Cusco, Peru is the imperial city of the Incas….a world within a world of Peruvian splendor. Why is Cusco so unique? It’s because it holds its own attitude and pride among a country which has so many fascinating landmarks and history. Even without knowing any historical background on Cusco, you will understand and realize so much about it when you arrive to the city.

First of all, descending into Cusco is already an adventure as it has one of the highest airports in the world. The wings of your plane look as if they are scraping the sides of the Andes mountains while the plane prepares to land. My excitement was as elevated as the Andes as the pilot maneuvered this landing. Inside the airport, the customs/immigration lines were entertaining as you could see costumed dancers nearby performing for the tourists. I was itching to get my camera out to snap photos of what I love best on trips—culture! Our hotel arranged pick up for us so everything went smoothly as soon as we walked outside.  Just a short cab ride to the hotel in the Plaza de Armas was stimulating as we passed squares of people engaged in presentations or parades. The steepness of Cusco’s streets is astounding. They introduced themselves to us in the most humorous of ways! The cab driver decided to drive backwards into the cobblestoned street of the plaza rather than drive us down and try to turn around in the square which is often not possible. We assumed this was going to be for a few feet. We were wrong! He drove backwards for four blocks. Patrick and I stared at each other, laughing at this maneuver which we hadn’t even experienced in the steep mountain towns of Greece.

Each little store or hotel in the plaza was entered through a narrow doorway on tiny sidewalks (if you could even call them that). An unprecedented detail in this hotel lobby was the daily offering of coca leaf tea next to the coffee. Coca leaf tea is a treatment for altitude sickness. Whether it works or not, it is delicious and it was a constant reminder that we were in an exotic city in the sky. The tea tasted like roasted bay leaves to me.  Plaza de Armas waited for us right outside our hotel door and she was a shimmering, sepia-toned architectural WONDER! Although the cathedrals, buildings and balconies were built with Spanish glory, the significant feature was that they were built on top of Incan foundations and streets. In some corridors of the plaza there were even men in Incan costumes providing photo opportunities along a historic Incan road. I began to sense an air of something…..a tension conveyed somehow that Cusquenos are impervious to the Spanish conquest. Cusco was, after all, the epicenter of Incan culture. Cusquenos still contain this pride of their native heritage. The architectural beauty that  the Spaniards contributed to Cusco was built on top of the impressive Incan masonry. It’s hard not to notice the obvious impact of this. From what I understood and gathered from the information I read, this tension is not shared throughout all of Peru as it is in Cusco. We would see more of this indigenous pride as the week progressed through Cusco, Sacred Valley, and Aguas Calientes.

Our first afternoon in Cusco on the Plaza de Armas was spent enjoying Cusquena beer on the balcony of a tavern overlooking the activity  below. Flurries of costumed dancers pranced by as they gathered for a performance. It was exciting to explore each alley looking for the campesinas with their llamas and baby alpacas on display. Teetering along those tiny “sidewalks” trying to avoid getting swiped by cars rushing by was my cardio for the day. All of a sudden, it hit me—-altitude headache; maybe even altitude sickness! An intense headache and a sort of sluggishness to ascend the streets is what I felt. I hung onto my husband and trudged up the street towards our hotel. I remembered that the articles said to take deep breaths. They also said to avoid alcohol. Ooops…I had enjoyed a beer on the balcony of the plaza. It was worth it, though. I had taken Gingko Biloba every day for a week or so but there isn’t probably a sure-fire method for avoiding altitude headaches.

I collapsed into bed …not just from the altitude but probably from our red-eye flight here from Costa Rica and also being dehydrated from traveling. Both of us snoozed for a deep one and a half hour nap but then the excitement of being in Peru awoke us both. We shot out of bed and decided that we were going to power through any sluggishness to go sightseeing some more. Dinner at the recommended Limo restaurant was our introduction to the Peruvian-Asian-Andean fusion of flavors. Along with the Spaniards who came to Peru, the Japanese were another wave of immigrants to Peru. The menu was divine. The walk back to the hotel was a burst of cold night air and my teeth were chattering so hard, I thought they were going to come out of my skeleton. Was this altitude sickness, too? I don’t know but luckily, it was the last of my altitude adjustment.

From Cusco, we traveled to Ollantaytambo’s train station to Agauas Calientes to see Machu Picchu. On another day, we traveled from Cusco to Poroy, Maras, Chinchero and other cities in the Sacred Valley.  Those places will be covered in other blogs. Although Chinchero was at a higher elevation (12, 500 feet) than Cusco’s 11, 200 feet, my altitude adjustment was over.  I was able to climb the steep streets and stairs just fine and I was very excited and relieved about that!

Cusco by itself would’ve been stimulating enough of a trip without visiting all of the other cities. However, we’re so glad we did see the other places with all of their unique landmarks. Cusco, coca leaves, and culture was a wonderful introduction to Peru!

©Gina Michalopulos Kingsley

photos by Gina Kingsley

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