Cusco

Cusco was once the Inca capital, the jewel in its crown, sitting at the head of the Sacred Valley. In the 1500s the Spanish conquered the little town, destroyed a lot of its palaces and temples and built a colonial town on top. Today it is the first stop for most tourists embarking on an Inca adventure and has all the charms of a little colonial tourist town with some scattered Inca Ruins thrown in the mix.

The main square boasts the Catherdral and an impressive Church. Like most South American town squares is the main meeting point for the locals and the focal point for all celebrations. Our visit to town happened to coinincide with a celebration of some naval school graduations, a small parade of various groups from different years, serenaded by a childrens marching band. We weren't really sure what was going on but the pageantry was great and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

We toured the cathedral and the 'church of society of jesus' as well as some rather odd small art galleries and spent some time just wandering round the many little squares and markets, getting a feel for the city and of how the locals live. There are a few locals who cater just for the tourists including women who dress in traditional Inca outfits and drag Alpacas round the town charging tourists for photos. While the Alpacas are insanely cute, especially the babies, we didn't give them any money as they seem a bit unhappy being in the middle of a busy city.

Next day and we walked up the hill to see the Inca Ruins of Saqsaywaman (the locals call it Sexy Woman). The Ruins are quite impressive, with lots of large sculptured stones, if only for the fact they had to get them all the way up the hill. The site has some amazing views down on the city below and even a small herd of Alpacas that keep the grass cut. We sat for a while watching them eat and trying to snap some good pictures but they seem quite shy, or maybe it was just the loud American Tourists trying to get too close.

We hit the markets again to stock up on some souvenirs, there are a Alpacas Scarfs, Alpacas Jumpers, Alpacas Socks, Alpacas Hats, Alpacas Gloves, just lots of things made from Alpacas, I think we'll be very warm this winter! Let us know if you need any warm Alpaca clothes and we'll see what we can do, although our Backpacks are getting noticibly heavier. Time to venture out of the city and go exploring the rest of the sacred valley.Read more