Tuesday 25th Feb
Marina and I wanted to go to Cusco today, but unfortunately
she felt sick this morning so stayed home. I went anyways and wandered around
for the day. I took a Combi (shared van) that took about an hour and a half.
Although Combis get quite crowded (Peruvians seem to always come up with extra
seats in public transport) and the occasional old man falls asleep on your
shoulder, the drive is still pleasant as the scenery is gorgeous.
When I got there, I made my way into the city centre, to
Plaza de Armas, the main plaza in Cusco. I instantly felt like it was an actual
city, and not a small town like Urubamba. There were also a lot of tourists
around, which are rare in the area where I am. I wandered around the streets,
and one of the first things I noticed was the coherence in the houses’ and
buildings’ style. They all (or most) seem to built in the same coloured stone,
which I found very appealing. I bumped into the Coca museum as well, that I
visited for free and it was quite interesting. I didn’t know much about the
history of cocoa leaves here and all its different uses. The lady that worked
at the entrance told me that Peruvians find it really important for foreigners
to understand the history and uses of coca, as many people do misinterpret it.
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| Plaza de Armas |
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| Back of a church |
After Skyping my family through lunch, I visited the main
cathedral on Plaza de Armas. I really liked the outside of the cathedral,
especially the colour of the stone, that I noticed was used in most of the
city’s buildings. The inside, was extremely decorated. There were paintings
everywhere and it was all quite overwhelming. Something that I noticed was the
variety in materials used: wood, gold, stone and silver. The decorations were a
bit too over the top for my liking, but it was well worth seeing.
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| La Catedral |
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| Detail of La Catedral |
I ended the day by having a look around the Cusco University
for Social Science that I randomly bumped into. It had a very tranquil
courtyard in the middle of it surrounded by columns. I was completely alone and
it was very nice to have peaceful moment after walking around the whole day.
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| Sitting in the university courtyard |
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| University courtyard |
Overall, I did enjoy my visit to Cusco and I am glad I went
as I got a good first impression of what it looks like. Nevertheless, there are
still a lot more sights that I want visit, so I am sure I will go back soon. I slowly
made my way back home; taking a Combi again, and this time I was the one to
fall asleep on a lady’s shoulder. I hope this means I am settling in well… This
week at school is full of activities with the Rainbow House kids (making Banoffee
pie, learning English, face painting, etc.) and mural painting at school.
Everything must be ready before the school year starts again!
