Cusco, Peru

A call for volunteers went out from a group of American missionaries who needed help staffing a small carnival at their church as a way to make more contacts in the community. I received the request second hand and jumped at the chance. For me, the opportunity to volunteer doing something worthwhile is a great excuse to travel. I get the best of both worlds - the enjoyment of doing something good and the enjoyment of seeing more of the world. I arrived into Cusco on October 10, 2011 by train from Puno and went directly to the church where the kick off dinner was in progress. I had never met any of these people so it was a bit uncomfortable at first but introductions were made and things slowly warmed up. Out of the group of 17 Americans who had come to volunteer, 7 of us were staying in a hotel owned by friends of the missionaries. On Tuesday morning we walked to the church and spent the day organizing and decorating for the carnival. What started as a large empty room with a concrete floor became a large room filled with colorful flags, balloons and about 12 different booths with different games. It was an amazing transformation! For three days we had three sessions each day for children and their families to come play games, win small prizes and learn more about the church. It was physically exhausting but mentally encouraging.

After the carnival, most of my new friends left town right away so I moved to a hotel in old town. This would give me easy access to spend time exploring Cusco. Using Trip Advisor I found a hostal in an old colonial house that was priced well and located between Plaza de Armas and San Blas. It looked to be down a narrow alley or one way street and turned out to be a narrow alley that was up a steep set of stairs. It was a bit daunting to be at the bottom with luggage but one step at a time, clunk, clunk, clunk I pulled my wheeled suitcase up. I was breathing so hard that I could hardly talk when I got into the lobby. It was a small, old-world style lobby with large dark wood beams and wood floors that led to a small patio. My room was up a set of dark wood stairs that creaked with each step and led to a very long hallway that also creaked with each step. I opened the door to the cutest room with two twin beds, beam ceilings, ancient wood floors, a mural painted on the wall, and a small brick fireplace. There was also a large window overlooking a tile roof out to the city of Cusco. I felt like I had just checked into a small town inn back in colonial times with the exception of the modern bathroom. I love that old world feel but a modern bathroom is a must!!

After a good night sleep in a warm room with a comfortable bed I spent the next day on a guided tour of the Sacred Valley. I saw the quaint towns of Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero along with many Inca ruins. It was a whirlwind tour with little time to really explore the towns. Note to self: spend a few days in the Sacred Valley not just one.  

Qorikancha

The next day was my last full day in Cusco so my game plan was to just explore, simply wander and see what I find that is not on the tourist map. I had only two must see places that day so I started with the ancient Inca site of Qorikancha (pronounced Cour-a-kancha). It was the most important temple in the Inca empire, dedicated to Inti, the Sun God. When the Spanish arrived in Cusco they wrote of the temple walls being covered in gold which the Inca took down in order to ransom their king from the Spanish. As was standard procedure for the Conquistadors, they tore down most the temple and built a cathedral upon the Inca foundations. It makes these sites an interesting mix of quality Inca stone work and colonial style buildings. Cusco has had two very large earthquakes, 1650 and 1950, that destroyed many colonial buildings but the Inca stone work is still standing as solid as the day they were built.

The old section of Cusco is a mixture of narrow cobblestone streets and wide paved boulevards and it feels like there is a large Spanish cathedral around every corner. There is also a smattering of Inca walls scattered about, most are part of some random colonial age building. West of the Plaza de Armas I found a huge open market where the locals go to buy fresh goods and most anything else you can think of including a whole section of fresh flowers. I love wandering through these markets. You will find every type of meat, just butchered hanging whole or cut into chunks and covered in flies; fruits and vegetables, some you can identify and some you have never seen before and anything else you can think of from grains to household items out for sale. This market also had numerous small stations with stools at counter tops that served some kind of soup with meat and vegetables., which is something I have not seen before at other open markets. Shortly after leaving the market the wind started gusting and I noticed the clouds building which had brought a little rain almost every afternoon for the last couple of days. I ducked into a church that was decorated with purple and white ribbon for the Senior del Milagros processions that were taking place that week. It looked like the church was getting ready for a service so I respectfully sat down to observe the people praying, lighting candles and altar boys scurrying about. It was a great place to be out of the weather and see the locals preparing for mass and the procession. After a short bit of rain I walked back toward the Plaza de Armas and wandered up and down some of the smaller streets that radiate out of from the square.

Not too far away is the chocolate museum with comfortable chairs and couches, similar to Starbucks, and you can order snacks and drinks. I went in and found a spot on a stool out on one of the small balconies that overlooked the Plaza Regocijo. It was a nice place to drink a coffee and watch the tourists and locals as they went about their lives below. If you ever go to Cusco don't miss the Chocolate Museum! They have a lot of interesting information about growing Cacao and making it into chocolate but my favorite was actually watching the process as they made their own chocolate right there in the museum. If you are used to the normal very sweet and creamy chocolate of the states then I should warn you that this will be bitter to your taste buds. I was great to try but not something I would eat on a regular basis. My American taste buds have been acclimatized to too much sugar. After a dinner of the most wonderful rotisserie chicken I went back to the hotel and packed to go home. This part of Peru is so full of history, I found it very interesting plus I had a lot of fun practicing my Spanish. Hopefully I will be invited back next year!