Woke up to a very nice alarm clock - the cooing of the doves. Discovered that our hotel is situated in a lovely cul-de-sac, surrounded by beautifully well-kept, gated colonial homes, similar in looks to San Francisco neighbourhoods. Local traffic is discouraged from passing through the area. Area is safe to walk around, even at night. The huge concert stadium is located just behind us, and last night the Jonas Brothers (USA) were in town. We could hear the music and the ´cries´of the young fans. Delightful!
Weather today is overcast and coolish. Went searching to purchase extra locks for our hiking backbacks as we needed to send these on to Cusco. The city streets are very much a mixture of wealth & poverty - one much watch out when one walks anywhere as streets have so many potholes or are in dire need of repair. Hawkers are everywhere. Found locks in a little hole in the wall shop, taxied to bus station and got these off. Procedure to do this was timely, as we had security checks in 3 places, all within the same little building. We should not have purchased extra locks for our bags, as the staff totally wrapped the bags with plastic tape, then sent them on. I am the only one that can retrieve these in Cusco, and I must clearly identify myself with several pieces of paper, which were given to me. Interesting!
Bruce and I then walked around the Historical Center, Plaza Mayor, admiring the old colonial buildings, the different styles of architechture, paying attention to the history of the place & just simply soaking up the atmosphere. For some reason, it was sunny and bright in this part of town.
Ate an amazingly delicious lunch. My appetizer, Causa Rellono, was a mashed yellow potato dish, that had tuna & mayo in the middle, then avocado and more potato on the bottom. Bruce had spaghetti with seafood, and I had beef with rice mixed with fried beans. Dessert was mango & passionfuit souffles. Yummy food! (I took photos but we´re unable to upload anything, due to time.) Drink an Inca Cola, the famous top-selling soda produced here. Bubble-gum flavour - what can I say.
I had a private tour of the Basilica Cathedral - saw several cedar carvings, along with the art of the church. I was entranced with the Spanish conquest & the history of the Roman Catholic Church in Peru. People are extremely devout in this area.
Oddities - Peruvians are extremely agressive about getting the tourists´dollars, such as going into restaurants, even for just a coffee. Our taxi driver quoted us one price, then wanted to charge another when we arrived at our destination. Hmm...
Peruvians also work long, long hours, 10 or 12 per day. This is normal, and they are happy just to have their jobs.
After resting & eating a light supper, we went to the Fountain Park display. 14 fountains ´water-danced´to colored lights & music, from Brahms to Beethoven, to pop. The sights were amazing.. (I´m using this word a lot - sorry!) This Parque de la Reserva was filled with families, enjoying the sights as much or more so than us. Beautiful to see so many people out at night on the streets. A perfect ending to our day!
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