PERU 2025
Day 3
We had to be up early (5:30 pickup) for our 9:00am flight to Cusco. The hotel provided us a bagged breakfast consisting of a lovely ham and cheese slice on dry bread, a juice box, an orange and some crackers.
We touched down in Cusco. At the airport we are once again greeted by an Exoticca sign and loaded onto a bus with other fellow Exoticca travellers for our trip to the Sacred Valley region and the small town of Urubamba. This would be the start of our exposure to the high altitudes of Peru.
Along the way we made a stop at Textil Sulca, a village run textile shop, using traditional methods to create, dye and make wool and fabrics using Llamas, Alpacas, and Sheep. We would get a demonstration of the different steps, and then get to feed the animals. Of course we were given plenty of time to shop and purchase their hand crafted wares.
Although we were warned about petting dogs by the travel clinic, these 2 needed the attention.
We learned about the difference between a Llama and an Alpaca, and were given a handful of grass to feed them.
Everybody loaded up with some type of handicraft, we all get back on the bus and head to the town of Urubamba.
We must be getting closer when we start seeing these crazy statues on the side of the road.
ALTITUDE SICKNESS
One of the things we had to plan for when travelling to Peru, was the vast change in
altitude, Urubamba is 2871 meters above sea level. Prior to our trip we met with the
travel clinic, and we were given meds to prevent altitude sickness. Also known as
"soroche" or mountain sickness, it can affect people who ascend to high altitudes (over
2,500 meters /8200 feet above sea level) without giving their bodies a chance to adapt to
the somewhat "lighter" atmosphere. Side effects can be headaches, nausea, fatigue,
insomnia, dizziness and difficulty breathing. On the way to our hotel, we are told to take
it easy, eat light, avoid alcohol, and stay hydrated.
Urubamba
The Hotel Agusto's is the first stop for 4 of us, it's really nice, loads of gardens, all tucked into a walled and guarded complex.
The rooms are large and bright, and although the beds are bigger, the hardwood floors might be softer.
After wandering the grounds of the hotel, we walked (slowly) into the town of Arubumba. Our first plan was to see the Castelio ruins (Palacio de Hiayna Calpac) but all the access points were closed off due to a funeral procession. Once they had disappeared inside, we snuck in behind and it turns out the old palace is now a cemetery. Walking up the road towards this "Palace", was when we really first noticed the altitude, it didn't take much to start sucking air. Downhill was much easier.
Not quite being what we expected, we left the cemetery and wandered across to the town square.
The town square is simple, but the corn topped fountain gives you an idea of what this areas focus is.
On June 9th the people of this region of Cusco get together to commemorate the Lord of Torrechayoc. According to history, the origins of this festival go back to 1860, when a group of devotees placed a cross in an area of Cusco completely surrounded by snow. In this place, they celebrated a mass in honour of the new cross and to inaugurate a stretch of road that led from Urubamba to Lares. Over the years, there were several inhabitants of this area who claimed to have heard voices as they passed by the cross. All these testimonies were the same: the Lord spoke to them about the intense cold he was suffering in that place. Upon hearing this, the parish priest of the nearest community ordered to relocate the cross to Urubamba, where The Lord of Torrechayoc achieved such fame that he was named patron of the province.
The costumes for the Lord of Torrechayoc festival in Urubamba are vibrant and diverse, consisting of traditional Andean clothing and folkloric dance costumes specific to the various dance groups that participate in the processions. The street leading to the church is lined with statues depicting the wide variety of those costumes.
This cross had the image of the Lord of Torrechayoc in the center, and is now housed in the Templo de San Pedro Apóstol. The construction of this Temple began construction in 1649 and was completed in 1686 with local materials, made of stone and lime.
Today was the first time I really started noticing the clay cows on the roofs of houses. I would learn more about their significance later in the trip, so you have to wait too.
We decided to have dinner at our hotel, it was very good.
What we didn't expect to see was a tour guide wandering around table to table showing her Korean guests what the Guinea Pig meal (Cuy) looks like. Nope, we did not order Fluffy for dinner.
Early to bed tonight, as we couldn't find an English TV channel, we need to protect ourselves from altitude sickness, and tomorrow is a big day, we are finally heading to Machu Picchu!!!