Endless fiestas

I forgot to indicate that I did in fact acquire my bag from the airport finally. I had gotten a ride with the apartment-keep, Javier, to the airport to attempt to get it, only to find that the Taca Airlines counter was closed. Taking a taxi there the next day, I found out that they had in fact left it with LAN, another airline. But alas, the end to that whole frustrating mess.

Otherwise, we have been continuing exploration of the grand ol' town of Cusco. There have been endless parades, starting last week. For every day, every possible permutation of combinations of cultural performances by any and all Cusco institutions have and will take place. Tomorrow, the quasi-Catholic celebration of Corpus Christi will take place, only to be outdone by the festival of Inti Raymi. This is the hugest party of the year, a sort of pageant that takes place at nearby Sacsayhuaman. It is an attempt to reenact the traditional Inca festival that asks the Sun to return towards the Earth to warm it again, obviously with some modern twists due to the multi-century Spanish imperial presence.

Indeed, Cusco strikes an interesting balance between cultural celebration and straight up party mayhem. There are a bijillion discotecas, bars, and restaurants to choose from when you get tired from the parade. One interesting one down the road from where I am staying is a multi-level lounge called the Frogs, which we have taken quite a liking to due to the decor and friendly staff. Happy hour is ubiquitous, and one can get a 2 for 1 on some standard and some local specialties. For example, the Macchu Picchu is a temping cocktail that is a 3-stripe rainbow experience that is quite delicious for the first red and yellow layers. All of a sudden, blam! Straight up mint liqueur, which I suppose leaves you with minty fresh breath, but is less than pleasant. Another local specialty called a Pisco Sour involves pisco, orange bitters, lime, and egg whites. Haven't tried the full version yet, but sans egg whites is quite tasty. I'm currently feeling kind of ill, nothing too serious, but I have absolutely no appetite.

Last Sunday, we had an excellent day-long whirlwind tour of the Sacred Valley near Cusco. We explored 3 different Incan ruins, which held religious, agricultural, and political significance for the Inca Empire, which was centered around Cusco. There is still a lot of Incan architecture present in much of Cusco, and many other towns as well in form of mortar-free lithic foundations in a variety of styles. The means by which they extracted, shaped, and transported such stones is quite impressive. For example, at Ollantytambo, there is an alter at the very top of a terraced hillside that makes the religious sector of town. The stones used there are enormous, and were dragged without the use of the wheel from a hillside quarry on the opposite side of the river that lies at the bottom of the valley. Indeed, the Inca were expert engineers, astronomers (or -ologers), and agriculturists. The terracing is quite impressive, as it enabled the growing of many different types of food along the stark change in elevation. The town of Ollantytambo beneath the ruins consists of 30% Inca structure. Many Inca settlements, particularly with religious significance, were designed in the shape of significant animals, such as llamas, condors, pumas, etc. On the hillside facing the temple-terrace area, there is a structure built onto the mountain that acted as a storehouse. Due to its placement, the wind would have assisted the already dry climate in preserving food. Any way the Inca went would have been uphill, so they must have been beastly fit. Pisac included a lot of small tombs in a hillside. The Inca had quite interesting cults around the mummies of their dead kings. They would parade them around, possibly representing different political factions, and treat them with great luxury. Considering how much trouble I have carrying my own self around these high mountains, the Inca must have been on some other kind of stuff.

I had 10 hours of Spanish lessons the first week, and a grand total of zero this week, but I'm still getting plenty of practice. I think I'm going to switch my program to just taking Spanish classes concentrating on medical vocabulary. I spent the previous week's mornings in the ED of one of Cusco's hospitals, but I had so much trouble with communication and not being allowed to do much of anything, that I think this would be a better alternative. The medical facilities are dark and cold, so I can't say I mind terribly. I'll find out at the beginning of next week what I'll be up to. The week after, we'll head out to the rainforest, and then its Machu Picchu!