A little Gem of a City
Trip Start
Dec 26, 2009
1
76
95
Trip End
Dec 22, 2010
Cuzco, Cusco, Peru
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Cuzco, as much as I love its magnificent archetectual buildings and quent narrow cobble stone streets, has to many hustlers annoying you every day, tricking and lying through their teeth in order to earn their daily bread. However for some reason; unlike the shallow women in the bar, Ive fallen in love with Cuzco and the constant harassment from locals hasn't acquitted it.
My hostel in which I pay 10NZD a night for has sublime views of the shimmering city lights. I use to sit on the balcony, pan over the lights and play my guitar in rhythm with the twinkle of the stars above. My tranquil paradise amongst the hassle of the streets below.
Peru is more expensive then Bolivia, I paid 5NZD there. But its still cheap and as long as you dodge the touristy restaurants and eat with the locals, life is sweet on the wallet. Just don't go to the restaurants that recycle meat. My friend Dirk from Germany disgustingly witnessed a worker scraping left overs from someones plate into a bowl, then re cooking it....umm yummmy.
Cuzco is the most touristy place I have been to in South America, its draw card Machu Pichu. With its influx of tourist young and old, the separation between locals and visitors is evident. You enter a night club or restaurant and all you see are mostly foreigners. Sometimes there are a few Peruvian girls pacifically hunting "gringos" for a free drink or two..(no this has nothing to do with my metaphor at the start, just a coincidence) But generally these places are over run by travelers. Peru is cheap because labour is cheap. I feel this is directly proportionate with the amount of excess money one has in their pocket. Most Peruvians don't have this excess, hence they cannot afford to party as we do. In fact Peru's unemployment rate is to high it cannot be measured.
Ok if you had a pet guine pig growing up like me, you might of felt slightly uncomfortable knowing the fact that its a dish the Peruvians love. To be honest I did have slight moral issues to start with, but then the idea grew on me. However when the waiter brought a dish to my table inclusive of a small rib cage with minimal meat and a tiny nasty looking head, similar to a rat, I realised Karma was about to kick my ass. To be honest its expensive and the meat is alright; you wouldn't cook it for your mother in law thats for sure, unless your inclined that way....
