it, so here is a very belated and truncated summary!
Go to Cusco! The old town of Cusco deserves to be a destination in
itself (not just a base for MP). It is a beautifully preserved legacy
of the Conquistadors with more beautiful streets and buildings than I
could count.
There are plenty of things to do around Cusco too...
1. Interesting but not breathtaking Inka ruins within walking (or
local bus) distance from Cusco:
Tambomachay - a pretty but simple waterfall with a mystery water source.
Puka Pukara - remains of an old fort.
Saqsayhany - more remains of an old fort. Location of a famous Inka
battle.
Q'enqo - remains of an old temple. Distinguishing features include
alters for sacrifices and an area where people were mummified and
buried.
There is also a small scale version of Rio's Christ the Redeemer
(Cristo Blanco) which is very budget in comparison!
2. The Sacred Valley. Absolutely amazing collection of Inka ruins. We
hired a car + driver and went to all these places (in descending order
of brilliance!):
Pisac - viewed from a distance is best. A perfectly preserved fort/
village on a hill. A mini MP.
Maras - pre-Inkan salt mines. Salt water flows out of the rocks and is
caught in small pools carved in the moutainside. Salt is still
harvested (do you harvest salt?) from this area and the mountain is
coated with it. An amazing sight.
Ollantaytambo - a very steep and impressive temple complex complete
with throne positioned perfectly to catch the first rays of sun
everyday. The best example of Inka religious construction we saw.
Moray - this looks like a crop circle at first but it is actually a
series of concentric circular terraces which the Inkas used for
agricultural experiments. Very impressive.
Chinchero - well preseved agricultural terraces in a tiny but nice
historic town.
3. Then there is MP itself. You don't need to take a trek there but
our sense of achievement when we arrived there at dawn after 2 days of
cycling (67km!), walking (23km!) and whitewater rafting (unknown
distance, unknown how we survived! Quite different to the safe version
in New Zealand!) definitely added to the experience. Expect to book
anywhere up to 2 years in advance for the traditional 4 day Inka trail.
MP itself certainly lives up to the hype. Especially from a distance.
The view from the Guard House (especially if the cloud rolls in - see
photos) is breathtaking and the view from Waynapicchu mountain is
worth the (big) effort (2 hour round trip, steep in parts) although
the view is quite distant. Up close it reminded me of a very well
organised English medieval castle/village complex (although the Inkas
did have a few decades on their medieval counterparts so they didn't
do too badly!). The only slightly disappointing thing is the lack of
ornamentation. It is no Angkor Wat from that point of view. Still,
well worth suffering the altitude! (Really, have a few days in Cusco
to acclimatise.)
Other things I loved about Peru:
- Food - lots of new experiences like Inka Cola (tastes like Irn Bru),
coca mate (tea that was popular with the Inkas due to its energy
giving properties and famous for putting the 'coke' in coca cola) and
lots of different types of rice and corn puffs which I loved (beats
crisps). Lots of quinoa dishes too which was perfect for me. Super
cheap too.
- Chullo woolly hats - a symbol of Peru and very cute! Lots of
different colours, wools and styles (different styles for different
regions apparently). I will be rocking mine come winter in England!
Although I'm sure that Cusco/MP are not at all representative of Peru
as a whole (the small villages we passed through on our travels were
very poor and the 2 days without water in our hostel told us something
about the infrastructure!) but they are wonderful places (and people -
so smiley!) and I totally recommend it. Favourite place in
S. America alongside Buenos Aires.
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