After the jungle we returned to Cusco to celebrate my 27th birthday!! And to take part in the festivities of Inti Raimi. The day after my birthday celebration Dave wasn't feeling like mingling with a few hundred thousand folks who were trying to get a glimpse of the historic procession of Inti Raimi that is known as Cusco's largest celebration of the year so he stayed home. Lauren and I were determined to see the locals dressed up, dancing and reenacting cultural ceremonies so we headed for the mountain around 10:30 AM. We really wanted to get a good spot for when the deal went down at noon. Now, the hot sun is one thing but the hot sun with many hundreds of thousands of tourists including the most obnoxious 19-year old English girls who could only talk about how they "fancied the pants off" this dude or that, well, that is another thing entirely. As if the sun and chatter weren't enough, we eventually found out that we made a drastic miscalculation with timing because the ceremony wasn't scheduled to begin until 2 PM. AND we were in Peru, which means we are on Peruvian time. By the time 2:40 rolled around and the procession began, Lauren and I were exhausted. We were able hang out for about 25 minutes before we gave in and went home where it was cool and quiet. I later was informed (by several reputable sources) that the ceremony included the sacrifice and burning of the heart of a llama. I believe we made a good choice in leaving when we did but think Dave made the best choice of all when he decided to skip Inti Raimi all together. The dances and costumes were quite interesting. Perhaps if our timing were better and I could delete all those who annoyed me then maybe I would be more keen on checking it out again but as for now, 25 minutes was quite enough Inti Raimi for me.
copy and past the link below to view the entire album:
http://s778.photobucket.com/albums/yy66/Scooby_Tuesdays/Cusco%20June%2022%20to%2024%202010/
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