3 Tips for Surviving Cusco City-Wide Holidays

It is no secret that Cusco loves to celebrate.

Whether it's an ancient Incan festival such as the Inti Raymi in June, a Catholic holy day like the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in September, or a national holiday such as Independence Day in July, Cusqueños and tourists alike constantly find reasons to be in the streets dancing, playing instruments and singing, selling holiday food, setting off fireworks, consuming spectacular amounts of beer, and taking the day off from their normal work schedule.

While the jubilance is contagious, holidays can cause some unexpected difficulties to tourists and locals alike.


Food:

Rows of closed doors...

Nevermind.

Not at all surprisingly, the people of Cusco would rather take the holidays off than work in their shops, so if you venture more than a few blocks from the main plaza, you will find more and more closed doors. (And some that make you think they're open only to make a fool out of you when you get closer...)

One solution is to stay in the plaza where the tourist restaurants are open even on holidays. But if you're looking for a cheaper, more authentic option, you;d best take a chance on the street vendors who set up shop within a 2-block radius of the plaza. You can find unique, cheap, and traditional food, but then again, you never know how safe it is... So - eat at your own risk.

Stocking up on bottled water and snacks beforehand is always an option as well. Stands such as the one shown above can be found on nearly every street corner. They are full of every kind of Peruvian snack - sweet and savory. Plus other things like toilet paper, cell-phone recharging, etc. Never a dull day at the stand.


Traffic:

Bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic here is really not *that* much different than normal traffic. But to a highly time-conscious human, (not referring to myself here) the change is noticeable and important.

Here are a few helpful thoughts to keep in mind when braving Cusco holiday traffic: first, everyone else is also late; second, the time schedule here is quite relaxed; and finally, if you're really a stickler for being early, just make sure to leave 15 minutes early.


Sleep:

Those of you who've spent more than a few hours in Cusco know what I'm referring to when I bring up the inexplicable fire crackers that seem to go off at any time of the day or night. You may also be familiar with the random and spontaneous concerts - the ones that seem to go on all night. (Do people not sleep here?)

It's not easy to sleep through these celebrations, and sometimes the best thing you can do is sit back and enjoy the experience. Just remember that life will likely start a few hours later in the morning as no one else slept much more than you did.

Fiesta days in Cusco are colorful, upbeat, cultural experiences, and you certainly wouldn't want to miss out due to a lack of preparation or by stressing the small things. The best option is just to look in tourist guides, or ask around to find the date of the upcoming festivals, buy a few snacks the day before, relax, and soak up the jubilation surrounding you!

Not Lucky

People came in and out of our office all day today. Stressed people, happy people, curious people, clueless people, and one very broken person.

I remember the feeling well...

You're where you're meant to be, doing what you just know is what you're supposed to be doing, and then out-of-the-blue, comes that text, that email, that call, and the world crashes down around you.

Normally I like to write upbeat, humorous posts; but going out and having adventures, living all the dreams you never thought possible, it comes with a price - at times a high one.

For me it was my Grandpa, and due to issues with my Visa, I watched over Skype from South Korea as my family gathered together to say goodbye to my last grandparent. Skype.

For her it was her grandma, and she gets to go home to be with her family when they lay her to rest, but that hardly makes it easier.

The woman, my age more or less, broken. And my heart could only break along with her in silent sympathy. Oh yes, she put up a brave face, laughed and joked along with the rest of us during dinner, mentioned she was leaving but glossed over the reason why.

I get it. It's hard. There's nothing to say, and no one to say it to. It's like walking through a dense fog, hoping that no one notices that you have no idea where you are going. Doing whatever it takes to feel normal - unbroken, whole.

But them someone mentioned Disney songs, and for the rest of the night she sang. As a small group of us meandered toward the city center, snacked on sweets, wondered at the swan/merman/faun creatures adorning the fountain in the plaza, and slowly made our way back to the school. She kept singing. Every time her voice cracked and she laughed at herself and said she was done, she started again.

And I sang with her.

