Cusco - Alpaca Meat

Today was just a day of purposeful wandering. Brody and I started the day with a glorious sleep in until 11 AM. After getting organized for the day, we headed towards the main square. 

We stopped at the Qorikancha, which forms the base of the colonial church and convent of Santo Domingo. It was once the richest temple in the Inca Empire; all that remains is stonework and beautiful art. In Inca time, this was literally covered in gold. The temple walls were lined with some 700 solid gold sheets, each weighing about 2kg. There were solid gold replicas of corn, llamas, babies, and the sun for ceremonial and ritual purposes. But within months of the arrival of the conquistadors, this was all gone. Various other religious rites took place here - it is said that mummified bodies of previous incas were kept here, brought out into sunlight each day and offered food and drink., which was then ritually burnt. Once inside the temple, you enter a courtyard which is beautiful in its own right. Everything is architecturally impeccable. Brody and I didn't understand what the rooms each meant since we chose not to hire a guide. 

We then ventured through the Inglesa de Santo Domingo, which was super unimpressive other than for the first paintings of Peruvian looking people. It's interesting that all of the Inca and Conquistador history is depicted in white people. Apparently this church is known for its paintings of archangels depicted as Andean children in jeans and tee shirts. Honestly, they look new and fake. Most of the time when I'm looking at these depictions of religious deities, I see great Irish dancing dress designs. Also in this church were two monuments with relics of different saints - really they looked like either a finger tip or a small bone. Either way, creepy. 

Somehow we ended up in the Covenant de Santo Domingo as well. It was this small offshoot that had several paintings in it that had been obviously retouched poorly. It's a shame people thing old paintings need to be updated to their view of what they think it should look like. The only neat fact I have is that one of the paintings was from 1501. 

Brody and I eventually made it to the main square where there were massive riots going on. I think it was the teachers union that caused the Peruvian government to put this area into a state of emergency on June 20' 2017. So being smart travellers we went and hung out in McDonalds and had lunch to wait the protest out. There were tons of tourist, security, riot, military, national, regional and special forces police out. Yes - they truly have that many kinds of police. Either way, the protest dissipated so we went and got Starbucks. 

We then ventured to the worst museum I've ever been to - the Inka Museum. It's so not worth the 10 soles entry price. It's bare, dark and cold. It did have pottery, metal work, textiles and models but wasn't worth the hike uphill to see. 

Brody and I then headed uphill (like really uphill) to see the White Jesus. Think the one in Brazil but smaller and less impressive. It was amazing to the scope of Cusco as a city since you are legit on top of the hill. This monument is located in Sacsaywaman. It's of both military and religious significance. This Fort was the site of  one of the most bitter battles of Spanish conquest in 1536. It really only looks like rocks organized into protective walls. We did see the Inca's Throne which is a wall with carved in benches. 

Since Brody and I had a couple of hours before it got dark and we had to be back in the hostel, we saw the Museum Arzobispal and Temple San Blas. Honestly, neither were great and the uphill on cobblestone was not worth it but it was free from our pass yesterday. 

Our last stop was at the Coca Museum (not to be confused with the Cacao Museum).  It had some neat facts and different types of coca leaves displayed. 

We've also eaten twice at the Mamaji restaurant next door which is amazing. I had pesto pasta and Brody had lasagna tonight. Brody bravely tried the alpaca loin that came with my meal. Man I wish I had filmed his reaction. He nearly puked it onto the table. Alpaca meat is not good. It's chewy, salty, and is okay until it hits your throat. Either way - it's off the bucket list and will not be repeated. 

AFN  

Cusco - Adventures of Briggani and Brori

We landed in Lima and hit the ground running. Cusco is a beautiful city and way way way way nicer than Lima. So it's true what the travel books say - the days are nice and the nights are like bloody Antarctica. 

Cusco is the cosmopolitan Inka capital. I can see why. There are beautiful ornate cathedrals. I think the entire country is super Christian or Catholic (to be fair I can't tell the difference between the two). According to legend, in the 12 century the first inca (king for us English speakers) Manco Capac was ordered by the ancestral sun god Inti to find the spot where he could plunge the golden rod into the ground until it disappeared. At this spot, deemed the navel of the earth, he founded Cusco. The Inca empire's main expansion occurred in the hundred years prior to the arrival of the conquistadors in 1532. The ninth inca, Pachacutec, gave the empire its first bloody taste of conquest with an unexpected victory against the more dominant Chanka tribe in 1438. His first wave of expansion would form the Inca Empire.  This ninth Inca is also credited with the puma shape and diverting the river around the city. Expansion continued until the Europeans arrived. At this point the empire ranged from Quito, Ecuador to south of Santiago, Chile. Pizzaro entered Cusco on November 8, 1533! It was eventually captured by the Spaniards in 1536. What is more interesting is the Spanish kept chronicles in Cusco including Inca history as they related by the Incas themselves. 

