Peru – Cusco and Pisac


This is a continuation of my accounting of my time in Peru.  As I mention in all my Peru articles, I found the people of Peru to be genuine and warmhearted and treasure the time spent in their presence, especially in places far from the hustle and bustle of the bigger cities. It was much cheaper back them, but if you look, you can still find great deals. 
I took a plane to Cusco, spending a few days in town enjoying the sites, ruins and neighboring towns as I acclimated to the higher elevation. The streets of Cusco were filled with tourists from countries all over the world. I noted that very few Americans at that time journeyed to this part of the world. I met the most incredible people in local pubs as we took it slow. 

 I drank Mate de Coca, or tea made from leaves from the coca plant prescribed to ward off altitude sickness.  At first I did so because I didn't want to have a hard time climbing Machu Picchu. After a while I really started to enjoy this tea, so drank it wherever it was available. For those who were sensitive, they could be down for days with symptoms resembling the worst hangover you can imagine. Cusco is a great place to find a tour, guides, sherpas and make other arrangements if you're going to trek the Inca Trail toward Machu Picchu. There are also a few ex-pats who have made this place their home so fish and chips and beer at English type pubs is not unheard of. I liked Cusco with its flavor of a small and intimate new age hippie, almost surfer  tourist town.
As I lounged and drank in this special place, there was a town I had heard about just 30 minutes away that came alive on Sundays, named Pisac. On Sundays was their market and the thirty minute taxi ride there was well worth the price. The plaza was filled with vendors selling everything imaginable: Alpaca sweaters, handmade portable chess sets, wall hangings, hand woven day packs and more for a mere couple of dollars.  I purchased most of the souvenirs in that one day, keeping in mind that whatever I bought I was carrying in my back pack for the duration of my time in Peru. If it was small and fold-able it was a possible candidate. As I perused the market, the delightful smell of food permeated the air, intoxicating my senses. In my opinion, there is never a bad time to try some local food. I think I must have gotten that attitude from the man that I admire most, my father. He was so full of adventure and afraid of nothing. I meandered over to check out the culinary creations at the market stalls and spied a tall blond European women also looking at the tall pots filled with local fare. We both looked at each other and of course she spoke very little English. Words were not neceesary as we managed to communicate and smile at each other as we plopped ourselves down on the 2 empty stools. I tried in my best mock Spanish to try and find out what it was we were ordering, but all I could get from the vendor was that it was a fix price menu and the main dish included chicken. 2 sols would get us a bowl of what was being served. I placed my 2 sols on the table as I said 1 word to her in English, chicken. Whatever it was that we ate, it was delicious, as we smiled and laughed and communicated in the language of mutual gratitude and appreciation.

I stayed that evening in Pisac at the small pousada adjacent to the plaza that was recommended to me. It was clean and provided a better than average breakfast consisting of tea, baked breads, butter and jam. 



While in Peru I visited Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, Titicaca, the Amazon and other cities, so look for more posts in this series.  
Wishing you your own Travel Awakenings,LeeZa Donatella
Here are some links to items I enjoy, that you may find useful 

All my Books  available on Amazon 

 Other authors books that have helped me on my journey.
The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
The Essential Rumi  by Jalal al-Din Rumi
Carlos Castaneda's books

Leeza Donatella is an author, speaker and teacher

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