In an effort to expand our medical program at work our medical specialist, Dr. Waldir, has been busy talking to all of the clinics in the southern valley of Cusco. I’m proud and happy to say that we will now be working with many of the clinics in the area, so… Dr. Waldir and I decided to make a weekend world wind tour of the area so I could get to know some of the clinics. We are also hoping to develop a flyer of tourist and food attractions for our volunteers who will be working in this area.
Urcos
Waldir and I met at Maximo Nivel and took a quick taxi to the university on Avenida de la Cultura. From there you can catch a S/. 5.00 colectivo all the way to Urcos. It’s a bit out there, maybe an hour or more depending on traffic, but the ride can be quite scenic. On the way in we passed a pretty church and there is a stunning view of the laguna as you drive into the town.
Immediately upon arrival we checked out the local Centro de Salud where I was given a tour and met the staff. Then we walked through a local market and finally made our way to the main plaza which is lovely. There is a nice monument to Tupac Amaru and I was even stunned to find a recycling campaign being held there which was awesome to see because recycling has yet to take off in Cusco in general.
More deliciously, Waldir and I indulged in some lovely rocoto relleno, or rocoto peppers which are stuffed with meat and vegetables, then breaded and deep fried. They are served with a boiled potato and are super duper yummy. Best of all… that all costs S/. 3.00, or about a dollar! Also of note about Urcos, on Sundays the main plaza hosts a big market which is important to the local communities.
Police Academy
It turns out that Dr. Waldir spent about a year working at the police academy as the resident doctor and that the police academy is all of five minutes from Urcos… so after a quick phone call to some of his old friends, Dr. Waldir invited me to go visit the site, see where he used to work and to check out a Peruvian police academy. Clearly I accepted.
The police academy was build around an old hacienda and many of the building are stunningly beautiful with others a bit rough for wear and showing their age. We got to see the medical quarters and walk around the site, all the while accompanied by a small Peruvian holding a very large gun. The academy was quite busy as they were holding admissions for new recruits. People seemed very serious, especially when they saw my token gringo booty walking around, but things lightened up when Dr. Waldir ran into his old friends. All-in-all, it was a unique experience for me to be able to see the inside of a police academy in Peru and I consider myself lucky to have been invited in.
Andahuaylillas
From the police academy we caught a super cheap bus to another town called Andahuaylillas. This town is famous for hosting the “Sistene Chapel” of America (1). From the outside it appears to be just a normal looking church, but the second you walk through the doors you will be amazed at the quality and quantity of murals, statues, and detail which is put into everything you see. The ceiling is stunningly colorful, the murals are very vibrant, it looks like everything is covered in gold, and there is a super cool piano.
It honestly exceeded my expectations and everyone should check it out. This was Dr. Waldir’s first time visiting the site, too, and he was also impressed. He was able to get in for free because he is Cusqueñan, but foreigners should expect to pay S/. 15.00 to enter. It is forbidden to take pictures of video of any kind, but they do give you a CD with photos and information to make up for it, which is nice. The main plaza and surrounding mountains make this area especially nice, and one that more people should come and visit.
Dr. Waldir also checked out the clinic in this town. Again I was given the tour and met the friendly staff. This clinic was considerably more humble and in more need of help and donations. It was also a Puesto de Salud, meaning its resources are by definition more limited than other clinics such as the one I saw in Urcos. Hopefully we will be able to help them out.
Lucros
After a full morning of travel, visiting clinics and sightseeing we got hungry, so we decided to head to another small town in the southern valley called Lucre which is well known for being the best place around to eat duck, which is one of my favorite things to eat! We took a quick bus and a short taxi ride into town and were recommended to eat at a place called Quinto Lucre… it was a bit pricy by Peruvian standards with a plate costing around S/. 40.00, but it was well worth it. We split a plate of chicharrón de pato, which is basically deep fried duck with corn, potatoes, onion salad and spicy pepper sauce… and it was as delicious as it sounds. Highly recommended!!!
Saylla
At this point it was getting late, so we decided to skip eating guinea pig and visiting ruins in another town called Tipon, in favor of going directly to a town called Saylla which is super famous for its chicharrón, or deep fried pork served with corn, potatoes, salad and ají sauce. That is also why we shared the duck in Lucre, haha. I love going to Saylla and eating the chicharrón there. It is probably my favorite food in Peru to date. It was also a nice way to end our adventurous day around the southern valley.
Still to See
I hope to make it back out the southern valley sometime again soon to do the following:
- Visit the ruins at Tipon
- Eat guinea pig in Tipon, which is their speciality
- Eat local bread at Urapesa, which is their speciality
- Visit more medical clinics
Bibliography:
1) “CUSCO – CUZCO.” ANDAHUAYLILLAS. Web. 8 Mar. 2015. <http://www.cusco-peru.org/cusco-surroundings-cusco-andahuaylillas.shtml>.