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Cusco: Day 2

We did our own walking tour of Cusco - at a relaxed pace, so we wouldn't use up too much energy. Breakfast at the hotel was toast with eggs, fruit salad, and coca tea (I think I'm getting addicted to the tea - it's so good for the altitude). Then, we headed over to Qorikancha - the Incan temple of the sun, which was repurposed by the Spanish and turned into the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo of Guzmán. It turned out to be a fascinating lesson in Cusco's history, Incan architecture, Spanish colonization and the role of religion, and how the Incan heritage is being preserved today. The engineering behind the stone structures was incredible to see - I think it's just a taste of what we'll end up seeing at Machu Picchu, and I can't wait to learn more about it.

From the temple, we walked along Loreto Street - an important road preserved from the Incans that used to be the border between two palaces (and derives its name from religious influences). We could see the tall stone walls, unmistakably Incan from the lack of mortar, and the perfect fit of each piece to form a wall that has stood the test of time. The street led us to the main square - Plaza de Armas, where we saw the Cusco Cathedral and the Church of the Society of Jesus, surrounded by a plethora of shops and restaurants. During the day, there is constant traffic and plenty of people - at night, it is equally busy, if not busier with events running!

We had lunch at one of the restaurants surrounding the Plaza de Armas, then headed over to our tour company to show them our passports, in preparation for our upcoming tours to Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain. It was a bit confusing to find the office closed, but we soon realized they were on lunch break. After waiting for a few minutes, we got the tour stuff sorted, then headed out for some picarones!

With full stomachs, we headed to the artisan district of San Blas - stopping at many shops to browse art, textiles, and chocolate! We ended up finding an artist in the progress of painting and chose to support him by buying something from his collection. As we climbed the hill to Plaza San Blas, we saw a parade celebrating Velación de la Cruz - yesterday was Labour Day, and today happened to be a religious day. It took us awhile to explore the neighbourhood, so we had to hustle a bit to reach San Cristobal by sunset (for the best views of Cusco).

I should have known that the best views would mean the highest point - we definitely figured that out as the road kept on leading us upwards to the church. We had to pause a few times to catch our breath, but we made it - and the views were worth it. The whole city lay before us, and as the lights flickered on while the sun disappeared, it was pretty magical even though today's sunset wasn't colourful. 

We ended the day in the party district to grab some dinner and drinks before calling it a night. Tomorrow we'll be headed to Rainbow Mountain, bright and early!

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