dave.liquidtriangle.net | Lima | Cusco | Pisac | Machu Picchu | Augas Calientes | Puerto Maldonado
Day 1
Sunday, October
2nd, 2005 : Lima
Perhaps I am being overly cautious, but no water from a third world country
will get near my face. Aren’t eighty-percent of the world’s diseases water
born illnesses? So in this, on the surface third world country, all showers,
shaving, brushing and cleaning are an adventure. I was scared into believing
at the immigration doctor that if I eat the vegetables or drink the water I
would die of toxic shock.
In Lima I see a modern city – how do they survive? Is this just another
example of Americans being overcautious? Either way I brush [my teeth] with
bottled water and I shower as if I am cleaning a decontamination suit. Next
adventure, breakfast. Could I have the meat burnt please?
I was awake at 5 AM this morning, which sounded of video games. Laser guns
in Commando on a Nintendo. Turns out Peru’s indigenous birds sound
strikingly similar to a video game counsel sound effects. Talk about
disorientation on a first morning. The weather is cool, leaving the windows
ajar Amy & I huddled under the mostly clean white sheets. Forty-degree
weather at night along with an ocean breeze made for perfect sleeping
weather.
Lima is a sprawling metropolis with a wide range of ethnic and social
classes. Ubiquitous Native Indians begging for U.S. dollars. The Main Square
and Cathedral were very clean and well attended, men wearing purple robes
for some sort of Christian brotherhood or indoctrination. The postcolonial
Spanish architecture and society are a whole lot less interesting than what
I am expecting from the ancient indigenous culture. The best part of our
first day was a quick drive past Huaca Pucllana, a massive brick religious
site built by the Lima tribe two thousand years ago.
| [love park tiles, Lima Peru] | [indigenous woman, Lima Peru] | [Plaza Mayor, Lima Peru] |
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Lima is pell-mell of splashed colors and very little consistent
[architectural] style, ranging from shanties to colonial architecture, and
1950s office modern. Street vendors dot every street corner selling Inca
Kola, books, lottery tickets and other wares.
The Franciscan monastery was well built with a nice cloister and a gorgeous
library with ancient manuscripts. The walls were adorned with beautiful
yellow and blue tiles. Outside parishioners brought their pets to be blessed
on this day specifically set aside for Fido.
| [San Francisco monastery, Lima Peru] | [Franciscan gold room, Lima Peru] | [Catacombs, Lima Peru] |
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Finally, the catacombs of the monastery are littered with different bones sorted by type. Thousands of skulls in one bin, femurs in the next, etc, etc. The ceiling stands less than six feet tall, my hair covered in mortar dust after ducking and scraping [the ceiling] most of the walk.
Day 2
Monday,
October 3rd, 2005 : Cusco
We awoke at 3:30AM to catch a plane flight from Lima International to
Cusco’s Aeropuerto Alejandro Velasco Astete. Ironically we ‘landed up’ with
Cusco’s elevation 3300 meters above sea level.
Stepping out of the plane all of us were winded from each small step we
took, suffering from a mild case of altitude sickness. We arrived at our
hotel, El Dorado, a quaint adobe like feel and more indigenous feeling than
the modern Lima hotel in the Miraflores district. As soon as we arrived we
drank a cup of coca tea and took Ginko supplements, which is supposed to
help in circulation and acclimate us to the higher elevation. I’m not sure
it does anything more than psychosomatic conditioning.
