Cusco´s Southern Valley

Escape from Cusco! After a busy week of lessons the weekend brought a chance to get out into the countryside.

The language school arranged a tour to the less touristy Southern Valley for 6 students; myself an American girl and four 4th-year medical students from Newcastle University (all girls) learning Spanish and seeing practice in Cusco Hospital. The day was plentiful sunshine, which is a daily phenomenon around here in July.

The party fitted into two cars hired complete with drivers for the day. My share was a modest S/.35 ($16). The school also sent a guide, but the English-speaking teacher we were expecting was indisposed. Giancarlos knew about the sites we were to visit, but spoke less English than we did Spanish, which limited things a bit.

Andean Shaman

Our first stop was Wasau, a village famous for its shamans, although fortune tellers might be a better translation. The school only has any confidence in two of them, and one was eventually roused and invited us in. There was a lovely scent of stored herbs in one room, and after a quite unintelligible introduction we were invited into the readings room. A poster offered readings of cards, palms, coca leaves and other divination techniques. Two of the girls volunteered to have their fortunes told with coca leaves.

I must say that it was a spendid performance. The client had to grasp a bunch of dried leaves from a bag with the correct hand, and then individual (bunches of) leaves were interpreted. A spray of three leaves generated a lot of predictions, and the particular shape of one of them was stressed many times. Of the small amount I could follow, it was apparent that Fiona was going to marry and have two children. The specially shaped leaf was sloemnly placed in the palm of her hand and her fingers closed over it. Then the fingers were uncurled and some chrysanthemum water (signifying love) added. Finally this special leaf was tenderly wrapped in a piece of paper for Fiona to keep.

Kristi´s reading involved much picking up of leaves and blowing over them, sometimes by the wizard and sometimes by Kristi. Finally, we were all invited to pick a tarot card. Interestingly, one of the readings was not a vague promise of good fortune, but a prediction of trouble with the police. Kim hopes that this refers to a previous parking ticket and not to the future. My card was seven gold discs. The interpretation was a brief and very positive assertion that I would become rich. Mind you, by Peruvian standards I am already rich.

Tipon

Before we forced the low wheelbase vehicles over the rutted track up the mountain, we paused in Tipon village to see lunch being prepared in a traditional oven. In a roughly hemispherical oven a wood fire burns to one side and the meat is arranged in roasting tins beyond the ashes. More of lunch anon.

The site we had come to explore is the remains of an Inca palace, famous for some amazing engineering that brought water from distant mountains and made fountains play for royalty. For pictures and a detailed explanation, click here. The walls for the terracing are still in first class order. If any geotechnical engineers follow the link above they may be moved to comment here on the quality of the design and execution.

The "fountains" are actually cascades, and much of the channelling still flows vigorously across and down the site. Similar water courses are used to irrigate fields all down the valley. Maybe they date from Inca times as well.

We scranbled around the lawns and the less well-preserved buildings.
We followed one of the water courses, dry now, up the hill towards its source on the next mountain. Despite a week´s acclimatisation, I still found walking uphill in the thin air hard work that necessitated frequent stops to recover breath.

Lunch

Back down the axle-crunching trail to the village and lunch. But wait, there´s a change of plan and we left Tipon, famous for its traditional delicacy of ´cuy (pronounced coo-ee) al horno´ for Sallye, where they favour ´chincharron de cerdo´. Those who don´t want the horrid details of traditional Andean cuisine had better skip to the next paragraph NOW. Don´t say I didn´t warn you. Those who like cute, fluffy animals will not like this. Cuy al horno is roast guinea pig. Chincharron de cerdo is a form of deep fried pork, which isn´t so bad. The restaurants that serve it have the unusual practice of putting big glass cases by the roadside with giant pieces of crackling - like the skin from a whole side of a pig - to catch your eye.

Our revised itinerary took us to a very posh tourist restaurant, where the tables were arranged round the swimming pool. The effect was dimished because the pool had been emptied and a couple of youths were energetically scrubbing at the stains on the sides. The menu was in both English and Spanish. "This is going to be expensive" I thought. Indeed it was. I have got used to reading menus where mains, or entire set meals, are no more than S/.15. However, when expense in inevitable, my motto is to accept it and enjoy what is offered. I´m here to discover the local specialities so let´s go for it. Luckily, the chincharron was about the most economical meal on this menu at S/.26. The cuy was a massive S/.42 and I didn´t have that much on me, so the decision was made.

However, the meal came with many extras. First of all, cheese and maize nibbles were distributed round the table and we were each served with a pisco sour. Pisco is a Peruvian spirit and these cocktails were worth a long drive to sample. Mmm. Then came ´la sopa´. All the main meals I have with the homestay family consist of a soup course followed by ´la secunda´, which in English we call the main course. This sopa was a delcious soup with many ingredients. One was toasted maize kernels, which were the equivalent of croutons.

Then came a generous portion of chincharron, with maize, roast potatoes and a stuffed chili in batter, which was a little meal in itself. The only green on the plate was a few leaves not unlike mint. Giancarlos had selected the cuy, and he generously passed samples around so that all who wanted to could try it. It tastes much like the ´red´ meat from a chicken.

Then another treat. A shot of aniseed liquor tossed down in one gulp "to kill the meat". A strange description, but a delightful tradition.

There was something about the bill that puzzles me. And I don´t mean the S/.5 change that Kristi reckoned she was short when the bistromath was done. The bill only listed the 6 tourists. The guide and two drivers ate as heartily as we did but now I look back, I don´t know how they were paid for. Even the chincharron would be an unthinkable cost for a Cusco taxi driver.

More archaeology

And on to the next site, Rumicolca.
A high, thick wall is spread across the valley. The theory is that it was partly defensive, but mainly a customs post so that tolls could be levied on traders coming up the valley. The basic structure predates the Incas, but they improved it and left their mark Amazingly, there was even a watercourse across the top of the wall. Presumably there were wooden or bamboo channels above the gate. The stairs were flat stones jutting from the walls. They were easy to climb but somehow rather daunting when I wanted to descend.

There used to be an aqueduct connecting Rumicolca with Pikillaqta, a pre-Inca city of the Wari people. For a brief history, but no pictures, click here. The city is in a very ordely grid, with clearly defined streets. Even today some streets are between high walls. They must have been very gloomy when the city was occupied. From the excavations you can see that the house walls were covered in a white plaster, which would have made the most of the light.

Laguna Huacqupay

Our light was failing as we made a brief visit to a lake where Giancarlos said they made reed boats. We didn´t see any reed boats, but it was picturesque and Giancarlos took group photos with everyone´s cameras and I saw lots of birds (see the previous post, Nature Notes).

And so, back to Cusco in the dark and another demonstation of what I have christened "machismo driving". My manliness would suffer if I actually hit you, but other than that my hormones rell me I have the right of way and I´m not going to back down.