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Prologue:
Harrisburg-Atlanta Atlanta-Lima Lima-Cuzco |
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Having read so
much about
altitude sickness, I chose to spend my first day and night in Pisac, a
small town which is situated a few hundred feet lower than Cuzco. The
famous
Andean coca tea helps with the mild symptoms (headache, pounding heart
and shortness of breath). The coca tea is a strong stimulant, and
tastes
a bit like spinach water.
(Hotel Royal Inka Pisac) |
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It was a gorgeous day, yet I noticed that all Andean ladies wore warm sweaters. |
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Many
inhabitants of Pisac
still wear traditional clothes. And it is not for the tourists'
benefit.
I quickly gathered that the people of the Andes have a very strong
sense
of their roots and their history.
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Pisac is renowned for its huge Inca craft market. It is a maze of narrow passages between booths full of beautiful handmade items. |
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The Pan pipes
are everywhere
in the Andes. You can hear them on an isolated mountain trail, played
by
a lone lama herder, or in syrupy arrangements in public buildings and
aboard
the train. Salsa music is also most popular: many merchants were
peddling
CDs of the late Celia Cruz.
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There are about 3 Peruvian Soles in one US Dollar. Guidebooks advise you to bargain, and once, a tourist in a market almost ordered me to "offer her less." But I never bargained. The prices were very low, and if I was taken advantage of once or twice, so be it. |
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I had
been there
but a few hours, and already I was captivated by the colors of
Perú.
Also, the thin air of the Andes is very clean, and I felt like I was
wearing
a new pair of glasses with a stronger prescription.
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