We walked to the main square of Cusco, Plaza de Armas, and sketched with our
backs to the main fountain in the center of the plaza. I did a quick study
of the Iglesia de la Compañia.
| [Plaza de Armas, Cusco Peru] | [Plaza de Armas, Cusco Peru] | [Plaza seen from Sacsayhuaman, Cusco Peru] |
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| [Plaza de Armas sketch, Cusco Peru] | ||
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We met our tour guide at 1PM and went to the Coricancha, a former Inca site that now serves as the base to the church of Santo Domingo. The Inca architecture and masonry that has survived Spanish colonial destruction is elegant in its structure with Inca trapezoidal masonry. All of the walls and windows tapered perfectly for stability. The masonry brocks are multifaceted with as many as twelve different sides interlocking with the adjacent bricks. Ironically Santo Domingo was destroyed during the 1910 earthquake, yet the Inca architecture was left completely intact. The Inca built with plate tectonic disturbances in mind. So much for the sophistication of European society and modern building methods, gothic architecture was not only dull in South America, but also inappropriate. The whole site was a pell-mell combination of Inca, colonial, & modern architecture.
| [Coricancha polygonal stones, Cusco Peru] | [Santo Domingo, Cusco Peru] | [Santo Domingo, Cusco Peru] |
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The gold and silver that was looted from Coricancha (‘golden courtyard’
in Quechua) was melted and destroyed within months of the first
conquistadors. This gold was then moved to the gaudy baroque Catholic Church
at Plaza de Armas. After subjugating the natives and forcing Christianity on
them, the indigenous people would attempt to synchronize their earth-based
pantheism with the Catholic Church dogma. For example, a last supper
painting included huy (guinea pig) which is a native delicacy. Parishioners
would also put idols under the ‘virgin’ Mary dress, treating the dress as a
mountain (land worship.) I suppose the priest found the idols acceptable
since Catholicism is arguably supports idolatry. Further, Jesus was more
like a sun god than a former rabbi.
The juxtaposition of the modern Lima Catholic culture and the indigenous
colorfully dressed women in Cusco was striking. It was a disappointment
seeing McDonalds, Pizza Hut, etc, etc. Another example of free market kool-aid
and neo-liberalism run amok; sapping the life of a culture. In a way the
free market religion of the United States is no different from the
conquistadors and their quest to literally and figuratively strip the
indigenous culture of their heritage.
From the Catholic Church we visited three more archaeological sites. The
most impressive was Sacsayhuaman (pronounced sexy-woman) a huge stone
fortification with gigantic polygonal stones weighing as much as 300 tons.
The Incas envisioned Cusco as the shape of a puma with Sacsayhuaman as the
head of the puma, the city being the body. The monument was also used
as a garrison and played a part in the fight between the Incas and the
conquistadors.
| [Sacsayhuaman, Cusco Peru] | [Sacsayhuaman full garrison, Cusco Peru] | [Sacsayhuaman, Cusco Peru] |
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| [Sacsayhuaman 300 ton (largest rock) & me, Cusco Peru] | [Sacsayhuaman multifaceted rock, Cusco Peru] | |
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Finally, we went to two other Inca sites, Tambo Machay with natural sprin water cascading down the trapezoidal Inca stone. We ended the tour at Qenko, a large limestone rock with niches inside used as a sacrificial altar.
| [Tambo Machay, Cusco Peru] | [Alpaca and llama with woman, Cusco Peru] | |
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Inca architecture is beautiful and fascinating. How they moved these gigantic limestone rocks and carved the intricate polygonal niches is a marvel. It really puts the colonial baroque architecture to shame. Who is to say that European Christian influence is an improvement - or for that matter United States global capitalism an improvement on indigenous cultures. These garrisons have and will stand the test of time because they were built, albeit with the help of slave labor, as an appropriate architectural response to its environment.
Day 3
Tuesday, October
4th, 2005 : Pisac
I am having an adverse reaction to the malaria pills I am taking in lieu of
our trip to the Amazon Rainforest. Last night I had chills and this
morning a fever. I can not eat and I am nauseous.
