We awoke early and left rainy Cusco for a 3 hour drive south to Raqchi, an Incan site that contains round storage rooms and a temple complex area with columns dedicated to Wiraqocha, an Incan king. This area also contains volcanic rock in the buildings and some of the original mud stucco remains. We hiked up lots of narrow steep steps to reach the top of a hill for a bird’s eye view. The town of Raqchi contains a pretty stone church on the central square. Next, we traveled to an Incan checkpoint for travelers from the high plateau going to Cusco. There is an aqueduct system at this site. Not far from the checkpoint, we stopped at Pikillacta a pre-Incan Wari empire site dating from the 4th century. This sprawling area is bordered by double walls and has many buildings made of stone. Some of the buildings still have the original plastered floors.
After a picnic lunch overlooking a town and river, we made the harrowing drive to Tipon along a narrow unpaved winding road. Legend states that Tipon was the royal gardens that Wirachocha ordered to be built. The site consists of twelve terraces with flowing water irrigation canals and fountains. Besides the usual Incan steep steps, there are steps built into the walls of the terraces. After returning to Cusco, we walked around the narrow streets and central square, stopping to sit and people watch. We snuck into two churches that were not really open for tourists. In one there was a wedding going on and in the other, we heard some of mass in Spanish. We had dinner at a Peruvian restaurant in town, which was great. Tomorrow we are up bright and early to fly back to Lima.
Interesting Fact: An alpaca can live up to 20 years and the fiber does not shrink like wool.
No comments:
Post a Comment