Rocky Roads and High Towns

After spending a few days in the amazing sand dune oasis of Ica and Huacachina we were craving a little adventure and the sights of something a bit more than the typical tourist triangle of Cusco, Puno and Arequipa. We felt VERY relaxed after spending our days tasting pisco, climbing sand dunes, and enjoying the pool in the random little oasis amidst a landscape that just BEGS you to comb the sand, Spaceballs style.

So, we hopped a 9-hour winding ride (that felt more like being tossed from side to side on a small boat in a big storm than a bus) into the Andes to the central highland town of Ayacucho en route to Cusco. Arriving as the sun rose, we got a quick glimpse of this city in the mountains and were instantly charmed. We spent the day wandering the city´s streets crowded with 33 churches, traditionally dressed Andean women, beautiful colonial buildings, and kids taking advantage of a warm moment with water baloon fights (which just proves that summer´s the same the world over). More amazing than the town´s peaceful resilience and restoration,as it was once the center of the violent Sendero Luminoso, was its market. The hectic scene was resplendent with freshly slaughtered chickens, more than 20 kinds of potatoes, tropical fruit, and every life necessity from clothes to appliances. It seemed the entire town was there piccking something up.

In addition to a glimpse at real life in an Andean town, we got to follow the development of Peruvian civilization with a tour of the incredible Wari ruins. Ayacucho was once the capital of this Pre-Inka culture that lent much of its technology to the development of the Inka empire. Knowing we were on our way to the capital city of the Inka conquerers of the Wari, we felt we were following the progressive path of both cultures. Of course after hour 12 of our 22-hour unpaved, switchback filled journey through the Andes, during which every two seats were taken up by a family of 7, we were handed vomit bags twice, and hitch-hikers frequently got on and off with goods to sell, we started to wonder just how cool the whole thing was.

In the end, we were very lucky to have taken this detour and witnessed the renewed spirit of a town at the center of the Sendero Luminoso´s terror reign over Peru through the 80s and 90s. We arrived in Cusco enthusiastically anticipating our tour through the next chapter in Peru´s past (the Inka empire), and its present (a newly peaceful country showing off its beauty and culture to the world).