Our last full day in Cusco and the last day that our Tourist
Pass is good. What shall we do? We could hire a taxi to take us to one of
several sites anywhere from two miles to fifty miles away from Cusco. But that would involve taxi fare and then
long walks and usually some climbing.
We decided to stay in town, prepare for possible rain…the
dark clouds are numerous across the skies…and walk to the Monument to
Pachakuteq to the west of our hotel. I
told Jim that if we could slowly walk, it’s downhill all the way, to the
monument; on the walk back he could whistle for a taxi any time he had had
enough. The altitude has really gotten
to him; we’re eleven thousand two hundred feet above sea level here in
Cusco. We’re both short of breath
regularly and can hear the ticker beating after climbing some stairs. It will be good to go back to California
tomorrow.
About 11:30 am we left the hotel heading southwest down
Avenida del Sol. We walked for an hour
before we arrived at the Monument.
Coming home we shed our jackets and put on sunglasses as the sun was
shining brightly around those dark clouds.
After many stops we were about a third of the way back when Jim raised
his hand for a taxi; it was about one thirty and we were back at the hotel
within minutes.
Along the way down Avenida del Sol I took many photos. This is a broad street that has a divider in
the center that has planters and beautiful iron artwork stretching for many
blocks. The art depicts Peruvian
scenes. One of the first large
building is the Hall of Justice. Many
people were sitting outside waiting to go in; Jim said the men in the suits
were the attorneys.
We stopped at a free Museum dedicated to the history of the
beautiful weaving of Inca motifs in the materials of Peru and how they are made
for different types of uses. A large
display had to do the clothing made for weddings. Children spend their time with parents and
grandparents and much of the skill of weaving is learned over the years as they
grow up within the family. But…no photos
so you only have the front of the building and one of three people who were
weaving inside.
Many expensive hotels are located along this street and some
beautiful restaurants. There are also
many stores, some fancy and more that are very basic. Today is December 1st and there
are a lot of Christmas decorations being hung … even here in our hotel. They look much like the ones at home in the
USA.
We visited a small plaza; then a much larger one with a
waterfall that Jim was able to walk under.
That marked the area where we entered a much larger street called
Alameda Pachakuteq which ends at the Monument built in 1992; our goal for
today.
At the beginning of the street
there was a beautiful Rotary Club sign; possibly they helped finance the
building of this park in the center of the street.
The base of the monument is constructed of stone, which
serves as the base for the thirty-eight feet tall bronze sculpture of
Pachakuteq; it has nine levels and is seventy-five feet high. Inside the monument are museological and
museographic exhibits, which acquaint visitors through oral and visual media,
with the history of this Inca, who was the greatest planner, visionary, city
builder, reformer and administrator of his time. From the top, you have a spectacular view of
the city. (this paragraph was copied
from the brochure)
The large street has a beautiful park that stretches the
entire length of the street. Midway
there is small amusement park for children on a side street. There were covered area with park benches
that we made good use of for resting.
At one point I saw a group of half a dozen dogs sleeping; as soon as we
approached they started snarling and barking but kept their distance. As I’ve said before; it is extremely unusual
to see dogs on a lease and I rarely see cats.
I hope you enjoy the photos of our adventure on our last
full day in Cusco. We head home tomorrow
evening. Thank you for joining us on our
journey. Adios Amigos
Post Script: We went out for dinner this evening and
enjoyed a delicious bowl of soup at the Los Balcones Grill; just a few steps
down from our hotel. There we enjoyed
taking some photos of the two cathedrals while we waited for our soup. Jim had an Inka Kola; a cream soda. Said he hadn’t had one of those in
years. I enjoyed a dessert drink that I
was told I must have sometime while I am in Peru ….Pisco Sour….except I just
had the Pisco straight….El Artesano was the brand. Very good.
Jim took a few sips so he could say that he’d also tried the National
Speciality for alcohol; similar to Vokda.
We walked the block after dinner and enjoyed looking in the
store windows for the new Christmas decorations. I’ve added a few more photos for you.
Always forget to mention something unusual about our hotel…the
hot water pipes are in the wall at the head of my bed. So, before we take a shower we always feel
my wall to see if we need to go downstairs and have them turn on the propane
gas for the hot water. Fortunately, it
will be hot within a very short time.
Now we will finish packing and I promise…no new blogs until I add the final
one in California after I get home.
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