Puno-Cusco

I forgot to write yesterday about a strange contrast we noticed on the islands: the primitive mud or stone or reed houses, often without running water and any other conveniences had solar panels on the roofs.

Most of today was travel day. We left Puno at about 9 am and after about 100 km got off the main road to visit Inka and pre-Inka burial site called Sillustani with chimney-like stone structures high on hills between two lakes. Quite a beautiful place. On the way there and back, we passed several interesting-looking old farms. They consisted of two or three small stone houses connected by stone walls, all forming a square or rectangle with an arch for a gate. Most were llama farms with llamas in front of them.

About half way, we stopped at the La Raya pass located at the highest point we’ve been to --- 4,350 meters. La Raya is the point that divides two watersheds --- that of the Amazon and that of Lake Titicaca. There is nothing much there --- lots of colorful stalls with local handicrafts, but behind the stalls one can see the old train station, the chapel and some warehouses. The train line was there before the road and it used to be the highest railway in the world before the Chinese opened the Beijing-Tibet line. It was built by a Polish engineer Ernest Malinowski.

Once we crossed La Raya, the landscape started to change. Until then, we were traveling through Peruvian desert. The landscape was bleak, sand-colored without any green or trees, just sand, dirt or stones or dried yellow grass. The air was also very, very dry to the point that the inside of your nose was so dry that it was uncomfortable to breathe. Several people have been having problems with nose bleeds. The differences in temperature between day and night were also huge.

After La Raya, we started to go down and the landscape became more “comfortable” with patches of green fields and with groups of trees -- mostly eucalyptus trees. The air was not as dry anymore, either. Once we entered the sacred valley of the Incas along the Urubamba river, it became almost lush.

Small Peruvian towns we passed along the way were not very attractive. They are not nearly as colorful as Mexican towns. The dominant color is grayish brown, the color of mud, from which many of the houses are built. They mostly use mud bricks, probably similar to adobe bricks or stone to build their houses.

We got to Cusco in the evening. Our hotel (Royal Inca) is right in the middle of the old town. It is an old colonial mansion converted into a hotel. It’s quite nice and the location is fantastic. We checked in, left the bags in the room and immediately started walking around Cusco. It’s a gorgeous place!