Frontera to Frontera, Pt 2. Año Nuevo

Cusco, Cuzco, or Qosqo in the ancient Quechua language of the Inca´s, was once a bustling capital of Incan life. After the Spanish conquest many of the Incan structures were destroyed to build churches and the Incans were forced into Catholocism. Today the city is a major tourist destination, acting as the main starting point for treks to Machu Picchu. The streets were packed before the new year and everywhere we walked it seemed like people were hasseling us to get massages or eat at their overpriced restaurant, local women and children dressed up in traditional ceremony clothes and walked around the streets leading baby alpacas and wanting you to photograph them and then give them tips. It all seemed very manufactured and in your face and drove me a little crazy. I guess I hadn`t been acting as a tourist so much up until this point and I wasn`t used to playing the part.

The hostel Mike had reserved didn`t have our reservation (they often overbook) so Nico, the man the reservation and our trek was arranged through, took us to a hotel in a less touristy part of town, though we were still near the center. It seemed no one else was staying in this hotel except for possibly some family members of Nico`s, but the room was suitable and we ended up with a private bathroom for the same price we would have paid at the hostel with a shared bath, so we took it. We explored Cusco a bit, hunting down veggies restaurants that again were often closed, and dodging people touting tours and all kinds of things on the street. New Years Eve was spent with Nico who made us and a bunch of Brazilian kids Pisco Sours, the regional drink. Pisco Sour is a drink made from distilled grapes, limes, and egg whites. It`s kind of margarita-ish, but thicker. After that we headed with the Brazilians to the main square where the festivities were ensuing. The celebration consisted of hundreds of people donning ponchos hanging out in the square in the rain and lots of fireworks and fire crackers set off with seemingly no regard to who was around. I think we got hit a few times with some small ones, but I can`t say for sure. We counted down in Spanish, popped some warm, nasty, sparkling something, and then joined everyone as we ran several times around the perimeter of the square. I don`t know why they do this, but they do, presumably for good luck.

We wandered around aimlessly for a while looking for food which we never managed to find before heading back to our hotel.