We drove to the market in Pisac were the indigenous sold manufactured goods and bartered the opportunity to take a picture with them for a sol. Little children dressed in vibrant colors, I feel guilty taking the photos and paying a pittance; but I suppose both parties in the transaction win. I wish that the textiles were handmade and still had some sort of history, but alas globalization has sapped the charm out of the Pisac marketplace, poor Peruvians selling mass produced Chinese made goods to unsuspecting American and European tourists. Most were hawking the machine made jewelry and textiles, the most destitute women prostituting themselves and their children for pictures. I wonder whether they would wear these traditional outfits if it weren't for the busloads of tourists bartering in the market. Is this becoming a lost culture that we are trying to sustain as tourists for entertainment? We had lunch at El Maizal a roadside tourist stop. We ate alpaza, choclo (giant corn kernels), and chuta (sweet breads.)
| [market place, Pisac Peru] | [Indian bartering textiles, Pisac Peru] | [Dyes at the market, Pisac Peru] |
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Later in the day we stopped at an Inca bar, played Sapo which is a metal toad mounted on a box and attempted to flip coins into the toads mouth (local Peruvian form of horseshoe.) It's interesting how just about all cultures have the similar type of games; since we all share the same kinesiology I suppose that makes sense. Later we tasted a small glass of Chicha, which is a noncarbonated corn beer and traditional indigenous beverage. It was mildly alcoholic with a sour taste, unusual but glad I tried it; and hoping the kernels weren't chewed by the brewmaster as is the case sometimes.
Lastly, today we drove to Ollantaytambo, named to honor the warrior Ollanta. A massive Inca fortress with huge terraces built as a burial ground, religious site, and served as a garrison when fighting the colonial Spanish. This site provided the biggest contrast between Spanish and Inca architectural prowess, where the latter is far superior in style and in condition. The Spanish rock and mortar was crumbling whereas the Inca polygonal stonewalls showed little wear and tear.
| [Hanan Huacaypata, Ollantaytambo Peru] | [Terraces, Ollantaytambo Peru] | [Polygonal stonework, Ollantaytambo Peru] |
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| [Spanish rock and mortar, Ollantaytambo Peru] | [Ollantaytambo Peru] | |
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Back in Cusco we stopped into a nonprofit textile center which worked with the dwindling number of master weavers in this country and sold beautiful traditional Inca textiles, something Pisac never had. Men and women within the shop were working on dining room table runners which take them up to a month in labor to hand spin and weave. Wool and alpaca textiles were offered, we bought a wool textile with natural dyes for my parents and we bought a natural Alpaca textile for ourselves.
Much more expensive than the manufactured garbage at the street fairs, but for something that encourages and maintains traditional artwork makes it worth it. For a month of labor $200 USD is a small price to pay on a baby alpaca textile, it's a great souvenir to remember our trip by.
| [close-up of textile we bought, Cusco Peru] | [textile making, Cusco Peru] | |
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Day 4
Wednesday,
October 5th, 2005
: Machu Picchu
We hiked to the peak of Machu Picchu and took it all in from the hut of the caretaker. It was truly breathtaking, with the clouds and mountains you feel, forgive the cliché, on top of the world. Thankfully this is 'the lost city of the Inca' and the conquistadors never had a chance to adulterate it. Clouds dance on the top of each hillside and the city is still bathed in sunlight. We are here at dusk and the site is starting to empty and the mosquitoes are coming out to feed.
| [Machu Picchu Peru] | [Machu Picchu Peru] | [llamas at Machu Picchu, Peru] |
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| [Machu Picchu Peru] | [Machu Picchu Peru] | [Machu Picchu, Peru] |
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Thousands of people make the pilgrimage to Machu Picchu daily, and it is not easy to get here. No automobile access, either you hike or take the train to Augas Calientes and then climb to the top. The path to the hut of the caretaker is littered with tourists gasping for breath, the exertion along with the altitude winded me as well.
| [Machu Picchu Peru] | [Machu Picchu Peru] | |
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The city reminds me of Carcassone in France, la Cité Médiévale, a well preserved stone fortress in the south of France perfectly preserved similiar to Machu Picchu. Llamas are feeding on the terraces keeping the grass well trimmed and also adding to the rustic and idyllic environment. They are indifferent to humans and nudge their way past tour groups for fresh grass. Amazing site, and great examples of trapezoidal Inca architecture unsullied by Spanish rule. There is really not a lot to say, the pictures more speak for themselves.
