Went through all the 'departure' routines, bading our adieux to the wonderful staff of Ninos Hotel, taking a taxi to the airport, and as we drove along, observed Cusco "starting a new day".
Our taxi had some diffuculty getting to the hotel on time, for the town centre was blocked again due to all the university groups' dancing competitions, which are still going on! On our ride, we skirted the town, giving us a chance to see the 'other' side of Cusco, where we saw piles of rock & stone rubble, everywhere. New construction was going on, but lordy, we cannot begin to understand the methods of their madness. Such choas, yet life is busy & active, street markets are everywhere, selling mountains of fruits, veggies, breads and clothing. Peruvian ladies & their goods, are sprawled out onto the streets, sitting on tarps or stools, bargaining & dealing. And life goes on...
Traffic is heavy as no real transit systems exists - in any city of Peru. It appears that all the anti-pollution devices have been removed from most vehicles, for they spew black & smelly fumes everywhere. We continue to wonder how the Peruvian's lungs survive this everyday onslaught.
Arrived at Cusco airport, checked into LAN; had to pay an additional $47 US for our extra luggage - all our hiking gear! Met fellow travellers we knew from our "Amazon" travels, who were now traveling to Puno by air. All this, because the roads to Puno were blocked, as the Peruvians were demonstrating - with a 'sit-in'. We believe it has to do with the issue of Lake Titikaka's water. Bolivia & Chili desperately need water and the people of Puno do not wish to sell it to these countries, as it would mean damming the lake, resituating the tribes who have been here 'longer than God", before the Incas. Frankly, we feel for them. Poverty exists in Peru, as in every developing country, so foreign dollars might just help relieve this situation.
On the other hand, as we traveled this area, we were very much aware of the sheer importance of the ancient tribal customs, the people's pride in their history and their desire to keep their simple way of life, in a changing world - which has not quite reached them yet. Their world is simple, & magical; we learned so much about their meaning of life. What a conundrum this must be for the people & their politicians.
Arrived in Lima, and La Posada's taxi was their to greet us. This time, driving through the streets of Lima, we see the city as clean, tidy, organized, and lacking in vehicles which pollute as much as the ones we've been accustomed to in small towns around the country. We could not believe the difference in our attitudes after leaving Lima in late May. No rubble anywhere! Hardly any garbage to be seen and no dogs are wandering the streets - interesting!
Even though the taxi from the hotel picked us up at the airport, the hotel did not have us registered properly, so we went through the hastle of getting a room for 6 nights. We previously had received 6 e-mails confirming our reservations, two weeks prior to today, and the only information the staff had was our name and arrival date. It appears that technology is not widely used in the hotel industry. Very simple paper charts and cards are what rules the day. All was resolved, eventually ... so, we were happy, but, it was confusing and tricky for the hotel staff. We still needed to pay for our accommodations in advance.
By this time, we were exhausted - so we rested a bit, then went walking, visiting our corner restaurant, spending time with the Peruvian owner whom we had connected with before. She remembered us well, so we shared our travel stories over tea and cake - (Tres Leche, Three Milke Cake, which was delicious!)
She told us about her life during the past few weeks, and let us know that the people of Puno & Lake Titikaka were really suffering from the cold weather. Apparently, the temperature had dropped to -15 degrees, which is unusually cold for this area. People from Lima were sending blankets and clothing to Puno to help the people. We know travellers who are visiting the area at this time, and we hope all is well with everyone. We're so glad we chose to visit Puno at an earlier date!
Walked around, had dinner at Rovengno's, an Italian-Peruvian restaurant, highly touted by the Hotel. Food is just okay - we're not so sure about the cleaninless of the place.
It's feels good to be back in Lima - now to plan our next five days!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment