Livin la Vida Cusqueña

Semana Santa in Ayacucho. Friday street murals.

Cusco has been home for a few weeks now so I thought I would share a bit of what life is like here. In keeping with the tradition of remarkable and historic cities such as Avignon, Prague and York, Cusco is a beautiful city to call home. It is the historic capital of Peru as it was the capital of the Inca Empire, and until the Spanish came, gold and silver decorated just about everything. Looking out from my kitchen window, I can see across a small ravine to the bohemian district, San Blas with its homes scattered up and down the hillside. The tiled roofs remind me of southern France. I live in the neighborhood of San Cristobal named after the ’White Jesus’ overlooking the city like Rio’s Christ the Redeemer.

I have a room in a big boarding house that resembles a log cabin. My sweet tiny room is quaint, with a backdoor to the garden. I have my own bathroom with plenty of agua caliente. I might have resigned myself to being a smelly, dirty hermit otherwise. The house is quiet and so is the neighborhood, a short hike above the main square and a few hundred steps down from the back entrance to Sacsayhuamán, the ruins of a zig-zaggy fortress outside the city. Most mornings, I climb out from under three wool blankets, throw on a coat and my tire slippers and shuffle down to the corner to buy breakfast, usually fresh rolls and an avocado. Hiking back up to the house, I eat breakfast sipping mate de coca. On lazy mornings, I don’t have to be at work until 10.30 so I can lay in bed reading or playing guitar, or grab a coffee to go and sit in the square and people watch.

Other mornings, I’m meeting clients at fancy hotels and taking them to the airport, all before 7am. My job is fun because I get to meet the people that come through Cusco and be a guide or go-to person during their stay here. They can call me at any time which can be frustrating when someone calls on Sunday morning to ask if they can change their train tickets to Machu Picchu. But I much prefer spending time with real people than with my computer in the office. When I’m not doing airport/bus/train transfers I’m in the office until 6. It’s dark and getting chilly when I leave, the city lights are lit and the streets are bustling with eager tourists.

The center of Cusco is small enough so I can go to the central market for fresh fruit and veggies, go to the office, or meet clients at their hotels on foot. The cobblestone streets wind up, down and around agencies, restaurants, churches, museums, hostels, bars, etc. The streets are alive with tourists, locals selling dolls, post cards, jewelry, etc. any time of day. You can buy tamales on the street for 25 cents and get a liter of fresh OJ for a dollar at the market or eat wood-fired pizzas and juicy alpaca burgers for 10 bucks.

Everyone who visits Machu Picchu comes through Cusco, meaning the city sees one million tourists a year. There is adventure ready to be had here with festivals fast approaching in the calendar year and ruins in virtually every direction. I have plenty of time to explore and have already planned some exciting trips for when friends visit! In the meantime, tomorrow I am headed for Copacabana, Bolivia to cross the border and renew my visa. For a few nights I will be sleeping on an island on Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in South America and the Incan birthplace of the world. My backpack on my back, greeting the ancient spirits of this extraordinary lake, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate six months in South America!

Es una vida Hermosa! Chau amigos.