Day 5
Thursday,
October 6th, 2005: Augas Calientes
The small village of Augas Calientes, whose sole purpose is to serve the gigantic tourist industry generated by the Machu Picchu site, is a charming city of winding streets with no automobiles, just a railroad track running near the market place. The town is set in a valley with mountains towering over the city centre. The plant life is lush and for the first time we feel like we are on the doorstep of the Amazon rainforest.
A four year old indigenous girl befriended Amy in the main square and helped draw in Amy's sketchbook. Her Spanish was too advanced for our English ears, maybe we could carry on a chat with a two year old? There are no cars in the city and it's only accessible by train, each street is a pedestrian thoroughfare, lined with tourist souvenirs and restaurants serving the guinea pig delicacy. We sketched, drank coffee and relaxed while taking in this lovely town.
| [Main square, Augas Calientes Peru] | [pedestrian thoroughfare, Augas Calientes Peru | |
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The marketplace was inundated with the same machine made crap that was found in the Pisac market. I am glad we splurged on the textile in Cusco, there is no character or craftsmanship in the rubbish here. We managed to buy a nice watercolor painting from a local artist for Amy's parents however.
| [Augas Calientes Peru, pencil sketch] | ||
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Day 6 & 7
Saturday,
October 8th, 2005: Puerto Maldanado
Did not write yesterday was suffering from food poisoning courtesy of Indio Feliz, a French Peruvian restaurant in Augas Calientes, a bad quiche using local cheeses. I should have know better. To add to my misery, yesterday morning was a reoccurrence of altitude sickness as we left Machu Picchu for the higher altitude of Cusco. The symptoms were so severe and I was so weak with fever I used the powerful infection fighting drug, Cipro, which I think is working. I feel drunk and spacey while using the drug, it is hard to focus and all of my sense are amplified. Regardless, it is better than the fever and diarrhea. I have not had anything but crackers for the last thirty six hours, an interesting way to start a diet.
We flew to Puerto Maldanado via Cusco and traveled by bus to the harbor which took us to the Ecoamazonia lodge 30 kilometers north of the port. Puerto Maldanado is far removed from the rest of Peru, all locals using motorcycles because the practicality of a car is questionable in the poorly constructed and narrow streets. It took thirty-five minutes to fly by plane from Cusco to the port but could take up to one week traveling by automobile depending on the weather. A true dichotomy between cosmopolitan Lima were we started our trip and the port.
The lodge is mostly modern with a restaurant and a bar. Each sleeping quarter includes a toilet, cold shower, and twin beds. The insects are bothersome as one would expect in the Amazon rainforest, but with enough chemicals and clothing pre-soaked in Deet they can be deterred. My environmental sensibility is being tested, but choosing between being eaten by giant rainforest creepy-crawlies and using Deet, I choose Deet.
| [Amazon rainforest, Peru] | [Ecoamazonia sleeping quarters, Peru] | [Amazon rainforest, Peru] |
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Today we hiked two kilometers to a lake north of the lodge where we discovered all of the jungle Darwinism; poisonous trees, coconuts, insects, and animals. Each poisonous being either emitted a stink when bothered or causes viscous boils to appear on ones body. Either way, the defensiveness of it was interesting. We walked through Monkey Island and hand fed five different species of monkeys plantains.
They were used to human visitors and the Spider monkey was by far and away the most aggressive of the monkeys. At night a boat ride down the Rio Madre de Dio to see the alligators feed at night. Tonight is for all intents and purposes our last night of vacation, tomorrow we fly to Lima and the next morning to New York. It's been a very interesting trip, albeit with some difficulties, a cold, malaria pill side effects, altitude sickness, and finally food poisoning!
As charming as Peru was and the idyllic life one lives within nature as the Andean indigenous do, it will be nice to be back in the United States where sanitation and clean drinking water will not be taken for granted any longer. As mush as I detest corporate America and McSociety, it is still what I know as home.
| [Sunset on Rio Madre de Dio, Peru] | ||
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-DGP
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last updated
06/01/2007 06:53:33 PM