Day 74 - Cusco

Sunday, 26 October 2014

Today is Appa and Amma's 40th wedding anniversary. And I forgot to wish them yesterday, because Malaysia is 13 hours ahead. I keep forgetting! And apparently my brothers didn't wish them either. So much for leaving my parents in their good hands. Hopefully they are not too sad and I will make it up to them when I return to Malaysia. 

I met Carlos at 10.00 am and we went to Tipon. This is a place situated about 40 to 45 minutes away from the city of Cusco, we took a cab to the local bus station and then took a local bus (van) to Tipon. At the entrance, we had to pay 70 soles as entrance fees for Tipon and 3 other places, and there were no options if we only wanted to go to one place. This is by order of the Ministry of Culture, according to the guard at the entrance. So Carlos bribed the guy and we paid 20 soles to enter the Tipon site. 

Tipon is an Inca ruin containing enclosures, terraces and an intact canal. The upper complex is crossed by the Inca Trail with an irrigation canal. We climbed up this trail to a Pukara, which is a temple or an observatory where the Incas used to watch the solstices for agricultural purposes. From here, there is a further trail with an irrigation canal which I gallantly walked on (it is along the mountain so the trail went up and down and was quite tiring) until I realised that the trail continued on for many kilometres ahead, and I gave up and turned back.

Then we came back down to the main archaeological site which was probably used as a laboratory of agricultural products because of the various micro-climates found within the complex, not unlike Maras Moray which I visited before. Besides being an archaeological complex, the site is home to one of the largest irrigation works in the terraces, with a great distribution of outdoor water channels. Water still runs through these channels, and there is a place where the canal breaks into 2 spouts, and then 4. 

According to Carlos, the 2 and 4 spouts symbolises the mythology of the founding of the city of Cusco, and the origins of the Inca empire. The 2 spouts represents the first Inca leader, Manco Kapac and his sister and also wife (!) Mama Ocllo, who represented the sun and the moon. They were created by the Sun God Inti, and they stayed on the Sun Island and Moon Island in Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. The legend is that the Sun God Inti gave Manco Kapac a magic golden spear (baretta), and when this spear pierced the earth, that place is to be the foundation of the Inca empire. 

Manco Kapac and Mama Ocllo then left Lake Titicaca to look for this important place. When he reached Cusco, the spear pierced the earth, and here he lay the foundation of the city of Cusco, which was also the centre of the entire Inca empire. Manco Kapac then taught the local men certain industries such as construction and agriculture, and Mama Ocllo taught the local women how to cook, to make handicrafts, textile arts and other domestic stuff. Thus began the Inca empire. 

The 4 spouts represent another less popular mythology; the 4 spouts are 4 brothers, known as Hermanos Ayar. According to legend, they were cursed to never look behind them, otherwise they would turn to stone. The first 3 brothers turned to look behind them, and turned to stone. The 4th brother never looked behind, and he went on to lay the foundation for what is now Cusco.

We walked in the terraces as well, climbing the stone steps made on the side of the terraces by the Incas, these were quite steep and scary but by holding the side of the wall it was ok. With all the Inca trails that I've been on and the steps that I've climbed, which are mostly made of stone and are not very even, I have come to the conclusion that the Incas were very sure footed people.

We came back the same way, i.e. taxi to the nearest bus stop and then the bus (van) back to Cusco. Here I went back to my hostel, had a shower and packed some stuff for my trip to Bolivia. I am leaving my big suitcase behind, and just bringing my small bag with me. Then I headed out to the bus station to buy my bus ticket to Puno, I managed to get a bus at 10 pm and I will reach Puno at approximately 5.30 am, and then I have to buy another bus ticket to Copacabana, Bolivia. It's travelling on the bus again for me tonight.