I spent Easter weekend in Cuzco. After an adventurous attempt to reach the city, I had finally made it. And for the most part, I entertained myself during the weekend by being boring again. Eating at some of the best restaurants I have been too since I left home and visited San Francisco.
The first meal started with roasted vegetables with potatoes, at a Cafe just off of Plaza Armes. I shared this meal with a Finnish woman who just arrived from a 30 hour trip from La Paz. We talked about our lives, with a sort of openness I love about certain travelers. We talked about what made us decide to travel, our anxieties about going home, and how much traveling has changed us. It was a great way to start my time in Cuzco.
The next day I wandered around the city in search of a bank and vegan friendly restaurants. And I was NOT disappointed. My first stop was a juice bar with one litre of orange and pineapple juice. My next culinary experience was at Muse Too. If you go to Cuzco you need to eat at one of Muse’s two locations. I had an avocado salad, thai curry with peanut sauce, and a brownie, all for 15 Soles (about $6).
That evening I went to the first Muse location. I think I became a bit obsessed with this restaurant. This time I had the lentil burger and sat reading The Beauty Myth while the staff members debated about which music to play. The Peruvian wanted to listen to Coldplay, the Brit wanted to listen to some Latin tunes. In the end I had a great conversation with them about living and working in Peru and I couldn’t have been more delighted with the evening. I also had mango juice, vegetable sushi, and more goodness. I was in heaven.
The next day I headed to the San Pedro market, which was probably one of the most tourist oriented markets I have ever seen. Someone called it a “third world market”, and while the prices were still much lower, this was no Latin American market for the locals. This is the place where tourists staying in the heart of Cuzco could go and buy faux alpaca sweaters, flowers, spices, fruits, meat, and souvenirs. My favourite part about the entire market where these two kids who were having a full on balloon hitting fight in the middle of a busy intersection. I just laughed and looked up at the closest vender who was also staring at the kids with a giant smile on their face.
The great thing to me about Cuzco is that you can see more of the indigenous spirit. You see women walking around with two braids for their long black hair. Dressed in traditional and colourful garb with beautiful colours and embroidery. However they are the ones in the “market” and streets selling you anything from necklaces to cigarettes. But the cutest are the women and young indigenous women who carry baby alpacas with them. And while nearly everyone wants a photo with these cuddly animals and their colourful owners, I couldn’t help but think it was a very good niche business.
That afternoon, I went on a city tour with a guy from my hostel. While the sights themselves were incredible, the tour itself was a waste. I wish I had done it on my own, rather than pay for some man to tell me something I already knew. However, the Cathedral, Saqsaywaman and other Incan archeological sites were impressive. The Cathedral itself I had seen the night before all light up for a evening service. The sound of the priests singing was beautiful. During the day, I did at least get to hear about the indigenous symbols which were included in the design by the local artists.
Our trip to the ruins was more fruitful. It was really incredible to be able to climb over and around these “ruins” from times gone by. Being able to look down the valley and see the sea of red clay tiled roofs and off to my left, Jesus Christ. The statute that is. We were shuttled around to a few other of Incan archeological sites before heading back to the hostel. I did end up getting a photo of an older woman and her three alpacas, which was totally worth it.
I spent the evening eating more great food at Greens Organics Restaurant. Where the staff was hospitable, and I tasted the best dessert of my life. Sorry Grandma, I still love your apple pie, but mango ravioli with apple pie filling is something I will never forget. Though I will never forget your pie either. And once again, I felt lucky to be sharing my evening with another open and friendly traveler. We shared opinions on eating meat, women in the media, and the importance of lists.
Perhaps the strangest thing about my time in Cuzco was meeting a sort of “health food celebrity”. There is a raw restaurant in Cuzco called Prana, where I was able to get my hands on my first green smoothie since I left home. Literally I was beaming with happiness. The only thing to make the experience slightly surreal was sitting next to me. David Wolfe and some friends were enjoying the “raw food” delicacies, while I laughed internally at the absurdity of the situation. But it gets stranger. He also ended up showing up at Greens the same evening.
Now I am aware of who he is, but not an avid follower (sorry to those who are). So for the most part, all I felt was amusement and a feeling that somehow the world is a very funny place.
No comments:
Post a Comment