The bus took off promptly at 7:30 a.m. and we were going to drive southeast along the PE-3S Highway from Cusco to Puno, or the Trail of the Sun. It was going to be a long bus ride covering 240 miles, stopping at six different locations along the way. Our tour guide, Alfredo, got on the loud speaker and told us the itinerary of the day's stops. Mom purchased a map so we could see and learn where we were going. I also got on my geocaching app to see where were on our journey as well and to see if there were any caches at our stops.
Alfredo said it was going to be about an hour and a half drive before we made our first stop. Meanwhile, we all looked our the front window at the small towns, the people, animals and vehicles as we drove. Mom and Rhonda took a bunch of pictures and Amy was trying to ignore the guy behind her.
We arrived at our first location, Andahuaylillas. It is a typical small town in the mountains dedicated to farming. Their small scale farming allows them to produce corn and fruits for the community and the surplus is offered in Cusco. This town is only located only 40 minutes from Cusco. In the center of their little plaza is the impressive Temple of San Pedro and San Pablo, called the Sixtine Chapel of America, built in 1580. Inside the temple, you will see the beauty of its paintings, the ostentatious decoration of the carvings the artist was able to express through his masterpiece. It was very important to highlight the fact that inside this chapel, there is no space that isn't decorated or filled with a painting. We spent about a half hour inside the chapel. We were not allowed to take pictures inside but could take pictures outside the church. Every square inch inside was packed with decorations and paintings. Our tour guide did a great job of explaining the history of the chapel to us. He let us walk around for a little while, use the restrooms and visit some of the nearby shops. One sold jewelry and coffee so a bunch of people including Amy and Rhonda bought coffee and jewelry. Mom and I sat on the steps and took some photos.
We got back onto the bus and headed to our next destination. The bus was hot and cold and hot and cold as the day went on. I had to take my vest off and on several times. It was hard to get comfortable on the bus when I wanted to close my eyes. As we got higher in elevation, it made you want to sleep more.
Our next stop was another hour's drive to Raqchi. It is known for its section of Incan Ruins. It is a touristy town, located about 77 miles from Cusco, we will find here a complex archeological site. It is a magnificent example of Incan architecture near the skirts of the Qinsa Chata volcano. Inside the complex, you will find the temple constructed in honor to the Wiracocha God. The foundation is made out of carved stone and the top side is made out of adobe and mud with an astonishing height that still remains sanding in one piece. In its surroundings, there is a great number or residential constructions, fountains and terraces, which tell us about its importance as a pilgrimage center. Historians tell us that in this enclosure lived the best of all the expert weavers in the Empire. You will also see innumerable stony circular construction of great sized called Qollqas or deposits where dehydrated food was kept, such as Chuno, dehydrated grains, wood, Charqui, as well as weapons, ammunition for future conquests and war. These supplies were stocked up for the Empire soldiers that passed through this point on their way to the Collasuyu region.
We got off the bus and were taken into the city square where we learned about the chapel. It is known as the San Migel Chapel and was built by a group of people, who were the best stone cutters in town, in the 1670's...making it about 350 years old.
We walked down the trail to the adobe structure that still stands to this day and the houses people lived in, those were being renovated. We listened to Alfredo talk about the structures and the area in general for a bit and then we wandered around for a while.
Amy, Mom and I walked back to the square, while Rhonda walked around the pond. She said it was a nice walk once she caught back up to us. Mom bought a laminated Raqchi guide/map from one of the women selling things for about S/9. Amy and I used the restroom for a sol and then went into a small store for some Inca Kola without sugar.
We boarded the bus again and was going to be on the bus for another hour, however, the next stop was a buffet lunch. I was getting hungry so this stop was just in time.
When we reached out next destination, Sicuani, we stopped for lunch at La Pascana de Mear, which was a well-known buffet place in town.
The food was better at this place than it was at the last buffet restaurant in Umbambura, at least that's my opinion. I had two plates of food and two bowls of watermelon. A band played Peruvian music but most of the songs were American. Outside, llamas and alpacas were running around bothering the patrons who chose to eat outside on the patio furniture. We paid for our drinks, used the restroom and boarded the bus again.
You could slowly see the altitude change as the mountains got smaller and we got higher. The pressure of the altitude change you could feel in your body, ears and lungs.
We were getting closer to our next stop, La Raya. La Raya sits at 14,150 feet and is the border of between Cusco and Puno. We have reached the halfway point! The bus driver pulled over along the pull out on top of the pass and Alfredo told us we had a few minutes to enjoy the snow-capped mountain to the east of us. The one that we could see very well was Mount Chimboya which is at 18,009 feet.
