Took another tour today, Thursday, with the same company who organised our Tuesday tour. It could not have been more different. Such confusion at the pick up. Somebody had to get out of the minibus so that there was room for us. We ended up sitting in the front alongside the driver which meant we could see a lot, but felt a bit awkward not being able to chat. The driver had a great laugh as Paul grasped my buttocks when I lost my balance climbing on board!!  

The main part of the tour was to visit Tipon, another Inca site then Pikillaqta, a massive pre Inca settlement and then a very ornately decorated church. Our guide spoke very little English but we were travelling with two other buses one of which had an English speaking guide so we had our own private guide at times. 

Tipon was interesting but we didn’t have any time to wander and explore independently which was a shame. En route to the next site we stopped at a bakery, everyone piled off and was given a taste of the plain or chocolate milk bread. People bought bags and bags of it. We didn’t - it is far too sweet.

The pre Inca  site was very impressive … it’s been rebuilt to a degree to give some idea of the scale of the town … 25000 people lived there in the 8th/9th centuries, but by the time the Incas arrived it was uninhabited. We also had a quick stop at a village called Andahuaylillas with delightful plaza with Spanish colonial church. 

 

We have met some great people on this trip and from time to time we hear from them. This week I had a message from an Italian couple we’d met on the Uyuni salt lakes trip saying how much they loved Cusco and they recommended we try an Italian restaurant in the town. That was our treat today and the food was absolutely delicious. We ordered tiramisu for pudding and it’s the best I’ve ever had. The waiter was great; he served the pudding in the traditional manner for us at the table … a layer of the creamy mixture, followed by a vanilla flavoured biscuit, followed by freshly made coffee repeated twice and then topped with cocoa powder. And also limoncello on the house (not for Paul). Perfect. 

Before lunch we had walked approximately 44 floors and 3.5 miles to see some different areas of the town. Also Paul had a beard trim at the barbers … it was a full on pamper session… scissors, clippers, razors and limited communication … great results considering 😂

One thing we have found being here is regardless of which tour company you go with they all follow the same itinerary. Thursday’s trip was South Valley of the Incas day tour. All the minibuses arrived at the same time. 

First stop Tipon - an Inca settlement with terraces for growing crops and the remains of buildings used for food storage. 

Crucial to the success of this settlement was the spring water that flowed from the mountains 

The spring still flows to this day

And is drinkable 

The signs of what?

The bakery stop. These large round loaves called locally Chuta which means pull in Quechuan (the local indigenous language). It is sweet milk bread sometimes with chocolate inside. Very popular amongst Peruvians.

 

There are wild flowers everywhere 

On to Pikillaqta, which are the remains of a huge Wari settlement. The Wari were pre Inca inhabitants of this region and they occupied this site from AD 550 to AD 1100 before it was abandoned for reasons unknown 

The settlement was built on a grid pattern with very straight streets 

The site dominated the mountain side

Next stop Andahauylillas with lovely plaza and a Spanish colonial church 

Stone inlays

Some amazing trees around the plaza with abundant Spanish moss 

The street dogs hung around while we were eating our empanadas. They went away hungry 

The architecture is always interesting 

While the rest of the tour went to a cafe for Chicharrones (basically roasted pig skins) Raine and I retreated to a local shop come cafe for a glass of pineapple juice. It turned out to be a jug of juice each!!

Friday. Another beautiful day in Cusco. 

Some of the old buildings look like they might fall down if pushed 

Shame the water wasn’t flowing. Would have been a comical sight 

The Spanish architecture is still everywhere 

Time for a beard trim. The result was good despite communicating in sign language 😂

Freshly made gnocchi for Raine’s lunch 

Quattro formaggio pizza for Paul 

We both had tiramisu which was constructed beautifully at the table by the waiter. It was the best tiramisu either of us had ever eaten. The restaurant, Carpe Diem, had been recommended to us by Italians we met in Bolivia.

Raine enjoyed the complimentary Limoncello 😂

While were at the restaurant a funeral procession went by accompanied by a group of musicians. I like the local tradition of a white hearse