Peru 2015/16 - Cusco - Lunes - San Pedro Market and the Inca Museum

I woke feeling much better after 12 hours sleep. Still no bag, so, after breakfast, I found the G-Adventures office and asked Robinson to see what he could do about the situation. Today I bought some basic toiletries, a sketch book and a T-Shirt to tide me over. If it hasn't come by tomorrow I will have to start shopping for the things I need for the trek and a suitcase to take everything home in. I really hope it doesn't come to that.
It was another day of walking and aside from the occasional bouts of breathlessness when going up stairs I felt fine. I passed a poster on a building that described an Inca canal discovered below the road.

This is how the street looks now.

Another street poster showed a map of Cusco with the Inca roads going out in the four directions. Cusco was known to the Incas as the "navel of the world".

I had wandered out of the tourist section.

Here many of the buildings were vacant and dilapidated. This street was a dead end so I turned around, headed down hill and found what I had hoped I would, eventually, in my wanderings: the market.

It is across from the Church of San Pedro

 It is huge. Most is under an old corrugated metal roof but it is also surrounded by stalls covered with tarps of many colours. It is full of sights and sounds and smells, people and animals, flowers and produce, a place I could spend all day. Every market I have ever been to has a list of similarities but each is also unique. Markets in Mexico (Oaxaca, Merida), France (Paris, Ceret), the USA (Cleveland, Palm Springs), Canada (Toronto, Port Dover) all have a unique flavor and I love them.

Although the bright woven fabric is all over the tourist shops it is actually in everyday use.

I was there at about 8:30am and some booths were still covered or just being displayed.

The bread aisle with Christmas decorations.

Corn, multitudes of uses.

Three ladies in blue in the cheese aisle.

One of the commonalities of markets, they all have a place to eat.

The tarped stalls around the market are a Walmart of products; shoes, fabric, clothing, toys etc. Unfortunately no sketch books. Although cynical about the qualifications of the individuals selling paintings in the main Plaza, both of the "art students" I asked were able to direct me to art supply stores and I found a small sketch pad and some pens in one. Hungry I stopped for an empenada and a custard tart for lunch.
The Museo Inka is in an old colonial mansion about a block from the main plaza. Taking pictures in the display rooms was not allowed.

The courtyard of the museum.

The museum has a couple of rooms with Pre Inca material documenting some pretty sophisticated civilizations from as far back as 1100ad in Peru. The Inca Displays were dioramas and pottery, weapons, tools, fabrics and jewelry from when the Inca were primarily around Cusco and when they conquered much of Peru and some of Brazil. There were models of Inca ruins and some descriptions of the archaeology. The last section documented the Inca resistance to the Spanish and the subsequent destruction of their religion and way of life.

Top of the Cathedral from the Museum balcony

I think this is called a back strap loom unfortunately no-one was demonstrating today.

I wandered some more, sat in a number of squares and sketched. When you sit down on a bench you are a sitting duck for those selling their wears but once enough "no gracias'" are said there are some nice conversations, they learned some English, I learned some Spanish.
I had an e-mail earlier in the day from Christine and was able to locate the Airbnb they are going to be staying in. They arrive tomorrow and we have a date to meet at 3pm.
The last photo is of supper. I had a huge bowl of pumpkin soup with grated cheese on top followed by the ensalada mixt. It was the 12 sols tourist menu, delicious and about $6 Canadian.

Then back to the hotel to struggle through blogging on the slow internet.

Peru 2015/16 - Cusco - Domingo - walkabout.

I left home at 6am yesterday and got to my hotel at 6am today, literally 24hrs of travel. Toronto to Miami was delayed so I had a mad dash from one side of sticky, hot Miami airport to the other but made the connection. Miami to Lima was fine but unfortunately my bag didn't make it. The LAN official said that the US security had decided to search it but it would come on the next flight. Guess they didn't like the look of my trekking poles in the X-Ray. Had a massage in Lima airport and a nap then the hop to Cusco. On that flight I realized that I had never been in South America before, Southern Caribbean being the closest. Descending into Cusco airport is quite exciting with the mountains all around. The G-Adventures employee was there to greet me and take me to the hotel, so nice.
A short nap and then I got outside and walked around a bit. Rain was in the forecast but it was  warm and occasionally sunny all day.

There are sculptures, often involving water, everywhere.

The buildings around the hotel are 1 or 2 stories with ornate balconies (Spanish) or single story with a large door. These look more like the ones we saw in Mexico and they quite often showed a bland face to the road with ornate, pretty courtyards behind.
About a block and a half took me to Plaza des Armas, the central square.

Dominated by the Cathedral on one side

and the Church of Jesus' Companions on another.

