The Navel of the World

According to my boys the Incas, the city of Cusco in Peru was the center of the world which goes a long way to explaining why it translates as "The Navel" from Quecha. Somewhat odd body part reference aside (though in honesty, much better than New Jersey which translates as "The Armpit"), Cusco is a great town that combines Incan history, Spanish colonialism and a good tourist infrastructure while maintaining authentic, South American feel.

The flight into Cusco on Friday was wonderful, after breaking through the clouds in Lima got some great views of the sun lit Andes. I stayed at the Amaru Hostal which was great ($29 for a great single room w/ bath, well located, helpful staff, good breakfast included). Spent most of the afternoon preparing for the trek, buying the obligatory alpaca knit hats and then met the Griffiths (my 3rd Denver in South America connection) for dinner. Saturday did a Sacred Valley day tour which was a good introduction to the area and its Incan history, though apparently its better on Sundays when the Pisaq market is on. It is incredible seeing the buildings and terraces built into the sides of mountains that have lasted thousands of years. Watching the sunset over the mountains from Chinchero was also a highlight, followed closely by the rock concert that greeted us on our return to Cucso on the steps of the Catedral in Plaza de Armas.

Sunday through Thursday did the Salkantay trek and by Friday I was determined to do absolutely nothing. I pretty well succeeded, spending most of my day reading in the different plazas. I also wandered into the Cusco market which is pretty much the most incredible, lively and fascinating (and a tad disgusting) place on earth. Its a covered square city block encompassing thousands of stalls selling really fresh raw and prepared food, kind of like a developing country's version of Whole Foods but not yuppie or... clean. Papayas, pineapple, oranges and aloe plants? Check. Papayas, pineapple, oranges and aloe blended together in front of your eyes into a liter of smoothie for less than a dollar? Check. A hundred varieties of potatoes? Check. Raw chicken, pork, lamb and fish? Check. A really gross aisle with brains, snouts and feet? Check. Spices, grains, beans, cheeses and milk? Check. Chicken soup, ceviche (fish cooked in lime juice) and probably 700 other dishes I couldn't/didn't want to identify? Check. Anyways, I absolutely loved it and I swear to god it rivaled Macchu Picchu for the most impressive thing I saw in Peru.

I also got myself one of those hot foam straight razor shaves which is something I love (especially when they cost a buck). I had drinks with some folks from the trek and then met Justin and Julia for a dinner of guinea pig (surprisingly, not that good). Saturday was my last day in Cusco and I checked out Catedral. It was actually very cool and well done with incredibly ornate altars, really impressive architecture, the original cross from the conquistadors, a black jesus and probably the only painting of the last supper where the meal is the aforementioned guinea pig.

I caught a late afternoon flight to Lima  and tried to meet up with some folks for dinner during my 7 hour layover. The restaurant they said to meet at was closed and there was no sign of them (thanks Katherine!) so I ended up enjoying a great dinner of ceviche and scallops by myself at the city's nicest/most romantic restaurant (Rosa Nautica if you are ever in that neck of the woods). Caught my first of two red-eyes at 1am and arrived in BsAs early in the morning. Packed the rest of my stuff, grabbed a last steak sandwich and caught the second red-eye to the ATL followed by a quick flight back to Denver.

So that does it for this trip to South America. I'd really like to go back and see Colombia, Ecuador, Patagonia, etc but for now I am "working remotely" in Crested Butte and getting ready for Africa (check back in a month or so, I'm gonna use the same blog).

Jambo Jambo!