Paucarbamba

After yesterday's post, our tour of Cusco continued. Our next stop was to San Pedro Market, then lunch in the Plaza de Armas, the main square. After lunch, we toured the Cusco Cathedral.

Our final stop of the day was across the street from the hotel. Qorikancha: Incan religious temple, Catholic built convent on site, 1650 a.d. earthquake brought down Spanish architechture but Incan stayed up. Outside niche was for gold statue of the sun that Spanish stole (gone forever).

It was a drizzly evening, so I a couple of others had dinner at the hotel. I had a traditional dish called Caldo de Gallina, which is basically chicken noodle soup.

After breakfast, we loaded the vans for our two-day trip to Machu Picchu. But that's for tomorrow. Today, we stopped at a demonstration on how they make textiles from sheep, llama, etc. wool. Next was the Chinchero archeological site and cathedral, followed by a picturesque mountainside wine stop set up by the tour company.

We're now at the Maras Salt Mines, about 5,000 pools all gravity fed from the salty stream coming out if he mountain.

The Incan legend is that three brothers set out to travel the world together, but the two younger were afraid of the eldest, so they convinced him to go inside a mountain cave. They then trapped him and went on about their way. However, they were still fearful of their strong brother, so they went back to the mountain to see if he was still trapped. When they turned back to the mountain, they were transformed into pillars of gold, and thus was the end of the two younger brothers. In the meantime, the eldest brother had escaped the mountain, but in the form of a huge condor. About that time, the fourth and very youngest brother had begun his travels. Because the eldest brother held no fury against the youngest, he helped him with his toils, and that youngest brother became the first Inca King. The eldest brother returned to the top of his mountain trap and was sad at the loss of his two younger siblings. His salty tears now flow from the mountain. The Inca Nation began harvesting this salt so very long ago, and the people of Maras continued to do so today.

So long [for now] and thanks for all the fish. ✌️

P.S.: We had a nice surprise this morning, a military parade in front of the hotel heading to the main square. Apparently they do this every Sunday to raise the Peru and Cusco flags in front of the cathedral.Read more