Peru Travel Report 10: From Andahuaylas to Cusco

From Andahuaylas to Cusco

Supposedly there was a decent new paved road between Andahuaylas and Cusco. Supposedly. It turned out that it was still under construction and so we had to take a rough yet beautiful road directly through the mountains.

Probably it seemed even more beautiful to me, because I finally left Andahuaylas where the climate had been a bit too cold for my taste... and because during the trip I was chewing all the time - just as a chewing gum substitute -  on a coca leaf... and then on two... and three... Well, on many.

The concentration of any "befuddling" ingredient might be small in the leaves, but still at some point I noticed that there definitely is a threshold and exceeding it will make you notice "something". However, going on such kind of "trip" had not been my intention at all, so I was kind of shocked to feel the consequences and immediately spitted out everything. But as I said, it definitely didn't do any harm to the beauty of the landscape. Rather the other way round.

So, I finally arrived high... erm... I mean high in the mountains in Cusco, Peru's most touristic city. And what did I do first? Indulge in some decent Chifa (Chinese immigrants' food), which here in the "big city" for the first time since having left Lima, featured tofu again. Awesome.

I love "Peruvian" food.

I had already anticipated a certain shock: Coming from the most provincial and least touristic part of the country directly to the most touristic city - this had to be hard.

Cusco's Plaza de Armas

Yet, I made the surprising experience to actually enjoy the touristic atmosphere. I was not the attraction as lonely gringo anymore, but just one of many. Believe me, this can be extremely relaxing. You can walk around without catching the attention of everybody. Talking to locals and getting to know better the authentic parts of a country is definitely what I'm always looking for. But every now and then this can also be exhausting.

Cusco

It was especially nice to have all the infrastructure catering to foreign tourists. There was no need for hour-long investigations on where a certain bus left. No rough and unpaved roads. Everything was clear and understandable - and pretty organized for Peruvian standards.

Of course I had to take a picture of a Llama. Although Vicuñas are a much more endangered and therefore special sight. I did spot them around San Pedro de Cajas but was just too lazy to take a picture. Too bad - it should turn out that I would not see them again during my trip.

There were also plenty of shops offering services for backpackers. This came in especially handy, as I could finally change the broken zipper of my daysack. They always have to suffer a lot during my travels, as I tend to desperately overstuff them with my travel book, snacks, two huge bottles (I'm a heavy drinker, but fortunately just water)... Rarely do my daypack zippers make it until the end of a trip...

Oh, and just to come back to the thing with my strange hotels not requiring any documentation. In Cusco I was sorting out the paper snippets which I had accumulated during the trip. And I immediately knew why they don't require you to show your passport. Because even when they do, it turns out like this:

Señor DEUTSCH ("Mister GERMAN")

Being in a totally touristic place also meant to do things I normally wouldn't do - for example to participate in a walking tour. The fact that it was free meant that we were carried to shops, bars and restaurants where we had plenty of time to spend our money. But hey, that way at least I finally got a free try of Pisco Sour, supposedly the national drink. I was a little bit sceptical, if it would be safe to drink something including raw egg, so I just took a sip.

Yet, it was enough to to draw the conclusion that it would not become my favourite drink. Better stick to quinoa or maca juice.

 The free walking tour was also good for something else. As it was realized by a local student of Peruvian history, he could tell a lot about domestic literature worth reading. Once he mentioned the book Siete Ensayos de Interpretación de la Realidad Peruana ("Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality") which sounded really interesting. Although it was written in 1928, it was surprisingly easy to find in local bookstores.

Although sometimes a bit jejune, all in all it was very interesting to read. On the one hand because sadly Peru apparently did not develop a lot in some areas (think corruption, dependence on agricultural commodities, etc.). On the other hand it was extremely worthwhile to read the opinion of a socialist and Marxist about topics like proper economic development, globalization, state-owned enterprises, etc.

In fact, his point of view is the total opposite of what we as Western business students are taught nowadays. And yet his arguments make sense, if you are willing to let yourself in for a temporary change in your reasoning, values and believes.

Another shot of the Plaza de Armas

And another shot of Chifa with the most tender (read: best) tofu I had in Peru

Imagining that many "rushing" tourists don't get much more impressions of Peru beyond what they see in Cusco makes me feel sorry for them. This city is definitely the least authentic place you can go. But interestingly, the touristic area concentrates on a relatively small part of the city.

As soon as you leave it (from what local police officers will strongly try to discourage you because of the "dangers out there"), you will still be able to observe some Peruvian particularities. For example huuuge parades demonstrating the Peruvians' love for military marches.

The different teams are rated by a jury and a commentator will analyse them via loud-speakers. When you dare to ask Peruvians what on earth it should be good for to teach students how to march, you will gain a strange look, expressing something like

"Dude, what a dumb question. Isn't it obvious?"

Well, most Peruvians are nice people and so what they will more likely tell you is:

"Of course it is important, because it teaches the students discipline, team spirit and rules."

Hmm, at least in Germany we achieve this by other means, but I don't want to judge. In every case from my European point of view this very popular Peruvian activity seemed "interesting"... to say the least...

