PERU FOR YOU
Its lively capital and Sacred Valley highlight country’s vibrant culture and sense of wonder
Standing in the cloud forest, nearly 2,400 metres above sea level and looking out on the verdant Andean vista with ruins of an ancient Incan civilization sprawled out in the saddle of two peaks was a breathtaking moment.
After a spectacular train ride from Cusco, a somewhat bumpy bus ride and making it through the hordes of people entering the site — which is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World — I’d come to a large viewing area where I could stop in relative peace and finally take it all in.
The remote destination has become so popular (attracting more than 1.4 million people a year) that the Peruvian government last year restricted the number of visitors and insisted everyone go with a certified tour guide.
Wagner Casos, a Machu Picchu guide with 20 years of experience, explained to my small, international group from Toronto-based tour company G Adventures that there are a lot of theories about the roughly 568-year-old site, which is said to have been rediscovered by Hiram Bingham, an American explorer, in 1911. And so rather than state anything as “fact,” Casos prefaced his tour with the warning that most of what he’d tell us was based on what’s “believed to be true.”
It must be said that Casos, who graduated from tourism and civil engineering at San Antonio University in Cusco, is well informed in terms of what is “believed to be true.”
He explains that, back in the day, astronomers lined up the positioning of the windows on the sun temple to match the sunrise on the winter and summer solstices. All the buildings have windows and alcoves with an angular slope for more stability (to absorb the shock in case of earthquakes) and the Incans built aqueducts to provide water for agriculture and general use.
Throughout the site, there are remarkable examples of Incan ingenuity. It’s estimated that about 800 to 1,000 people lived in the 100 homes here. And about 70 per cent of the site, believed to have been built between 1430 and 1532, is intact.
The views and ambience of the place are remarkable. But so too was the journey to get there.
My trip began in the Peruvian capital, Lima. The historic centre showcases squares and statues that tell the story of how the country gained its independence from Spain on July 28, 1821. Before that, it was known as the City of Kings. Alexandra Monzon Chavez, my guide from the tour company Best Bite Peru, said it was the most important city in the South American Spanish colonial district, which was founded in 1535.
“I really do love Lima because … I’m in a rich area with lots of history, traditions and culture,” Chavez says, adding that along with the native Incas and Spanish settlers, immigrants from Africa, Japan, China and Europe have all contributed to the cosmopolitan city.
We visit the Main Square, Plaza Bolivar and the Congress before crossing Avenue Abancay and getting into the hustle and bustle of the city. We went to the Mercado Central and tasted some of the amazing foods — the granadilla fruit, chicha morada (a juice made of purple corn) and arroz con leche (a dessert with purple corn).
Afterward, I went to Barranco, Lima’s Bohemian barrio, with fantastic wall murals and interesting little shops and galleries. In the evening, I enjoyed dinner on the terrace at Huaca Pucllana, an archaeological site with ruins dating back to the fifth century.
Lima is becoming more of a food destination thanks to a wonderful array of fresh produce from the land and the ocean, a mix of cultures and creative chefs.
So I had to squeeze in a cooking class to learn how to make two very important dishes — ceviche and the local cocktail, a pisco sour (made with lime, egg white, sugar, ice, pisco and Angostura bitters). Best Bite Peru gave an excellent class on both after giving me a tour of the municipal market, which has an impressive bounty of seafood.
While there’s much to do and see in the capital, Cusco beckoned. Flying into the Andean city, which was once the capital of the Incan Empire, was spectacular.
The high-altitude city is quite literally breathtaking. Luckily, thanks to altitude pills and a bit of the suggested local remedy of cocoa tea, I seemed to adjust all right — though I did feel sluggish when I climbed the three flights of stairs to my hotel room.
Cusco is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the Americas. Founded in the 12th century, today you can see good examples of both Incan and colonial architecture.
The city’s Coricancha — the temple of the sun — is a fascinating example. Its Incan foundations, believed to have been built around 1200, are still intact and these days support a Spanish-built cathedral.
The historic centre has interesting buildings and squares with views of the surrounding Andes. Sometimes, though, it’s the unexpected sights that leave an indelible mark on your memory.
And the Sacred Valley struck me not only as a place of stunning beauty, but also as somewhere that’s home to warm, creative and friendly people. I was lucky enough to visit some of the smaller towns where Indigenous people keep their culture and past alive.
The Ccaccaccollo Women’s Weaving Co-op, about 26 kilometres north of Cusco, is one such place where communities maintain a traditional agrarian lifestyle. Launched in 2005, the co-op is run by about 46 locals who collect and naturally dye wool before making it into beautiful scarves, sweaters, hats and the like.
At the Parque de la Papa in the Pampallacta community, I learned about the abundance of potatoes — more than 3,000 varieties here — some of which can be preserved for years. About 6,500 people from neighbouring communities farm the land and have been working to preserve the seeds and varieties.
At Parwa Community Restaurant, in Huchuy Qosqo, I enjoyed a farm-to-table meal of Peruvian cuisine with quinoa, salads and stuffed peppers. All of these places are nestled in the Sacred Valley, which was the heart of the Inca Empire and runs from the town of Pisac to Ollantaytambo.
The green hills that embrace the Urubamba River are idyllic; just driving by can lull one into a sort of reverie. Add ancient ruins to the mix and the odd town or settlement, and it’s easy to see how meandering through the valley, which leads to Machu Picchu, is really a wonderful way to explore this country.