Arriving in Cusco

After an eventful trip through customs and immigration (of course I got lost, that's just me) I finally made my way to the small airplane to take us to Cusco. I must say the employs running flights to and from Cusco are very impatient with travelers, but it did not deter me from enjoying the view out my window. At first I was at a loss...Where are all the lush green forested valleys? I realized Cusco located south of the highland cloud forests. The city was the reflection of a third world country- dirty, dusty, poorly constructed. It was my first real exposure to such a city. I was amazed. Even when I had passed through part of Mexico did I not see such immediate evidence of poverty.

That being said, arriving in Cusco and not knowing the exchange rate of dollars to soles, I was overcharged to by the taxis- official my Aunt Fanny- and I took a woman home for free, then tipped her because I thought she was being so considerate making sure the lonely North American got to her hostel safely. Bah! I got ripped off on all fronts. And that was the start of the "Let's exploit the tourist". It was difficult in this dusty, dirty town to travel anywhere and not get bombarded by someone selling something. In the lovely Plaza de Armas, it was constant bombardment. You could not enjoy the beautiful cathedrals in peace.The Cathedral

La Compaña de Jesus

The city filled all the spaces of this little valley. You could really see the influence of Spanish architecture. It is difficult see in this picture, but the flag of Cusco is a horizontal rainbow. I never learned the significance of the rainbow, but I learned that the gay and lesbian community had adopted a similar flag but in reverse order of colors.

I sat back for a time to observe the demographic of those visiting the Plaza de Armas. As I waved away people trying to sell me paintings, jewelry, trying to clean my hiking boots, I noticed that among the tourists were few people in 'traditional garb' here. Two men who were in country clothing sat down to rest what looked like heavy loads on the steps nearby me, yet the officer standing guard quickly moved to stand over them. I didn't understand the significance of this action. Were these men vagabonds?

On the Cathedral steps in mid-afternoon

I returned later to my hostel to get out of the strong sun. I was feeling a little funny due to the altitude, shortness of breath, especially. It was very strange to feel like I could not breath deep enough to satisfy my lungs. Lucky for me, stomach cramps and headaches did not find me.