Cusco: Fun Times and Cuy

Alright, finally the long promised Cusco entry. I loved Cusco. I'm on the bus heading out now and for then first time in my trip I'm sad to be leaving a place.

One of the reasons I loved it here so much is that it reminded me strongly of Salamanca, Spain, where, as any avid blog reader of mine knows, I spent a semester of college studying abroad in. In Cusco, Salamanca's beautiful central plaza, cobblestone streets, and abundant cafes seemed to make a reappearance. Like Salamanca, Cusco is very walkable and felt very safe to be in. At least in the main center area, modern development hasn't destroyed historic charm.

Note that the rainbow flag is in this case the flag of the Andean Region/Incan Empire

Another reason I had such a blast in Cusco has little to do with the city and a lot to do with the fact that multiple friends I've made on my trip all converged in Cusco at the same time. It was such a treat to have friends to tour the Sacred Valley with, make chocolate with, eat dinner with, and tour the markets with. I can entertain myself quite well, but it is nice to have buddies to do things with, and the conversations and perspectives are always much more interesting when the people are from all over the world.

My friend Sarah and I making chocolate 

Finally, another reason I really enjoyed Cusco was that the poverty wasn't right in your face. I haven't written much about this, but it's readily apparent that Peru is very much a poor and developing country. Traffic laws are guidelines at best because there isn't a police force to enforce it. Many roads aren't paved even in towns, there's stray dogs and garbage in most places, and it's heartwrenching to see what I first assumed were abandoned falling down buildings but later realized were people's actual houses by the side of the road. But what gets to me is the dichotomy of the situation. Often as I see these sights, I'm cruising down the roadway in a luxury bus that seemed cheap to me but would easily be a week's wages for some of the people I pass. And the thing is, there's nothing I can do about it. Systemic poverty requires systemic change to fix. And that means generations of improved education, infrastructure, and economic growth that has just yet to happen in Peru for a variety of reasons that I'm not at all qualified to speculate about. And yes, I know and I've seen that there is poverty in the United States, but poverty outside a first world country is a whole different ballgame. And I understand this is important to see and to realize that this is how the majority of the world is, but when you're powerless to do anything about it, it's nice to have a break from thinking about it and seeing it all the time and Cusco was that break.

Now that I've totally killed the mood of this entry, let me end with relating that I've finally tried both alpaca and cuy (guinea pig) while in Cusco. Alpaca tasted like saltier beef while guinea pig had its own flavor, though maybe it tastes similar to other types of rodents? In any case, I didn't really care for it, but now at least I can say I've tried it, and get some unnamed people off my back about eating it :) Next up will be Arequipa!