Cusco, Peru: City of the Sacred Jaguar

August 2011

To the Incas--the children of the sun---there were three sacred animals:  the condor (representing the heavens), the puma or jaguar (representing the earth), and the snake (representing the underworld).  They say Cusco*, the ancient capital of the great Inca empire, was designed in the shape of the puma.  It must have been an amazing city.  Situated high in the majestic Andes (over 10,000 ft or  3,000 meters), the walls of the glittering temple to the sun god Inti were covered in 700 sheets of gold, studded with emeralds and turquoise.

Cusco's ancient streets were paved; there were sophisticated water systems; and the buildings were constructed of perfectly fit stones without mortar.  From Qosqo, as they called it in the ancient Quechua language, the Incas ruled an empire that stretched north to Colombia and south to Chile and Argentina--  until the Spanish conquistadores arrived in 1533, hungry for gold and eager to impose their rule and religion.

As our van climbed nearly 10,000 ft. to return to Cusco from our rainforest adventures in Manu (see PE Manu posts on sidebar), a chilly wind began to blow. We hurried  back on those narrow dirt/gravel roads to reach  the highway outside Cusco before dark.  By then, not only had my prized DSLR camera stopped working, but I had an error message on my secondary camera that kept shutting it down.  Arriving in Cusco, we were surprised to be dropped off in the cold and dark at the main square far from our hotel, but our faithful guide, Nefi, took us back in a cab.

However, my chill did not subside when we returned to the hotel.  Despite several warm blankets, I spent a restless night, shivering and trying to quench my thirst with bottled water.  By dawn, I realized this was  not altitude sickness.  On my fifth day in Peru, I was sick--feverish from an intestinal bug (not the food)--and without a working camera.  Discouraged, I told the others to go on the excursions, and I spent the day in bed  (or in the bathroom).

By evening, I was somewhat better (ate toast and crackers) and was still determined to go to Machu Picchu the next day with a working camera.  With the assistance of a bilingual hotel employee and one of my friends, we took a cab at 9 p.m. to a camera shop where I bought a decent camera for twice what it costs on a good deal in the US.  But what else would you expect for a desperate, sick, non-Spanish speaking customer just before closing?

All this to say that in the next several posts, I will rely on the comments and photos of my traveling companions for those sights I did not see or photograph.  Fortunately, I had come prepared with Immodium and the prescription medicine Cipro, just in case of such an emergency illness.  It still took a few days before I fully recovered, but at least I was able to continue my journey.

While Cusco no longer glitters with gold, the Incan stones still form the foundations of many buildings and churches and provide contrast for the brilliantly colored wraps and clothes of its mostly indigenous population.  Despite uneven stone pavements, the tall curbs, and steep inclines, I found the streets of Cusco fascinating as the residents conducted their daily business.  When we needed to exchange money, our travel agent, Elvis, led us to a corner where a seemingly reputable person gave us Peruvian sols for US dollars out of his pocket at a good rate with no receipts or identification required.  But exchange shops didn't ask for ID or give receipts either.  It was just how they did business.

In Cusco, we were joined by our friends, Jan and Dale.  Jan had arrived in Peru a week earlier in order to attend Spanish language classes in Cusco.  Although she had spoken Spanish in her mission in South America for the LDS (Mormon) Church many years before, she wanted to refresh her skills.  She enjoyed her extended stay in Cusco and was an invaluable translator for us as we made our way around Peru.  One afternoon, we explored a colorful local market together.

We found Peruvian food delicious and easy to adapt to.  While sick, I stayed with soups, breads, and chicken dishes, but later enjoyed the abundance of vegetables  and fruits ( we were careful to have them cooked or peeled).  They have identified 2,000 varieties of potatoes and 600 types of corn in Peru, and recently the rest of the world has "discovered" the amazing nutritional benefits of the quinoa grain that has grown in the high Andes since Incan days.  We enjoyed quinoa vegetable soup and flavorful quinoa-rice combinations.  Often at meals, they would bring a dish of large, multi-colored, boiled or crispy corn kernels as a tasty appetizer.

During the bloody conquest (see upcoming posts about the Sacred Valley) and colonial period, the Spanish attempted to suppress the native worship and replaced the Inca temples with cathedrals.

