Local Knowledge

12Apr10

A while ago, me and two friend’s, from Cusco went ought walking to “Cristi Blanco”, a white Jesus statue on a hill/mountain outside Cusco. We started 5 a.m in the morning, to go and see the sunrise over Cusco and to avoid paying entrance. To arrive there before the guards come. We was not the only one doing so. Moor locals was there, to walk in the aria and some used the mountain slope and steps for running/training. But, I was the only “gringo” there. Locals commenting about me in Quechua, the language spoken here before the Spanish colonization.

We walked around the Inca ruins, walking thru caves with a torch. Seeing the place, how a “Cuscanian” (person from Cusco) sees it. Before the tourists come and take over the place.

Then we decided to continue to other ruins further away, a one hour walk. Quite soon, the only people we met was locals, living on the hills outside Cusco. We was now the only ones from the city.

I would never walked there alone. Not because of a risk from being robbed. Rather, I wouldn’t know were to go, what to find and see, how do I get back and were is it ok to walk. Having knowledge about the aria.

We got to the ruins, but they was blocked of, with blue tape, telling us to not enter. So we went in, or rather crossed the blocked of aria. We found a few caves, some of them looked dangerous, but one of them looked fine so we entered. There was a snakes cut-ought in the cave, done by the Incas. The snakes heads was gone and I was told that it was the spanish who destroyed it. Looking at how intact the snakes body was, after many, many years. Someone has to have used a lot of force to destroy the snakes head.

After that we continued to the top of the hill/mountain that was located next to and is a part of the Inca ruins. Having a short rest and beautiful view before walking back.

We walked a different way when going back to Cusco, stopping at a monkey statue. The body of the monkey are still intact, but the head is missing…

I had a really good morning, seeing things I would never have seen if i walked alone, or with an other tourist. The value of local knowledge.