Today we wandered to the centre of the historic city - the Plaza de Armas. Everything is steep and cobblestone. In Inca time, this was called Huacaypata and was the centre of the capital. Two flags are flying in the centre - the Peruvian flag and a rainbow flag of Tahuantinsuyo representing the four corners of the Inca empire. 

In the Plaza we went into the La Cathedral. It's construction started in 1559 and Tom almost a century. It was built using blocks pilfered from the nearby Inca site of Sacsaywaman. El Trifuno, Cusco's oldest church, houses a vault containing the remains of the famous Inca chronologer and a few really old priests. There's tons of colonial art and gold throughout the church. It's amazing to see the paintings and the age of some of them. 

We also saw the Palas de Justicia and just wandered generally. The best part of the day was Starbucks where we were called Briggani and Brori, respectively. 

Tomorrow the plan is to go visit museums and site see a bit more. 

Step count: 17,461 over 69 floors and 12.05 km 

AFN 

Lima, Peru - A City of Pure Sketchiness

So after the world's longest flights, Brody and I made it to Lima. The drive to our hotel made Brody's eyes pop - it's most definitely a rough city. Every place is gated or has a foot wide fence that is 12 feet tall with barbed wire on it. The graffiti is rampant. I wouldn't suggest any girl do Lima on her own ever. I'm not even sure Brody could do it on his own either. We stayed at the Hotel Lima which was clean, secure and had hot water. All three as important as the next. 

Lima is a city of 10 million people and it shows. 

Brody and I took a cab to central historic Lima. None of the drive made me feel comfortable. Lima is super rough and sketchy. It's almost like the entire city is decrepit. After we got dropped near the Palas de Armes. We looked at all of the old buildings in that area. It's amazing to see buildings built in 1537 and before. The Palas de Armes was the heart of the 16th Century settlement established by Francisco Pizarro, it was the centre of the Spaniards continent wide empire. The buildings are stunning and contain huge sculptures and great detail. It was the second day of the Peruvian holiday - celebrating independence, so everything was packed with Peruvian tourists. None of the people I saw where white. It it weird to be in a place where no one speaks English and everyone isn't white. 

We also toured La Cathedral de Lima. This church sits on a site designated in 1535 to be the site of the city's first church. The building has been rebuilt several times - 1551, 1622, 1687, and 1726 with the last major restoration in 1940. The alters are spectacular carved wood. The alters were carved in various styles celebrating different deities. 

Since it was day two of Independence Day there were celebrations and traditional dancing in the Parque de la Muralla. During the 17 century the heart of Lima was ringed by a muralla (city wall for those of us who singularly speak English). Much of this wall was torn down in 1870s when the cit was expanding.  You can still see remnants of the wall though. We visited on the site museum which was weird and contained pottery and other random items. 

We also visited some library thing which was entirely in Spanish. 

Step counts: 10,541 over 11 floors and 7.32 km 

AFN 

On the road again!

So what does one do when they have a month off? Obviously the answer is pack a backpack and head to South America. I convinced Christina and my brother to come spend a portion of the month with me adventuring through Peru. Brody and I will be staying in Lima, Cusco, Huacachina, and Iquitos over the course of 12 days. Christina and I will be doing Lima, Cusco, Macchu Pichu via the Lares trek, Puno, and Lake Titicaca. Both trips will be completely different - Brody's portion will be unplanned and by the spur of the moment, Christina and I are doing another G Adventures tour where everything is booked and planned (thank god).

G Adventures - Christina and Britt's Route of Travel

Lares Trek Route

Back of the Envelope History of Peru 

As a bit of background because I'M SO BORED AT WORK... Peru is made up of three main geographical areas - the Andes, the Amazon, and the desert coastal area. I will actually hit all three parts on this trip. 