The Cusco Cathedral was built on the Inca Tahuantinsuyo--the square representing the center of their empire--which was once covered in white sand mixed with tiny shells and bits of gold, silver and coral.  As we visited on a Sunday, we were able to enter the cathedral at no cost to observe the services and view the silver altar and religious paintings completed by the renown 17th century School of Cusco that combined European and native elements.

Under the Spanish, this square became known as the Plaza de Armas, and it was here that Tupac Amaru II was executed after the  Inca rebellion in 1781.  The Jesuits built their church (La Compania de Jesus) on the same square which is considered the "most beautiful" church in the city.   Today the square has a public park and is surrounded by covered arcades and shops.

The Dominicans  built their convent and church (Iglesia Santo Domingo) on  the foundations of the gold-covered temple of the sun, Koricancha.   Inside, one finds stone rooms that have been uncovered from the Inca temple, but none of the Inca  life-size gold or silver statues that were taken and melted down by the Spanish.  Still, there is a lovely courtyard and Spanish paintings. In the great earthquake in 1650, the grey stone Inca foundations survived, but many of the Spanish buildings collapsed in Cusco.

Despite Spanish persecution, the religion of many of the native people became a blend, much like this church, of Inca and Catholic Christian beliefs and practices.  They worshiped both Mary, the Mother of Christ, and Pachamama, the mother earth figure.  So, it was not surprising to also find in this museum-church modern paintings representing the Seqe system of towns and outposts radiating out of Cusco (all roads led to Cusco, not Rome) and a portrayal of the Inca astronomical beliefs regarding the Milky Way.

In the early 20th century, Peru (and Cusco) became more aware and proud of their ancient history.  Since then, the Quechua language has been revived, streets have been renamed after Inca sites and rulers, museums and archaeological sites have increased, and ancient rites have resurfaced.

Every year,  Cusco holds both a grand procession for Corpus Christi and then later (June 24), the Festival of the Sun (Inti Raymi) where participants follow an Inca procession from Koricancha (Santo Dominigo) to the Plaza de Armas up to the ruins of Sacsayhuaman  (upcoming Sacred Valley post).  As we were there in the month for celebrating the Pachamama (August), we saw offerings prepared for her.  The ancient ways have not been forgotten.

Click below for slideshow:
Cusco--Capital of the Incas

Music:   Allpa, Karunan, Machu Pichu


* Spellings vary in different texts.  Cuzco was the Spanish spelling; more recently Peruvians use Cusco.    As the sign welcoming us to the city used Cusco, that's what I used.  Likewise, the Inca names of places may be spelled with a Q, C, or K interchangeably.

Additional Information:
Insight Guides, Peru
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cusco

Oxbow Lakes and Blue-Headed Parrots in the Peruvian Rainforest: Manu National Park

Having successfully "walked the plank" on our arrival at the Erika Lodge on the Madre de Dios River (see sidebar for Manu Rafting and Riverboats), we left our packs in our cabin rooms, put on our loaned jungle boots, and headed out for our first expedition.  As the three of us had added our excursion to the jungle after our core trip was planned, we were only able to fit in a 3-day journey.  Not having really understood how much time it would take to travel to Erika Lodge and back, I would now recommend the usual 4-day trip.  As it was, we had to miss another  hike in the rainforest  and to choose whether to go on the  zip line through the tree canopy or go see wildlife on an oxbow lake.  The four-day itinerary includes all those activities.

While one companion chose to go on the zip line (and found it thrilling after a strenuous hike), Teddie and I chose the more sedate rafting on an oxbow lake.  Oxbow lakes are formed the same way as Louisiana bayous and Australian billabongs.  On curving lowland rivers, silt begins to build up where it loops and eventually that loop is cut off from the main river and becomes a  narrow lake.   They tend to be shallow and marshy and are a great place to find birds, reptiles, and small mammals.  We waded out to our river boat at Erika and headed downstream until we reached an opening in the thick jungle vegetation.

