So here we are sitting around in Lima airport. There`s a 17 hour wait until our Miami (and then London) flight, so we are trying to kill some time interneting and finding a cozy corner to crash out in. Not much on the latter so far.
I made a promise to myself 10 years ago that I would come back to Cusco, as we breezed in and out very quickly that year with a tight schedule containing lots of climbing. Like anywhere you re-visit, I was bracing myself for disapointment, expecting to find the place more commercialised and one step further away from the magic people actually come to find here. I was not disapointed at all.
Cusco felt much cleaner, more organised and less busy than in 2001. Maybe that`s because we were not visiting in the peak season (June-July). The Inca presence was still there in the street names which many have been changed back the original Quechua, and of course in the stones acting as foundations for the fine colonial buildings, but which were really parts of the original Incan palaces and temples. The Quechua legend sees Cusco as the naval at the centre of the earth (that`s what it`s name means anyhow).
Anyhow, as I had done for every stage of our trip so far, Greg and I have been listing the main things that we noticed or found interesting about Peru (and a little bit of Chile too).
1. The economy of Peru has fared well over the past 10 years, and you can really feel this in a much more organised infrastructure. H&S must be quite rigid as all “workers” wore safety gear and protective clothing. Compare this to India of Nepal! The streets were spotless and put Liverpool to shame. In all the town plazzas we visited there was very noticable steet cleaners out there and doing it.
2. Roadworks – lots of it going on even on the most remote mountain top roads. It wasn`t even the end of the tax year.
3. Lots of churches with statues of holy people in them. I mean loads of statues and pictures. Very ornate, but the statues spook me out. They even wear real clothing. I tried hard not to stare into the eyes of the statues in an irrational fear that they were going to summon thunderbolts to strike me down!
4. Peruvians like their meat (including guinea pig and alpaca). The concept of vegetarian is not understood. I ask you, why the hell would you not eat meat?
5. You read all kinds of stuff about bag slashers and pick pockets before you arrive in Peru. Then your eyes see all windows have bars on them (be that ornate) and barbed wire in any gaps. But, I can`t actually say that anywhere we visited felt too risky. Some Peruvians had told us about people following tourists who have huge cameras hanging off their necks, and we heard about dodgy taxi drivers taking you to a cashpoint of their choice. In the end, we felt that common sense was the main thing, and you would be no less at risk in any big UK city if flaunting you wealth.
6. Loads of old buildings and ruins. Although, not that old really as the Incas were at their height about 500 years ago. In contrast, NZ didn`t get the concept old.
7. Latin music in all it`s shapes and forms. This hit us from the minute we landed in Santiago and has followed us throughout our travels on the continent. Regular salsa type sounds to really cool Latin punk-ska, and of course the obligatory pan pipes and “Flight of the Condor!” Latin music is a huge scene, or which, many of us (I`m talking about myself here) are really unaware of apart from Shakira, Manu Chau and Ricky Martin!
8. Lots of dogs everywhere, who mostly seem good humoured. Unlike Nepal , where they all looked the same except for three colour schemes, these dogs come in all shapes and sizes. And of course……
9. Streets full of shagging dogs!
10. Really cheap taxis and collectivos (little minibus that does local runs). Crikey, talk about stack èm high.
11. Really colourful houses. Impressive combinations of ochre, olive green, mustard and sky blue. Maybe it`s the strong sunlight.
12. Knitted hats on lambs! I ask you, how far do some people go to make money from allowing their photo to be taken?
13. Incredibably glamorous news readers- short skirts and cleavages.
14. Our, I mean my, rubbish Spanish. We`ve had it lucky so far, and our usual British lack of other languages has not really been too much of a problem. However, they really all do speak Spanish here…..and to visit here, so must we!
15. Oh that hot sun, or is it the altitude.
16. Coffee. You`d have thought that the coffee in Peru must be pretty good. After all, it`s one of the known coffee producing nations. Not in Peru itself though. Coffee is exported as a cash crop, and the local themselves drink Nescafe. Ah the sacrilage. (They actually drink a lot of herbal teas).
17. Super friendly people with big smiles. Peruvians got the joke when we turned the question, "Where are you from?" back on them.
