During my time at Texas State University, I took a course from Dr. Christina Conlee on Archaeology of the Inca Empire.  Dr. Conlee had done work for many years in the Nasca region of Peru and was a knowledgeable and inspiring professor.  As I studied the history of the early cultures in Peru and the amazing archaeology they left behind, I decided that I would visit there someday.  That “someday” became the Spring of 2017.  I had graduated from Texas State in December of 2016, and decided to reward myself with a trip to Peru to hike the Inca Trail.  After much research, I booked a trip with Wilderness Travel out of Berkeley, California.  I was attracted to that company because it claimed to have a premium archaeology-based hike of the Inca Trail, as well as some proprietary campsites.  About the same time I made my booking with Wilderness Travel, I changed veterinarians, and took Bitsy in for a check-up.  Turns out my new vet, Dr. Elizabeth Fowler, had recently hiked the Inca Trail with her husband.  She strongly advised that I go a few days early and spend time in Cusco to get acclimated to the altitude.  She also strongly encouraged me to make sure I trained and was in great shape.  She said the hike up Dead Woman’s Pass was brutal, and that, at times, she didn’t think she was going to make it.  I heeded her advice, and decided to spend time on my own in Cusco before meeting up with the Wilderness Travel folks.  At first, I had planned to take local transportation (buses) and hike to some of the archaeological sites in and around Cusco.  When I discovered how inexpensive it was to hire a local guide and a driver, I decided that was a better way to go.  It turned out to be a good decision!  I hope you enjoy my attempt to tell you about my adventures in Peru!

On the late afternoon of Thursday, April 6, 2017, I drove from Lake McQueeney to the Austin airport and caught a flight to Dallas.  I then boarded a flight to Lima, Peru, that left Dallas at 10:30 p.m.  During the flight to Lima, I only got a couple of hours sleep since I was so excited.  We arrived in Lima an hour early, at 4:30 a.m.  I made it through immigration without any problems.  I collected my luggage from the international flight and made my way through security to the departure area for domestic flights.  Wilderness Travel was supposed to have someone meet me to help me navigate the airport, but no one showed up.  It was not the first time I was disappointed with the company and its service.  The Lima airport was interesting.  In my travel notes, I described it as “lackadaisical chaos”.  Some Peruvians were dressed to the nines, but many were dressed in a manner I would describe as a cross between bad hip hop and stereotypical Jersey Shore.  Flight attendants looked sharp, sporting red berets and mini-skirts.  There were lots of official looking people in uniforms with clipboards, but I never really figured out their purpose.  The main bathroom at the airport was very small in scale, with only two urinals.  The overall shabby appearance of the place did not inspire confidence.  The air in Lima appeared to be very polluted, so much so that you could barely see nearby mountains.  After boarding and  taxiing out to the single runway, we sat for 37 minutes before taking off.  But we finally took off, and I enjoyed the seeing the mountainous landscape as we flew to Cusco.

The Cusco airport was quite small.  I was met by Patricia of Kondor Path Tours, and she drove me to the Rumi Punku Hotel.  She was very nice, and spoke passable English.  I checked into my room and prepared to begin my adventure!

I spent my first five nights in Cusco at the Hotel Rumi Punku, Calle Choquechaca 339.  I located this small hotel on the internet.  It is located in the Historic Center of Cusco, 300 meters from the Plaza de Armas (the main square), next to the traditional neighborhood of San Blas.  Hotel Rumi Punku is within close walking distance to various museums, churches, restaurants, and shops.  Like many of the historic structures in Cusco, original Inca stonework can be found on many parts of the hotel property.  I grew to love this place and the people that work there!

While in Cusco, I also stayed two nights at the Hotel Monasterio, a 16th century monastary that has been transformed into a five-star hotel.  This was part of my Wilderness Travel package.  It was a beautiful place, but, in all honesty, I was much more comfortable at the Rumi Punku.  I guess I am really not a five-star guy at heart!

During my Inca class at Texas State, Dr. Conlee mentioned (several times, as I recall) eating a Peruvian delicacy known as “Cuy“.  Cuy is guinea pig.  So, I told Odon (my guide from Kondor Path) one of the things I wanted to do was eat some cuy, but that I didn’t want to eat it at a tourist place, I wanted to eat where the locals eat it.  So, Odon took me to a place south of Cusco in the Tipon area that he said was a favorite among the locals.  He said that it is generally eaten by local people on special occasions only.  It was quite an experience!  I also learned that in many traditional Quechuan households in the mountains, the guinea pigs live in the homes.

Can’t have food without a Cusco style beverage…

Cusco  People and Culture…

I really enjoyed the people and culture of Cusco and the surrounding area.  On my first afternoon in Cusco (Friday, April 7, 2017), I wandered over to the Plaza de Armas and encountered one of the most colorful and uplifting celebrations I have ever seen.  It was a group dance competition of some sort, and there were many, many groups competing, each group dressed in its own style.  Apparently, this sort of thing is a big part of the culture in Peru.  I enjoyed more cultural folk dancing when the folks from Kondor Path took me to dinner at La Cusquenita the following Tuesday.  During my week in Cusco and the surrounding areas, I met many very nice Peruvians, and was impressed and affected by their happiness and humble nature.  In the following photos, I attempt to convey a little of the people and culture I experienced.

A Visit To The Museo Inka in Cusco…

After returning to Cusco after hiking the Inca Trail, I had a few free hours on the morning of April 20, 2017, so I stopped by and visited the Inca Museum.  I enjoyed the time I spent there and saw some beautiful artifacts.  I particulary enjoyed the display of some of the old photos of Hiram Bingham, the gentleman who “discovered” Machu Picchu.  If I ever have the good fortune to visit Cusco again, I would like to visit Museo Machu Picchu (Casa Concha) where the artifacts taken by Bingham are now housed.  Here are a few of the photos I took during my visit to the Inca Museum.  

I had a really difficult time picking out which pictures to post on this blog.  I was overwhelmed by the people I met in and around Cusco.  Though there was very often a language barrier, their kindness, generosity, and humility were always apparent.  They are such a happy, decent people, who are proud of their culture and happy to share it.  I hope you have enjoyed my attempt to accurately portray the people and culture of Cusco, Peru.  I will leave you with two videos.  The first video is of Marga, of Chinchero, where she sings as she uses a drop spindle (pushka), which is similar to a wooden top with an elongated axis.  The pushka varies in size with the diameter of thread being spun. The act of spinning is known as puskhay.  Odon knows her family well, and told me that Marga had attended college in Lima for a while, but decided to return home and support herself and her little girl (“Tica”, which means flower in Quechuan) with her traditional weavings.  The second video is from La Cusquenita.  The folks from Kondor Path took me there for dinner and the folk-dancing show.  After the last dance, the performers come into the crowd of spectators and pick out people to dance with them.  I was surprised, and a little embarrassed, to be picked, but I did my best.  (From the gleam in her eye, I suspect Patricia might have had a hand in making sure I got picked!)  Hope you enjoy these videos as much as I enjoyed making them!