"I" is for...what else? INCAS!

Today we had a bit more time to get the feel of Cusco. I'm going to try and get a few pictures downloaded here from the past day or two. When we arrived at our hotel, The Prisma, the first thing we were told to do was to drink some coca tea. We weren't even supposed to go to our rooms until we had had a cup. I guess more people suffer from altitude sickness than the tourist board really lets on, everyone seemed very concerned. I suppose that us spoiled and unfit North Americans don't really have a great reputation, you know, I'm sure we come roaring in like arrogant know-it-alls a lot of the time. I liked the coca tea...an awful lot. It tasted like green tea, and it seemed to have a calming effect, like chamomile I suppose. A few people were afraid to drink it...the 'derivative of cocaine" business, and the fact that a drug dog at an airport will often hit on it, but its not "like that". Its just tea. The Inca Trail porters chew it by the handful, as do a lot of trekkers. Its a homeopathic medicine. And, what's more, it worked.



My first of many cups of coca tea.



Our hotel is the very last building on the left, the creamish coloured one. There was our hotel on the street, and dozens of mattress places. Look at them all! There were also optometrists interspersed with the mattress places, a story of which comes into play in a few days. Sweet Eddy, our local guide, explained that in Cusco, all the similar stores are in the same area, (ie) all the mattress places are in a few block radius, the same as all the dentists, optometrists and so forth. It makes it easier to comparison shop, and really, isn't that a great idea? The dead animal area was bit disconcerting...and yes, pictures will be shown.


Mattresses, stacked up as far as you can see.



 As we walked down the street towards to Plaza de Armas, the central square of Cusco, the streets are lined with doors. You never know what sort of magical place might be behind one of these doors, some are open and you get a tantalizing peek at whats hiding back there.

 Believe it or not, this is one of the original Inca walls, still lining the streets of the city. It's true, what they say, that even after all these years, you still cannot fit a credit card between the blocks...all hand made and no mortar used. Astounding.

 Some of the brightly coloured displays of handcrafts along the sides of the streets.

 We walked into a t-shirt shop, to the back, and out a door into this somewhat decrepit courtyard, up some stairs and entered a fantastic restaurant. It had everything going for it except the name..."Inka-licious". Oh well, who am I to be critical? I was more concerned with trying some of the great Peruviuan cuisine Ive been reading about. I had a salad with avocado, grilled zucchini, roasted tomatoes...all chemical and pesticide free...ahhh, my taste buds felt like they had been reborn. And if that wasn't enough, how about some ceviche, with a side of two types of corn. Even though it looks like macaroni salad on the right, its the Peruvian Giant White corn...one of the reasons that Peru has banned GMO's and Monsato...once a GMO is introduced, well, things change. I had an interesting discussion about McDonald and Starbucks with our guide, I'll get to that later.

 Some more beautiful wares, alpaca scarves.

The one thing that was really hard to get used to is the "no toilet paper in the toilet". Its like in Greece, the sewage infrastructure is just so poor that you simply don't put the tp in the toilet. None. Not even for "that". I think its harder for women, because (this might be too much info for fellas), but we sit, wipe and drop the paper. Guys just stand and pee, no wiping needed.  I was constantly forgetting, and then holding my breath as I flushed, praying that there would be no overflowing of the toilet.  I"m sure that tons of tp ends up going down the drains, but I felt so bad every time I forgot. One of the girls that was our guide in Puno had just been to Calgary for a visit and she was most amazed at central heating, and being able to flush toilet paper...actually being told to flush it. She emailed pix of herself doing just that to her mom in Peru.

This blog entry didn't turn out to be much of an "I" for Inca, but I did put the picture of the wall. And I did touch it.

After lunch we wandered through the Plaza and headed towards the market. Oh, the market. What a place...I'll put those pictures up in the next post.