Loving & leaving Cusco – the good, the bad, the unusual

It has been 12 weeks and 6 days since I have been living in Cusco, Peru. Living here has been wonderful, educational, challenging, uplifting, scary and fun. I guess living here has been like regular life. Well, regular life with an extra big side dish of adventures. I leave tomorrow and I am feeling very nostalgic. Much of the nostalgia is about the small moments – the everyday things. I realize that I generally blog about my adventurous experiences and what those experiences have taught me. However, part of my purpose in coming here for 3 months was to experience ‘real life’ differently. And Cusco was definitely different! Some things were familiar but most were different and just living my ‘regular life’ required me to adjust and adapt.

Overall, living in Cusco brought me a lot of joy, a lot of growth and a lot of lessons. I was thinking of calling this post “the good, the bad and the ugly” but honestly, there wasn’t too much ugly. But for me, there was a lot of unusual (and I write that with no judgement). Unusual means not habitually or commonly occurring. So the unusual for me were things that were not common to me before living here. And that is a big, huge reason why I love travel.

Stumbling across the unusual, comparing cultures and traditions, asking ‘why?’ is one of my favorite things about travel. Why do we do it this way and ‘they’ do it that way? Why is this ‘normal’ and that is unusual? I love examining the unusual. And I really love that the more places I experience in my nomadic life, the less ‘judge-y’ I am about the unusual).

One of the ‘good’ things for me was joining a gym (shoutout to the helpful staff at Peltroche Gym). Living as a nomad the past 18 months has been challenging in terms of establishing any kind of consistent health and fitness habit. And ironically, living as a nomad has coincided with me finally enjoying exercise as a means to feel good and get really strong (and not as a punishment for being overweight).

Anyways, I was able to join a gym and it has been one of the really great things about living in Cusco. The unusual is that they allow dogs in the gym, they are closed Sundays and there seems to be no limit to the number of people allowed in the building. I found the dog policy delightful even though it was a shock at first. I also grew to enjoy the closed on Sundays policy. At first, I thought “what the heck?! Isn’t Sunday the perfect day for everyone to workout?” But then I grew to like the idea of an actual day of rest and Sunday became my long, walk day. I have to admit though, I am still not a fan of limitless people in a gym and waiting 20-30 minutes for the leg press but I did learn to adapt my workouts.

My favorite thing about the gym though (besides getting way stronger and any day now, I am going to do a chin up) was the staff. There was a young man, Alejandro, who signed me up. And he always yelled out “Pa-MAY-la” every time I walked in – he made me feel so welcome. There was also a trainer, who would often gently but firmly correct my form. She was a little younger than me but ‘mature’ for a gym trainer and I always felt that she was looking out for me. Even though I only knew Alejandro’s name, I started to recognize the rest of the staff and some regulars. We shared smiles and nods and the familiar was really nice.

More good things, and they go together, is both the street food and the people who sell the street food. Now some of the street food was unusual for me. If I am being honest, there were a few times that I tried something and thought, ‘well, good for you and also I’ll never have that again.’ But the fruit sold from the wheelbarrows was always the sweetest, freshest, best fruit ever. I also loved the juice in a bag, the cart sandwiches for only 2 soles and the tiny ice cream cones. Of course, my absolute favorite was the street popcorn. All these good things were also unusual, as it was the first time I had ever had juice in a bag or popcorn from a street cart. I especially got a kick out of the ice cream cones because there was no flavor choice and it was always a mix of flavors but for 2 soles, totally worth it and always weirdly delicious. I also tried a lot of empanadas in Cusco! The tiny bakery by my place always had fresh ones for only 4 soles. They were my favorite – not street food technically but so delicious.

But the best part was that the vendors in Cusco, especially in ‘my neighborhood,’ were always so helpful and appreciative of the business. Shopping local, which I am always an advocate for, took on a whole new level for me in Cusco. And I have to add that, while I love supporting local, I also really enjoyed having access to a kitchen. I am not the best cook but it was so nice to have to be able to cook once or twice a week.

One other really, really good thing was discovering my places. In the past year and a half, I have often found a place that I loved and then left without having the time to revisit it. Usually, I love moving on and discovering new places but sometimes it’s nice to have the familiar. This time in Cusco allowed me to find my favorite and familiar.

Just down the street from mi casa is a little grocery store and the woman sold me cheese by the sole…sliced it right next to the cash box. She also started to make sure she always had blueberry yogurt for me. My second week in Cusco I discovered ‘chifa’ which is a fusion of traditional Peruvian cuisine and Chinese food. Chifa is always fresh and delicious (plus incredibly cheap!). I think I visited ‘my chifa place’ at least 10 times. The last 2 times, the young man asked, “Le gustaria lo mismo?” (Did I want the same?) And yes, yes, I did.

