Sadly, our aspirations for a relaxing start to the day are marred by the fact we both have a disturbed night’s sleep, our bodies adjusting to the new altitude and the remnants of jetlag alongside irregular sleeping patterns. With dreams of a lie in proving unfounded we console ourselves with a substantial breakfast in the gorgeous dining room of the Palacio del Inka.
Our morning is “at leisure” so, with a bit of shopping in mind, we head out to explore. We start with a wander up Calle Palacio and then nip into the House of Cacao to buy some chocolate. Next door is a souvenir shop which tempts us into purchasing a pre-Incan mask, some baby boots and a fridge magnet, while across the road is an indoor market where we are seduced by a very charming girl who runs her own boutique into buying two adult alpaca sweaters at a very reasonable price.
Cusco sightseeing
The art shop nearby has some colossal pieces of art and one in particular takes my eye. It’s an abstract piece with vibrant colours and would look amazing in our house, but it’s not cheap and Coman persuades me to leave it and come back later if I’m still thinking about it... it haunts me all day!
We wander down to the Plaza again and visit the Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesus, climbing its little tower for a view over the square and then, following our breakfast waiter’s top tip, head for the Inka Museum. Initially a somewhat rudimentary affair, as we pass from room to room its exhibits get ever more fascinating, including a rather disturbing display of fake mummies. The museum is also home to some traders selling their wares and Coman buys a decorated ceramic bull while I plump for a decorative vase, both to go in our new display cabinet at home.
Inka Kenny
By the time they’ve both been wrapped and paid for we’re running late so make a very swift dash for our hotel to drop our souvenirs off, pick up some bananas left over from breakfast and jump into the minibus for the afternoon tour which swings up outside our hotel. It’s a tour shared with groups of other tourists and we circuit the old city’s hotels picking up additional guests before climbing up out the Imperial city to explore the nearby Inca ruins. Sadly the 45 minutes of driving around various hotels, picking up and dropping off, seem to have eaten into our itinerary and there’s a palpable sense of rushing between sites.
We start at Tambonachay, situated at 12,300 ft above sea level and one of the staging posts along the old Inca Trail, which provided lodging for the night for weary travellers. The Inca Trail was a remarkable feat of design and engineering, featuring a fresh water source at every hour’s walk and a “tambo” or hotel, a day’s walk apart. Tambonachay could house almost 200 guests a night and marked the start of the two week Inca Trail to Machu Pichu, which can still be walked today from Cusco… although most people opt for the four day trek from the Sacred Valley instead.
Ladies of Cusco
We start walking it until we get to the first Inca water fountain – less than ten minutes away – only to be told by our guide that we can’t carry on to the temple we can see a mere five minutes further on because we all have to get back on the bus. Annoyingly we then drive past the ruins of Puca Pucara, which are clearly marked on our itineraries as part of the tour and pitch straight up at the sacrificial chamber of Quenko back down the hill. Time is obviously against us!
Quenko consists of a rock outcrop where plant offerings, animal sacrifices and - occasionally child sacrifices - were made. We’re given an evocative description of the child’s passage through the rocks, along the Snake pathway to the Underworld, before being shown the altars. Again, we file past at a super-quick march… our guide obviously having his own plans for the evening.
From there we drive a little further back towards the city, stopping at the big daddy of the Cusco ruins, Saqsaywaman. This was a palatial complex, built upon huge blocks often weighing over a hundred tons that had been carved and placed with unbelievable precision. It’s a great place to wonder at the sophistication of Inca engineering and to clamber over the ruins, affording fabulous views of the city.
Outside the cathedral
Unfortunately much of the site was used as a quarry by the Spaniards for the stone to build cathedrals and colonial houses on the sites of huge Incan temples which they destroyed in the heart of Cusco, meaning the once fabulous site is now a shadow of itself, yet still deeply impressive. And it’s to La Catedral we are ferried next, being dropped off in Plaza de Armes and led into the huge building on one side of the square.
Built on top of the palace of the eighth Inca, Viracocha, the cathedral’s bricks are made from the very same stone we have just seen at Saqsaywaman, and is effectively three separate churches joined together – the vast main nave is flanked by El Triunfo, Cusco’s very first church to the left, and La Iglesia de Jesus, Maria y Josef to the right. It features many chapels and huge artworks, the most impressive of which is the version of the Last Supper by Marcos Zapata, leading light of the Cusco School of Artists, with its meal being depicted as a guinea pig rather than a lamb.
