We
woke at 5:30 this morning to the sound of chattering monkeys nearby.
Unfortunately they weren't prepared to show themselves. After
breakfast, we got back aboard the boat for the trip back to Peuto
Maldonado from where we got the plane for the half hour flight to
Cusco. In two days, the river had risen about three metres and was
running at a significant pace with numerous logs being
pushed along. The trip down took one and a half hours by comparison
with the three hours taken to go upstream.
For
the first time in any airport, they had a baggage inspection in
place. Two poor fellows had the task of opening everybody's luggage
to inspect it for who knows what. Of course our luggage is bursting
at the seams because of the Antarctic gear we are carrying so the
ports spring open when the zips are undone and they are quite
difficult to do back up. Whatever he was looking for, he didn't try
too hard to find it.
We
are now settled into a very comfortable modern hotel in Cusco This
afternoon, we met the other two members of the tour, Patricia and
Eleni and went exploring central Cosco. What we hadn't appreciated
was the extensive Inca heritage here. Modern Cosco, that is, what was
rebuilt after a major earthquake in 1950 is built over a former Inca
city. It took the earthquake to reveal just how extensive the Inca
construction had been. That has lead to a lot of restriction on what
further construction can occur in that Inca construction can't be
built over without significant bureaucratic processes if at all.
There are also restrictions on the modification of existing houses if
they are over Inca construction.
One
of the most impressive things about Inca construction is the manner
in which the building blocks are fitted together to fit precisely
without any mortar
to
disguise any imperfections. The block in the photo above has 12 visible corners,
each of which fit perfectly against the adjoining blocks. Apparently
it has not yet been worked out how such precision was achieved and
the blocks put in place.
The
town itself can only be described as quaint with very narrow streets
and odd little shops ticked into every nook and cranny. The drivers
aren't too bad but they have the annoying habit of tooting their
horns at the slightest excuse.
Tomorrow
we will exploring the surrounding area by mini bus. There are
apparently a lot of Inca ruins in the immediate vicinity of the town
well worth a look. Unfortunately Trish has a headache which is a
symptom of altitude sickness so she may need to have a quiet day.
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