I also found my 3 favorite coffee shops. Well, one favorite coffee shop and 2 that tied for second. If you ever visit Cusco, please visit Kaldi’s Coffee – it has the best view, great WIFI and an excellent cappuccino frio. Plus the staff are very sweet and will let you sit there for 3 hours. Sitting, sipping and writing at Kaldi’s, stopping to take in the beautiful view of Cusco, and feeling truly and deeply blessed, will be one of my favorite memories ever. I also loved El Principado Coffee. It was 3 blocks from my place, had super comfortable chairs and the best 80s playlist all the time. And Cafeto 109, maybe the best cappuccinos in Cusco, and the best view of Plaza de Armas.

And my last favorite and familiar is Plaza de Armas – the beautiful & historic plaza in the middle of the ‘old city’ and the best people watching place of all. I am not very good at ‘just sitting,’ but I practiced a lot in Plaza de Armas – just sitting, feeling the sun on my skin and watching all the people walk on by. That was definitely one of the ‘good.’

There wasn’t a lot of ‘bad’ although there were some adjustments towards expectations. One of the best things about Cusco, for me, was all of the street dogs. However, one of the worst things was the symphony of non-stop barking, sometimes for an hour or more, in the evenings. People in South America love their fireworks and “bang snaps” and the dogs really do not. I always felt sorry for the poor dogs. And I really, really did not enjoy the sometimes unrelenting barking.

Another ‘bad,’ although it really was more mildly annoying than actually bad, was the time it would take to get your sim card charged. I am not sure why but the big Claro in the mall, had a 3 step process to get your card charged. And it could take up to an hour. The small Claro by my house – well the one time there were 5 of us in line waiting for the two workers to stop flirting with each other and help their customers. Considering the low cost of the sim cards, and being able to recharge as needed, it was worth the wait but something to keep in mind when planning your day. Charging one’s sim card could be a 15 minute errand or it could take over an hour. And it was always a surprise!

There were also a few things that, at first, I would put in the ‘bad’ column. However, I now consider them to be more lessons in perspective and opportunities to adjust my expectations. It was frustrating at times, dealing with inconsistent WIFI, but I have now learned a few useful tricks when teaching and travelling. And I definitely have a new appreciation for something that I really took for granted before. It is the same appreciation that I gained towards hot showers after my time in Guatemala. I think sometimes people view things as “bad’ when they are different or mildly inconvenient. However, the more I travel, the more I push myself to adjust my perspective and look at the ‘bad’ as an opportunity for growth. (But bang snaps and evening barking symphonies… they are just very, very bad.)

I have just realized that I could actually write a whole blog post on the unusual. I found so many different and delightful and interesting things – some small, some big, but all unusual. One of my favourite unusual are all of the well-dressed dogs. This is something that I also noticed in Colombia but it was so prevalent in Cusco and a total delight. I think I could do an entire photo book on the well-dressed dogs of Cusco.

Another unusual was always getting your food before your drink (although I did learn to ask for my drink first.) And at the end of your meal, if you wait for them to ask if you want your cheque you will wait a long time. I think it is politeness and not wanting to rush you, but they do not bring your cheque unless you ask for it. And most local places have a little window at the back of the restaurant. It is called the ‘caja’ and that is where you pay your bill.

My favorite ‘unusual” is something that no one seems to know when or why it started. In Cusco, the businesses are ‘clumped’ together, sometimes in neighborhoods but often on the exact same street. My second day in Cusco, walking home from the market with the family, it was pointed out to me. Across from the big hospital, for 4 or 5 streets, every single business was either a flower shop or a funeral home. That actually seemed convenient although I wondered how they addressed ‘price wars.’ Then a few days later, while trying to find a yoga studio, I wandered through the ‘garage’ street – rows and rows, side by side, of garages and mechanics. The noise and smell was terrible. Just recently, when taking the wrong bus, I found the car wash street.

My favorite though was along Avenue de la Cultura, one of the two main avenues in Cusco and the one that I walked along frequently. There was a large stretch of ‘copier’ businesses or ‘fotocopiadoras’ in Spanish. There are at least a dozen print shops, side by side, with ‘jaladores’ in front of the shops, trying to sell you copies. Jalar means to pull and their job is to pull you into their shop instead of others. At first, it seemed incredibly bizarre but I soon realized that the copier street is across the street from 2 universities. I also realized that at-home printers are a luxury here that most do not have. Having said that, I was still amused every single time that I walked home and was solicited repeatedly to get my copy needs met.

I am currently looking out over Plaza de Armas as I write this. I will miss this view so much. It has been such a joy to have this unique experience of being a tourist in Peru but also living, just a little, like a local. There has been a lot that I have loved and a lot that was unusual – much more than I can fit in one blog post. However, as with most places, it is the people that will stay rooted in my mind for years and years. The people in Cusco are so warm and welcoming, even if they all walk really slow 🙂

Peltroche Gym https://www.facebook.com/Peltrochegymfitnes.lacultura/

Kaldi’s Coffee https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294314-d26241565-Reviews-Kaldi_Coffee-Cusco_Cusco_Region.html?m=19905

Cafeto 109 https://www.instagram.com/cafeto109/

El Principado https://www.instagram.com/elprincipadopasteleria/

Mistico https://www.tripadvisor.com.pe/Hotel_Review-g294314-d23977238-Reviews-Mistico_San_Blas_Boutique_Hotel-Cusco_Cusco_Region.html