Peru: Cusco

After returning from the States, Javier and I had just a few short days at home to wallow do laundry and repack before we headed to Peru.  Javier and the Cabezas family had traveled to Cusco and Machu Picchu before, but I was looking forward to seeing the sights for the first time.  I hadn't done my usual (which is relatively minimal) research before we went, but quickly picked up Turn Right at Machu Picchu which I would 100% recommend to anyone traveling to or interested in the Incan ruins of Peru.  I also read Blue Moon Machu Picchu by Ben Westwood on our flight and during the trip and would not recommend it if anyone is looking (outdated, bad maps, generally negative, etc.)! We had booked the trip with Machu Travel Peru, who I would recommend for the sole reason that they give you a private tour guide for the actual Machu Picchu site visit (but more on that later).  We spent our first few days and last fews days of Peru in Cusco.  Javier had remembered good things about the city and wanted to give us some time to look around!

We arrived in Cusco in time for a late lunch and walk around town.  This is the Qorikancha.  It was originally an Inca temple dedicated to the Sun, but was destroyed/rebuilt by the Spanish to be a convent and church.  Today, tourists marvel at the difference in stonework between the colonial architecture (kind of tan in color) and the remaining stones placed by the Inca (grey, at the bottom).

There is a museum associated with the Qorikancha.  It was OK, and included several mummies and skulls excavated from Inca sights that illustrated their burial traditions.

The main square, Plaza de Armas, is quite beautiful.

We were told on many occasions about the wonder that was the Inca masonry.  In many instances the Inca cut stones to fit together so perfectly that there was no need or use of mortar.  Many stones had multiple sides cut into them in order to fit in their proper place.  Above is the famous 12 sided stone on the streets of Cusco.

On Sunday we went to San Pedro Market.  While it includes the traditional trinkets that you'll see in most markets around Cusco, it also includes butchers, fruit stands, restaurants and flower markets that locals frequent on weekends.

now those are pigs...

Javier chatted with some owners about what fruits we might see that would be different than Ecuador.  She pulled and cut a small item for us to try.  It tasted peach-ish to me, but Javier translated it as a white apricot.  We bought 3.

COOLEST THING I SAW IN CUSCO!!
If you do end up in Cusco, please go to the Centro de Textiles!  Honestly, it's just a store with a little museum attached, but we both thought it was awesome.  First off, you get to watch these tiny ladies weaving traditional textiles right on the floor (and it looks like hard work!).  But then the museum provides some really good info and artifacts to learn more about all the textiles that are pushed on tourists from minute one in Peru.  

Unfortunately or fortunately (depending on how you're looking at it!) the goods in this store are the real deal, authentic things (which means they're exceptionally $$).  But watching and the museum walk is FREE! (They ask for donations if you're going to take pics, but that seems sort of fair...)

Our second day in Cusco was led by a tour guide provided by Machu Picchu Travel.  We started in the afternoon inside of the Qorikancha.  (You can see how precisely the stones fit together behind Javier!).  I will say that the Moon book warned that the afternoon was the busiest time in the Qorikancha and they were right.  I would suggest going in the AM!

Inca ruins meet colonial Catholicism.  (NBD)

After Qorikancha we traveled just outside of the city to see some ruins.  This is us at a gorgeous lookout point right near Sacsayhuaman (pronounced kind of like 'sexywoman').

more purdy views

Sacsayhuaman is speculated to be a fortress, based on the original design of three walls and its proximity just above Cusco.  Mostly, it seems everyone discusses the mystery of how these massive (please reference above picture of Javier for size comparison) rocks were moved, cut and built to create this impressive complex.

Not a bad wall considering how little of it remains today!

We also stopped at Tambomachay and Puca Pucara.  Tambomachay was pretty cool: you can see how the Inca aqueducts and waterways are still working today (but it was super crowded when we stopped so I didn't take pictures!).  Puca Pucara had some beautiful views, but was quite chilly (we were climbing in altitude as we visited each sight).  While all of these were pretty spectacular (I don't want to dismiss them at all!)  I would suggest (as did Ben from Moon) seeing these prior to your visit to Machu Picchu.  It just seems better to build UP rather then start with the big kahuna and water down from there...

sunset at Puca Pucara

In the most wonderfully random coincidence, our buddies Kim and Guyon were not only staying in Cusco the same night we were, but booked their trip with Machu Travel Peru and were on our tour for the next couple days!!  We had a lovely dinner with them at Limo right in Plaza de Armas.  (Would recommend both eating at Limo and dining with the McKnights!)

