From Lima at the sea level I took the plane to Cusco at 3400m (11200 feet) elevation. I took a taxi to the hotel, admiring the narrow and winding cobblestone streets, the surrounding hills and the vast plazas nicely arranged with a lot of boutiques. I must admit, the city surprised me from the beginning!
The surprise was even bigger when we got to the Hotel Arqueologo where we stayed for 7 nights to see the Sacred Valley and acclimate for the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The colonial architecture, the crackling fire in the bar, the welcoming hot coca tea and the perfect jazz sound heard from the piano made me think how much I wanted to be forever stuck in a moment.
But as we can not forever live in a dream, as soon as I arrived in my room and I got in bed, a strong dizziness hit me. I felt like I was fainting. Apart from nausea, I felt a sensation that the air didn't reach my lungs and a feeling of strange panic. I don’t think I should mention here the other symptoms of my altitude sickness. I didn’t expect to happen to me, but as I researched the subject later I discovered that the altitude sickness affects everyone very differently and at different times and the worst part, you can not avoid it. There are some pills you can take but they all have secondary effects and, as I am not a big fan of pills, the only remedy that I took was the coca leaf tea.
The coca leafs were considered sacred and were used for health reasons (as an analgesic and anesthetic) and in religious ceremonies since pre-columbian times. The leafs contain potassium and calcium, vitamins and protein. That is why coca leafs were chewed by messengers for extra energy in order to deliver messages throughout the empire. In our times coca is also chewed to prevent altitude sickness, for extra energy and good mood :) at high altitude (you'll need some on Inca Trail). Coca leaves are available in supermarkets and kiosks where you can also find derivative coca leaf products such as teas, candies, chocolate, etc.
But let's get back to altitude sickness. The only way you can sometimes fool it is to go up slowly, drink a lot of water to keep you hydrated, no alcohol, eat light and don’t adventure yourself from the first day to see all the places you’ve got on your list. Take it easy and give yourself time to adapt. I also discovered that every hotel in the area has a tank of oxygen (precious information I didn’t know) and sometimes a doctor to assist you, if the symptoms won’t go away. They also sell small oxygen recipients in any pharmacy.
The first info to give you before going anywhere in Cusco and around is to go buy the Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turistico) which will give you the access to visit the main churches and museums in Cusco and to see many sites in Sacred Valley such as Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Chinchero, etc. You can buy the ticket directly onsite or from Oficina Ejecutiva del Comite on Av Sol 103, Cusco. The price of the ticket is S/.130 (approximately 37 Euros) and it's valid for 10 days, for one single entry to any site, or you can choose a partial ticket which is available for one day and only for a limited number of sites.
As the legend says, Cusco was founded by the son of Sun God Inti, Manco Capac, who was sent to find the navel of the earth and to create a Temple of the Sun (Qorikancha) in that place where he could strike his golden rod into the ground and have it swallowed by the ground itself. And that’s how the city was founded and later became the capital of the Inca Empire.
Even if the Spanish conquistadors have left, their major imprint on the buildings colonial architectures, some Inca walls, such those on pedestrian street Loreto, still reminds about the Inca times. I never understood how you could be fascinated by some stones until I saw how perfect they were cut and polished and placed one over the other without any mortar.
In Plaza de Armas, the main plaza of the city, I felt like Alice in Wonderland, looking at every single building, church, colonial arcade or wood balcony.
The plaza is guarded by two big flags, one is red and white (the Peruvian flag) and the other is rainbow colored, which confuses a lot of people wandering why the gay flag might be in the main plaza. Bypassing the comparison with the gay community flag, the origins of this flag are debatable. Even the Cusco inhabitants say that the flag is the Cusco’s officially flag and is associated with the Inca, some specialists say that the concept of flags did not exist in pre-hispanic andean world.
San Blas neighborhood is a bohemian area that changes its appearance during daylight and at night time. The view over the city and mountains is breathtaking!
The plaza is full of good restaurants and cafes, craft shops and small stylish local boutiques. Here you'll also find a church which looks simple from the outside, but you'll be impressed by the pulpit of Saint Blaise, a spectacular engraved cedar wood work, one of the greatest proofs of colonial art.
Wandering on the streets of San Blas, I saw an indian restaurant and I said, why not, some diversity is always welcomed. I opened the menu and my eyes stopped on the Sutra Phaal : "If you are feeling brave try our famous Phaal ... so hot if you finish, we present you with a certificate and an ice cold beer to bring you back to earth from your fiery pit. Available in chicken or vegetarian".
They were not kidding either about the beer or about the certificate. I totally recommend Korma Sutra restaurant owned by a humorous British chef!
Cusco is a colorful place and you'll be delighted to spend some time in their craft markets. There are some nice markets in the city such as Centro Artesanal Cusco, but you can find even bigger and cheaper ones in Pisac and Chincero. You'll find a variety of andean knitwear, colorful dolls, blankets, carpets, jewelry etc. Even if you are not interested in buying crafts, I am sure that the pictures above would show you that a walk through these markets would be a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
