After our final day in Lima and our first night in Cusco, James, Jessica, and I awoke in Cusco around 7:00 am on Monday morning. Not long after, our friend Marshall arrived on that first early morning flight out of Lima. He was exhausted but he knew we had a big day ahead. Our lodging at the Hotel Rojas Inn was very cool. I joked and said “This hotel is so Catholic.” There was a mural of the Virgin Mary in the breakfast area; there was also a statue of her there with many flowers surrounding her. You had to pass by that statue between the lobby and the staircase up to our second-floor room. And, in our room there were some really nice paintings, including one of the Virgin Mary nursing a baby Jesus. For some reason my actual bed was the one located under that painting.
The rooms (maybe 5 or 6 on each of the two floors) overlooked an interior courtyard, where the breakfast spread was located. There was also a coffee/tea station set up that was there all day. And, they sold bottled waters (for a very reasonable price) out of a case in the lobby. This hotel was very convenient, the room and beds were great, and the staff was very friendly and accommodating. The breakfast wasn’t something to write home about, but it was pretty standard spread with eggs, pancakes, fruit, breads, ham and cheese. Maybe the most important factor of the Hotel Rojas Inn was how conveniently located it was in Cusco. We were just a few minutes’ walk from the Plaza de Armas.
Our morning was filled with plans to go to four major Inca ruins located just outside the center of Cusco. We called an Uber and when we told the Uber driver our plans, he made us an offer: for 70 Soles (equivalent of $32) he would drive us to all four sites and wait for us while we toured. This would be an overall 3-hour experience. How could we say no? (I should mention this came on top of the original 25 soles ride, which is the equivalent to about $8, for the ride to the first site). This saved us so much time and the driver (who didn’t really speak any English) was very friendly and informative.
The first sight we visited was Tambamachay. It was the furthest one from the center of Cusco and maybe about a 15-20 minute drive away, higher up in elevation. When we arrived there, James’ watch told us we were well above 12,000-feet elevation now. Cusco itself was around 11,000-feet elevation. This site was impressive. They are not totally sure what the purpose of the site was but they generally believe it was a mix of a “resort” area for the Inca elite as well as a defensive fort; they also believe there was more wildlife in this area around five hundred years ago, so it also may have provided a good hunting ground for those Inca elite. The stone structures of aqueducts and small canals were really impressive.
We were there about 40 minutes and then we met our driver back at the entrance area. He drove us just a minute or two away to the Puka Pukara site. This is a fortress site that, again, had some amazing stone structures. It is on high ground and overlooks the Cusco Valley. The view here is just beautiful and peaceful. We weren’t there long, maybe twenty minutes or so.
Our driver then drove us back down the mountain a little bit, about a 10-minute drive back towards Cusco. We visited the Q’engo Temple site. This was more of a religious site, located in the Sacred Valley. It is believed to be one of the largest holy sites (huacas) in the Cusco region. It is also believed that many sacrifices and mummifications took place here. There are some really unique architecture here, with some tunneled (or cave-like) areas to walk through.
We were here about thirty minutes, before meeting our driver who then took us towards the biggest site of them all – Saqsaywaman. But before we went there, he noticed we had an interest in this gigantic, 26-foot statue of Jesus Christ that sits on this hillside and overlooks the city of Cusco. He asked if we wanted to stop there. Of course we did. We were here about twenty minutes to take in the magnificent panoramic view below of the entire city of Cusco. Wow! And then we were able to take some photos with Jesus as well.
They actually call this the “Cristo Blanco” statue – “White Christ” – because, well, the statue is totally white. It was given as a gift from Arabic Palestinians who were seeking refuge in Cusco after World War II. Once we visited the White Christ, we got back in our car and just a few minutes drive away we came to perhaps the most impressive Inca ruins in the Cusco region – Saqsaywaman – or as some pronounce it, “Sexy Woman.”
This site is huge. We were there about an hour. We could have been here a few hours if we looked at every single thing slowly. There are multiple sites within this site to climb and explore. Marshall kept remarking, “We’ve been here a pretty long time and I have yet to see a Sexy Woman.” Well, near the end of our trek around the site, we did see some llamas grazing in a large field. We got pretty close to them and took some photos.
The first part of this site was built by the Killke cuture in about 1100 A.D. It was later expanded and added to by the Inca from the 13th century. Them Inca got some big stones. I mean some of the walls they had here were just so carefully built with perfect symmetry. And being up here among all these sites at over 12,000 feet altitude, it just took our breath away.
It was time to get some rest and get some lunch. Our driver took us back down the mountainside about 10 minutes or so to the main plaza in Cusco. By the time we got back into the city it was about 12:30pm. We walked around the Plaza de Armas, which means every vendor you pass by wants to encourage you to eat at their restaurant or get a massage. I mean I don’t know what the deal is with massages are in this country — so many massage vendors it’s unreal – they seem to cater to tourists, but I don’t really recall seeing anyone go into one of these seedy looking massage parlors.
We were so hungry that this is probably the one time we capitulated to one of the salesmen of a restaurant – La Feria Cocina – located in the Plaza de Armas. The location was great. We had a fantastic view of the plaza, which includes several magnificent churches, including the Cathedral of Cusco. The service here was a little slow to start, but the food was excellent. I had the Arroz con Pollo, plus an Inca Kola, which is yellow in color, tastes a little bit like bubble gum, and loaded with sugar and caffeine. After lunch, James, Marshall, and I headed back to our hotel, just a few minutes walk away, while Jessica wanted to explore a little more of the city on her own.
I took a shower and about a 90-minute nap. I felt great. James and Marshall continued to sleep a few more hours. I found Jessica as I walked out of the hotel. I had hoped to go to the Cathedral of Cusco today, but they required cash and I was out. I searched for an ATM, and the first two didn’t take my ATM card. Yikes. I called my bank and they said my account was fine. I always let them know ahead of time when I’m out of the country, so I was confused and made the call. Lo and behold, I found another ATM and this one worked for me. I then couldn’t resist buying some gelato. As some of you know, “Cisco eats ice cream” is a popular text message to close friends and family … or a fun Instagram post for me as I eat ice cream – or gelato – around the world.
From there, Jessica and I walked back to the hotel, where James and Marshall were now awake. About an hour later, we headed out the door to dinner at a restaurant Marshall had found for us, via a recommendation from someone. It was called Fallen Angel. It requires a reservation, but we made one only an hour ahead of time. The place was super cool. It had some very exotic art all over the rooms. It was also very small and included an art gallery. But about half of the place was empty, and they seated us at a table where there was an aquarium (with live fish swimming in it) below the glass that we were eating on. I had Lomo Saltado (for the second time since in Peru) and it was delicious. The service was great and everyone enjoyed their meal. But we were tired!
We took the 8-minute stroll back to our hotel and called it a night (of course, James couldn’t help but stop for ice cream — but I had already had my fill earlier in the day). The next morning, we would head to Machu Picchu! The dream of making it there was almost complete. But my goodness, Cusco was something special. The more I walked around this city, the more I fell in love.
‘Where’s Cisco’ is a fun game to play, and especially to read! thanks for sharing as always!