Monday, February 10, 2014

Baking Goddess in South America... Peru


A bit of a break between my posts but unfortunately I fell ill near the end of my amazing trip!! But not to worry I'm now well enough to let you know what happend next! 

 Now I head to Cuzco. The first Incan city... The centre of the empire. Legend says Inti (the sun god) sent his son and wife to earth to help organise humans and told him to take his gold rod and where ever it would enter the ground completely that would be the centre of the earth (Cuzco in quechua means 'Navel of the earth'). A city located 3,999m above sea level, you can feel the altitude as soon as you arrive at the airport, colder air and a light pressure on your chest. As recommended by my guide I walked slowly and had a substantial amount of coca leaf tea. 
    Plaza de Armas

That day I had a city tour. Joined by a Brazilian family, we headed to Cuzco surrounding areas where you can find their national parks filled with arqueological findings. It's absolutely magical!! We saw ruins of an enormous temple(Sacsaywamán), a water ceremonial ground(Tambomachay) and a funeral ground(Q'enqo). All date back to the Inca empire. This culture was extremely fascinating... They were ahead of their time and had a very interesting rule... They did not destroy nature to create their communities, they worked with nature, complimented it to suit their needs. Amazing I say... 
    Sacsaywamán

     Tambomachay

Back into town and we sail through the magical streets of cuzco... So much history full of mystery. It all just draws you in, you feel all the culture and traditions. And this feeling is enhanced when you walk into the grounds of the Santo Domingo convent. This catholic convent was build by the spaniards over the biggest inca temple there is! But with the earthquakes the convent's walls fell down to reveal the rock solid walls of the inca temple... Truely amazing. After we get to visit the cathedral which is another building of imense beauty and history. It shows that not all inca religion and tradition were lost. Catholic church actually embraced some of them and you can find evidence of this in elements all around the building. 
    Qorikancha, Santo Domingo convent 

Once the tour is over I head back to the hotel to put on multiple layers of clothes to venture out in the cold! I went from extreme heat to having to wear a wooly hat. Before dinner I wondered around the streets of Cuzco. In the plaza de armas you get to witness a magnificent view... All the houses on the hillside are lit and the light display is so beautiful! 


Everyone is out on the street, eating, talking and enjoying each other's company. There is a buzz in the streets, a mix between tourists and locals all enjoying the town for different reasons. I go for Lomo saltado for dinner, a peruvian version of a stir fry, with a pisco sour to  help it go down smoothly (and to warm me up!). Delicious! 

Now to bed... Need to rest before my next adventure!