Location: Cusco
That little sleep-in, with the backdrop of rain, was just the start to the day we needed. And the rain meant we could layer up in some wet weather gear and disguise that we are running short of clean clothing.
First job after brekkie was to cash up and @Mac had identified the closest ScotiaBank. Dressed in wet weather gear we took to the streets armed with Maps. This has been the first fail of the ALo eSim - the network kept dropping out. @Mac left me on a "don't move from here corner" and raced back to the motel to get some screen shots of the route. Not that it helped much because we managed to miss it on a couple of passes. The old street fronts don't give away much detail of what is behind the doorway. The small openings give way to the internals of huge Spanish haciendas that might house 10 to 15 shops around a courtyard. Persistence pays, we eventually found the ATM and couldn't believe we had missed it. The traffic, the rain, the narrow paths, alleyways and lack of signage all add to the challenge. Again, with this jumble and proliferation of shops and shop fronts, we continue to wonder how anyone makes a living.
We contributed to someone's day and bought the two cheapest bottles of gatorade on this trip - only 4 sols a bottle - and they were cold! Almost need a new line on the expenses spreadsheet for gatorade - we have consumed so much.
The inventory of our gear was the second item on the list of essential tasks this morning - two flight days and three days in Chile will see us through. Picked through the dirty clothes and took a 2 kg bundle to one of the dozen laundries in our block and settled on a 5 pm pickup time.
The Adventure
Met up with @Socrates (yes, that was really his name) for our 5 hour walking (and driving tour) of Cusco. An easy pace, once again, in varying degrees of heavy and light rain, @Socrates continued unravelling the secrets of the Incas. He had the best book as his prop and we asked him to get us one in English. Lots of reading ahead.
Once the capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco has been a pleasant surprise. So chaotic, jumbled , overcrowded and run down on the surface, but with @Socrates help, these superficial layers were peeled away to showcase a city packed with stunning ruins, cobblestone streets, and colonial architecture that tell the story of centuries of change . The Inca and the Spanish continued their living interwoven tale here.
We've been carrying a wad of tickets for a week and got to use them today- a little soggy in the rain! I have donned the wet weather pants over a pair of long johns and tucked them into my socks - I was ready for anything. Even the spitting alpacas. My glued shoes have done the trick and after today I really don't need them. Could revert to the walking sandals for Santiago.
Where did we visit?
Koricancha Temple, an ancient Inca palace and a sacred centre dedicated to the Sun God. @Socrates brought every corner of the temple to life, showcasing the striking blend of Inca stonework and Spanish colonial architecture. The Spaniards built the Church of Santo Domingo right on top of the original sacred site. The precision of the Inca walls is impressive, with massive stones fitted so tightly together, precisely aligned and slightly leaning. Of course, revisted the sun god and the spiritual, cosmic and agricultural connections of Inca life and walked the square where the "belly button" of the Inca Empire was marked.
San Pedro Market, the oldest market in the city - just an overload for the senses and not even a busy day. Tasted some fruit and bread and were warned our stomachs would not tolerate the offerings from the local vendors.
Sacsayhuaman Fortress is one of Cusco’s most impressive Inca sites, famous for its massive stone walls built with extraordinary precision. The sheer size of the stones—some weighing over 100 tons—shows off the incredible engineering skills of the Inca. @Socrates got us counting the corners of the stones, finding paws of the cougar, posing with the heaviest and the tallest and unravelled the mysteries of the zig zag terraces that reflected the lightning bolt. Tried to brave a couple of photos with the wildlife but very anxious about their spitting temperament.
The Basilica Cathedral of Cusco, located in the Plaza de Armas, and wow, this was really something. It is the city’s most iconic religious monument (built from 1559 to 1654 on the foundations of an Inca palace using stones from Sacsayhuaman) and its gold leaf and ornate carvings in both wood and stone make you wonder how these buildings were created.
