas (note: all major plazas in Peru called Plaza de Armas??!!).\u00a0The story of the hotel is fascinating. A Dutch owner, Jolanda van den Berg, came to Cusco in 1996 and mounted a small empire of goodwill though the Foundation Ninos Unidos Peruanos. She adopted 12 street children and opened a hotel that puts all its profit to benefit children in need. It was a right place with a right cause for me to stay!\u00a0All rooms in the hotel are named after the couple’s children. So I was assigned to stay at Moises room on the second floor with a great view of the street from my balcony. I didn’t linger much, just dumped my suitcase in a room, changed my clothes and stepped outside, I wanted to introduce myself to Cusco J<\/p>\n

Cusco<\/a><\/b> \u00a0( Q’osqo in Quechua, meaning “navel of the World”) \u00a0is a puma shaped living museum of Peruvian history, with Spanish colonial churches and mansions sitting atop perfect Inca walls that were laid more than 5 centuries ago. Cusco looked and felt like the very definition of Andean capital.\u00a0 Some streets had intriguing Quechua names, such as Saqracalle (“where the demons dwell”) or Pumaphaqcha (“Puma’s Tail”). It was love from first sight.<\/p>\n

I had\u00a0to show up at SAS travel office on Plaza de Armas to make final payments towards my trip to Manu National Park and The Lares Trail. But I didn’t rush; I slowly walked along unfamiliar streets trying to adjust to a thought that I was 3400 meters above sea level. From my friend’s experiences I was ready to get the worst altitude sickness but I was waiting for something that never came. I was perfectly fine.\u00a0 So, basically, I had no excuse to chew on coca leaves or drink some mate de coca.<\/p>\n

When I finally arrived to the SAS office I was unpleasantly surprised to find out that my trip to Manu National Park<\/a> had to be either cancelled or rescheduled because SAS either forgot to book me for requested dates or no longer had availability. It was strange because I have arranged everything with them about 3 months before so I was a bit disappointed.\u00a0Ruben, a representative of SAS, was very helpful trying to make some last minute accommodations and when we were done; my schedule looked nothing like I have initially planned – I was leaving for Manu the very next day and upon my arrival, 5 days later, I was going on a 4 days The Lares Trail.\u00a0Now I had to worry about rescheduling my hotel dates. In the end, I got two nights with a private bath ($40 per night) and two nights with a shared bathroom ($18 per night).\u00a0 Deal!<\/p>\n

I was free at\u00a014.00 and had all time for myself – to browse around, walk into every single house (and believe me, the doors were wide open) and to take pictures. Most of the houses by Plaza de Armas are occupied by travel agencies, hostels and restaurants, but further away, the\u00a0city becomes more unique and tragic. Tragic, because they all looked like the ghosts of\u00a0the glorious past – lonely and abandoned.<\/p>\n

I have a tradition to send postcards to my family and friends while I’m traveling. Post cards I got from a boy right by the fountains on Plaza de Armas (20 cards for $10) but it took me an hour to locate a Post office (ask for Correo<\/em>).\u00a0In the post office I met Matthew! He was my first tour guide in Cusco and the first person who could communicate with me in English. Matthew was Canadian but he spent most of his time traveling in South America and it was his 5th<\/sup> time in Cusco. I couldn’t wish for a better person to meet as he agreed to show me the best parts of the city.<\/p>\n

Av. El Sol brought us back to Plaza de Armas and we spent early evening sitting on a bench and enjoying the beauty of the place and our conversation.\u00a0I had a 19.00 o’clock briefing about my next day trip to Manu National park but before, I ran back to my hotel to put some layers on. It got really cold at night.\u00a0Matthew came with me to the briefing and assured me that everything sounded great, though I didn’t think so. An idea of isolating myself for 4 days in complete rustic conditions with no electricity, was far from my ideal vacation. But, there is always place for something new. I got my insect repellant, bought an extra flashlight and charged my camera batteries. I was ready for tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Matthew suggested a nice restaurant that served real Peruvian food – \u00a0Granja Heidi<\/a><\/b>. On the way to San Blas we had to pass the world famous 12 angled stone<\/b>. The street is called Hatunrumiyoc (“big stone”) and it is home to the largest Inca wall of Cusco\u00a0which is also a part of\u00a0the palace of Inca Roca (13-14 century). One of the wall’s stones is famous for having\u00a0twelve angles (piedra de doce \u00c3\u00a1ngulos) and is a perfect example of original masonry skills of the Inca people.\u00a0From Hatunrumiyoc, we made a right turn to another pedestrian alleyway, Inca Roq’a, and about halfway down on the right side was a series of stones said to form shape of a puma, including the head, paws and tail.<\/p>\n

We arrived to Granja Heidi at around 20.30 and to my surprise they did require reservations, but Matthew and I didn’t mind to wait a few minutes for a table. It was so worth it. Food was beyond delicious! And it was my very first time drinking Pisco Sour.<\/p>\n

My day had began with an earthquake and ended with a glass of Pisco Sour and tasty meal. By 23.00 I was in my bed, quietly sleeping.<\/p>\n

Day 2. Manu National Park.\u00a0 August 17<\/b>th<\/sup><\/b>, 2007<\/b><\/p>\n

Pick up was scheduled for 7.00 so by 6.45 I was already downstairs, checking my luggage to “Deposito” for the next 4 days.\u00a0I was going to spend 3 days in Manu with a honeymooning couple – Elena and James from Sydney. Only three of us! Plus staff from SAS – our guide Shirley, a cook, a boat navigator Eucenio and Jesus.\u00a0We headed to the airport to take a private jet to Amazon Basin and 45 minutes later landed in Boca Manu.<\/p>\n