[Itinerary Page]The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur
October 29 - Cuzco
ALtitude is still taking its toll on our endurance ... so we have definitely been taking it easy. We couldn't face the gauntlet of street vendors, so after a run around the corner for lunch (which was also breakfast) we took a cab up to Saqsaywaman, the Inca ruins closest to Cuzco. This ancient fortress is an amazing demonstration of Inca construction skills, with many of the massive stones weighing up to 125 tons. Historically, it was the focus of the great rebellion led by Manco Inca against the Spanish in 1536. From here, a force of 200,000 Incas beseiged 200 Spaniards in Cuzco for ten months. Amazingly, the Spaniards held out in what turned out to be the final gasp of the Inca empire.
Call us strange, but when the opportunity presents itself, we find that cemeteries often provide an interesting perspective on a culture. In Peru, the departed are memorialized with a sort of collage of their lives behind a sheet of glass in the front of the tomb. I assume that the dear departed are also back in there somewhere.
Margene was not feeling all that great this afternoon, so we just kicked back in the room and rested. There seems to be some part of the American psyche that wants to go, go, go all the time ... and it is refreshing, although strange, to just let go of it and do nothing. I think we could all stand a little more down time.
Margene was still not feeling up to eating, so I left her with a movie on cable and headed to the Plaza to dodge the panhandlers and find a bite to eat. I ended up at the Inka Grill where I enjoyed a pleasant meal (of guinea pig!) and listened to a local music group. Very civilized!
The Cross Keys Pub and the Inka Grill
© 2004 Restaurant Doctor