The central Plaza de Armas in Cusco.With the cathedral.The festivities began with a military parade.My favorites. The bellhops. Probably something like the secret service.View of the city from the San Cristobal Church.Cusco is located at an altitude of about 3400m. We noticed that immediately upon arrival. It is noticeably colder. When the sun is shining, it is pleasantly warm. However, in the shade and especially at night, it gets significantly cooler. In the single-digit temperature range. Cusco was once the center of the new world. Capital of the Inca and now the tourism. There are incredibly many museums and churches to visit. They all tell the story of the Incas, their ancestors, and the conquistadors from Spain. That kept us busy for 2 days. Coricancha. Completely covered in gold back then.Puma, snake, and condor. All 3 sacred beings of the Incas.The monument Pachacutec - one of the founders of the Incas.
Sacred Valley
Not to forget the many Inca ruins around Cusco and in the Sacred Valley. We explored them on our own in 2 days. Including the chaotic road conditions. Everywhere there are minibuses that go in all directions as soon as they reach the required number of passengers or have shouted enough. There are no schedules. But it works. Fold your knees back and off you go.
The site above Cusco. Sacsayhuaman. This is also where the Inti Raymi festival will reach its climax.The puma's dentition is clearly visible here.Morning Zoga. Something like sports in the park.Perfectly stacked stones. No one really knows how they did it.The next site Puca Pucara.Tambomachay. Another stop.Even a hummingbird appeared here.Off to the ruins of Pisaq.With a view of the truly flat valley.A kind of water treatment.From higher up you get an overview. Some buildings were even two stories high.The typical niches for offerings.Always on the slope.Quickly down the stairs.The terrace constructions are also quite adventurous.But there are always a few steps.Here a spider finishes off a wasp-like creature.This is how the men make their money. Simply drink tea and wait.And this is how the women do it. What a tourist spectacle.We have secured the best view of the action again.The terraces of Moray have been restored. They were probably mainly used for agricultural experiments, as each terrace has its own climate.And here as a model.And, to finish, something current. The salt production in Maras. Huge and the saltwater comes directly from the springs in the mountains.Hard work.Wonderful views.
Festivals in Cusco
What we missed is that the preparations for the big Inti Raymi festival on June 24 have now begun in Cusco. This means that the whole week has already seen various activities taking place every day. Military parade, folklore processions, dances, etc. We took the time to watch this on Sunday.
This woman celebrates the traditional Peruvian singing that can be heard everywhere. For me, it always sounds a bit Japanese.Even the jury is impressed.The first festival procession was led by the elderly. While also drawing attention to themselves.No to the mistreatment of the elderly!Take care of me with dignity and respect my existence.You will understand how much I love you when you are my age.Central Inca monument on the PlazaWe have secured the best view.We did it.
The next day, Stefan returned to Germany, and I completed my museum tour and decided to go to the warm Amazon region for now, and then return to the great Inca festival of the solstice, 'Inti Raymi'. Another 12-hour overnight bus ride awaits. And this time we'll be going down 3000m.
