Pizza, Starbucks, Cuy, and Incan Ruins

September 23, 2012 8:30 pm

I spent both Saturday and Sunday in Cusco this weekend.  Saturday, Mariska and I started our day by taking a bus to Cusco at 8:30.  We had the bus stop on the side of the road where there is an entrance to the Tambomachay ruins.  These ruins are comparatively pretty small to the other ruins that we have seen, but still very impressive.  Tambomachay had ceremonial baths that the Incas channeled water to and the water still flows today.  After seeing Tambomachay, we crossed the street to the Puka Pucara ruins, which was either an Incan fort or a stopping point along the main road.  My guide books said that Puka Pucara was nice, but not as good as the other ruins.  I am so glad that I didn´t listen to my guide book and skip this ruin.  I really liked it because it is literally on the side of the main modern road, so I really felt like I was part of two civilizations.  After Puka Pucara, we walked down the side of the main road for a couple miles until we reached Sacsayhuaman (we somehow took the wrong turn and missed the fourth Inca ruin on this path, Qénqo).  Sacsayhuaman is a huge and very impressive ruin.  It was the main fortress in Cusco and is built of gigantic rocks, each weighing more than 300 tons.  Close to Sacsayhuaman is a huge statue of Jesus, which we climbed a hill (passing many alpacas and donkeys on our way) to get to.  From next to this statue there is a great view overlooking Cusco to one side and the Sacsayhuaman ruins.  Standing by this statue, I was reminded again about being in two civilizations in Peru, but this time two religious civilizations.  Peru is a very Catholic country, but the Catholicism here is infused with Inca/Quecha traditions.  Mariska and I talked about this, Jesus, and Judaism as we walked back down to Cusco.  I love interfaith dialogue!

It is a long back down to Cusco and we told other volunteers we would meet them for lunch, so when we reached the outskirts of Cusco, we found a taxi and took a lovely five minute ride to a pizza place by the Plaza de Armas, which is the main plaza in Cusco.  We met about 10 other volunteers in Cusco and each ordered individual pizzas.  It was nice to talk with the other volunteers.  After lunch all twelve of us went to a church a few blocks away from the Plaza.  This church is called Santo Domingo and was a Spanish church which was built on top of Incan Walls in the 1500s.  When there was an earthquake (a few hundred years later?), most of the Spanish walls fell, but the Incan walls were revealed.  It was interesting to see the Incan walls surrounded by Spanish art.

After visiting Santo Domingo, it started to rain, so we went to Starbucks for overpriced coffee.  It was funny to be in the Starbucks because I could have been anywhere in the world.  The people at the cash registers spoke perfect English and there were only foreigners (most of whom were white) inside.  We hung out and talked in the Starbucks for a couple hours, which was nice, but I don´t want to go back to Starbucks in Peru again!

Today, Sunday, we went back to Cusco and met up with one other volunteer. Tom, who had found a place that serves cuy (guinea pig – a Peruvian delicacy).  Mariska wanted to try it and I went along for the ride.  Tom and Mariska ordered half a cuy to share, which was served with claws and teeth.  I had fun taking pictures of it.  And they made me try a miniscule piece.  It tasted pretty strong, but I´m not sure what it tasted like.  They couldn´t figure out if it tasted more like chicken, lamb, or fish.  The skin was impossible for them to cut through and we had fun watching Tom taste the brain of the cuy.  We sat by a nice Peruvian family, who showed us that we had to rip the cuy with our hands and pick up big pieces of meat – silverware is for wimps!  I was glad to be part of this experience without having to eat the cuy!  It was very authentic because it was a crowded restaurant and we were the only tourists.

It was a great weekend!  Got to go!