5/21/2011
Saturday night in Cuzco. This navel city is hard to describe. I feel like you could stay here 2 weeks and not have seen much... or had the time to properly digest your surroundings at least. Let me first catch up on yesterday.Yesterday
After finishing writing yesterday's installment, we ate a fairly simple breakfast, took fairly adventurous showers (the water temperature was constantly in flux), and ventured out into our new surroundings in daylight... still gray as can be, but daylight Lima style nonetheless. Our first stop was the Inka Market, and we were not disappointed. Most of the people were selling fairly similar items, but there were definitely stands with unique items. It was fun chatting to the vendors and getting a glimpse into what Cuzco might have in store for us. All the people were amicable and the prices reasonable. For lunch we took an amazingly cheap cab to an expensive but outstanding cebichería called Pescados Capitales. It came highly recommended from our cab driver the night before... we were not disappointed. Local elite businessmen and women (nice watches, make-up, expensive purses, new phones...) dined all around us. The food was incredible and it was clear our trip was off to a fantastic start. After lunch we decided to head to the ocean and catch a glimpse of the Pacific. We wandered south through a string of parks that eventually led us to Larcomar, a mall with apparently some of the finest shopping in all of Peru. I admit to being disappointed to see chain restaurants and hotels from the US in the area, but there was enough local flare to keep it interesting. The parks were more enjoyable though... the perfect way to spend a relaxing day in Lima.
As sunset (what sun?) approached, we headed back towards home base to drop off bags and get ready for our flight to Cuzco in the morning. We had an incident where we couldn't print our boarding passes after being checked in online by the Star Perú office (not to mention only receiving 1 of the 3 boarding passes via email), so we thankfully were able to drop in again and get everything sorted out before they closed. Afterwards, we walked the Kennedy Park area and had a drink or two at a Cuban bar. We were the first in the bar, but by the time we left the place was packed. Instead of eating there, we went to a very nice restaurant closer to Larcomar for a late dinner and then walked back to the hotel for an early flight across the Andes.
Lima, at least Miraflores, is very nice. If all of Lima were like this, it would be way better than people give it credit.
Today
In short, yesterday was a relaxing scene from any city in the developed world. Today, however, was uniquely Peruvian in every sense. This, dear friends, is another world. It was obvious from the minute we sat down in our cab and left the airport. The streets are different... the people are different... the food is different... If wealthy Miraflores in Lima is your only frame of reference for defining Perú, you would not be faulted for questioning whether this were even still Perú. I believe, however, that this is more the Peruvian norm. Speaking specifically of the Quechua women in town, I think even the average Limeñan would have a difficult time finding common ground. This is definitely not Kansas, Toto. Cuzco is a very old town; even the current buildings (built on top of Inka stonework) are centuries old. The topography kind of reminds me of San Francisco orMontmartre in Paris. But again, they're not very similar beyond that. Lots of things are very small here. The streets are steep and narrow. The people are short - the beds are too. The cars are tiny... Anyways, you just basically need to see it for yourself.We flew into Cuzco early. The Andes are truly stunning from above. Our flight was uneventful and calm; it was just nice to see the sun again. As mentioned above, it was obvious from the start that Cuzco had very little in common with Lima. As our taxi passed the San Pedro market, we knew where we had to go as soon as we got settled in. After unloading at Renacimiento and drinking a cup of mate de coca, we headed down to the Plaza de Armas en route to lunch only to discover the Plaza is no place to lollygag. It is full of people desperate to sell art, shine shoes, or solicit donations from tourists in a feverish and horribly annoying way. It was one of our first glimpses into "the opposite end of the spectrum" if you will. Tourist police were arresting solicitors for bothering tourists as we walked past. I felt accosted but didn't think it necessarily warranted jail time... sad. We left the plaza for a light lunch and were serenaded by a mobile Trident commercial; a guy singing Oasis, Coldplay and Guns 'n' Roses songs while playing guitar on the sidewalk. I definitely did not fly thousands of miles to hear 20-year-old Patience (which is apparently making a comeback as a trance/pop song in Lima), but I guess that's one interpretation of good ol' gringo marketing in South America.
After lunch we had to make a quick stop back at the hotel for our trek introduction and to finalize payment. What should have been a 15 minute simple introduction, "see you at 5:15am..." and exchange of money turned into a painful event lasting at least an hour and a half. There was confusion over how much we had already paid, how much we had left to pay, and how many days we wanted to spend on the hike. The conversation went something like:
Them: Ok, we have you down for 4 days/ 3 nightsUs: No, we want to do 5 days/ 4 nightsThem: Ok, that will be $70 more per person than the 4d/3nUs: No, you already told us it was only $40 more per person for the extra day. Here is the email that says so.Them: You have paid $190 per person so far.Us: This PayPal receipt says $615, not $570.Them: You paid half of the 4 days/ 3 nights trip, for 3 people; $190.Us: What is this extra $45 for, then?Them: Let me call the office.Us: How can you possibly have this wrong? We emailed back and forth 10 times about this already. Look at this email....repeat...
When we finally did agree on a duration and balance due, all of use were beyond frustrated. With the end of this torture in sight, we began unloading a massive pile of twenty dollar bills onto a table for counting, assuming the worst was behind us. The lady accepting payment then starting making a separate pile of rejected $20... and I about lost it. She told us she couldn't accept those bills (that we had withdrawn from an ATM just down the hill) because she couldn't exchange them if they weren't perfect. The slightest fold, tear, or writing on a bill earned it a place in the rejected pile. We literally had zero remaining "perfect" $20's remaining when she was done, despite pulling out more than enough money beforehand. I have since discovered this is a Peruvian norm... and a horrible, horrible experience to have to go through. Honestly, this experience (repeated multiple times throughout the trip) became the single most infuriating part of any vacation I've ever been on. Let this be your warning, fellow Peruvian traveler.
With the trek debacle behind us, we walked back to the San Pedro market and apparently passed through a black hole en route... that place is an alter universe. You can find anything from handwoven clothing to fruits I'd never seen before to sculptures and wood carvings to cheeses, chocolates or candies, to a full on butchery with a turn down any aisle. The meat displays would not fly in the US for sure; entire pigs gutted and ready to cook, cuts of beef sitting out in the open air with flies flying around, whole chickens with their throats slit piled up on top of each other, pig heads and cow noses with hair on and teeth still in... and every vendor is a humble and kind 4 ft tall woman with the exact same wardrobe as the next. I probably looked shell-shocked to people who saw me... at a loss for words. I wanted to take pictures to record the memory but found myself unable to out of respect for the vendors. I'm sure they're used to it but I felt bad when I initially reached for my camera so I just put it away.
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Market photos from other folks:
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We bought some fruit and coca candy for the hike. After the market, we headed towards the Plaza San Blas area and were the first ones to sit down for dinner at Pacha Papa. Eureka! Before we left, the restaurant had filled up completely (same as the Cuban bar), and for good reason. The meal was terrific. I had lomo saltado for the first time as well as an appetizer made of various (grassy!) cheeses and several kinds of potatoes I'd never seen before. Tony had alpaca anticuchos... we all ate very well.
Anyways, to sum this chaos up, yesterday was great in its own way, today was too, and tomorrow starts 5 days of a totally different experience. 3 very contrasting days. Today was probably the most I've ever stepped away from my everyday culture, but in a good and inviting way. It was beautiful yet uncomfortable, frustrating yet outstanding, exciting yet sad... the prototypical Latin American day as I've been told.
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