We took a few pictures in front of it, looked at the Andean people selling their wares and I went to go find the geocache, La Raya Pass (GC5BPX9) which was a nano hidden on the sigh at the border. Alfredo said it was time to get back on the bus and head to our next destination. He did mention there might be some construction we would have to wait for.
I got tired so I fell asleep for a while. I wasn't sure how long until our next stop and the altitude was getting to me...making me drowsy.
Then I felt the bus stop near the town of Ayaviri, I woke up and we were stuck in that construction Alfredo warned us we might get tangled up in. We weren't sure how long the delay was going to be. As we sat there, the bus got really hot because we weren't going anywhere. We chatted with each other, watched the people in front of us get out of their vehicles and hang out in and on the side of the road. I worked on my journal for a while to pass the time. We had to have been there for an hour or so. Around 3 p.m. is when it started moving again. I was already tired of being on this bus and we had many hours still ahead of us.
Our final stop was in a town called Pukara. We got off the bus and went inside a museum, where we learned about the history, statues and the ancient people who lived here. Pukara developed as the first statehood model integrating urban areas with rural populations in Southern Peru. The archaeological site is located northwest of from northern Titicaca basin, at the banks of the eponymous river. This area is currently part of the Lampa province, department of Puno, with an altitude of 12,795 above sea level.
Pukara is chronologically set in the late Formative period, its time frame encompassing the years between 500 BC and 380 AD.
Pukara was a complex polity with a strong social hierarchy and governed its politico-religious elite. Policies established by such elite involved the centralization of products from the northern Titicaca basin. Through the exchange of goods and ideas with other polities, Pukara culture managed to expand its presence and influence. Evidence of this exchange was found as far as Chumbivilcas and the Vilcanota basin in Cusco, Tiahuanaco in Bolivia, the Peruvian southern coast and northern Chile.
Pukara serves as a link between the formative period in Cusco and the Middle Horizon. The regional precedent established by this polity went into generating cultural manifestos such as Tiahuanaco, Wari and later, Inca.
We also found out that the Pukara's depend on two activities, agriculture and herding. They were the first who implemented intensive high-altitude agriculture, being able to control the Andean plateau's environment through the usage of elevated mounds on periodically inundated terrains. Such a technique created hydraulic systems which retained and drained water, or created artificial ponds. The people of Pukara cultivated tubers such as potatoes, oca, mashua and ullucos as well as grains, quinoa and canihua. Pukara herders bred llamas, alpacas, vincuas and guanacos. This type of herding was important not only as a source of food but also as a source of wool garment weaving. These products were essential for the long-distance exchange system.
We went and used the restroom, which we had to grab toilet paper before we went in there, and went into the little grocery store. Mom bought a Snickers bar and I bought a book about the Incan Trail and Machu Picchu for S/35. We boarded the bus and we were finally on our last stretch of highway before we got to Puno.
As we drove south, we saw flamingoes in the river, which no one believed me until Alfredo said there were. Amy thought I was crazy but Peru does have flamingoes! We watched a lightening storm and then it started to get dark quickly as it does when you are at the equator.
I put my stuff away I was working on and close my eyes again for a bit until we got to the bustling city of Juliaca, a really creepy looking place from what we could see out the window. I would never want to be in this city at night. It was very busy with people and vehicles everywhere!
It was finally dark outside and you could see where the bright lights and open dark areas were the rest of the way to Puno. I was so ready to be off the bus. Once we finally reached Puno, we were on the bus for over 12 hours. That is a long, firing day. The altitude was intense here being at 12,500 feet in elevation. The bus parked inside gated part of the station, we got off and grabbed our luggage. Our driver and agent were there to pick us up. On the way to the hotel, our agent told us the itinerary for our tour of Lake Titicaca and our pick up time the next morning.
We got checked into the Xima Hotel and I was tired. The bus ride and altitude were getting to me. I had a headache. We walked up to our rooms, 409 and 410. We got settled in, I took some IB Profin and got a shower in. I talked to Ben for a little while and then did some internetting. I uploaded some pictures to Facebook, we couldn't get our television working again so I listened to my podcast instead. I did some blogging and wrote in my journal for a little while. Mom was in bed because she was cold but got up to talk to Amy and Rhonda for a little while. We didn't have dinner so I ate some of my tuna and crackers and had part of my Milky Way for dessert. As it approached bed time, we got ready for bed, brushed our teeth and laid down around 10:30 p.m.
Next Adventure: Peru: Lake Titicaca Boat Tour, the Islands of Uros and Taquile (Day 10)
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