Another advantage of being in a tourist area: Lots of products which might not be authentic, but definitely meet the demand of foreign travellers - like me. During my whole trip I had never seen coca cookies, and the resemblance to hash cookies was definitely there. But of course I had to try them and in fact they were really good (and contained a tongue-numbingly high concentration of coca leaf).

Anyway, I should probably stop to talk so much about my "coca experiences", otherwise it might occur to you that it was more than just curiosity which made me try all these things (just kidding).

Thanks to the humble potato's omnipresence in Peru, the national cuisine makes it conveniently easy for vegetarians to find tasty food. It might not always be the healthiest meal on earth, but it was oh-so-good. One of my favourites was papa rellena (Stuffed potato).

Other than the name might suggest, it's not just a cooked potato with filling. Instead, cooked potatos are mashed, filled with delicious morsels like olives, hard-boiled eggs, garlic, cumin, parsley, onions... and then deep-fried so that they finally resemble "real" potatoes again. All this is topped with mustard and slightly (according to Peruvians: fiery) spicy ají verde, a green salsa made of chili peppers, cilantro, mayonnaise, olive oil... Awesome!

Papa rellena

Yuca frita

Other tasty street snacks included deep-fried yucca (above) and papa helada ("Frozen potato"). The latter of course was not really frozen, but processed in a way to make it more durable. It's basically dehydrated and rehydrated potato (called chuño), which tastes not very different from what you would expect from a "normal" supermarket potato.

Papa helada

 One of my favourite dishes was escabeche - pickled vegetables and pasta in piping hot chicken broth (hey, that's as vegetarian as you can get in Latin America!)

Escabeche: Picled veggies, pasta and steamed yucca in hot broth

Obviously I was not the only one who enjoyed this hearty breakfast - but probably the only one who opted for the version without meat. Actually, the market vendor seemed to think that without some kind of dead animal she was not even serving me a proper meal which led her to make me a ridiculously low price.

Popular escabeche stall at the local market

What you definitely notice if you know Asia is the difference between the "typical" backpacker in Asia and the one you will find here in Latin Amercia. In Asia people go crazy about street food and it seems they try just everything they come across (I don't exclude myself in this description). Accordingly, street vendors are totally used to sell their offers also (or even mainly) to foreigners.

Backpackers in Latin America seem to be less adventurous when it comes to food. For some part this is understandable, as in many cases it's a pretty plain and uninteresting matter. But still, for a foodie like me trying new dishes is a must. And so the street vendors were always very surprised to serve a "gringo" customer - even in the touristic centre of Cusco (or perhaps especially there, as people tend to eat in restaurants)!

Did I mention that Peruvians love military parades?

Most tourists use Cusco for little more than a hub to Machu Picchu. Yet, I was lucky to have some more time and hence spend several days to discover the "Sacred Valley" around the city.

There are some mind-boggling sites just outside Cusco and yet you will most likely share it with not more than some few other visitors.

One of these impressive Inca fortresses was Pisac:

Pisac

Pisac

Opuntia cactus - not only in Mexico!

Pisac

Inca terracing in Pisac

No electricity, no running water - but Visa accepted of course.

Another site worth visiting was Moray:

Moray

And if you are already there, you can also pay a visit to the salt pans in Maras:

Maras

Maras

On the way back to Cusco you will most likely pass the town of Chinchero, so why not do a quick stop there?!

Together with two new travel companions from Italy and Argentina in Chinchero, happily guided by a local.

Chinchero

Chinchero

Chuño production (dehydrating potatos by exposing them to very low temperatures and then drying them in the sun)

The local "guide", a teacher who offered to show us around as soon as he spotted us strolling through the streets, also talked about some other interesting issues. He told us for example that already since many years Chinchero was supposed to get an international airport to serve Cusco. Yet, Lima was apparently strongly opposing: As the capital still boasts the only international airport in Peru, a steady stream of tourists is guaranteed, who otherwise would probably often just skip Lima and fly directly to Cusco instead.


Thanks to the "efficiency" of Peruvian public administration, considerable red tape and certainly corruption, the airport in Chinchero never came beyond its very initial planning phase...

My last visit in the Sacred Valley was to Tipón:

Tipón

Tipón

Tipón

Tipón

Tipón

Tipón

Tipón

Tipón

Tipón

Tipón

After several days in the Sacred Valley, I definitely had gotten my share of visits to Inca terracing. But still: If you ever happen to pay a visit to Cusco, don't leave out the fantastic sites around the city, instead of directly heading to Machu Picchu!

And in fact, Cusco itself might be a nice city, but in terms of museums I was a bit disappointed. There might be nice landscapes even in the city...

This is still IN Cusco city!

 ... there definitely is some nice culture...

 

But if the local musems' biggest attraction is a miniature of the Last Supper featuring a dish with grilled guinea pig, I'm definitely not blown away...

The Last Supper with Guinea Pig

Didn't spot the two plates with two guinea pigs each? Well, perhaps it helps to know how these cute "pets" look grilled (might not be a common sight in your country...):

Grilled guinea pig

Hungry? Well, take your time. That's all for today. Take care!