**Slightly awkward pause here...we left for the Sacred Valley and eventually Aguas Calientes the next day to spend two days at Machu Picchu.  When we returned we spent a day in Cusco.  The following pictures and stories are from that Cusco Round #2!**

We stayed in the same hotel, Inka Wonder, in Cusco both times, but had this snazzy little view the second time around (that's Plaza de Armas)!

For those of you that might be interested in trying some authentic Peruvian cuisine, but feel a bit gun-shy about street food, I would totally suggest Cafe Morena!  They do a twist on some traditional street food, like the sandwiches you see here!

We also made a stop at Choco Museo (anther free Cusco activity) and got to see (and try!) some Peruvian Chocolate!
This is a cacao tree. (Also...Ecuadorian pride note: we produce more chocolate than Peru!)

Here is a woman cooling chocolate on a slab of marble so that it cools evenly (and doesn't discolor!)

In the evening, we went to a show that illustrated traditional costumes and dance.  It was super fun and colorful!

Most of the museums and churches we went in did not allow photos, so they were not documented here!  In addition to the above, we saw the Cathedral (which has some really interesting art that combines Catholic doctrine with indigenous traditions, i.e. the Last Supper depicted with a cuy (guinea pig) on a platter), Museo Inka (which also has mummies and some really cool Inca artifacts!), Iglesia San Blas (which has a ridiculously intricate pulpit carved from a single tree...and a skull that rests on top of it that supposedly belongs to the man who carved it!), and walked into Hotel Monasterio (which is an old monastery that has been turned into a hotel and is gorgeous!).

Cusco is a neat town and I would definitely suggest spending a few days to check it out if you're in Peru.  I was very happy that Javier suggested adding the extra day in the city after our Machu Picchu adventure.  It meant that we got to see almost all of the attractions we were hoping to!  When we did leave Cusco mid-trip we spent a day in the Sacred Valley before heading up to Aguas Calientes...that post coming up next!

Back in...Back in...Back in U.S. of A.

Hello my faithful readers!  I deeply apologize for my summer-long hiatus from the blog, but it has been one VERY busy summer.  It has also been a pretty ridiculously awesome summer too! And that means I have some big posts lined up for you!

I have to start where our summer began...back in...back in...back in U.S. of A. (should be sung to the tune of Back in the USSR).  To say that Javier and I were excited about our return to the promised land would be a bit of an understatement.  With the exception of my whirlwind return in November last year, neither of us had been home to really see people since our big move.  It was going to be awesome to be home stress-free.

Now, I have to admit that I did a HORRIBLE job documenting via pics during our time in the states.  I blame this on a few factors: 1) I was pretty lazy relaxed at home and couldn't be bothered with the fairly low-effort activity of taking pictures all the time 2) Since our phones were only useful when we had Wifi, I often forgot to bring it out/have it in hand (which I think only added to my relaxation during our time at home) And 3) (which I may have realized more after I returned than when I was actually there...) I think I usually am super careful to document our adventures because I can't wait to come home and share them with you guys!!  But since I was home with you guys...I felt a lot less pressure to be documenting (cause y'all were there...)

That said....I still have a bunch of pics to remind you of our fun trip home!  *WARNING* This is a pretty long post (I decided not to break our trip into two posts....) so if you want to read half now and save the other half for later, I'll let you know where you should schedule your intermission!

Our trip home started with Mom, Dad and Kels waiting patiently for us at the quiet Norfolk airport late July 3rd night!

We spent the first week in Duck, NC with family!   It was awesome to be at the beach (my beach) and to hang out with family.  Mom and Dad invited lots of family friends down too so we could maximize our beach time with visiting time.  (This is where my horrible picture taking comes in....)  We got to see Lynn and Dave and Rob and Susan for July 4th which is what we do every year!  It's funny how familiar activities are so welcoming after a year away from them!  We also had Pat and Jill and Tom and Gail (who we are going to see in Ecuador in December!) visit at the beach.

Family photo in Duck shirts!  (Elli even stepped in for this one!)

My Uncle Marty came for a few days too! (And taught us some new card games that Javier is very excited to bring back to Ecuador!)

Me and Mom and Dad taking a dip in the shark-infested waters!

Special place!

Of course much of our time was spent on the court in intense game play....

Mom and Dad hosted a big crab feast so that I could satiate my steamed crab craving!

Towards the end of the week we had the Marklins (Jamie, Jeff and Elsie) visit at the beach.  You may remember, that I got to meet Miss Elsie about a week after she was born when I visited in November.  For the most part, it felt like not much had changed since we left (you people stayed relatively the same).  However, we felt like we had been gone for an eternity when hanging out with friends and their babies.  A year is practically forever in a baby's life. (She is an example of one of those babies that mysteriously changed a lot in a year...)  I went from holding her head up (in November) to holding her hands while she danced all over the floor. (also again...I took no pictures...oops)

Photo borrowed from Jeff's Instagram!