There was a sign asking tourists not to enter during services so I saved that visit for another day. The square, and all the other squares I walked in today, were teeming with Peruvian families more than tourists. Dressed up for Sunday and many carrying food or flowers (perhaps going to an extended family meal)

Many of the families were also carrying these embroidered little cradles (these were for sale by the Cathedral) or little wooden carved chairs with elaborately dressed dolls in them. (too church? an altar at home? gifts?  I really don't know but am curious and will try to find out) 

Joseph in the almost life sized nativity scene in the square

Central fountain made into a Christmas ball

topped, I'm assuming, by an Inca king.

The internet at the hotel is pretty slow to load up pictures so the posts from here wont be as "picture rich" as I would like. I am just going to post a few more from my day of wandering.

Mountains are in the background of every view, climbed by houses.

Flowers in the square look like snap dragons.

A political rally in one of the squares I visited.

Few strollers, babies and toddlers are carried around.

There are plenty of people trying to sell tourists stuff: carved gourds, little yarn dolls, woolly hats and mitts, jewelry and "art students" with portfolios of paintings as well as people selling guided tours and those wanting to show you their restaurants menu. They take a few "non gracias" to convince them but all are friendly and want to chat anyway (where are you from, you look at my stuff tomorrow, promise).

A llama for photographic opportunities

My first sighting of the Peruvian delicacy: Roast Guinea Pig

I'm not sure if it is the altitude, repercussions of the travel day or a bit of both but I have a slight headache, am very tired, have no appetite and just feel a little foggy. I have napped three times today, between going out and walking around, had a couple of cups of coca leaf tea and drank lots of water. Hopefully a good nights sleep will set me right.

Miscellaneous pre-Christmas updates

Aimee and Avery are in Ontario for Christmas (Mike stayed back to work) and we met up at Nolan's (Aimee's nephew) first birthday party.

Avery (nearly 11 months) and Nolan (1 year)

Really, whats a baby supposed to do with a slinky. Chew it and wave it!

Christmas tree decorating finished. Not a lot of fun by myself but I managed
it a lot better than last year.

Rasta is very interested in the new decor. He's such a good cat, never knocks anything down
or attacks the tree (in front of me).

"I'm not going to bat this off. See, I'm not even really looking at it."

As usual in the late fall and early winter it has been very windy. There are two guys who come regularly
(in full wet suits) to surf and this guy who has a big kite that pulls his tricycle along the beach.

Eve came to visit and helped me frame and hang the prints that I bought in Maine.

George's mum, Berneice, made Christmas stockings for Chris and Mike. A couple of years ago I made
one for Aimee and this is Averys. He has the same initials as Mike so I added a little "v" next to the
A to differentiate them.

Aimee and Avery visited for a few days before returning to Toronto for Christmas Eve with her family.

He was as interested as Rasta in the bells on the door handles.

And of course Rasta was as intrigued as always in the basket under the stroller.

Already George's "high forehead" and Mike's ears.

Ruby came to visit.

Both in motion.

He was very interested in both the dog and the cat. Rasta stayed about 2 1/2 feet away at all times but kept circling around to look at him from another angle. They took turns playing in a cardboard box.

I was just seconds too late grabbing my camera as Rasta had just let Avery touch his paw.

They will be back on Christmas Day which will be absolute bedlam with lots of family, dog, cat and baby.

Missing Avery already

At 10 months old, Avery is a "going concern". He is on the go, crawling (tending to use one knee and one foot which makes him "limp" while he is crawling) everywhere, pulling himself up on things to stand and while I was there actually took a step. He feeds himself (and the dog) small items put on his  high chair tray, eats a wide variety of foods from a spoon and on the last night I was there bit off small pieces of sweet potato fries to munch on while we were out to dinner. He doesn't let anyone put him to bed but Aimee (he fell asleep on me at about 9:30pm, watching TV when I took care of him while Aimee and Mike had a "date night"). He wriggles and tries to get up when his diaper is being changed especially if he's poopy which makes it even more of a struggle. He seems happy in his car seat, cooing and playing. He seems happy with the daycare. Mostly a happy kid.

Standing at the couch

Doesn't like socks on or to be covered in the stroller. Makes for some pretty cold little
feet when its below 0 in Edmonton!

Our walk was to Starbucks and no, we didn't actually let him have any.

He's got Aimee's nose, Mike's ears, George's hairline and his great grandfathers square feet. Still manages to be pretty cute though.

He can amuse himself for quite a while, crawling around and pulling himself up on various toys.

Sometimes its about handling things but more often than not, its about chewing them.

Very interested in kitchen activities, especially if the dishwasher is open. Luckily he
hasn't figured out the garbage can yet.

Knows he's not supposed to be drinking his bathwater.

Loves trashing his Dad.

Mike throws him in the air, swings him around and tickles him. He wonders why Avery doesn't want to cuddle with him.

At least Iggy gets a break when Avery and Mike are playing

Back home and there's just the cat for amusement.

In a bag of rug hooking.

Checking out the start of the Christmas prep. We have already had words
about eating the fake tree. Just wait 'til there are ornaments and presents
to contend with.