Cusco: cancelled visit to Quechuan village.
Last night I organised to go to a Quechuan village about 45 minutes drive from
Cusco with a fellow traveller - Phil. Unfortunately due to a bad tooth ache on
the rear molar I had a very unsettled night, together with a bit of a stomach
upset, so I had to bail out. I was truly looking forward to this experience;
as one thing I missed in Peru was an understanding and relationship with the
contemporary Quechua speaking indigenous peoples. I saw them working in the
fields and around in the towns, but there is no interaction other than an
attempt by some to sell nick-knacks in Cusco.
This trip was a special one for the people, and for the organiser, and indeed
Phil had a fantastic time. (he might write it up on
his blog ) He grubbed out a
few potatoes, experienced the weaving process, cooked and met with important
people of the community. I hope that this is a successful venture for this
community as it will be something special for those tourists who want to
experience the traditional peoples of modern Peru. So if you want this
experience, contact Wilfredu Sallo Huallpayunce (incaswill_04@hotmail.com) to arrange a trip; he has a good command of English and speaks Spanish and
Quechuan and is a great guy to get to know.
As a paltry consolation: I did drum up the energy to get out and see some weaving in Cusco.
So what did I end up doing on this last day ?
Disaster
First thing, I thought I would honour a commitment to give a copy of my photos of the Cachora to Machu Picchu trip to Jan, my guide and host. I went to a CD burning/internet shop and asked to transfer my photos to DVD; handed over the SD card and .... I wanted to strangle the girl .... she managed to format and delete every photo.... I was off guard because of my unwell state and forgot to lock off the card .... Very quiet, I retrieved my card and walked out of the shop.
I immediately locked the card off, bought another card to use in the camera and tried to bravely face the rest of the day.
City Museums and SA Explorers
After a few hours of rest I thought it would be a shame to waste the entire day so I visited two museums - 1) Museo Inka and 2) Museo de Arte Precolombino. I am glad I did, these museums hold many valuable treasures and just touch on what fine arts the Inca and Pre-Inca peoples had.
Disaster
First thing, I thought I would honour a commitment to give a copy of my photos of the Cachora to Machu Picchu trip to Jan, my guide and host. I went to a CD burning/internet shop and asked to transfer my photos to DVD; handed over the SD card and .... I wanted to strangle the girl .... she managed to format and delete every photo.... I was off guard because of my unwell state and forgot to lock off the card .... Very quiet, I retrieved my card and walked out of the shop.
I immediately locked the card off, bought another card to use in the camera and tried to bravely face the rest of the day.
City Museums and SA Explorers
After a few hours of rest I thought it would be a shame to waste the entire day so I visited two museums - 1) Museo Inka and 2) Museo de Arte Precolombino. I am glad I did, these museums hold many valuable treasures and just touch on what fine arts the Inca and Pre-Inca peoples had.
In one of them I bought a ceramic bird shaped whistle.
There is some special brick in the wall that everyone seeks out. I must say
the walls do tell of a sophisticated civilisation of old. The workmanship
certainly stands the test of time.
I also found the elusive
South American Explorers club and purchased a map of the trip I undertook from Cachora to Macchu
Picchu. One day I might come back and do Ausangate and a walk from Vilcabamba
to Salcantay - who knows, but the map is a nice souvenir and gives me those
other dreams.
Thank you - Some Photos
The company who provided me with the cycling / Quechua experience (Known Machupicchu on two Wheels) kindly allowed me to copy back the photos they got from me yesterday to my new SD card . At least I have a days worth. Also Phil had some of my photos of the jungle experience and a copy of mine so I now have the last 8 days.
I went over to a contact of Jan's and got a CD of the photos he took during our trek to Machu Picchu so all is not lost, I will have Machu Picchu missing - just have to buy a book - and will rely on the postings on Picasa for my Torres Del Paine trip if the SD card cannot be restored.
Nice Meal, Check Out
Had a nice meal and said good bye to Phil at the hotel I was staying at - Sol Plaza Inn. Only wish I ate there on other nights. For the negotiated 100 Soles (around $35US) a night this place was a good find, but bring your own keyboard (or notebook with wi-fi) for the computers as theirs are pretty well stuffed.
Thank you - Some Photos
The company who provided me with the cycling / Quechua experience (Known Machupicchu on two Wheels) kindly allowed me to copy back the photos they got from me yesterday to my new SD card . At least I have a days worth. Also Phil had some of my photos of the jungle experience and a copy of mine so I now have the last 8 days.
I went over to a contact of Jan's and got a CD of the photos he took during our trek to Machu Picchu so all is not lost, I will have Machu Picchu missing - just have to buy a book - and will rely on the postings on Picasa for my Torres Del Paine trip if the SD card cannot be restored.
Nice Meal, Check Out
Had a nice meal and said good bye to Phil at the hotel I was staying at - Sol Plaza Inn. Only wish I ate there on other nights. For the negotiated 100 Soles (around $35US) a night this place was a good find, but bring your own keyboard (or notebook with wi-fi) for the computers as theirs are pretty well stuffed.
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