Day 5 - The Sights of Cusco



Tuesday, July 31, 2012 - 03:30

Our main mission for today was to sort out a tour for Machu Picchu. The standard 'traveller' thing to do is a 4 or 5 day trek through the jungle, but we don't have time (and perhaps the inclination) to do so. Instead, we opted for a two day tour which visits the sacred valley on the first day, before a full guided tour of Machu Picchu on the second. I'm sure there will be a lot to talk about once we start the tour tomorrow, so I'll save a full description for then.

Once the tour was booked, Marc went on a 3 hour walking tour of the city, where he was guided around the main square, market, chocolate museum, and got to see a llama and alpaca. I was feeling tired so stayed behind for a rest, but went out around town with Marc once he returned, where he filled me in on what I had missed. The main squares were impressive, and I would say that overall Cusco is nicer than Lima - certainly more geared up for tourists.

After a walk around we visited the Qorikancha, which is Quechuan for 'Temple of the Sun'. This was once an important Incan temple, dedicated to the sun god. Apparently it was opulently decorated in sheets of solid gold, but this was all ransacked by the Spanish colonists hundreds of years ago. They then destroyed the temple, and built their own church on the site using the originally foundations. Several major earthquakes then caused the church to collapse, which ironically left the Incan foundations exposed for 21st century tourists to enjoy.

This evening we are getting an early night, so we are up in time to catch our tourbus in the morning.

Photos of the day: The inner courtyard in the Qorikancha, and us enjoying ourselves outside.

Comments

All looks lovely so far. Enjoy the hike. Your photos from day three don't open properly x

Love your website James, hope you have a fantastic time. xx

Looks just like a Spanish city. Savour the moments. Soon be like a dream.

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