I went out with a group of people I didn't know, paid an outrageous amount of money for a drink I didn't even want, and sang like a crazed tourist.

But why?

She doesn't know me, I don't think she even knew my name. She has no idea that I know her story all too well. She will never know any of that, and tomorrow, on her flight home, she won't remember me.

No, traveling isn't easy.

Nights like this when I can't sleep because I'm wishing that my dreams didn't have to be so far apart, times when people you love pass and you're not there to be a part of the support and closure, moments when you reach out to someone you don't know and give them a piece of your heart without them ever knowing.

And why?

All for a dream - that chance to feel for a fleeting instant that it's all worth it.

So no, I'm not lucky.

Traveling is my dream, but achieving it doesn't make me lucky - it fulfills me while it's scarring me, it gives me life while it's breaking my heart.

Warning: Flexibility an Imperative

It started at 5:00am, Wednesday morning - the most eventful week of my life, that is.

27.5 hours later I arrived at my friend's apartment in Lima. Many kilometers and Spanish conversations later, at 5:30pm Tuesday afternoon, I boarded the bus for Cusco. After 24 hours of Peruvian road-tripping, I finally made it to my final destination - Amauta Spanish School. And now, after a nice meal of water, tuna, crackers, and an orange, 12 hours of sleep, and a long hot shower, I'm finally sitting down to try to record the events of the last 170 hours.

-- Wednesday, August 26 --
***Waking up at 5:00am really isn't a big deal, especially when the prospect of the day is going to bed in 18 hours in a different city, a different country, a different continent.
***Everything went smoothly: the flight to Washington DC where I met a nice old Jewish man heading to Florida for a reunion of a life-long group of friends. It was for a funeral, but in his words it was only one of the group that he loved to hate, so he wasn't too perturbed. (Dad, he said to send his greetings to you.)
***Another quick flight to Ft. Lauderdale, nothing out of the ordinary until we landed, then due to lightning strikes near the runway, we sat on the tarmac, with countless other planes, for over an hour.
***I heard many life lessons from the Dominican lady next to me. She talked about her children, her struggle learning English, her family back in the Republic, her new retired life in Florida, and many other topics. But what she really wanted me to hear was this: Sometimes, even when we love someone, we must not only let them go there own way, but also close the door in our hearts.
***We finally made it into the airport, where, for some reason or another, I sat/stood for 8 hours, until finally boarding the flight for Lima - originally scheduled for 5:36 - at 11:00.
***Inside the Ft. Lauderdale airport, I walked to the gate I'd originally been assigned to, and was surprised to see so many white, English-speaking people at the gate for Lima, Peru. It wasn't until 45 minutes later when they announced that the gate for the flight to Boston had been changed from F6 to F4 that I understood. It happened again when my gate changed and all the people sitting in that waiting area were very black. Turns out they were headed to Jamaica. In the end, it was me, 4 other white people, and a whole lot of Peruvians, who boarded for flight 1825.
***$20 food voucher for the inconvenience of waiting for endless hours? I'll take it.
***Have you ever seen an adult literally dragged kicking and screaming? Well I have, thank you Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport.

