2013 – Page 9 – Deidre Adams

Peru, Part 14 – More Lima

Huaca Pucllana ruins, Miraflores, Lima, Peru – ©2012 Deidre Adams

Our last day in Peru was spent back in Lima, land of unrelenting gray skies. Lima is such a huge city, it would take another whole trip to do it justice. We stayed in the Miraflores district and just spent the day seeing what we could on foot. Fortunately, there was another spectacular archaeological site within walking distance of our hotel.

Huaca Pucllana is an ancient site built somewhere around 400-500 A.D., long pre-dating the Incas. The central feature is a very large pyramid surrounded by other rooms (?), all constructed of adobe bricks. The bricks were laid in special “bookshelf” technique designed to withstand the frequent earthquakes experienced then as now. Archaeologists have discovered weavings, ceramics, mummies, and other objects indicating that this society, referred to as the Lima Culture, was quite sophisticated. Several of the rooms had lifesize figures demonstrating various tasks – these were a bit on the creepy side. The site also features an area dedicated to raising crops and animals which would have been part of the domestic activities of the time.

Also in the Huaca Pucllana complex is a fabulous restaurant of the same name. We had a delightful lunch here.

We also spent some time walking the streets and just taking in the flavor of the city.

Next: Back to the studio and lots of new paintings!

February 7th, 2013|Travel|Comments Off

Peru, Part 13 – Machu Picchu

If you don’t have the time or inclination to hike the 26-mile Inca Trail to Machu Picchu on a particular trip, you can instead take the train and ride in comfort, enjoying the scenery and complimentary beverage service on your way from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes.

Along the train ride, the environment changes abruptly from the dryer high plains to rain forest. The trees close in overhead, and you feel as though you are traveling back in time.

We arrived in Aguas Calientes late in the afternoon, with the plan being to get up very early to ride the bus up to Machu Picchu. The large, comfortable buses travel up a very steep one-lane dirt road with lots of switchbacks, and when two buses going different directions meet, one has to wait for the other to pass before going on. Looking out of the window, we could see the very sheer drop-off below.

There are no restrooms available inside the ruins, so you must make sure you take care of matters at the entrance complex. Once inside, you are greeted with a scene you many have seen many times in photos, but being there in person is a transcendent experience.

Machu Picchu was built in about 1450, and it’s an engineering marvel especially when you consider that the Incas didn’t have iron or steel, nor wheels. How the large stones were transported and put into place is a mystery. After the site was abandoned roughly 100 years later, the rain forest vegetation grew back over it and it was lost for several hundred years until the archaeologist Hiram Bingham arrived there with his guide in 1911. What we see now has been reconstructed. The fast-growing plants are always trying to cover the structures again, so workers are constantly on the job removing it. Because it’s an important archaeological site of such extraordinary beauty, things can get pretty crowded after the very early morning. You can get away from the masses of people by doing one of the hikes to other nearby landmarks.

We chose to do two hikes, one before lunch to see the Inca Bridge. Access to the Inca Bridge is controlled, and the guard keeps track of all who enter and when they come back out.

This hike is pleasant, not too long, with the usual spectacular scenery. The culmination of the trail is a fence that blocks access to the bridge itself, but viewing it from afar should be enough for all but the most daring. The bridge itself is nothing but a couple of logs laid across a sheer, steep drop.

After hiking back down, we had worked up a good appetite and were ready for lunch. Food is not allowed in the park, so we walked back to the visitor’s center to see what was on offer there.

“Meet” pie, anyone?

After lunch, we hiked the trail to the Sun Gates. It’s a bit longer and more strenuous, but the views are worth it. On the way back down, we were surprised to see a line of several porters charging up the hill from the other direction, each carrying two large mattresses on his back. At the end of the line, there was a guy with an apparently very heavy box who had set it down to take a moment’s rest. I asked him what all this stuff was for, and he said it was for the tourists who were going to camp up there that night. Sounds pretty cush, but I couldn’t help wondering what the porters think of those campers – are they disdainful, or are they just happy to have the work?

If you want to see the iconic view shown on virtually all the postcards and posters, this is the hike for you.

After all that hard work, you should treat yourself to an ice cream cone before you get back on the bus.

February 6th, 2013|Travel|Comments Off

Peru, Part 12 – Chinchero

Getting near the end, I promise!

Another day excursion from Ollantaytambo was to see the village of Chinchero, known for its traditional-style weavers and the extraordinarily fine work they do. It is home to The Centro de Textiles Tradicionales de Cusco (CTTC), founded by Nilda Callañaupa in 1996. Nilda grew up in Chinchero in the 1960s, at a time when “most weaving was of inferior quality with synthetic fibers and Dayglo colors” (Hand/Eye). She later made it her mission to learn the techniques of her ancestors and teach them to other women in the village to preserve the fine craft traditions of the past.

Our guide at the CTTC was Carolina Concha, who combines work and parenting with admirable ease.

There was another little girl here at the center that day, keeping herself busy with her own toys or intermittently interesting herself in the work of her elders.

(Side note: In fact, as I noticed throughout most of the places we went in Peru, this seemed to be the way children behaved. They stayed near the adults, playing or otherwise occupying themselves, and they didn’t have tantrums or beg for attention. The only time I saw children out of control was in a rather upscale restaurant in Lima, where an obviously wealthy family was having a large gathering complete with several children and no fewer than 3 nannies in uniform. Still, the children ran around making noise and disturbing the other diners, looking much more like the scenes I’m accustomed to here in the U.S.)

We saw demonstrations of spinning, weaving, and knitting. The CTTC weavers are also making a big push to study and return to the natural dyeing techniques of the past. The beautiful colors come from leaves, moss, lichens, roots, and other plant matter, and of course, cochinilla.