Cuscotopia Parade

The second part of our tour of Cusco took us to the main plaza.  And lucky us, it was the day of the kindergarten parade!!!  So many adorable kids were all dressed up in different traditional costumes dancing and marching their little hearts out.  I would have loved to sit there all afternoon to watch them and document their amazing costumes and cute faces.  But we were in a hurry, we had places to be and things to see! So I snapped a few photos as we passed by.

After enjoying the parade for a little bit we took a tour of the Santo Domingo Cathedral, located in the main plaza.  It was absolutely exquisite inside.  Pictures were not allowed inside so my mom got these post cards of a couple of the alters.

The rest of the afternoon was free to do whatever we wanted.  We spent it shopping!!! Cusco has by far the largest selection of markets to buy typical Peruvian souvenirs.  They have a giant market that goes on forever and is filled with endless stalls of goods.  All three of us were able to find everything we had come to Peru looking for, I got a couple of table clothes, some stuffed llamas and a small, beautiful sunburst mirror.

Before we left the main square for the markets we had the opportunity to hold some baby llamas.  They were the cutest, most cuddly little guys I wanted to take one home so bad!

We were out shopping all afternoon and were exhausted by dinner time.  We chose to have a nice quiet dinner at the hotel.  Their restaurant is gorgeous and they have live music on the weekends. Last night they had a couple of opera singers come and sing some opera classics. Tonight we were serenaded with a classic guitar and flute duet, it was beautiful I love classic guitar.

These were our desserts, what a splendid presentation!  I got warm figs in a warm honey sauce served with vanilla bean ice cream, it was divine!

Here are a few shots of what our hotel looks like at night .  The city on the hillside is so beautiful all lit up at night.

Cusco

From Machu Picchu we drove to Cuzco, it is a beautiful drive.  We stopped at a look at point to stretch our legs and soak in the beautiful countryside.  There were the most adorable little kids there that I just had to take pictures with.  The older boy loved pulling faces, what a silly!

When we reached the city we drove to the historic district, that is the most beautiful part of the city and is where our hotel, the Hotel Monasterio, was located.  Originally built in 1595, Hotel Monasterio sits on the site of Inca Amaru Qhala’s palace. Three year’s later, the Spanish took it over and founded the Seminary of San Antonio Abad.  An earthquake seriously damaged the building in 1650, and upon restoration the beautiful Chapel was added.  In 1965, the building was remodelled as a hotel.  Hotel Monasterio is now a national historic landmark, protected by Peru’s National Institute of Culture.  At the heart of the hotel is the beautiful cloistered courtyard, featuring a tranquil fountain and 300-year-old cedar tree.

This was my room, it was absolutely lovely, it was so gorgeous and comfortable.  I didn't really feel like I was staying in a hotel.  All the rooms had original 16th century paintings in them.  ORIGINALS.  That was mind blowing, they were outstanding!

Our first stop in this bustling city was the Qorikancha.  Considered by some to be the most architecturally interesting structure in the city of Cuzco, The Qorikancha (also called Intiwasa or Sun Temple) was said to have been built by Manco Capac; but certainly it was built before 1438 when it was enlarged by Pachacuti, who also built Machu Picchu. In the sixteenth century, the Spanish destroyed the Qorikancha and built the Santo Domingo (St. Dominic) Convent and Church on the ruins, but the smooth basalt foundations, typical of Inca architecture, are still extant.  Pictures were only allowed in the courtyard...

Our next stop was at a local market to see a small snippet of what life is like in Cuzco. This was actually one of my favorite things we did on the trip. I loved all the colors, the sounds, the people, the unique foods, everything.  I found it all to be so fascinating!

The market was huge and was divided into different sections.  There was a meat section.  It was creepy and gross. but I couldn't resist taking at least one picture, it was such an interesting place!

Our next and last stop of the day was at Saksaywaman, another amazing ruin from Incan times. Saksaywaman (say it out loud, sounds a little like sexy woman eh?)  is a walled complex on the northern outskirts of the city of Cusco, Peru, the former capital of the Inca Empire. Like many Inca constructions, the complex is made of large polished dry stone walls, with boulders carefully cut to fit together tightly without mortar.

The query these stones came from was about two miles away, how on earth did they get stones this big a.) from two miles away b.) to fit so perfectly together?!  GENIUSES those Incas.

This trip had been so unbelievably perfect in every way, it honestly was like living in a dream!  However, I got a tiny bit of reality check that night, I got altitude sickness.  It's real folks. It hits everyone differently and in different degrees.  For me I got really sick to my stomach at night and would wake up with pounding headaches in the morning and would feel a little achy all over.  Luckily, during the day I didn't have any extreme symptoms I just kind of felt a little Bla all over, so I never had to miss out on anything and could still enjoy all the wonderful sights.  I did order some oxygen tanks from the front desk since I had heard that would help. I went through two tanks.  It helped a teeny tiny bit. but did give me a cough since I think it dried out my throat.  If you ever do travel to Peru and experience altitude sickness, I HIGHLY recommend drinking tons and tons of coca tea and powerade, they did WONDERS for me when nothing else seemed to help.  But don't get me wrong the trip continued to be wonderful in every single aspect, I just wanted to document this little bit of it because it's all part of the experience and is just a normal part of that wonderful thing I love called traveling.