The churches were filled with statues and processional floats that are carried through the streets. There was even a Patron Saint for tourist guides.
The three adjoining churches are part of the daily life and ritual of the Cusco people and there were services and celebrations in all sorts of nooks and crannies. It was bustling with tourists, but the daily rituals continued.
The Cathedral is dedicated to Mary and @Socrates shared the legend of her saving the Spanish people in Cusco and she is often presented as a compassionate mother figure, resonating with Andean concepts of Pachamama (Mother Earth). In this church, she is depicted wearing symbols of Andean Culture. And parallel to that idea of blending Catholicism with local trading, we saw famous Last Supper painting by Marcos Zapata, depicting Christ dining on guinea pig and drinking chicha.
We saw a congregation worshipping the “Black Christ” (Señor de los Temblores) in the Cathedral and it is one of the most revered religious images in Peru and the Patron Saint of Cusco. It has darkened over time from the candle smoke of the church and it is believed that parading that statue, especially on Easter Monday, keeps natural disasters such as earthquakes, at bay.
Finished our tour with a casual stroll around the Plaza and said farewell to @Socrates.
Time for us to dash back to the laundry only to be confronted by the news that our booking was for the "normal rate' and wouldn't be ready till noon! Oops. Explained that we were leaving at 6 in the morning - he calculated the lobby at the express rate and told us to come back at 7.30. Showed him the cash we had .. we were a sols short - no worries - all taken care of for the equivalent of $15 AUD. Phew.
Found ourselves nestled up in a local sports bar for dinner with about 100 local football fans during a match. What a hoot. Joined in the screaming, clapping, groaning, oohing and cheering for the local red team who clawed their way back in the 87th minute to level the score for the eventual 1 all draw. Perfect backdrop for our pizza and chicken noodle soup!
Washing safely in hand and bags packed we are ready for tomorrow's getaway.
Can you believe this?
Amazing facts about Cusco from Co-Pilot
🌄 The City Shaped Like a Puma
The Incas didn’t just build a city—they designed Cusco in the symbolic shape of a puma, their sacred earthly animal.
- The head sits at Sacsayhuamán.
- The heart lies in the ancient Kiswar Kancha area.
- The tail aligns with the confluence of two rivers south of the city.
🪨 Stones So Perfect They Look Fake - At Sacsayhuamán, the stones fit together so precisely that you can’t slide a piece of paper between them. Some weigh over 100 tons, yet they’re fitted like 3D puzzle pieces with no mortar.
🐭 The “Chinchilla Last Supper”
Inside Cusco’s Cathedral, there’s a famous painting of the Last Supper— but instead of bread and wine, Jesus and the apostles are eating cuy (guinea pig), a traditional Andean dish.
🧊 One of the Highest Cities on Earth - Cusco sits at 11,152 ft (3,399 m)—high enough that boiling water takes longer, your heartbeat speeds up, and even walking stairs feels like a workout.
🧭 “The Belly Button of the World”
Cusco’s original name, Qosqo, means “navel of the world.”
But it wasn’t just poetic—the Incas believed it was the cosmic center where the earthly and sacred worlds connected.
🥔 A Potato Paradise
Just outside Cusco lies Parque de la Papa, a conservation park celebrating over 1,000 varieties of potatoes—a reminder that the Andes are the birthplace of the potato.
🧱 The Twelve‑Angled Stone
This iconic stone in the old city wall has twelve perfectly carved angles, fitting seamlessly into the surrounding stones. It’s a masterpiece of Inca engineering that still baffles modern architects.
🌞 A Temple Once Covered in Gold
Qoricancha, the Temple of the Sun, was once lined with sheets of pure gold to reflect the sun god’s power. The Spanish stripped it, but the flawless Inca stonework remains.
Survival Barometer
Steps 15 201
Weather 14 degrees and wet
Health we have strategies to manage @Lloyd down
For Jesse: too wet today to risk the card - trying to make sure it makes the entire journey
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