four worlds and enjoying the present moment (martes, 14 septiembre)

It has definitely been an interesting experience in Cusco so far. The day I arrived in Cusco I wasn´t feeling great. My stomach was bothering me, and the person I had been travelling with turned out not to be the person I thought he was, so that was a bit frustrating and uncomfortable. I´ve often wondered why people have to act like someone they´re not, and I wish people could just be themselves. However, I´ve also realized that isn´t my problem and I´m not going to solve anything worrying about someone else´s motives.

I checked into a hostel (Hospedaje Miradorcito) in the San Blas neighborhood and walked down to the SAS office to pay for the rest of my Sacred Valley / Machu Picchu trip. On the way I met a painter who was selling some of her paintings. I talked to her for a while and had a hard time making up my mind. I finally decided on a watercolor of one of the steep, winding streets of the San Blas neighborhood. After checking in with SAS, I got some mate de coca and wandered through some of the markets where I bought a colorful bag made out of alpaca wool.

After stopping at the pharmacy for some meds, I took a mystical tour of the ruins (Qenq´o, Templo de la Luna, Templo del Mono, Puka Pukara, and a few others I don´t remember the names) on horseback. The horse I rode was a Peruvian Paso, and our guide was a Quechua guy and he explained all about the ruins and spiritual views of the Quechua (Incan) people. It was nice to ride a horse again. The Incans believed in spirituality through nature, and I thought it was very fascinating and peaceful. They believed in animal spirits and each thing in the world, whether it be animal, plant, rock, earth, sky, thunder, etc, had its own spirit. They believed in the four worlds, each represented by an animal (puma, condor, snake, and llama), and each had its own energy and represented different things. They thought the mountains were gods, and believed in appreciating the present moment rather than worrying about the future or dwelling on the past.

After the tour of the ruins I was hot, tired, and dehydrated. I took a nap for about an hour and then got up to have a massage. Massages in Cusco are really cheap compared to the US, and I thought it would make me feel better. I got a massage for an hour and fifteen minutes, and it was a full-body Novo Inka massage, which is a massage with more pressure and it ends with a hot stone massage. After the massage I felt amazing and so much more relaxed. I ate dinner at a curry place on Tandapata near the hostel, but still was having a few stomach issues.

Overall I really like Cusco so far. I like all of the artisan markets, the local food, the cobbled streets, and street vendors. Hopefully I get over this stomach thing soon. Even so, I love Cusco. I´ve never been anywhere like it.

written by

Sara Florecita on September 14, 2010 from Cusco, Peru

from the travel blog: año de dos inviernos (Chile 2010)

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