Sarah and I tried to take the free walking tour of Cusco on Monday - some of our trek mates had recommended it and we figured it would be a good way to learn more about the city. Unfortunately, the morning tour was cancelled unexpectedly. Too bad; maybe that’s why it’s free?
We did get to witness a Municipal Police take-down of a jewelry saleswoman in the center of Plaza Regocijo. Presumably she was selling stolen or counterfeit jewelry? Or, if you believe some of the stories about corruption in the Peruvian police forces, they could have just been robbing her. Either way, it was a bit startling to see a uniformed officer tackle a woman half his size and run off with her goods…
Anyway, with no walking tour available we decided to make the most of the tourist passes we bought while ATV-ing. For 130 Soles (about $45) we got a 10-day pass to most of the historical sites and museums in and around Cusco. We visited the Museo de Arte Popular and the Mueso Inka first. The Popular Art Museum was a total bust - literally just a single basement room filled with what looked like poorly constructed toys. Sarah let the world know how she really felt on TripAdvisor.
Would you pay to see a room of this stuff? Neither would we (glad it was included in the pass so we didn’t waste any money)!
The Inka Museum was much more informative. Lots of history on the Inkas and even pre-Inka civilizations. Interesting fact: the Inkas’ love of mummification distinguished them from other cultures in the area. So, naturally, the Inka Museum had a lot of mummies as part of the exhibit.
Little hard to see it here (the museum must think the red lighting adds a dramatic effect) but most of the mummies were in a seated position like this.
We were getting hungry so we decided to take a break for lunch at Green Point, a vegan restaurant recommended by some of our vegetarian trek mates. It was good, but I could only order three things on the entire menu - nuts (and nut milks) are really popular among vegans, apparently! Fortunately the portions are HUGE so I was totally full just on the samosas we ordered for an appetizer.
It was raining in Cusco by the time we finished so we decided to head back to the hostel. We rested for a few hours then headed to the Museo del Pisco to get acquainted with the local liquor. We had a private tasting of four piscos and an accompanying history lesson. Afterward we decided to stay and sample some of the pisco-based cocktails offered at the bar - Sarah claims to have found a new favorite drink: the Francis Drake (pisco, two types of vermouth and cocktail onions)!
Another fun fact: like Champagne in France, Pisco can only be called “Pisco” if it is produced in one of five regions along Peru’s coast.
We wrapped up the day with dinner at Cicciolina, an Italian restaurant nearby. It was great - just the reminder of home we needed after many redundant Peruvian meals. Plus the antipasto plate we got there was better than some we’ve had in New York!
Unique bathroom door “labels” at Cicciolina - no one will confuse the men’s and women’s rooms!
We began today with a trip up to Saksaywaman, an Incan fort right in Cusco. It is at the highest point in town and the hike to get there is a little challenging; fortunately our hostel is also most of the way up the hill so we had a head start. The weather was perfect this morning so we had amazing views of the city to accompany the ruins.
Worth the hike up to the top.
There is a herd of alpaca that roams around the ruins and they snuck up on us as we were taking in the views.
Viva el Peru.
Saksaywaman with Cristo Blanco on the left.
That herd of alpaca seemed to be following us around and two of them ended up getting into a bit of a scuffle - hard to tell if they are playing around or seriously fighting. In any case, they made a lot of noise doing it.
After exploring Saksaywaman we hiked over to Cristo Blanco, Cusco’s version of Christ the Redeemer. It was cool to see, but I expect we’ll be more “wow’ed” in Rio.
Cristo Blanco.
Sarah made friends with a baby alpaca at the base of Cristo Blanco.
We headed down the hill into the main part of town for lunch at Jack’s Cafe, a casual, semi-American-themed restaurant. We each ordered fancy grilled cheese sandwiches, which were amazing. Definitely check it out if you are in Cusco (we went three times)!
After lunch we figured we should maximize the tourist pass we bought so we headed to three other museums: Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Museo del Chocolate and Museo de Historia Regional. The Contemporary Art Museum was probably my favorite, though they were giving out free chocolate samples at the Chocolate Museum…
From the Contemporary Art Museum: an artist's interpretation of our views from earlier today.
Tired of walking around museums, we had a coffee and a beer at Kushka...fe before heading back to Inkazuela for our final dinner in Cusco. Just like our first dinner in town, the stew was delicious - a must-do if you are ever here!
Tomorrow we fly to Buenos Aires to begin exploring Argentina. Thanks for all the good times, Peru!