Liz
Oh yes, this year marks the 100 year anniversary of Machu Pichu being discovered.
I made a promise to myself 10 years ago that I would come back to Cusco, as we breezed in and out very quickly that year with a tight schedule containing lots of climbing. Like anywhere you re-visit, I was bracing myself for disapointment, expecting to find the place more commercialised and one step further away from the magic people actually come to find here. I was not disapointed at all.
Cusco felt much cleaner, more organised and less busy than in 2001. Maybe that`s because we were not visiting in the peak season (June-July). The Inca presence was still there in the street names which many have been changed back the original Quechua, and of course in the stones acting as foundations for the fine colonial buildings, but which were really parts of the original Incan palaces and temples. The Quechua legend sees Cusco as the naval at the centre of the earth (that`s what it`s name means anyhow).
Anyhow, as I had done for every stage of our trip so far, Greg and I have been listing the main things that we noticed or found interesting about Peru (and a little bit of Chile too).
1. The economy of Peru has fared well over the past 10 years, and you can really feel this in a much more organised infrastructure. H&S must be quite rigid as all “workers” wore safety gear and protective clothing. Compare this to India of Nepal! The streets were spotless and put Liverpool to shame. In all the town plazzas we visited there was very noticable steet cleaners out there and doing it.
2. Roadworks – lots of it going on even on the most remote mountain top roads. It wasn`t even the end of the tax year.
3. Lots of churches with statues of holy people in them. I mean loads of statues and pictures. Very ornate, but the statues spook me out. They even wear real clothing. I tried hard not to stare into the eyes of the statues in an irrational fear that they were going to summon thunderbolts to strike me down!
4. Peruvians like their meat (including guinea pig and alpaca). The concept of vegetarian is not understood. I ask you, why the hell would you not eat meat?
5. You read all kinds of stuff about bag slashers and pick pockets before you arrive in Peru. Then your eyes see all windows have bars on them (be that ornate) and barbed wire in any gaps. But, I can`t actually say that anywhere we visited felt too risky. Some Peruvians had told us about people following tourists who have huge cameras hanging off their necks, and we heard about dodgy taxi drivers taking you to a cashpoint of their choice. In the end, we felt that common sense was the main thing, and you would be no less at risk in any big UK city if flaunting you wealth.
6. Loads of old buildings and ruins. Although, not that old really as the Incas were at their height about 500 years ago. In contrast, NZ didn`t get the concept old.
7. Latin music in all it`s shapes and forms. This hit us from the minute we landed in Santiago and has followed us throughout our travels on the continent. Regular salsa type sounds to really cool Latin punk-ska, and of course the obligatory pan pipes and “Flight of the Condor!” Latin music is a huge scene, or which, many of us (I`m talking about myself here) are really unaware of apart from Shakira, Manu Chau and Ricky Martin!
8. Lots of dogs everywhere, who mostly seem good humoured. Unlike Nepal , where they all looked the same except for three colour schemes, these dogs come in all shapes and sizes. And of course……
9. Streets full of shagging dogs!
10. Really cheap taxis and collectivos (little minibus that does local runs). Crikey, talk about stack èm high.
11. Really colourful houses. Impressive combinations of ochre, olive green, mustard and sky blue. Maybe it`s the strong sunlight.
12. Knitted hats on lambs! I ask you, how far do some people go to make money from allowing their photo to be taken?
13. Incredibably glamorous news readers- short skirts and cleavages.
14. Our, I mean my, rubbish Spanish. We`ve had it lucky so far, and our usual British lack of other languages has not really been too much of a problem. However, they really all do speak Spanish here…..and to visit here, so must we!
15. Oh that hot sun, or is it the altitude.
16. Coffee. You`d have thought that the coffee in Peru must be pretty good. After all, it`s one of the known coffee producing nations. Not in Peru itself though. Coffee is exported as a cash crop, and the local themselves drink Nescafe. Ah the sacrilage. (They actually drink a lot of herbal teas).
17. Super friendly people with big smiles. Peruvians got the joke when we turned the question, "Where are you from?" back on them.
Liz
Oh yes, this year marks the 100 year anniversary of Machu Pichu being discovered.
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