-- Thursday, August 27 --
***I think I slept for about half an hour somewhere over Cuba, but neck and shoulder problems prohibited any real rest.
***As we landed the crew announced that we would all be receiving $250 in travel credit, so that was a small highlight.
***We finally landed at 3:11am. It took about 15 to get through customs and baggage claim - see, there is a plus to travelling at night.
***My friend had planned to pick me up at the airport, but as my flgiht was delayed later and later, we cancelled that plan. I, however, had no idea what the new plan was.
***Money exchange kiosks aren't open at 4:00am.
***Neither are the kiosks to renew the service on your local phone.
***Fortunately I met a sincerely helpful taxi driver who directed me toward an outlet where I could charge my US phone, and a Starbucks where I could get some WiFi.
***While charging my phone I met an old man waiting for his flight to the jungle to visit his daughter who is a dentist. He bought me coffee; that was nice.
***I finally got ahold of my friend, and she called a taxi for me. At 7:00, after 25 hours in various airports, I was finally on my way to the real world again.
***It was rush hour, and the route was a new one for my driver, so it took 90 minutes to reach our destination, but it was well worth it!
***Hazel had stayed with my Uncle and Aunt in New Jersey for several months while studying English, and I'd also been in contact with her through email and Facebook for several months. Meeting in person was just as wonderful as we thought it would be. You know when you meet someone, and you can't even imagine pausing to eat because you feel you've known them your whole life and you need to catch up on everything? Sleep wasn't even in the question. (And believe me, this girl LOVES her sleep and food!) It was magical.
***Many hours of conversation, a quick tour of the neighborhood - Pueblo Libre, Free Town, so named because it was where Simon Bolivar resided, a few stops to buy food, exchange dollars for soles, and buy service for my phone, and a nice relaxing shower constituted most of Thursday.
***To finish off the day, I got to meet an incredible woman who'd put Hazel in contact with my family, and inadvertently introduced her to me as well. Sitting there with those two, Hazel and Olga, I couldn't help but wonder at the great fortune I seem to meet with at every turn.

-- Friday, August 28 --
***I awoke at about 5:00am to the sound of taxi horns. After 40 hours without sleep, I'd hoped to spend a few more than 6 sleeping, but the excitement of being once again in a place I've grown to love so much, made sleep a bit difficult.
***Fresh fruit and hot tea - the breakfast of champions.
***A bit of English practice with Hazel and her brother, a bit of political discussion regarding social practice and climate change, and talk of all the wonders the day would hold.
***As I'd mentioned that familiarizing myself a bit with the public transit system of Lima, it was suggested that said brother, Jorge, would accompany me by bus to the tip of the peninsula on which Lima is built.
***Incredibly beautiful ocean views, the Naval Museum, a quick stop for water, and conversation ranging from careers to history, significant other and the nature of love to the usefulness of knowing Spanish made the many kilometers we covered by bus and on foot fly by.
***Homemade "Chifa" - Peruvian Chinese food - because Hazel knew I'd studied in Korea and enjoy Asian food.
***My friend texted me and asks if we can meet at 9:00pm that night. Is that normal here? Normally I make plans for 6:00 or 7:00, but apparently 9:00 on a Friday is how we do things here.
***Our little group, Hazel, Jorge, and myself left the house again around 5:00pm to wander around Lima's city center, "La ciudad de los Reyes." It was quaint and artistic. We saw live mannequins, street musicians, a very few tourists, the pub where the president and congress always go for breakfast on their first day in office, and probably the longest line of people I've ever seen waiting to place flowers on a shrine and request a miracle at the Cathedral.
***"Arroz con Leche" is Peru's version of rice pudding and I could eat it several times a day, every day.
***Then it was 8:30, time for me to go out on my own to find my friend in a distant district of Lima.
***2 buses, 2 helpful (and nosy) caballeros, and over an hour later, I finally arrived in the Plaza in Barranco where we'd planned to meet. For the first time ever, he arrived somewhere before I did.
***A text from Hazel, "It's going to be both expensive and dangerous for you to come back here, so if you can stay with your friend for that night, that would be good." Well I wasn't expecting, planning, or even wanting to do that, I didn't want to get lost, be robbed, or die, so flexibility it was.
***It was so very nice to spend a few hours dancing with my favorite dance partner ever, drinking just enough to remember how to dance, and laughing like we only had a few hours to live.

