Cruising Cuzco

Ahoyhoy,

Fear not, there has been no using of my feline Tiggery extra lives today (honestly Mum). Although between getting back to the hotel from the museums just before lunch and leaving just after to go to Sacsayhuaman (pronounced sexy woman) some little piece of sneaky snakery stole my chair off Sir Humphrey. Bastard. At least he stole a £25 chair and not the £350 tent that he presumably could have.

Anyway before this miserable discovery I went off in search of culture in Cuzco and boy did I find some but I fear I am about to bore you silly but do come back, Machu Pichu tomorrow! This is the Plaza de Armas, the main square in the old city, weather was a bit grot:

I was the first person in the Inca museum which allowed a few sneasky non-flash photos. Not allowing this is as stupid as not allowing you to use your eyes so I felt rightous in flauting their stupid rule. Anyway there was a good display for fabrics and ceramics including porn pots:

I particulally liked the strapped skulls (very Indiana Jones) and the ´room of ancestors´ which seemed to be a sort of crypt where one jammed your dead rellies in nooks and baskets (also quite Dr. Jones):

From here I went to the very posh and highbrow Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. This was a bank supported do with the most exquiste pieces behind ´annoying to photo through´ glass. There was everything from cermic to silver to gold to wood artifacts each described in three languages in a very highbrow artyfarty way. Many pieces had a penis. I liked these wooden dudes:

I liked the bepenised reindeer jug:

I particually liked the Incan whistles that look like ornate shells:

And get a load of the war maces. Almost an artistic pleasure to have your brains clubbed out by one of these:

But quickly things sullied to what they think the tourist will want in the gift shop:

Outside in the Square of the Nazareen (no idea to whom they refer) there was an unexpected display of old and new South American motor manufacture. Beetle to Hilux:

Whilst walking around old Cuzco you will often find new buildings (relatively) built on Incan walls that were already there. Big respect to the Incan brickies:

Next was a classic story of colonialism. The Spanish came and plundered and destroyed Qorikancha, the most important temple site in the whole of the Incan empire which contained gold lined temples to the sun, mood, thunder, lightening etc. They then, having done a half arsed job at the destroying bit build a Catholic church on the site using the Incan buildings as foundations. After an earthquake in 1950 loads of the original stuff was rediscovered and now the Incan stonework is a far bigger draw than the church and its collection of Jesus paintings:

After all this culture I felt the need to balance things out, I am a Librian afetr all. So I popped into Paddy´s; the highest Irish owned pub in the world (11156ft altitude). It was an interesting mix of decor and was only otherwise patronised buy Americans:

But it was pure pleasure to have my first cider in six weeks:

Then was the debracle I refered to at the start with the theft. I was off out on Sir Humphrey as I had been told by the guidebook that Sacsayhuaman was half a day outing by foot and the trip agent suggested I should go by bike. After 4 mins I was there in full motorcycle gear. Silly boy. Sacsayhuaman is a huge Incan thing. Noone is exactly sure what it is but it appears to be some outlines of buildings are three huge stone zigzag parallel walls. The intracacy of the stone work is amazing. These are dry stone walls but there are no gaps between them and just look how big the stones are:

After this I went back to the hotel, removed everything from Sir Humphrey and had a good old sort out which made a large shopping bag full of rubbish and stuff to throw away. Lots of room for the tyres I plan to but in Lima. But for now it is a choice between Llama steak or roasted Guinea Pig and then an early start for Machu Pichu in the morning.

Sorry if today´s blog was a bit boring, museums might not come across as well as bike adventures and massive geography.

TTFN,

Sacsayman