PeruDay10

We were packed and waiting when our taxi driver, Romulo, stopped his car at the front gate of the Hotel Pakaritampu. He was right on time, 9:00 am. Unfortunately, Will and Diane’s driver was no where in sight. Based on a quick conversation with the hotel staff, we learned that the $60sole fare that John, Barbara and I had negotiated for the ride back to Cusco was on the low end of the average, while Will’s $50/sole did not come close. Will and Diane’s driver was a no show.

Te hotel staff offered to call a cab but Will’s frustration was evident as he expressed concern about getting “ripped off” and arriving late for their Cusco flight to Nasca. Luckily another taxi stopped at the gate just as John, Barbara and I were loading out backpacks in Romulo’s taxi. We left Will negotiating price and started our drive back to Cusco. We had a lot of stops to make along the way! (Yes, Will and Diane arrived in Cusco safely and at the airport on time).

People sitting at the bottom of Moray provide some sense of scale as go just how big the agricultural experiemental site is

Our first stop was Moray, the agricultural experimentation site for the Incas. Constructed as a series of circular terraces, the different levels are thought to reproduce the climate and altitude conditions found in different regions of the Inca Empire. We were fascinated by the vertical stone steps built into the walls between the terraces. The steps provide easy access from terrace to terrace so we “stepped” down to the bottom of the formation, sat on the grass and soaked in the blue sky and incredible scenery. While we relaxed, we listened to Romulo’s soft voice as he pointed out sites around us. The only problem with this otherwise perfect picture is that Romulo spoke maybe 10 words of English and we spoke about 10 words of Spanish. Nevertheless, the four of us talked non-stop all morning with Barbara thumbing through a list of Spanish words in the back of one of our guide books, trying to translate the conversation back and forth. We figure we missed a lot by not understanding Rolumo but his easy going, friendly personality made him a great Peruvian ambassador for tres amigos from east Tennessee.

Maras Salinas, the salt flats

Second on the “must see” list was Maras Salinas, (also know as the salt flats). Located at 10,800’, the flats are nestled at the bottom of a long dusty road. The water source for the ponds is a very salty channel that originates deep within the Andes. Salt water is directed into ponds, the water allowed to evaporate and the salt gathered for market. Although the ponds were cultivated pre-Incan, salt from these ponds was the major commodity for Inca trade. Today the ponds are still worked by hand and provide a major source of salt. We gazed at the ponds from a hillside about ½ -way down the road. We were short on time and still had another stop to make.

Entering the village of Chinchero (the church steeple is visible on the top tier of the village, center)

Our last stop was Chinchero (Chincheros). Located about 30km from Cusco, tourism is only just beginning to come back to Chinchero since the Cusco branch of the Shining Path, moved north. Once again our BTU covered the admission to sites but I couldn’t find my pass. I encouraged John and Barbara to go ahead and I decided to stay at the car. Just as I was trying to figure out how to entertain myself during the wait, Romulo turned around and walked back to the entrance gate. He began to argue (in Spanish) with the lady taking the tickets. The ticket taker shook her head no, but Romulo persisted. The next thing I knew, he grabbed my arm and walked me through the gate. The gate keeper said nothing and we continued toward the market. (Thanks Romulo, I didn’t want to miss this stop!) Maybe it was the sunshine or possibly that our trip was almost over, but the church and grounds in Chinchero were as beautiful as any place we had visited in Peru so far.

Several small shops line the road from the ticket booth to the church. We shopped and shopped and John purchased a beautiful, brightly colored throw in shades of reds, oranges and browns. The outdoor market on the plaza in front of the church was fairly small on this late Saturday morning, but we have read that the Sunday market is substantial and worth a visit.

The Spanish church was built on on Inca ruins

Chincheros’ main attraction is a beautiful Spanish colonial church with stucco walls. Like many Spanish buildings, it is built on Inca foundations. The doors were locked when we were there so we did not go in. Several nice paintings can be seen on the outside walls.

Vast green fields back dropped by snow capped mountains surround the church. The skies were bright blue, the sun was shining and the temperature cool but comfortable. Romulo lead us out into the fields and stopped by two ladies in traditional clothing, sitting on the ground. He spoke to them for a moment and then, in broken English (i.e. “potatoes” with a hand gesture), explained that the ladies were drying potatoes in the sun. We looked around to see hundreds of potatoes lying in the grass. We watched for a few minutes as the ladies stood up and walked around the potatoes, turning and inspecting each one.

Potatoes drying in the sun

All too soon we were in the car and headed back to Cusco. Hard to believe we would be leaving this incredible country in the morning. Rumulo dropped us off at El Balcon around 1:30 pm and we provided a generous tip as a thank you for his patience, friendliness and willingness to make every stop we asked for as well as act as our tour guide.

Barbara, John and I checked into our “suite,” (room with a single and double bed and small divider) then headed back to the city to enjoy looking at Cusco under a blanket of sunshine. We walked to the Incan Wall, the only remaining piece of wall left in the City of Cusco. We also purchased several Peruvian style hats and table scarves at the museum store. I still regret not buying the beautiful red, tooled handbag that caught my eye but I did find a sterling charm for my travel bracelet.

Cusco on a sunny day! The fountain in the Plaza de Armas

Barbara had plans to join a new acquaintance for dinner in Cusco so John and I had the evening to ourselves. We headed to the Plaza to inspect several jewelry shops that had caught our eye earlier in the week. With windows and showcases adorned in beautiful sterling and stones, the decision for a birthday present for me was difficult. John selected a beautiful thick silver cuff and we walked away very pleased with the purchase. What a spectacular remembrance of our trip!!

We had dinner reservations at our favorite restuarant, CICCIOLINA Bodega-Tapas-Restuarante (Triunfo St. #393, Second Floor) at 5:45 pm. A bit early but the only open reservation. The candlelight, soft music (Norah Jones) and white tablecloths provided a relaxing atmosphere to talk and enjoy a great meal. We ordered fresh pasta dishes and sweet, spiced tea. After dinner, we strolled along the narrow streets enjoying the evening hustle and bustle. Jack’s Café caught our eye and we remembered the hot chocolate rave reviews from our Inca Trail trekking mates. Stepping inside the doorway, we found the atmosphere to be noisy and heavy with cigarette smoke so we ordered our hot chocolate to go! We sipped and chatted as we made our way to the Plaza de Aramas. We grabbed a bench on the Plaza and sat down to enjoy our drinks and to people watch. Wasn’t long before a young child crawled in John’s lap and begged him to buy a candy bar for $1/sole. At this point we knew it was time to head back to the hotel.

Barbara was back by 9:00 pm and we were lights out by 10:30 pm. We wish we had another week to spend in Cusco!

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