-- Saturday, August 29 --
***Then talking for hours and hours before finally falling asleep at about 3:00am.
***The honking horns didn't wake me until 7:00, so I was thankful.
***San Miguel is a part of Lima where there are too many people, and none of them white. Plenty to buy, but no money to buy it with. Plenty to see, and for me, not enough time to see it.
***But we saw plenty before we finally decided to part ways in the mid-afternoon.
***A very quick goodbye and all-of-a-sudden, I was on the bus.
***I know the drill, get on bus, give the guy some change, he'll give you a ticket, and then it's sit and see who gets on next. But for me, this time, it was different. The coin I gave him was 5 soles, my last coin which had been given to me buy a vendor of public phone service. He took it, felt it, and handed it back, "It's fake." It took me several minutes and a few bus stops to comprehend my situation. I was alone, without any money, somewhere in Lima. The guy was nice, but he couldn't just let me ride for free. So I got off.
***Nothing, not even the public phone booth, would take my coin. Apparently I was the only one fooled by it.
***So I called my friend and told him that unless he was already in a life-and-death situation, he needed to come help me.
***Half an hour later, with a funny little grin on his face he showed up with that hug that says "Of all the things that could've happened to you, this? But it's ok, I'm here now." We had to laugh.
***By that time it was too late to meet back up with Hazel for dinner, so we had a few more hours wandering the city, talking, making fun of each other, and trying not to lose each other in the crowd that is San Miguel on a Saturday night.
***The acoustics in the little cafe where we had some tea made my voice sound amazing, and he listened as I sang him some of my favorite tunes, including Whitney Houston, Marc Anthony, the Eagles, Kelly Clarkson, and Whitney again at his request.
***It's not every day you meet friends who make you feel like a star while simultaneously feeling like they embody home. They're worth traveling the globe to visit.
***This time my coin was just fine and I was safely on the bus across the city, back to Pueblo Libre. As often happens, someone got on trying to sell something. He was telling stories about the history of Miraflores and Lima, and collecting money for something related. I gathered most of what he was saying, but after 3 long days of speaking Spanish and 2 very short nights, I was zoning out completely. He walked down the rows asking for donations, got to mine, hesitated, and kept walking. Hmm.
***I wasn't too concerned about finding my way from the bus stop to Hazel's apartment, I'd been on and off the bus a few times already.
***But my adventures of the day were not over. I found the right stop. But by some trick of mind - probably mostly a trick of lack of sleep - I made a simple and important mistake. I thought we'd come from the east, but we'd come from the west. So the side of the street that I was thinking was the north side, where I would fine the landmarks I'd need, was actually the south side where everything was unfamiliar. Fortunately I speak Spanish, and I've spent an unrealistic amount of my life being lost, so after an hour wandering up and down trying to not look vulnerable, I finally discovered my error, and 10 minutes later I was safe.
***Thankfully I'm used to being lost and tired, so I enjoyed the humour in the situation.

-- Sunday, August 30 --
***I finally slept a bit later, because I wasn't near a window and honking horns.
***A trip to the gym. You know how long it's been since I've been to a gym? I actually think that was a first. 3 hours of Afro-Peruvian dancing, jogging, walking, cycling, ab-exercises, and relaxing in the sauna later, I felt amazing. Still not sore, and not sure what that means.
***Lunch with Hazel's sister, who was impressed by my Spanish, and my ability to dance (haha!), and the 11-year-old niece who is learning English, but a little too embarrassed to use it with me.
***Lovely trip to the mall. And that's not something you'll hear me saying very often. But it always amuses me to go places that are the same from country to country, as malls are. The same, but oh so very different.
***Sunday night consisted of talking, for hours, about the many topics that interest both Hazel and myself. We spoke of our pasts, our families, our theories of life and death, our hopes for the future, our fears and failures, our struggles and strengths, and any other topic that came up.
***Finally had the chance to talk for a few minutes with the home people including my "chico." He is always so sweet, patient, understanding, and supportive as a run around the globe doing my things. I am so lucky.

