Cuzco

The last time I blogged about my trip in South America, I was turning the tables on a few bad men from Peruvian immigration. Finally able to relax after some stressful situations (read the previous 5 posts or so), I could now enjoy Cuzco for the rest of the day. My first priority was to make my way down to the train station to buy my tickets for the next day's trip to Machu Picchu. I had some great Peruvian empanadas, got my tickets, and walked around town for the rest of the day. I even talked to my mom from a phone booth and exchanged the last 100,000 Colombian pesos that I had been carrying around for over two months. And get this...this lady selling souvenirs said that she would lower the price on some sweet stuff, but just for me! Things were starting to look up for me, and probably for anyone else who talked to the same souvenir lady.

By the way, I know that you were hoping for some music to listen to while you read, so here is a good one for you. I would open this link, and any other links, in a new window or tab. It's better this way, in my humble opinion, so as to listen to the music while you read.

Cuzco, the capital of the Incas, is incredible. The mountains, the narrow and steep streets, and the combination of new (Spanish) and old (Incan) architecture make the place spectacular. I walked up and down as many streets as I could find, and here are a few pictures.








The only negative thing that I heard about Cuzco was that it was too commercial. I heard a young woman say this while on the bus ride from La Paz to Copacabana, Bolivia. I had a hard time believing it because I had idealized Cuzco so much that flaws seemed beyond reason. But when I arrived, I knew what she meant. When my Bolivian friend and I had arrived at the Plaza de Armas (the last picture above is from this plaza), we had people coming up to talk to us within 5 minutes of sitting down. They wanted to get us to buy their tours around the city or Machu Picchu, stay in their hostel or hotel, and so forth.

This was not even the beginning. I ran into people all over town with something to sell, such as a hand-crafted item, sunglasses, or a pose so you could take a picture of them and their llama. One girl even listed every U.S. president starting with Obama all the way back to Franklin D. Roosevelt. I knew she was right because once I memorized all the presidents and knew them all from first to last and in reverse too. When I did it at the work talent show, I went back from Lincoln to Washington, and then forward from Lincoln to Bush. But I forgot Truman and so it didn't go as well as planned. In any case, this girl had learned all of this information to tell people hoping that they would pay her. These people are persistent. You give them an inch, and they take 20 miles.

I was walking by some kids who wanted me to buy these small paintings they said they had done. I was talking to them and then this older kid, a teenager or so, came over and told me to give them some money so they could get a soccer ball. Once this kid came in, I was out because it bothered me that he was so intrusive of our nice little conversation! I walked away and the kids came up to me again, and so I bought these two paintings from them. But as soon as I did, a flood of kids ran to me to get me to buy their stuff, which was followed by the girl who knows all the American presidents.

One group of girls posed for a picture with a little llama. They were cute, so I gave in and took a picture. I gave one of the girls some money intended for the two of them, but the other got mad because I had only given money to one. Other girls would tell me that I had promised earlier to come back and get one, etc. etc. Here are some other pictures, including of Coricancha, the Temple of the Sun, where the Spaniards tore down much of the original Incan temple and put their cathedral on top. Pretty symbolic of the whole relationship between the invaders and invaded. In these and the above pictures, the Incan stones are usually the bigger ones without mortar.









P.S. If you ever wondered what Inca Garcilaso de la Vega's house in Cuzco looked like, look no further. Oh, and if you want to see a copy of his "Comentarios reales de los incas" (Royal Commentaries of the Incas) 1) in the original language (Spanish) and 2) purchased in Cuzco, talk to me. I got it and another together for like 30 soles. And you say they give these deals to everyone!