Wednesday, December 20, 2006
18 December Wandered the town today.
4 blocks back into the locals world and away from Gringoland. Sorted my travel plans from now until new year. Cusco very expensive compared to other parts of Peru but if you get back into the locals area it is much better. Had a great 4 course Menu lunch today for 4.50 soles (approx $2AUD) on the main drag it would have cost me 20-30 soles.
Joined a guided district tour this afternoon. Was too lazy (I'm blaming it on altitude) to walk up the hills myself. Bit strange: didn't learn a lot about the area but at least the compulsory market visit taught me the difference between different qualities of alpaca wool and what to look for. Not that I'm in the market in Cairns. Visited 4 sites - Saqsaywaman (or sexy woman in silly english), Qéngo, Pukapukara and Tambomachay. The first was the best. These Incas were clever engineers building huge temples and walls with huge rocks with no iron tools, animal power, pully system or mortar. Very little seems to be known about them. Whether the Spanish didn't write it down before they destroyed everything or the locals lost the ability to pass on the oral history?...
Also visited two Spanish era attractions - the Santa Dominican Convent Qorikancha and Cusco Cathedral. What was most interesting about both was the number and quality of European religious art. All produced by Cusco Indians under instruction by the Spanish . It seems only about 10% of their production stayed in the region. Cusco was the manufacturing point for all the south american religious art. Some is so good it was mistaken, until modern dating analysis became available, as Spanish masters' work.
Tonight went to a Cusco cultural dance theatre. Excellent. About 10 dances from different parts of Cusco area. Very colourful costumes, great story telling through dance and quality performers. One of the best things I've done in Cusco and better quality than I saw in Trujillo (although different dances). It was SO cold walking back I couldn't stop my teeth chattering. Went to 'my' cafe with the open fire and thawed out there with hot chocolate and hot apple pie - what a treat.
HINDSIGHT: What is this? It's Christmas in the southern hemisphere and instead of being hot and wet it is COLD and wet. I can handle being drenched when it's warm but HATE being cold and wet. If that's altitude they can have it! It doesn't get that warm on the coast in Lima or Trujillo either. Only the jungle seems to be hot.
4 blocks back into the locals world and away from Gringoland. Sorted my travel plans from now until new year. Cusco very expensive compared to other parts of Peru but if you get back into the locals area it is much better. Had a great 4 course Menu lunch today for 4.50 soles (approx $2AUD) on the main drag it would have cost me 20-30 soles.
Joined a guided district tour this afternoon. Was too lazy (I'm blaming it on altitude) to walk up the hills myself. Bit strange: didn't learn a lot about the area but at least the compulsory market visit taught me the difference between different qualities of alpaca wool and what to look for. Not that I'm in the market in Cairns. Visited 4 sites - Saqsaywaman (or sexy woman in silly english), Qéngo, Pukapukara and Tambomachay. The first was the best. These Incas were clever engineers building huge temples and walls with huge rocks with no iron tools, animal power, pully system or mortar. Very little seems to be known about them. Whether the Spanish didn't write it down before they destroyed everything or the locals lost the ability to pass on the oral history?...
Also visited two Spanish era attractions - the Santa Dominican Convent Qorikancha and Cusco Cathedral. What was most interesting about both was the number and quality of European religious art. All produced by Cusco Indians under instruction by the Spanish . It seems only about 10% of their production stayed in the region. Cusco was the manufacturing point for all the south american religious art. Some is so good it was mistaken, until modern dating analysis became available, as Spanish masters' work.
Tonight went to a Cusco cultural dance theatre. Excellent. About 10 dances from different parts of Cusco area. Very colourful costumes, great story telling through dance and quality performers. One of the best things I've done in Cusco and better quality than I saw in Trujillo (although different dances). It was SO cold walking back I couldn't stop my teeth chattering. Went to 'my' cafe with the open fire and thawed out there with hot chocolate and hot apple pie - what a treat.
HINDSIGHT: What is this? It's Christmas in the southern hemisphere and instead of being hot and wet it is COLD and wet. I can handle being drenched when it's warm but HATE being cold and wet. If that's altitude they can have it! It doesn't get that warm on the coast in Lima or Trujillo either. Only the jungle seems to be hot.
# posted by The Essence of Good Taste @ 5:31 PM 
