29 Sep 2002
Before leaving Cusco, there are a few blanks to fill in. I had been studying Spanish in the mornings and being a tourist in the afternoons. I'm not sure I learnt an awful lot of Spanish, but that may be because the work ethic of us students (backpackers like me) left a fair bit to be desired. So much so that we drove our teacher, Amparo, to tears of inadequacy! She was lovely but straight out of teaching school and couldn't comprehend the lackadaisical attitude of holidaying backpackers.
I visited another two very scenic Incan sites. Sacsayhuaman is a ceremonial fortress overlooking Cusco. It has some massive zigzag walls that are unmatched in their size and craft.
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| View over Cusco from Sacsayhuaman |
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| The massive walls of Sacsayhuaman |
Pisac is positioned on a ridge towering over the Sacred Valley. My one memory from here is a young boy, very dirty and subdued, hand out begging for a "Sweet? Lapiz?" (pen). I shrugged him off but felt conflicted, having not worked out how to deal with such situations.
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| Pisac |
I frequently encountered protests in the bigger cities of Peru, suggesting both an incompetent government and a healthy democratic spirit. The protests were often employment-related, and they would dress up in identifying clothing. In Lima I saw a bunch of dentists in white lab coats, and in Cusco some cleaners brandishing brooms.
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| Protest in Cusco |
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| Plaza de Armas, Cusco |
Before leaving Cusco I met up with my Israeli friend Amira (from Lima) who invited me to go white water rafting. But after feeling like a time-waster for the past two weeks, I was now a Man with a Plan and on my way to Bolivia.
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