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Cusco, Part 2!
Entry 13 of 24 | show all | print this entry |
Two updates in one day? Well, it was a busy day, and after tommorrow, I will be without internet for about 5 days (doing the Lares Trek, Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes, Ollantaytabo... none of which have internet, to the best of my knowledge).
Shopped ´till I dropped, almost literally (fell asleep at 3:15pm for two hours). Got your classic, cheap, touristy t-shirts (Cusqeña and Inca Cola... oh come on, they were cheap, and they fit well). Bought a fake Alpaca sweater in the market for a cheap price, though the seller insisited it was "pure Alpaca" (for 40 soles, it is NOT... genuine Alpaca sweaters are over a hundred DOLLARS). That´s cool though, as really, I just wanted another sweater to wear on the trek, and it´s soft, and fits, etc. Purchased a CD of instrumental native music (panpipes, pan flutes, drums, etc). Also picked up postcards, and after much, much searching, a pan flute that actually WORKS (most here are crafts, cheap, and touristy, and they sound terrible... and they´re tiny). Shelled out a good 90 soles for that, but it´s beautiful, and I know it makes noise, because the seller played it for me (although I have YET to figure out how, exactly, to make it work well, myself). Packing it may be interesting. It´s somewhat long, and being reeds, it´s kind of fragile, I guess. Hmm.
Got my tourist ticket. Student discount, YAY! 35 soles. Only visited two places on it... the Museum of Popular Art, and the Museum of Contemporary art (the former being awesome, the latter being a disappointment). The Pop Art Museum contained a display of modernist paintings with a definative Peruvian touch: bright, bright Quechua colors, and somewhat spiritual undertones. There was also an exhibit of sculptures/dolls pertaining to religion. Religion is a big part of the average Peruvian´s lifestyle (95% of the population claims to be Catholic, although many mix their native traditions into the Catholic rituals). All this was very evident in the dolls... for example, one piece (the one that stood out most in my mind) was a Jesucristo (Jesus Christ) on the cross, made entirely of cuy/guinea pig bones. Yet rendered with pretty decent accuracy. Other recurring themes were the nativity (often with llamas and Peruvian blankets), and disdain for the Spanish.
Anyway, needless to say, as an art student, this was great.
Contemporary Art museum consisted of one room of watercolors for sale, and one room of paintings by a guy who I can´t remember his name... Alvarez? Maybe. Anyway... the building was nice, but I think I only stayed there about 20 minutes.
Also visited the museum of pre-Columbian art. THIS was AMAZING. Not only was the musem in a beautiful colonial mansion, but the curation was probably the best I´ve yet to see, with all the pieces displayed, lit, and arranged beautifully and artfully (complete with informative placards in three languages). The museum had relics made of bone, shell, silver, gold, stone, wood, pottery... you name it. It also had rooms dedicated to the various pre-Columbian cultures of South America, including the Wari/Huari, Chanka, Mochica, Nazca, and of course, Inca (and others, as well). I´m sure I´ve forgotten something. On any note, I spent about two hours there, reading every last placard that I could. Amazing.
Napped. Had our briefing for the hike. Ate out at an Indian restaurant (the naan bread was delicious). Now, I´m internetting. As prevously mentioned, don´t expect an update for four or five days! But, I will write, and check my emails, when I am back in Cusco after my upcoming adventures.
Take care!
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