-- Monday, August 31 --
***I finally got to hear Hazel using English as we Skyped with my Uncle and Aunt for a couple hours. In many ways it was so strange - like several different worlds colliding, but in a pleasant and comfortable way.
***Discussion of teaching and learning English as a second language followed - quite interesting to me at the moment as a work on become a certified ESL teacher. Sometimes the students are the best teachers.
***Packing all my clothes, books, and accessories for 4 months into an impossibly small amount of baggage is always a fun challenge, and I always win.
***We decided, that as a parting gift to ourselves, we would go to another discrict in Lima - San Isidra - for Hazel's favorite Asian food. Hanzo is Japanese-Peruvian fusion food, and although that sounds suspicious, it was wonderful!
***The server was attentive and pleasant, which is unusual here, so I wonder if he was trained differently, or a bit enamored and creepy. Things I'll never know.
***It was late when we finally got home, and a glance at the clock assured us that the only thing we had time to think about was getting to the bus station.
***I'm not sure how many lanes the roads in Lima have, or how I could determine that. If I ever could see the lines painted there, it wouldn't help me anyway as the "lanes" are always changing. Sometimes I believe myself to be on an 8-lane highway that takes up the space of one of our 2-lane highways in the US. Crazy doesn't begin to describe it. But I thought I'd seen the worst of it as taxi drivers are always in a hurry - right? Wrong. Our taxi driver knew we were in a hurry, and somehow became even more aggressive than any I'd seen to date. There are no words to describe it.
***But we arrived on time.
***Hazel ran in to start the process of buying the ticket (this company doesn't do online reservations) as I unloaded my stuff. I started in to the wrong door, but the helpful people behind my quickly and laughingly corrected me. I must have been a funny sight!
***I made it with about 30 seconds to spare and within 5 minutes of leaving my taxi I was seated on the bus.
***I was extremely excited to take a road trip across Peru, and expectantly looked out my window, only to fine that mine, the front window, was frosted to (in my opinion) an unnecessary degree.
***Determined to not let this get me down, I looked for the positives...

-- Tuesday, September 1 --
***The radio that the drivers were listening to could usually be heard from my seat - a mix of Latin American pop, salsa, and north American 80s. Not bad.
***I could have been the person wretching the entire drive.
***I would have been too cold to sleep even a little if it hadn't been for the kindly lady next to me spreading her blanket over my legs unsolicited. I was very thankful as the only way I managed to survive the trip without getting carsick was dozing as much as possible.
***The windows on the other side of the bus were clear and allowed me to see some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever encountered. Enough beauty was revealed as the sun came up to make the long, cold, uncomfortable night totally worth it.
***We finally stopped around 8:00am for restrooms and breakfast, but I wasn't about to eat anything.
***After that stop time seemed to stand still. I dozed, watched the movies they were playing on and off, tried to look out my window, dozed some more, and listened to the people chatting around me.
***I'm not sure if it felt like 2 hours or twenty, but at 5:00pm, we finally arrived in Cusco.
***That trip cost me approximately $22.
***Finding a taxi was easy, traffic here in Cusco suddenly seems tame and the rides so cheap.
***My taxi driver somehow knew that this wasn't my first time in Cusco, but I was too tired to inquire how he knew.
***It was nice to see an old friend upon my arrival at the school.
***How can it have been 9 months since I was here last? It seems like it's just been a few weeks.
***I went out to change some money and get a quick dinner - water, tuna, crackers, and an orange fit the bill. As I sat finishing my dinner on a bench in the plaza, as often happens, I was approached by a chico trying to sell paintings. Well, actually, that's not exactly what happened. My cracker wrapper decided to blow away as he was about 10 feet away, so he picked it up for me, and then asked if I was interested in looking at his paintings. I told him I'd love to look, but I wasn't going to buy anything. He didn't seem too concerned with that, and we sat and talked for a while. Sometimes, if you just stop and smile at someone, you get a really creepy next few mintues, but this time it was a happy ending. You just never know when you'll meet someone new and lovely.
***I'd hoped to meet up with another friend for dinner, but he was busy, so we made plans to go out when I'd had a chance to sleep and rest some.
***Bed at 8:30 was wonderful.
***And the WiFi here is good enough to talk on the phone, send pictures and messages, and feel not quite so far away from my loved ones.

-- Wednesday, September 2 --
***And now here it is, I've written and talked the morning away, and it's lunch time. I can't wait. I'll go out with Marco later, and tomorrow at 8:30 start my internship.