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The Amazing New Adventures of Larry and Mark - Peru, Land of the Incas
Hotel Monasterio
Late in the morning, our bus takes us up to our lodging at the Hotel Monasterio.
It's a tiny bus, designed for getting through the tiny streets of Cusco.
I don't have a photo of the front door, so we will have to walk in the front door.
There are no monsters, and it's not mysterious. The "Monasterio" was a monastery,
built over 400 years ago, on the site of an Inca palace. As with most of the stone
construction of the Incas, the Spaniards built on the Inca foundation and created the
Seminary of San Antonio Abad. The building was badly damaged in an earthquake
in 1650 but was restored. In 1950, the seminary was again damaged in an earthquake.
The seminary closed, and it was and it was remodeled in the '60's and '70's and finally opened
as an elegant hotel in 1997.
Throughout the hotel are paintings, created by the best students of the local art
school, depicting religious scenes of the period. Most of the old huge wooden doors
are still in place. The hotel remains a national historic landmark. Several times a
day, recordings of medieval chants can be heard echoing through the building.
The heart of the hotel is its courtyard, with a 300-year-old cedar tree in the middle,
surrounded by gardens. From the hills up above, you can spot the hotel by the cedar
tree in the middle.
The courtyard clearly shows how this building has been converted to modern use, by
sealing first and second-floor archways which were open for the first 350 years.
This building has been upgraded and modernized in many ways, including some which are
less visible. For an additional fee, you can even have extra oxygen piped into your room!
This photo is small because it isn't a clear image. In the evening, the courtyard is lit up.
I didn't get a photo of the inside of this ancient cabinet, unfortunately. Day and night,
Coca tea is brewing here for the traveler who wishes a little pick-me-up.
But I get ahead of myself. We drop our stuff in our rooms before going to lunch
and taking a walk. This will be an interesting walk, because my room was on the
second floor and I was quite out of breath going up that one flight!
More soon!
Larry Reich
You may reach me for comments:
Laurence Reich