Indie feat. Lara – What would the Tourists do?

After a great time in the thick jungle of Cambodia, Indie and Lara meat again to learn more about ancient civilizations, their treasures and history. This time they travel to the old capital of the legendary Inca-empire, Cuzco. Budget restrictions force them to travel disguised as normal tourists – two in a million that are channeled through the ruins, museums and traditional dancing shows every day in the most touristic town Indi and Lara have ever seen in their lives. An itinerary.

Day One – City Tour Cuzco
Start at the cathedral on the central Plaza de Armas – note the abundance of Inca-symbolism in the church's decorations, e.g. the 'Last Supper' with a juicy guinea pig as the main dish and conquistador Pizarro's head on the body of Judas. That can't be a coincidence. Leave the Plaza along old inca streets to reach Qorikancha, the richest temple of the Incan empire as it was lite
rally covered with gold. Learn about how the Inca used their knowledge of the stars for their agriculture and witness how earthquakes that easily crumbled the colonial churches left the masterful precise Inca walls with not even a single crack. Next, jump on a bus and get into line with a million more buses to get to the Inca fortress Saqsaywaman that impressively towers on the mountaintop over the city. Once you get there, take in the hurried explanation by your guide and then rush to the top to get a view before running to the bus – 5 minutes must be enough to see this sight. You'll see two more temples like this, the ceremonial bath Tambomachay where you should take a sip of the spring water just to prove the tour guide wrong who says that gringos cannot drink it without getting sick, and the small Pukapukara. On your way back to town, you'll get lots of time for the last stop – a super expensive Alpaca clothing store. What a great tour. To finish off a first tourist day, you'll catch the traditional dancing show, that lightens your mood and saves the day with its fun local music, colorful dresses and happy dances.

 Day Two – Museums of Cuzco

Go visit the museums of contemporary and modern art – just to find that they are really not worth the time. Spend all the more time at the history museum that displays a great array of pre-hispanic artifacts and tells the history of Cuzco throughout the centuries in a very
enjoyable and informative way. Take your afternoon tea at the bar of the sweet little chocolate museum before spending the night in the best museum in town – the Coca Museum. Take in a private session with a Shaman who can tell you more about your past, present and future by reading your Coca-leaves (try not to laugh during the session, a straight face helps enormously to not been thrown out after just a couple of seconds). In between the museums hang out at the Plaza de Armas and witness a great carnevalesque parade with lots of folklore, dancing and music. Great fun.

Day Three – Sacred Valley of the Incas Tour

Take this tour even though you (rightly so) suspect that it might not be worth all the money you have to spend for it – it's after all still the most informative and enjoyable way to get to Aguas Calientes. Spend hours on a bus with annoying travelers that always come late or get lost so that the whole tour is absolutely off schedule and you might just miss your 100 USD train to Aguas Calientes. Marvel at the great sight of the inca citadell of Pisac and the steep cliff behind it that is honeycombed with thousands of tombs. Be trafficked to the modern heart of Pisac and spent tons of time at the touristic market – hold up your defenses or you'll have to buy tons of stuff nobody needs. Next, stop at an upscale buffet-lunch restaurant that is not included in your tour-ticket but far away from every other eating option. Starve just a little and wait for hours until all the other members of your tour (whose tickets miraculously include the buffet-lunch) are done eating. Rush to amazing Ollantaytambo, the eldest city in the valley, and loose your breath running up the stairs to the huge inca fort and temples that tower above the village. Get a 5minute in-depth explanation of what you see before performing a sprint to the train station to catch your train in the last second. Enjoy your train ride on the Inca express and try to understand what happened on your Sacred Valley tour.

Day Four – Amazing Machu Picchu

Get up at 4:30am to catch one of the first buses from Aguas Calientes up the mountain to the inca city Machu Picchu. Get into the vast complex right when they open and make your way straight through to the Principle Temple – be awestruck at the sight. Stay there and watch the sunrise over the surrounding mountains, pet the llamas and enjoy the silence as long as it lasts. When the first other tourists arrive, make your way back to the entrance and wait for your guide. Take a three-hour guided tour of the whole complex, learn about the architecture, inca culture and history and all the mysteries that surround the enchanting ruins. Take a short rest before climbing up a million stairs to the peak of the Machu Picchu mountain where you'll enjoy a great picnic lunch in the sun, watching down on the picture perfect scenery. Spend the afternoon to stroll through the ruins and explore every corner, find hidden treasures and take an unbelievable amount of pictures. When the complex closes, go back to town, take in a couple of Pisco Sours and catch your train-bus-combination to go back to Cusco.

Day 5 – Temple Tour around Cuzco 

You have 12 more hours to spend in Cuzco before you have to catch your next nightbus. Spend some more money for another tour to see more inca ruins in Cuzco's surroundings with a bad guide and hordes of picture-taking tourists – and be surprised to have a real good time, especially at the astonishing water temple of Tipon. Wander along the canals, tunnels and aqueducts and enjoy the view from the highest temple while enjoying the warm sun. When you get back to Cuzco, it is time to finally try out some special local specialty: Cuy. Taste your first guinea pig at the best local picanteria, surrounded by tons of Peruvians celebrating birthdays, weddings and office parties – and for the first time in 5 days no other tourists! Wash down the tasty meat with a good Chicha – the maize-drink of choice, flavored with fruit to add some color. Enjoy these last hours more than all the hasty others you spent in Cuzco and finally take time to reflect about everything you saw during the last days – and realize how amazing it really was!