Thursday, May 25, 2006

Cuzco Day 1

A typical street in Cuzco, very narrow and cobbled. I am determined not to get lost... so far so good! Traditional dress.
Flowers at the market. the market was huge, I drank a mango with milk smoothie. The lady there told me the papayas here grow up to 10 kilos, like 25 pounds!
Meat market. Literally.
Incan wall.

These are really common, little porches made of wood. Beautiful. Church in the main square.
The other church in the main square.
Arch.
Another church in another square.
Ok so I admit the detials are lacking, but the truth is I was all over and I can't really figure out directions so I have no idea what is what, they are all churches and that much I know. Also I took a tour of the religious art museum (all in Spanish so I understood casi todo...) and an intersting thing to note is how the catholics included a lot of details about Peruvian life in the religious paintings, for example the trees are local trees, many have parrots in them, also Jesus is wearing a falica, like a fancy skirt much of the time, and in one the painter put everyone in boots because they were the only shoes he had seen the Spaniards wear, even though everyone knows that they always wore sandals...
Also since I had such good luck with getting remises off the street with Amanda and Nic I am now way more attuned to listening to people on the street, and as I was walking by a lady asked if I wanted spanish classes. I speak spanish, so she offered classes in Quechwa. This is like the hardest language I have ever seen, so I was like uh, no! Then she offered to be my guide, and I thought sure, why not? She has been in school and is training to be a guide so she is going to show me and Billy around tomorrow to the Inca ruins outside Cuzco. As I was arranging with her she was like yeah, just show up. Ok, well, to make you feel more comfortable, why don't you come to my house for a mate de coca? So I went to her house and we chatted, she made me tea, we talked about places to go and she told me about her family and showed me her art and the sweater she is knitting for her grandson. Seriously, and I just met this woman on the steet! Crazy, no? But it also made me really excited about my spanish, and I figured out that I really only have trouble when the person is talking about something really boring, because it's doubly hard to concentrate. But I can chusmear with people all day long, which is pretty cool! I also tell everyone I live in Buenos Aires, not the US, and that usually saves me any sort of lame looks, and they relate to living on pesos so I am getting some sypathetic bargains. Or so I think I am still pretty gringa, even if I throw out a "che" or "vos" every now and then.

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