Day 4 - Cusco - June 13th

Today we left the sacred valley and headed towards Cusco. We made a few stops at ruins along the way. The first stop was at a fountain spring area called Tambomachay. We got a cute picture of Josh holding a baby alpaca. Tambomachay was important for irrigation of the city of Cusco. Bernell Christiansen, our guide, told of a legend of a white prophet that hit the rock and the waters came from that place. Our next stop was at a place called Kenko. It was a temple of the Puma and also a place of mummification. The rocks inside this structure were cold like ice, which was weird. The pathways were very narrow inside this rock structure. We then went on to an alpaca fur and silver shop, for those who wanted to buy the more expensive and higher quality stuff. There were also several alpacas out front that Josh and I said hello to. The last ruins we stopped at before entering the city was Sacsayhuaman. It was a big fortress and temple complex that overlooked the city. The city of Cusco was built in the shape of a Puma, and this fortress was the head. The stone blocks that made up the walls were huge, and all different sizes and shapes. One block was 200 tons with 11 corners. There were originally 3 layers of walls, in zigzag form, or lightning is what our guide said it was formed after. The walls were originally over 35 feet tall. Most of the blocks were 90-120 tons, and no 2 blocks were the same. All the rituals and ceremonies that place then and still today, are done on the grounds around the walls. We then went to our hotel. It is actually the royal palace of the Incas and then the home of Pizarro, and his son. It’s called Palacio del Inka Hotel. It’s right across the street from the temple of the Sun, known as the Koricancha. Josh and I rested in our room for 1.5 hours, then we left to go to a restaurant our guide recommended. There were 2 other couple from our group also going there and invited us to join them. We walked a couple blocks to the main plaza, where the restaurant was. I had a local dish with beef, peppers, onion and potatoes, and Josh had a chicken dish and both were really good. We had some Peruvian desserts of purple corn pudding, rice pudding and a custard. We then walked around for a few blocks looking for a market. We bought some drinks and snacks to try. Bernell had a lecture tonight at the hotel on what to expect at the Koricancha tomorrow, and several local legends of the white prophet. It was fascinating.