Saqsaywaman
It hangs disconcertingly askew due to the frequent tremors and earthquakes that affect Cusco, the most recent major one being in 1950 when extensive damage was done to almost a third of the buildings in the city. The colossal main doors, which are only opened at Easter for the elaborate processions that take place, also sit at an angle.
From the Cathedral we walk on to the historic church of Santo Domingo, which is literally built upon the old Incan temple of Koricancha, which means “Golden Enclosure”. The original temple, built to honour Inti, the Sun God, was reputed to have walls covered in gold, and gold and silver statues of animals in its gardens, which now leads many to believe that Cusco was in fact the fabled El Dorado the Conquistadors sought. The architectural mishmash of Catholic church and monastery upon Incan masonry is pretty strange and after a quick peek of the gardens, Coman and I finish the tour and head back to our hotel, which is conveniently just across the road from Santo Domingo.
Main square - Plaza de Armes
A swift change from summer wear to chilly evening wear later and we’re pounding the Cusco streets once more, heading back to buy the painting we saw earlier. It has indeed occupied my thoughts all day – whilst viewing all the sites, I’ve been mulling over the price-tag and how to display it – so we take that as a sign that it’s hit the spot and needs to come back with us. A dramatic, contemporary depiction of Inti himself, it’s by a local artist called Amilcar Baca. He seems to be a prolific chap, with a fair few works on display, but this one is perfect to hang in our home, and ends up fittingly on our very own gold-papered bedroom wall.
Next door to the gallery, outside Cicciolina restaurant, we bump into the boyfriend of Breezy, who was one of the young Americans we were chatting to at Sol Y Luna. Everyone is on the same circuit and we frequently see familiar faces from previous hotels or trips as we move from one place to another. Both they, and another group of Americans we chat to, ate at the fabulous Central back in Lima and tell us how brilliant it was. I’m still annoyed that despite all my efforts we couldn’t get a table.
Breezy & co are hoping to eat at Cicciolina but have been told it’s full. We’ve already booked via Hotel Palacio but are actually on our way to cancel the reservation as the menu is heavily carnivorous and our booking not until 9pm, and we’re hungry right now, having not had lunch. We give them our reservation and go on the hunt for somewhere new to eat.
Dinner at Nuna
We don’t have to look far. Just a few doors down the street are the stairs up to Nuna, a modern “creative Peruvian restaurant.” We’ve not heard of it but the vegan menu it displays alongside the usual dishes of alpaca steak, pork and chicken, sounds wonderful. We walk upstairs, painting rolled up under my arm, and discover a hidden gem. The place is decked out a little like a classroom or school library with wooden chairs and tables, but also boasts interesting bookshelves, an organic garden and funky lights, and has a real charm.
It still being just past 7pm, we are the first customers, but as the meal progresses other diners appear, creating a livelier atmosphere. It’s obviously aimed at international travellers rather than local people and the food is glorious. We are served an appetiser of cold roasted potato wedges with an Amazonian chilli dipping sauce, then starters of Jawcha de Agachaditos - a warm Cusquenian salad of greens and potatoes with banana chips - and Tabla de Frios y Calientes - an absolutely stunning “reunion of grilled red bell peppers, onions, zucchini and mushrooms marinated with homemade chimmichurrri, served with avocados from Limatambo”.
Mains are Brochetas y Sus Sa Sa Salsas – grilled mushrooms on a vegetable kebab, with a variety of potatoes and a trio of Peruvian chilli sauces - and Saitan en El Ukhupacha - Seitan fake meat marinated in pachamanca herbs and red panca chillis with mashed potatoes in Pisco and paprika. We finish with a mocktail of lemongrass, black mint, lime and Tahiti coconut juice, which is utterly refreshing.
Night time in Cusco
Between courses, the owner and chef-designer Rosario comes over to chat with us, explaining her journey into food and discussing the worldwide gastronomic explosion of Peruvian cuisine. She’s fascinating to chat to and we leave singing the praises of Nuna, and the fantastic food we are experiencing wherever we go. Not yet ready for bed, we have an evening stroll through areas we’ve yet to explore and watch contemporary street dancers rehearsing in Plaza San Francisco, before heading to the hotel, ready for an early start, and a long day’s travel tomorrow. We’re off to Lake Titicaca!