Fortunately, there was a path cut through for us, though I did try to imagine what early explorers must have dealt with as they first tried to find their way through the jungle.  Most plants were 2-3x the size of a man, often thick enough to block the sun.  We walked on dry stalks and through slippery, sticky mud, as we passed trees with unusual roots, delicate flowers, hanging banana bunches, and tangled vines.  A group that came after ours saw spider monkeys.  We heard unusual bird and insect calls and stayed away from the large battle ants.  After crossing a rickety bridge over a marsh, we came to the small oxbow lake with mirrored reflections of blue sky and lush vegetation.

For this excursion, we had joined a rather loud and fun-loving group of Germans, but once they had pulled away in their rafts, the setting was very peaceful and still, with only the sounds of nature to be heard.   Our balsa wood rafts were quite different from the modern rubber ones we used on the river.  About six long balsa logs were nailed together with short cross logs, then a shorter long log,  and ending with other cross logs which were the  "seats."  As seen in the photo, the navigator stood on the longest logs which were covered with water and steered using a pole.  The inside of the raft was nearly as full of water as the outside, so I was glad I had my waterproof jungle boots.  Unfortunately, Teddie needed a special support in her shoes and couldn't use the boots, so she had to sit with wet shoes.

As there were a number of people on the lake that afternoon, we got the last raft, which was in need of repair.  Nefi, one of our great guides, was our navigator.  I was on the back seat whose nails had come out, so I was constantly trying to steady myself on the wobbly log while taking photos of moving wildlife.  As I leaned back for one great shot, my "seat" rolled out from under me and off the rotted log.   I ended up flat on my back in the mucky water where Nefi stood.  The startled bird flew away, and I was wet, but not hurt!


I realize these wildlife photos will not win me a prize or position at National Geographic.  I will
blame the lack of clear focus on my wobbly seat, the birds and animals who insisted on moving, and the oncoming dusk.  Nevertheless, I hope you can envision the wonder and beauty of this place.  We almost immediately saw a capybara on shore--the world's largest rodents.  They are giant cousins to the guinea pig and can grow to 3-4 feet long (107-134 cm) and weigh 77-150 lb. (77-105 kg). Ours was around 2 feet.  They are gentle, semi-aquatic herbivores and are native to much of South America, but are starting to show up other places where they have been purchased as pets and then abandoned.

Prominent in this oxbow lake was a tree covered by the hanging basket nests of the yellow-rumped cacique (most birds are in the slideshow).  These black-headed birds with their yellow backs were constantly and quickly slipping into their nests, then flying away, then returning.  We also saw the social flycatcher with yellow on the breast.  And focusing on yellow:  a fasciated tiger heron with its brown-black back and yellow stripes on its face was looking for dinner.  We also saw the beautiful purple gallinule and a wattled jaucana, wading in the marsh looking for food.  It almost became dinner for what appeared to be some kind of large water snake or small caiman that moved quickly, but never showed itself above water.

We saw several small red, white, and blue red-capped cardinals and listened to the calls of the russet-backed oropendola.  But the most unusual bird was the hoatzin. With their crests and blue faces, they reminded me of creatures from Dr. Seuss.  It was dusk when we finished, so we had to go back through the jungle by flashlight to reach our boat.  That evening we were greeted at the cabins by a nearly 3" (using a kleenex measuring tool) beautiful metallic-colored beetle.What an amazing place!

The next morning we were off on our boat before dawn.  The mists rose as dawn approached, shrouding the trees and mountains in mystery.  At times, we could not even see what was ahead.  As the sky lightened, we disembarked at a palm covered station where we could watch parrots arrive at the clay licks.  To keep from disturbing these endangered parrots, we had to watch them from across the river using binoculars and telescopes.  We saw their silhouettes in the sky above, flying to the licks.  From what I've read, parrots go to the clay licks for needed minerals and sodium which also reduces the toxicity from the seeds of fruits they eat (see bottom link).  But they seemed to be flying back and forth from the trees rather than settling in for a sustained meal that day.

It was far away for my zoom lens, but I did get some fuzzy images of the endangered blue-headed parrots (with green bodies).  On a photo I took through the telescope (in the slideshow), you might see some green spots feeding on the clay lick.  It's the best I could do.  After a pancake breakfast and surrendering my friendly boots, the three of us joined the German group for the long ride back to Cuzco while  the rest of our group headed off to the zip-line.  I would have liked more time in the jungle, but was glad to be returning to hot showers.

