Cusco

Sacsayhuaman, San Blas and the heart of Cusco

Since the time remaining for our visit to Cusco is limited, we decide to have breakfast a bit earlier and use this opportunity to go to Sacsayhuaman, the Inca ruins on a hill just outside of Cusco. We arrive by taxi when there are no other visitors, which allows us to experience the walls of the citadel firsthand. In this case, it's more difficult to be immersed in the past; one downside of being near Cusco is that after the conquest, the transportable stones were used for building houses in the nearby town, so there isn't much left today. For those who aren't experts, the most interesting aspect is the wonderful location of the site, right on a hill with a view of the city of Cusco, where all the main tourist attractions are clearly visible.

We pass by the White Christ, similar to the one found in Rio de Janeiro, but smaller, and particularly visible when illuminated at night. We take a path that descends towards Tandapata... a beautiful cobbled street at the foot of the hill. It is full of color, lively, and we even see a llama waiting to board with its owner. We leave this idyllic scene behind and enter the city, passing through the San Blas Square and introducing us to the narrow streets of the city center. Halfway down one of these, it's interesting to note that there is a Twelve-sided stone, proving the skill of the Inca stonemasons, which we had never fully appreciated. We are now in Arm Square Under a light blue sky dotted with clouds that seemed almost within reach.

It should be noted that Cusco is a beautiful city and, contrary to what is said, we do not perceive any particular risks from malicious individuals. It is crowded and there are many vendors offering tours or services of all kinds, but simply refusing politely is enough for them to stop. The negative aspect is that the city lives on tourism, and unlike other cities visited, you get the impression of being just a number, trying to extract as much money as possible by providing a standard service without passion or involvement. It is true that both the city and its surroundings, from Machu Picchu to the Sacred Valley, continuing with Rainbow Mountain and other activities available in the area, represent a must-see destination in Peru, and this probably leads to a sense of entitlement among tourists who are often considered solely as a source of income.

We postpone this anecdote about what happened yesterday in Chinchero: having not noticed that it is only accessible with the tourist ticket, which allows visits to 16 sites for a cost equivalent to €34, the fact alone of having to purchase a subscription even if you intend to visit only a few places speaks volumes. We tried to exchange euros or dollars for soles because we didn't have enough local currency. The woman who runs a shop but also offers currency exchange at exorbitant rates tells us that she only changes money for amounts over €100, which made us very angry. We jokingly told our guide that we could go home, and in response, she informed us of where we could take a bus back, demonstrating no sense of collaboration and being completely unaware that we had purchased a full-day tour. A friendly Chilean boy who shares the tour with us will lend us what's left and we'll return it to him upon our return to Cusco. This demonstrates how customers are not taken into consideration. It should also be noted that, given our travel habits, we tend not to burden guides who do their job with a minimum of passion and attention.

San Pedro Market, flight to Lima and last Peruvian night.

Returning to the tour of the Inca capital, we leave Plaza de Armas with its lively atmosphere and colors to visit the Regional Historical Museum, from which we gain interesting information about Cusquenian life in various periods. We see, sometimes from the outside and sometimes from within, the numerous beautiful churches in the city, taking our time to San Pedro Market, a glimpse into the local society, with all its different aspects. There are shops offering exotic products, as well as fresh produce, cheeses, fish and meats. Among these, you can find... large pig or cattle heads and many other internal organs. We had already noticed the passion of Peruvians for tripe, tongues, liver, and especially beef heart, from which the famous skewers called anticuchos are made.

There's only a little time left to go to the hotel, pick up my bag, and then take a taxi to the airport, from where we will depart for Lima at 2:35 PM. The internal flight The flight was on time, and shortly after 4 pm we were back in the capital. From there, we went to check into our hotel room in Miraflores and then had dinner at a nice restaurant nearby: it's our last night, and we want to enjoy it. In reality, the evening continued with us going to see the Magical Water Circuit, a park located about twenty minutes by taxi. We know that the fountains' water features are illuminated at night, but we discover that there are regular shows where water, lights and music combine in a spectacular choreography, leaving us speechless. These are minutes of pure pleasure, during which we enjoy... Peruvian history and culture in an unprecedented way, and even one I hadn't imagined. We have also made enough progress today; it's time to take the last taxi back and enjoy a well-deserved rest.