Incas and condors

We have now had a very good introduction to Inca and pre-Inca life and rituals. The trip through Peru has been very different to everything else before. Yes, there is still stunning scenery to look at and loads of wildlife, beautiful cities, etc. But the highlight has to be all the history left behind by the Incas and their predecessors. Although the Incas are the most famous race in the area, a lot of their achievements and legacy are actually things borrowed from other tribes who occupied the area before the Incas arrived. In fact, although the Inca civilisation started in the 11th or 12th century, the main period of Inca dominance lasted less than 100 years before the Spanish conquest. It is amazing how much they have left behind as a legacy.

First stop in Peru was the ruins of Sillustani. This an old burial site, used by the Incas and Collas (occupants of the area before the Incas moved in). Huge towers cover the site (Colla left, Inca right) which is on a peninsular jutting out into Lake Umayo near the town of Puno. Next scheduled stop was the floating islands of Uros. Unfortunately this coincided with the 1st time I have been ill in four months´ travelling (had to happen sometime I suppose). A nice boat trip out onto Lake Titicaca didn´t appeal, so I took a time out and relaxed in Puno for the afternoon whilst everyone else headed off to the reed islands. Have borrowed a couple of photos so we can all get an idea of what I missed out on.

Then on to the old Inca capital of Cusco. A beautiful city with Inca remains scattered amongst and within colonial buildings. Apparently, the Inca walls survive earthquakes better than any of the buildings built in the last five centuries. The main square - Plaza de Armas - is wonderful and a great place to chill on a sunny day. My favourite in the town is the Iglesia de la Merced. This has an amazing central courtyard behind the main church with beautiful gardens, ornate columns, beautifully decorated ceilings, and artwork all the way around the two floors. Best place for breakfast/brunch is Jack´s - all day breakfast gives enough food on a plate to mean you don´t have to eat for the rest of the day. A place to avoid is another English bar/restaurant: the Real McCoy. They advertise traditional roast dinners all week. Having booked a meal for most of our group and pre-ordered, we turned up to find that they didn´t have enough food for a lot of the orders, the food wasn´t ready when we arrived (which was the reason for pre-ordering) and then most of the desserts weren´t available either. To add to the list, the service was slow (and hour to get a banana smoothie!).

Almost every day seems to have some celebration or parade going on in the square. 1st was a parade to celebrate Machu Picchu´s inclusion in a shortlist for the 7 new wonders of the world (www.n7w.com) and to get all the tourists in town to cast their vote. Lots of dancers in traditional costume, floats, and bands. Then came the Celebration of the Cross where all the local schools paraded through the city, and finally another parade by the schools (never did find out what the last one was for).

Will write a separate entry on out Inca Trail trek and Machu Picchu later, so for now will move on to our activities after Cusco. First place we visited was a small village called Raqchi. This is situated next to one of the largest Inca temples surviving (Vioracocha). This is part of a large Inca complex including dwellings, storage rooms, as well as the temple itself. For the first time on the trip, we also had the chance to stay with some of the families in the village. Tina and myself were assigned to the house of a lovely lady called Maximiliana and her daughter Veronica. As part of our stay we also got to don traditional costume and take part in a ceremony to Pachamama (the Inca God of the earth), and a dance with the villagers. Also had a demonstration of pottery making. Most of the ceramics on sales in the region are made in the village.

This is the main way the villagers earn an income, so we all felt opbliged to buy at least one of two items from their market stalls.

After Raqchi, we moved onto the town of Chivay for an overnight stay before heading off to the Colca Canyon. Two objectives here: to see the canyon itself and to try and spot condors. We visited a part of the canyon which is about 1200 metres deep because this is the best place to view the birds. Apparently, further downstream it reaches a depth of over 3000 metres and is classified as the second deeest canyon in the world. Spotting the condors turned out to be easier than expected. It is hard to miss a bird with a 3 metre wingspan when it glides past just a few metres above your head.