Michael Batson

Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca, sits high in an Andean valley. The modern name is a Spanish corruption from the Aymara and Quechua languages, which drew on mythical origins to name the city.The origin of civilisation in Peru can be traced back 20,000 years before the Incas, making the country one of the cradles of ancient cultures along with China, Egypt, India, and Mesopotamia. From Peru’s second city Arequipa the journey is 15 hours by bus passing through the Shining Path hotbed city of Juliaca in the Puno region, over endless twisting mountain roads. Or you can fly in under an hour. I chose the latter. The pilots I noticed were the last to board the Boeing 737, entering the plane still wearing their Ray Ban aviators, or versions of them, to applause from the waiting passengers, like rock stars. Boarding from the terminal I’d passed them on the tarmac sipping mate tea, made from cocoa leaves. Either pre-flight checks are done early, or, dispensed with entirely in favour of the grand entrance. It’s style over substance – or should that be safety. Pilots need good visibility to land in so Flights to Cusco are usually in the morning when the weather is better. My taxi was an old Chevrolet of gas-guzzling proportions. The bench seats so wide I could almost sleep there and skip the hotel. Home was a colonial-era building complete with wooden balcony and internal courtyard. Prices were relatively cheap, the cholera and dearth of