The history of Peru spans about 4 millennia - Peruvian territory was first home to the Norte Chico civilization, which is one of the six oldest in the world, and to the Inca Empire (from approximately 1438-1532). It was conquered by the Spanish Empire in the 16th Century. The Spanish Crown gave the name "Peru" legal status in 1529 Capitulacion de Toledo, which designed the newly encountered Inca Empire as a province of Peru. Under Spanish rule, the country adopted the denomination Viceroyalty of Peru, which became the Republic of Peru after independence in 1821.

The Inca Empire originated from a tribe based in Cusco. Pachacutec was not the first Inca but was the first ruler to considerably extend the boundaries of the Cusco state. Obviously he did so through violent invasions and peaceful conquests. One of the major remaining ruins from this era is Machu Picchu. Interestingly Peru is currently suing Yale to return artifacts removed by Yale archaeologist  Hiram Bingham Sr. in 1911. 

Fast forward a couple hundred years from Spanish rule, Peru has been subject to many iterations of democracy and militarism between 1930-1979 - think guerrilla warfare, Communism, military coups, and democratic elections sprinkled throughout. According to scholars and other worldly researchers, during the 1980s the cultivation of illicit coca was established in large areas on the eastern Andean slope. Given the proliferation and vast financial gain from this, rural insurgents movements increased until the 90s resulting in the "internal conflict of Peru". Only because it sounds cool - the internal conflict of Peru is an ongoing armed conflict between the Government of Peru and some guerrilla organizations such as the insurgent People's Guerrilla Army, armed wing of the Communist Party of Peru, and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement. It is estimated that 70,000 people have died due to this conflict. Today the main fighting still occurs in the VRAEM area in Peru - it is nowhere near where I am going so don't stress. Fun fact - Peru overtook Columbia as the worlds largest cocaine production country. 

The 90s was a great time (and not just because I'm a 90s baby) - Peru was ruled by a dictator named Alberto Fujimori who caused inflation to drop from 7,650% to 139%. His term was dogged by insurgent groups that carried out terrorist campaigns through his two terms. Today, democracy is live and well in Peru with the odd exception where the President declares a state of emergency and hands power over to the military over certain regions. All is good. 

Fun Facts About Peru 

• Peru grows over 3,000 kinds of potatoes and 55 types of corn 
• Peru dominates a lot of the world's largest or top ten global lists:
• Peru was officially declared the world's biggest producer of cocaine by the UN 
• Peru is the eighth largest producer of coffee in the world 
• Peru's the largest exporter of asparagus in the world 
• Peru is home to the world's largest flying bird - the condor stands up to 4 feet high with a wingspan of 10 feet 
• Peru is the third largest producer of fine copper in the world 
• Peru is ranked as fifth in global production of gold and first in silver 
• Peru is the third largest zinc and tin producer globally 
• Peru's cocaine industry takes in an estimated USD $1 billion annually 
• About 65 million guinea pigs are consumed in Peru every year (or according to Google they are) 
• National University of San Marcos is the oldest university in the Americas - founded on May 12, 1551
• Chili sauce and hot spices were banned (and remain banned) from prison food in Peru in 1973 on the grounds that they might arose sexual desires in inmates 
• The Incas had no formal system of writing, instead they developed a system of record keeping using a system of knots (called quipus) 
• Globally there are 10 million alpacas and 75% of them live in Peru 
• In 1885, the Coca Cola Company began making wine with coca leaves that was converted into the soft drink coca cola (coca leaves were removed from the recipe in 1903) 
• Some of Cusco's main streets are designed to align with the stars at certain times of the year 
• Traditionally before a Peruvian couple can marry, they must enter into a period of sirvinacuy during which the woman works with her mother in law and the man with his father in law - I think this is something that can stay in Peru

Interesting Facts About Cocaine  

• Scotland has the highest cocaine use of any other country in the world (US consumes ~37% of world's cocaine) 
• Pure cocaine was first extracted from the leaves of the coca plant in 1859 and was market in a fortified wine in France as early as 1863
• Cocaine was first used in the US in the 1880s where it was applied as an anesthetic in eye, nose and throat operations 
• Coca cola originally contained 9 mg cocaine per serving (it has been removed but coca leaves still are added for flavor) 
• Sigmund Freud advocated cocaine for treating depression, alcoholism and morphine addiction 
• Direct pharmacological effects of the drug itself only cause one-third of the deaths associated with cocaine (the rest come from homicide, suicide, and car collisions due to the properties of the drug) 
• Ingesting both cocaine and alcohol cause more deaths than any other drug combination 
• Trace amounts of cocaine can be found on 4/5 bills in circulation in the US 

AFN