We had one night in Richmond before heading up to DC where we got to have dinner with Kim and Guyon!

and I ate a burger that was sandwiched between two donuts....only in the US of A (#thingsnotfoundinecuador)

And also got some QT with my niece Miss Elli!  We're BFF already...

...it was shark week....

Because my parents' generosity has no limit....they also threw us a big party on Saturday in Williamsburg for Aunts and Uncles and Cousins to visit.  We (again!) steamed crabs and grilled out and had an AMAZINGLY wonderful time.  Javier and I do our best to send update emails and hear from folks around big events, but it was nice to sit around and truly chat with family we hadn't seen all year!

cousins!

family!

We drove straight to DC Saturday night for a happy hour we had planned with friends!  (This was our only weekend night in DC!).  We had tried to schedule some lunches/dinners with folks when possible, but (as warned by friends in Ecuador...) it was SUPER hard to find time to see everyone and ensure we spent time with family!

Hugging my wifey, Jess!

Smiles with Sandy!

Hanging out at Carpool with friends!

On Sunday we had a delicious brunch with my Aunt and Uncle and cousins in Arlington!  They fixed us a delicious meal and helped catch us up on all that we've been missing on NPR this last year!

                           **INTERMISSION** (If you want to come back and read the rest later!)

Our DC time was split between hanging out at Jody's house and running out to see friends.  As I said...for the most part you people didn't change that much...but those babies...In some cases friends conceived, bore, and birthed babies in the year we were gone.  *floored*  It was awesome to see them, but crazy too!

We got to have lunch with John and Hannah and brand spanking new baby Ellie!  She did great, sleeping through our Chipotle lunch and smelling like heaven while I held her!

These two ladies....I can't even.  We had an amazing dinner at Fig and Olive in DC with them. (Our return home made me realize how out of touch with the DC restaurant scene I am now...probably good for our savings, but sad for my palate!)
I miss these two a lot!

Our whole dinner crew!

I had a lunch and dinner with these two (cause one meal just wasn't enough for the catching up required...)  Alexa also took me to Cvent's new office (which is awesome) to see some old colleagues.  It feels way better different walking into Cvent when you know you don't work there!

Our whole dinner crew at Duke's new restaurant!

We were in town to celebrate Javier's mom's birthday which was very nice!  She invited some Chilean cousins that live in DC over for dinner and we had a little party.

Jody pre-wish making.

Cabezas originals!

This is us at a randomly awesome sunflower field that grows in MD.  Six years of dating and he'd never taken me before...

On Saturday I trained to Richmond to attend a family reunion and hang out with my rents a bit.   Here I am with cousins and their wives (and baby, Sawyer!)  at the reunion.

In hindsight, we might have done the trip a bit differently.  It was AWESOME to see so many people, but I didn't do a great job of setting a day aside for some time with just my Mom and Dad.  Saturday ended up sort of being that day (although we kind of squeezed it in last minute).  It was one of my favorite days home and I'm SO glad I got to spend it with them.  

We finished up our stay with a return to Duck and more hanging with friends.

Grilling out by the pool!

pool life

umbrella sitters

sweet action shot!

Joe Cool.
Gabriel was definitely one of those kiddos that had the audacity to grow up while we were gone.  We always knew he was a cool kid, but man is he turning out to be fun.  We really enjoyed getting to know the little person that he has become while we were at the beach.   Way to set the bar high, little man, for all the kids in our life!

Kelsey sneaking in there.

This year in particular was a relaxing one at the beach.  This picture (while maybe not the best) sums up most of our time spent in the evenings: sitting around chatting and playing games.

Many of our goodbyes were still tearful ones.  It was hard to leave the people and places we love the most in the world (regardless of why we were leaving).  I jokingly said y'all haven't changed, but the truth is that being home made us realize the small (and sometimes big) changes that are occurring while we're away.  Technology has made our time away 100% more bearable than it would have been years ago, but email and FaceTime can only go so far.  But our warm reception and quick return to ease with friends and family assured us that you guys will be still be there, open-armed when we return next year!  I also felt better knowing what we were returning to in Ecuador.  I think our departure last year was particularly daunting because I was so unsure of what we were heading towards.  Now I know that we really are happy here in Ecuador which made leaving home just a little bit easier. 

As I hope you've read, we really have enjoyed our time in Ecuador.  This country is amazing and I am still super looking forward to the next year here, but I think Dorothy put it best when she said, 'There's no place like home.'