Click below for slideshow:
Rainforest Adventures

Music:  Tito la Rosa, Espiritu del Aqua, Lo Mejor de Tito la Rosa: Meditacion
Further Information:
http://www.manuadventures.com/photo_gallery/erika/gallery_ourlodge_erika.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxbow_lake
http://vtpb-www2.cvm.tamu.edu/brightsmith/Real%20dirt%20on%20clay%20licks.htm

Rafting and Jungle River Boats in Manu's Rainforest, Peru

August 2011

After a day and a half of travel on the treacherous (but beautiful) mountain roads descending through the cloud forest (bosque nublado) of Manu National Park (see sidebar Manu posts), we arrived in the town of  Pilcopata.  We stopped at a general store that handled everything from treats and bathrooms to rafting trips.  Leaving everything in the van (except for a friend's disposable water-proof camera),  we put on our life jackets and followed our strong men as they carried our rubber raft to the nearby Koshnipata River.  We fortunately had a competent Chilean rafting guide with us who assigned us our spots on the raft and taught us how to paddle together to move in the right direction.  He took the back steering position and shouted out directions as we moved along.

We headed up the river into a few Category I and II rapids which added some thrill and made us all wet.  However,  most of the way was calm and beautiful.  The rocks along the banks had interesting angles of stratification, leading us to conclude that there must have been quite a disturbance at some time to turn them on their sides.  It was a beautiful day on the river:   blue sky, light breeze, comfortable temperature.  At one point we stopped, and several chose to take a quick refreshing dip in the river.  It was remarkable to see our guide then help lift them out of the water by their lifejackets, as he had shown us how to do if anyone went overboard by accident.

We followed the river through the Koneq Canyon with its tall rock walls and lush vegetation.  We saw fasciated herons (dark birds with yellow on their faces) and snowy egrets fishing along the shores as well as swallows and yellow-breasted social flycatchers in the air above.  Of course, there are no pictures of the wildlife, as we only had the disposable water camera that the instructor used to take pictures of us.  It was a delightful hour and a half on the water and a welcome change from bumpy roads.  The Koshnipata River river flows into the larger Madre de Dios River at a small town called Atalaya.  We landed there, getting our sandals/crocs/feet stuck in thick mud as we climbed out of the raft.  We went up a few stairs to meet the van and claim our luggage where we were greeted by some curious children and spotted ducks.

We then loaded up our motorized, covered "jungle boat" for our 40 minute boat trip down the swift moving Rio Madre de Dios to reach our camp, Erika.  The Madre de Dios is one of the larger rivers that meanders through this part of the Amazon basin.  It widens as more tributaries from the Andes flow into it and becomes known as the Beni River as it makes the journey through Bolivia and ultimately joins the Amazon River in the north before emptying into the Atlantic in Belen, Brazil.  It is a journey of 3375 miles (5430 km) from Atalaya to Belen.  Being from the other side of the equator, I am used to rivers going south.

The river is the major means of transportation in this area, and most tourist lodges and hiking trails are not far from it.  Peru is recognized for its efforts to preserve large tracks of virgin jungle and forests (see sidebar Manu posts) and eco-tourism is the standard for this area.  It seems to be mostly a win-win situation:  tourists can see amazing places and wildlife with minimal impact on the environment and provide funds for its preservation.    However, I'm not sure the old motors on the boats would get "energy star"  ratings.  We would speed along for a while, then they would turn the motor off for a bit--I'm not sure if it was to give the motor a rest or allow us some quiet, slow time on the river.  We passed pebbly sandbars with black cormorants and hilly banks covered with thick vegetation.  Click for video clip of river:  Rio Madre de Dios video

When we finally pulled into a little cove near our lodge, we carried our limited luggage (back pack and a small overnight bag) over a make-shift wooden plank to reach the shore.  The guides just walked in through the water to help with the luggage and assist us on the plank.  Arriving at camp, we were issued my favorite companion for  my jungle excursions--a pair of remarkably comfortable and totally water-proof high boots (like English wellies) so we could walk through the water to get in and out of the boats  and not get stuck on muddy paths.  I was ready for my jungle adventure! (see upcoming post for  our Manu explorations)



Click below for slideshow:
Rafting and River Boats in Manu

Music:  Inca Son, Kullakita, Peru--Musical Journey