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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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The first day back in Cusco after the Inca Trail mainly consisted of shopping with coffee breaks, followed by a well-earned 1.5hr long massage for the sum total of $10!!! It was wonderfully relaxing once I got over the fact that my masseuse smelled of cabbages. Nice!
The next day a few of us ventured out to visit some of the nearby ruins on horseback. It was another relaxing morning which comprised riding through local countryside & hamlets from ruin to ruin, then dismounting our horses at each one to go for a closer look. First we visited Sacsayhuaman - pronouned "sexy woman" :o) It is thought that the walls may have been a form of fortification, or just to form the head of a Puma which Sacsayhuaman along with Cuzco form when seen from above.
We also went to visit Tambomachay (a.k.a. "Banos del Inca" since it was a site for ritual bathing). This was followed by a quick sprint around Puca Pucara ("Red Fort") - more likely a post house or guard post controlling the way between Cusco & the Sacred Valley, rather than an actual fortress. Then finally Q'enko ("Zigzag") - a rock carved insitu containing steps, seats & reliefs. The Incas believed large rocky outcrops possessed some hidden spiritual force. On top of the rock are zigzag channels which served to course chicha (local maize beer) or sacrificed llama blood for the purposes of divination. It is thought that the speed & route of the liquid, in conjunction with the patterns made in the rock, provided the desired answers.
In the evening some of us went to see a show of local music & dances which was pretty cool - especially since it meant we missed out on dinner, thus entitling us to a post-theatre snack of cheesecake of coffee :o)
On our final day, in & amongst doing even more shopping (it's just so cheap here :o)), Lucy & I visited Coricancha - the centrepiece of a vast astronomical observatory & calendar, & the most important temple in the Inca empire. Despite its historical significance, there wasn't too much to look at - apart from a picture of the galaxy/stars on the wall showing the image of a llama hidden within the Milky Way - which I can now see, too, if you're ever interested in being shown :o) There's also a toad & partridge, aparently, but I've never been able to see them! We also went for one final massage (just so cheap & good!).
From Cusco it was onto Puno & then La Paz...
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Valeria23 says:
I totally agree with you, Peru ís the best!!!