Cusco - A world away from home

I haven been in Cusco for over 4 hours now, just recently met up with my crew and my body was telling me i needed sleep. Bad. But how could i sleep at a time like this. International travel can take a toll on your body, but being 3,000 miles away from the work cube sparks something within you to keep going. Im only here for a week, and only in the city for 2 days, so I gotta soak it all in at all costs. My friends had South American remedies to keep me going, thank you south american cartel. We hit the streets and headed to the markets. Lack of sleep and the worry of altitude sickness had me a little delirious and oblivious to what we were really doing, but i followed quietly. We didn't walk more then 2 blocks before we reached the main square, "Plaza De Armos." And what a beautiful site it was.

As we wondered down alley ways avoiding mini speeding taxi cars, models of which I have never seen before, we came upon Plaza De Armos. It was like the oasis of Cusco. A 19th century chapel to our right, the town capital straight ahead, and Charleston style shops and bars to the left and behind us, with a vast green square resting in the middle of it all. Probably the only green space in the town. Grass as green as August National, lush tress, and park benches spread through out. I almost felt at home. Until we saw the stray dogs humping near the over flowing trash can. Ah Peru.

We were in luck that day. They were having some sort of parade amongst the city capital steps. We never did figure out what the occasion was. Maybe it was a Sunday ritual. What ever it was, it was quite beautiful. Towns men and women gathered and watched with smiles on their faces, without a care in the world. It was quite a different site from the streets of Atlanta where all too often you see anger and aggression. I knew at this moment it was going to be a good trip.

We continued on to the local market where Peruvians were selling their goods. Anything from hand woven hats, gloves, pouches, and bracelets, to cheap tshirts, fresh fruit, freshly sliced meat, and coca leaves. Well, the meat may not have been so fresh, but it was cut and out in the open. God knows what kind of meat it was. With all the stray dogs running around, one can only imagine......

Walking around this city really opened up my eyes to other cultures. Coming form the west, its hard to imagine living life the way the Peruvians do. But they dont know anything different. They are working just as hard, if not harder, then many Americans to make a living, though their techniques are completely different then ours. We tend to feed off others, and get rich off the weak. They depend on tourists, and thrive by living off the generosity of foreigners. They live very simple lives. Albeit hard working and aggressively trying to sell their goods, they seem to be at peace with them selves. Never showing displeasure when you turn down their sales pitch. Its a comforting feeling in this foreign world i find myself in....