Although not pristine and classically beautiful, there’s a loving appreciation of the region’s extraordinary culture, architecture and art visible everywhere in Cusco; an eclectic fusion of Inca heritage and Spanish colonisation. Spanish curlicues on the lamp posts, delicate Inca designs on the road dividers, and most impressively, the KFC sign being discreetly displayed on 
the restaurant façade of the old colonial building proudly holding court along the city’s main plaza (Plaza de Armas), all demonstrate the city’s determination to preserve its unique character. I was astounded at the quality of the artwork all around, especially the sculptures and murals portraying the Inca legacy, often in bronze.
The city buildings are built in the old Spanish colonial style with doors opening directly onto the street, and inner courtyards, usually adorned with colourful potted plants, creating indoor sanctuaries. Streets are cobble-stoned and arteries of pedestrian alleys, also paved with stone, connect all parts of the city. The architecture is quaint and easy on the eye, while unpainted walls display a shabbiness that manages to be charming. It is illegal to modernise old buildings so you will see abandoned houses along the roads as the owners cannot afford to upgrade them to the strict, preservation standards.
Cusco is situated in a high Andean fertile valley and surrounded by towering mountain tops. The sloping hillsides around the city feature several important Inca sites, the most spectacular being 
Sacsayhuaman (pronounced Saxy Woman – imagine the jokey comments!) where you can see how they constructed retaining walls with enormous interlocking stones in a zigzag fashion to provide stability against earthquakes.
The Incas designed their buildings to withstand any strength of earthquake, offering sloping stone walls and trapezoid shaped windows and doors to stand the test of time. There is much evidence of original Inca temples to the Sun, Moon and Stars still intact while the Spanish cathedrals built over them are in ruins after the last major earthquake in 1950. Unfortunately, the invaders destroyed as much of the Inca structures as was possible, though foundation stone blocks proved impossible to demolish. These were simply plastered 
over and used as part of the Spanish buildings. What struck me about the cathedrals and churches we visited were the elaborate decorations in gold and silver, including whole altars made of precious metal. Enormous art masterpieces adorned the walls and wealth positively dripped from the buildings, in sharp contrast to the poverty of the area.
There’s no garbage about (at least in the tourist areas) but you do have to 
watch your step with excrement from dogs and alpacas on the pavement. It seems that the main industry is selling local crafts, trinkets and art to the many tourists. If you show the slightest interest in their wares, the vendors 
are all over you like ants to a lump of sugar. Colourfully dressed native women with equally colourfully wrapped babies on their backs and an adorned alpaca or two, beseech you to take their photograph for one sol (TT$2). Around the main plazas, artists displaying their portfolios of ‘original’ art (and selling the same pictures) tempt you with their ridiculously low prices (TT$60-$100). Of course, all the crafts are “made by me”, they say. The Inca sacred animals – the condor and jaguar – were often featured in textiles and jewelry. Everyone ends up buying something, usually after a hard bargaining session, as it’s such a good deal for us.
The Inca descendants are plentiful as Cusco was the heart of their brief empire (300 years) before being destroyed by the invading Spanish in the early 16th century. They are typically short with round, pleasant faces and oriental eyes. Their skins appear browned by the strong rays of the sun. Everyone is very friendly and naturally helpful. The people are organised and punctual, with efficient systems in place to keep order.
The local food is delicious – I especially loved the trout dishes and quinoa soup. Corn and potatoes are their staple foods, with numerous varieties on offer. Roasted guinea pig is the national dish (didn’t try this)! I highly recommend the local beer, Cusqueña, as well as their local wine. We also toured a chocolate factory, sampling some unusual flavours, apparently using our Trinitario cocoa beans.
Peruvian music is haunting – remember Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘El Condór Pasa’? We enjoyed local bands (always men) entertaining us in restaurants. They were dressed traditionally and playing the pipes (often the classic song ‘Guantanamera’) and what looked like cuatros, and sometimes with guitars and keyboards. If we were lucky, female folk dancers dressed in different regional costumes appropriate to the music, brought life and charm to the music.
I was in Cusco at the end of April, the beginning of the dry season. May and June are their coldest months though they don’t refer to it as winter. Once the sun went down (5-6 pm) the temperature dropped dramatically to below 10⁰ C sometimes. In the daytime it felt hot if you were in the sunlight, but otherwise you still had to wrap up a bit. A hat and sunscreen are essential to protect yourself against the very high UV radiation in the area. Some of our group had no problems walking around in shorts and t-shirts, but I always wore a shirt, a cardigan, a jacket and sometimes a scarf. At night-time, it was woollies and gloves!
These people are hardy! There was no heating in our hotel or in the restaurants or any of the public buildings. Bathrooms didn’t always provide a hot water option in the taps, so those of us softened by the tropical life complained about this unaccustomed sensation of freezing cold water on our skins. We Trinis like to bathe twice a day so there was much talk about whether once a day would suffice or whether a two second rinse in a cold shower (when the hot water was used up) counted as cleansing. The other shock was discovering that we were not allowed to flush toilet paper down the toilet! There was always a small bin provided as the receptacle for the necessary waste paper. “Gross” we exclaimed but soon got used to it. I wonder how often people flushed their paper out of habit?
Altitude sickness is an inescapable reality for some people. It didn’t matter if you were very fit, very healthy, young, old – a random few would be laid low for a couple of days with headache, accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea. I found the difficulty in breathing quite scary when we stepped off the plane. Our mantra became “walk slowly!” especially when going uphill. Cusco is about 11,000 feet above sea level and it took a few days to get accustomed to the thin air. I swore by the coca tea, always available in our hotel lobby, and also the coca sweets and gum sold to help with the nausea. We were advised to not drink alcohol for the first two days, but that didn’t stop many people from their accustomed imbibing, and they didn’t seem to suffer for it.
Cusco – a wonderful, unforgettable city – opens your eyes and ears to a different and precious culture. This place should be on everyone’s ‘bucket list’ to visit.
