Circuito Religioso Arzobispal

Day 253 – Cuzco, Peru

I won’t say much about yesterday. I was sick again, a mild tourista I guess, though I have been careful about local food and water, and I spent the day in bed feeling very sorry for myself.

Today I was feeling better, so I adventured out again. Since I had bought the ticket of the religious circuit -when visiting San Cristobal Monday-, I decided it was time to finish the visits.

I started with the Cathedral, which is in reality a cathedral with two churches on each sides, so that you start with a church, pass into the cathedral, then the last church before going out. A bit strange.

Cuzco – Cathedral and Church of the Holy Family on the left

So… you know baroque style. Take a very, very opulent baroque as a base. Then add a bit of rococo, then gild as much as you can with gold and silver leaf. Add a bit more just because. Then add some clothing on the statues, a bit of cloth-of-gold here, heavily embroided, some gold jewellery, don’t forget silver vessels here and there, and the occasional gold crown tacked to a painting to add character to the person represented. Isn’t that something? (Enough to turn a Catholic into a Protestant, to my mind, but that’s just me.)

At least, the central choir stalls were “only” wood, and beautiful at that.

After the Cathedral, I went to San Blas, whose main attraction, after the gold-leaf altar, is the pulpit, carved from a single tree trunk. Still no pictures allowed, but when I went up in the tower, I had a reasonably nice view of the city. There is a sign asking you not to ring the bell, as indeed the rope is at hand for such a thing.

Cuzco – San Blas

Back at the hostel, I finally booked my visit to Machu Picchu. Since it is 3-4 hours away, a day trip is possible but a tad complicated. An agency offered me the day trip for 270 dollars, everything included except the lunch. I booked a 3 days-2 nights trip instead for 230 dollars, and I will have to pay for the meals -the breakfasts are included-, the shuttle to go from the town at the base of Machu Picchu to the citadel itself, 25 dollars round trip, and a second entrance ticket if I want to go back a second day. And I also have a visit to the Sacred Valley included. I have transport, tour guide, hostel nights included. As transportation alone is 126 dollars, the entrance ticket 60 dollars (a combined ticket to climb up one of the peaks), and both nights 30 dollars (for a total of 216 dollars), you can see how I tend to like that deal.

The weather is unpredictable this time of year, this is why I gave myself the possibility to go back a second day in case I feel frustrated. (It would cost me 70 dollars more in ticket and bus shuttle, but how many times will I go to Machu Picchu?)

So that’s booked for Sunday, I’ll be back in Cuzco on Tuesday night, and I’m not sure if I’ll take my computer with me, so I’m not sure how much I’ll update my blog during these days.

I finally went in search of a “real” supermarket, and found one not too far where I could buy a few essentials to snack on and to make a meal to take away.