Cuzco Pt. 2

We’re nearing two weeks in Cusco, having gotten sucked into the vampire routine of staying out late then sleeping a good part of the day (usually after a trip to the mercado for seemingly bottomless glasses of fresh juice that costs about 80 cents). The amount of talent in the live music scene here is incredible, thanks to traveling minstrels that come to the city to play for weeks or even months, then move on to other locations. We have a regular hangout, called Nuna Machay (Quechua for “cave of the spirit”) a bar/café/club that is owned by two very personable long-time friends, Eduardo and Tavo. It feels like home for us, as we’re there for at least part of the night every night. We put our stuff behind the bar, Niki sometimes plays her guitar and sings, we dance along to the music, or sit upstairs to finish a book or work on the computer.

The San Blas neighborhood of Cusco is an artist’s barrio tucked into one of the city’s hillsides, with beautiful views down to the plazas and cathedrals. It has become our hood, and walking around we inevitably run into people we know for a quick “¿Como estas?” After the initial first days here we haven’t branched out too far from San Blas, given our level of comfort with the area -- and the fact that walking anywhere else means a steep climb back up minuscule sidewalks on narrow cobblestone streets. When cars drive by (with about four feet of clearance on either side), people often have to stop walking since there is no room to pass. When I’m in a rush I’ll step out into the street, but it’s always a gamble as to whether I’ll get my toes run over.

I finally got out of the city for the first time (Niki went on a yoga retreat out into the Sacred Valley while I slept all day last week) when we went on a hike (straight up) to El Corazón de la Pacha (a heart-shaped cave said to be the heart of the Pachamama, the Peruvian term for Mother Earth) and to the Temple of the Moon, a cave inside of a hill that contains alters for both sacrifice and fertility. We went with new friends from Peru, Argentina, and Spain to celebrate Niki’s birthday on July 1st and brought wine, empanadas, pan de coco, and tortilla española to eat among the rocks while some people strummed guitar and we basked in the sun. The Temple of the Moon was amazing, with an opening that lets rays of sunshine -- and moonlight -- into the small cave. Niki did a bit of meditation and Reiki on our Peruvian friend Alex and I did some yoga, although we got interrupted by a very rude Peruvian guide that wanted his two clients to be able to take a photo without us in the way. Along the way, the landscape was beautiful, with plains and rolling hills covered in long amber-hued grass that shimmered in the breeze under a bright blue skied dotted with puffy white clouds and high, reddish-gray Andean peaks in the distance.

It felt a bit strange to celebrate the 4th of July with a very authentic Peruvian culinary experience. I went to a delicious cevicheria at 11 a.m. and tucked into a big plate of mixed ceviche with octopus, sea snails, shrimp and other fish with delicately sliced red onions, lime juice, the Andean corn I'm in love with, and sweet potatoes as well. I also sampled an order of chicarrones -- fried seafood with a garlicky aioli on the side, although the term chicarrones here can also refer to fried pork (not pork skins like we know in the U.S.). We washed it down with cerveza and chica morada, a dark purple juice made from blue corn that had distinct notes of cinnamon and clove. There's also an alcoholic version of chica that is good as well -- we've been drinking it in Nuna Machay mixed with pisco, the grape brandy that Peru and Chile are known for (and fight over the claim to which was the drink's orginator).

We’re looking forward to going back up to the Temple of the Moon late tomorrow night/early Wednesday morning for the full moon and Eduardo’s birthday. It’s not supposed to be too safe to go there at night, but we’re going to have a big group and take a taxi as far as we can. It seems like the appropriate place to be to celebrate our first full moon in South America.