Cusco

Arrived into Cusco at the ungodly hour of 530, thinking we might get picked up by our chosen hostel. Sitting at the bus station for the next hour without success, we tried to get a cab. A fight nearly broke out between cabbies. Then we switched our hostel at the last minute due to a write up in the bible (lonely planet). A reasonable if not perfect choice.

Cusco is a beautiful place. Once the capital of the Inka empire, the spaniards built over the top of the place after they shot it up. We´ve been wandering around admiring architecture, huffing and puffing with the altitude, and getting asked if we wanted to get a massage. Managed to get saturated one night when the heavens opened and then didn´t stop until morning. Ducked into a roast chicken joint after the fire inside caught our eye as we ran. High fives after our awesome meal.

There are some local Inka ruins that require the most bizarre ticket to see. Its called the Boleto Touristica and gives you access to about 12 sites for a ten day period. If you only want to see less sites you get a different ticket, but if you want that one you need to be persistant because they don´t really want to sell it to you. Two ruins in particular took our eye for the sheer scale of them. The first is Saqsaywaman (or sexy woman) which has massive stone blocks fitted tightly together without mortar. Cusco was originally envisioned as a Puma and this fortress was the head, with military and govenment based here. The last Inka nearly beat the spanish by laying seige from here. Only 20% of the original structure remains, and that is massive. Qenqo, Pukapukara, Tambomachay are also in walking distance from Cusco, beautiful places that had significance. The other that we really liked is Ollantaytambo. Where the Inka´s actually won a battle (their only victory), the terraces fit into the moutain really well and are Huge. I think about 75m up in total. Blocks that weighed 50 tonne. Its the oldest continually inhabited Inka town that retains Inka town planning. The Inkas were very good at getting water to all of their structures with channels and aquaducts. They also built their walls with round balls of stone under them for support during earthquakes. Pretty cluey.

We´re close to the start of the Inka trail and Machu Picchu, the excitement is rising.....