Cusco (or two days to adjust to a higher altitude)
After our quick visit to Lima we flew to Cusco Peru to meet up with the rest of our group and meet our guide. Our guide’s name was Juan Barrios and he was a Cusco native. He met us at the airport along with the rest of our group: Liz and Aaron; Laurie and Ken. We went off to our hotel for a quick lunch and then met up with the group to start a tour of Cusco.
When you think of a city tour you think of buses or vans; but not our tours. Juan was our guide for these tours and he was very knowledgeable about the museums and the history of Peru. I learned that Peru was the only civilization in South America prior to Spanish colonization. The map below shows the four tribes of the Inca Civilization and where they were located. It wasn’t until after the revolution against Spain that Columbia, Chile, and Argentina were formed. Very interesting history of this continent.
We did a walking tour of Cusco. Our first stop was at Basilica Catedral. I learned here that much of the culture of the Incas was integrated into the church. For example, in the Inca culture the woman played a strong role, so Mary has a strong role in the Peruvian church. Also, while the use of mirrors may seem vain, the use in the church was to reflect the role of the sun and moon in the Incan culture.
After the Catedral, we visited Museo De Sitio Del Qoricancha and Convento de Santo Domingo del Cusco. Both were built on Inca foundations. Misshapen skulls from Museo De Sitio Del Oricancha
Courtyard Courtyard of Convento De Santo Domingo del Cusco
Condor, Puma, and Snake – representing the Inca belief in life – above, on, and under ground
The second day in Cusco was another day to adjust to the higher altitude. Coming from Colorado Springs this was not difficult. We did another walking tour. We climbed a very steep street with about a 1500 foot change in altitude to the ruins at Suqsayhuaman. The view of Cusco was amazing as was the architecture. There was a stone in the wall weigh 136 tons. How did the Incas move it? We went through a narrow tunnel that became pitch black about half way through – we used the walls to navigate. Part of the hike to Saqsayhuman
Yes, that IS a 136 ton boulder! The view from the top overlooking Cusco
Going down into the tunnel
We visited some factories (Grupo Esmeralda) where the alpaca is woven into sweaters, shawls, hats and other things. We also visited a silver jewelry manufacturer. Everything was made by hand. The best part was if you paid in cash and in dollars you received a discount – bargain! We climbed a lot this day. We walked up to Q’engo and then back down to Cusco to visit the market. I bought bread and cheese for dinner for 6 soles or 2 dollars. On the way back we went down a street where a former monastery had been converted into a hotel. It was next to a former convent. During restoration the Cusco government found a tunnel connecting the two buildings. I guess the priests needed to provide some “hands-on” counseling to the nuns.
So we visited 2 churches, a museum, and 2 Inca ruins in our 2 days in Cusco. It looks like much of the center Cusco is built upon the ancient walls of the Inca civilization. It is amazing to see walls still standing from at least 500 years ago and even more amazing to think there is very little in the US that is that old and still in use.
We've used Adventure Life for several trips in the past and have always been very pleased with them. The staff is personable and professional at the same time. Erin put this trip together for us in just a few days, and it has everything we were looking for! I recommend them without hesitation.
benn
1 month ago
I served as the person responsible for planning a trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu for a group of 14 people. Jane with Adventure Life was very helpful throughout the process. Making suggestions, offering insight, and in the end helped me overhaul an initial plan into something even better. Also, Jane makes all the plans including the flights within and between Peru and Ecuador. Thanks to her this is going to be a stress-free adventure. After making the final decision about the trip, Jane gathered the contact information for all the travelers and sent out the details to each traveler individually with links to pay deposits, upload passport info, and personal preferences. She also ensured a group email was sent out to the entire group welcoming us to the trip preparation process. Our trip is a year from now and we are excited to make this once in a life time trek. I am happy to have organized things through Adventure Life. However, two small issues came up that were a little off putting. First, Adventure Life adds $50 per person to the cost for each traveler as a donation to a Galapagos conservation fund. I think this should he offered as something that can be added at each traveler’s discretion. Instead, it is automatically added, and each person must ask to have it removed if they do not want it included. Second, although the trip deposit may be paid with a credit card without incurring an additional fee, the balance must be paid in another way to avoid a 3% credit card fee. Maybe this is standard with all travel agencies. In the end I would definitely go through Adventure Life for the next big trip.
Brenda Nielsen
2 months ago
I think it was very helpful that Franny and I spoke on the phone. I think she had a better idea of what we were looking for, and she planned a great itinerary for us!
Elizabeth
3 months ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
3 months ago
Easy.
Great work on the follow up and details by Waru.