Gringo Central

Incan walls - next to the Spanish wlls of the Inca pables ( get it ?!)
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You can`t get away from the fact that Cusco is a city that thrives on tourism. I don`t blame it - tourists from all over the world invade the place all year round. Even though restaurants are ridiculously expensive, you are hounded by people asking you if you want a massage, and tour guides roam the streets just waiting to explain the history of the city for a small fee, there is something really special about Cusco. It is one of the prettiest and most interesting cities I have been to yet in South America.

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Cusco was constructed in the shape of a Puma when it was founded by Incan brothers. Originally, four brothers arrived at the spot that was to be the modern day city. Unfortunately, two of them were miraculously transformed into a rock and a condor ( if I remember correctly) respectively. This is what legend tells us. You will have a much more worthwhile explanation of the city and it`s history by going to the Museo del Inka. Here you will find some gruesome mummies preserved by the Incan nobility, some artifacts from the Pre- Incan days to Post Colonial times. You can read about Incan traditions by reading passages from the first Mestizo, or at least the first Mestizo to write a book about Incan traditions. There is also a section on Machu Picchu and it´s many enigmas. It is all very interesting and very relevant to any trip to Peru.

Where the Motorcycle Diaries was filmed
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I also went to the Museum of the Convent of Santo Domingo which was built on the site of Incan temples. The Spanish did one of two things with Incan constructions: they either dug out the stones and used them for their own constructions or they built colonial buildings over them. This museum is an example of the latter. It is here that I learnt never to pay for an experienced guide to take you through the museums because at every corner you will find a student guide who will explain everything thoroughly for a small tip. The temples of the rainbow, the moon, the stars, the puma, the condor and the sun were all rediscovered after an earthquake devastated the exterior of the church, revealing the inner Incan walls. You learn here that the Incas had their own version of how the stars are arranged. You are also made aware of what Cusco is all about- the colonialisation of a fallen civilisation. Nowhere is that more obvious than here and the church`s role in this.

A restaurant dedicated either to me ( Cicciolina being a diminuitive of my nickname) or the Italian porn actress.
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Amongst other interesting places to visit ( that by the way,do not require paying a whopping seventy sols for the tourist ticket) are the Cathedral, the Compañia de Jesus Church, the Sacred Valley and the market. Usually you can do this on a city tour but save your money and go visit the church for mass. Clearly, you don`t have to participate and you don`t have to pay the ridiculously extortionate prices a tourist has to pay to get into what should in principle be free. I was lucky enough to be taken to the Sacred Valley and other important archeological sites by my Inca Trail guide. Without sounding ignorant but after Machu Picchu, I am not really that interested in military outposts that the Incas constructed to protect the city. Still, the Sacred Valley is stunningly beautiful, really fertile and owned exclusively by Chileans, Swiss and Argentinians.

The Plaza De Armas
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What I loved most about this city is how familiar it felt. Walking down the tiny cobbled streets protected by high and imposing Incan walls, the dome of a church emerges over head, giving it an almost Florentine feel. I could walk these streets all day, occasionally popping into a coffee shop for cake ( hmmmmmmm we all like a bit of cake d`unt we). I loved San Blas which is higher up above the Plaza De Armas( the main square) and it is the artisan district. The tiny cobbled streets mingle up to the Plaza San Blas where a huge stair case leads up above a fountain. At the top you can admire the view of the city which is even more dramatic at night.

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Other interesting experiences that I had in this city included eating a savoury hemp crepe and a salad with hemp dressing in a hemp restaurant discovered by two Brazilians. My friend Angela came to meet me for Easter and she bought along a French guy that had been working in the jungle. We also met Jose, a Mexican in a pizzeria. We were the only ones in the place and I have to say that the food was surprisingly really tasty and the restaurant was amazing. It was so cute- if only I could remember its name !

The Museum of the Convent of Santo Domingo
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I know that Cusco is touristy and commercial in some places but there are so many hidden streets that show you what Peru is really like. It is a must for any visitor to Peru and a beautiful city at that.