Logic, Illogic and beer-based nostalgia
Trip Start
Jan 23, 2007
1
21
24
Trip End
Ongoing
Cusco,
Cusco,
Peru
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Being in Cusco again has been a nostalgic experience for me having walked these beautiful, colonial/inca paths a mere 2 1/2 years ago and I still love the place. Not all that much has changed although most noticeably it has become apparent that I am not the only Bury St Edmunds export out here. In the time I have been away Cusquena (the dangerously good local lager) has made it across the Atlantic to every major supermarket and in some kind of weird exchange, Greene King IPA, Abbot Ale, Ruddles and a Southworld based bitter has made it to Cusco! During my last visit we took many photos in the Cross Keys bar here because they had Greene King IPA and Abbot Ale beer mats, I walked into the bar yesterday to find they now have the stuff on tap! Which means as long as I am in Cusco I donīt have to tell people Iīm from Cambridge (to save confusion) I just have to point at a tap!
Before I left Bolivia there was time for one more classic example of Bolivian logic. Having made a visit to the home of the Inca religion, the Isla Del Sol we made our back on a couple of boats and each time having pulledout of the harbour and journeyed along the glorious Lake Titicaca for a good 5-10 minutes the boat stopped and turned around to pick up some late comers! Putting us dangerously close to missing our coach to Cusco, which lead to some evil glances being dealt out by various passengers to the 3 gappers who hopped aboard, one of which I proudly (and correctly) predicted was called Guy, simply because he looked, behaved and spoke like a Guy. Being the spiritual homeland of the Incas the area didnīt half attract a fair few hippies, one of which joined us for dinner one evening. He was a bo staff wielding californian martial arts addict who was going to take San Pedro powder (a natural hallucinogenic) the next day and do martial arts and watch the Inca civilisation erupt from rocks in a drug induced vision. He did indeed live up to his Peruvian nickname "the king of the crazies" although he was a nice guy, he gave us each a bit of string to tie round our wrists that he had swapped his sunglasses for the previousday!
Not to be left out, Peru also possesses its own brand of logic. Whole streets are full of shops selling exactly the same products. The main square at night time took me back to what I can actually remember of a Summer visit to Faliraki as locals chase you to persuade you to go into their bar/club. Late at night young kids attempt (and mostly succeed) to capitalise on the drunkness of gringos by selling finger puppets, stealing them back and then selling them again (one guy i was with bought the same spiderman finger puppet 6 times) and getting away with it all because theyīre all so damn adorable and speak a little English very cutely, one kid assured me that he took cards or travellers cheques if I didnt have any cash.
I finish this blog entry, extremely hungover and distinctly aware of the lack of time ahead before I leave this wonderful continent and I sincerely hope that Cusco does not fulfill its reputation for its ability to suck you in. 2 guys at the hostel have been here a month and they literally cannot leave because they are unable to pay off their bar tab. Thankfully a clear sense of budget and a distinct lack of time means I am immune to this, well I hope so anyway.
