Cusco: December 2015- January 2016  

On our way to Peru, At the Punta Arenas Airport, Chile. 1AM

As it turned out, we didn’t need to stay with Sandra for Christmas. While it was true that the airport personnel were on strike, it was only affecting domestic travel. The five of us took the early morning bus from Puerto Natales to Puntas Arenas. Javier, Tim and I were on late-night flights to Santiago. Jenni and Annette were leaving the following day. We dropped our stuff at Jenni and Annette’s hotel and checked out the town. We had lunch, walked through a cemetery, and wandered around town. For dinner, Annette treated Javier and I to Christmas dinner since we wouldn’t be seeing her for quite a long time. Afterward, we grabbed our stuff from the hotel and took a cab to the airport where we waited for our 1am flights to Santiago.

We arrived in Cusco three days before Christmas. After going over several routes, all of which were incredibly overpriced, we settled on the most economical destination- La Paz, Bolivia. In booking this flight, we saved over $100 per person. Lucky for us, we had a 23-hour layover in Lima, where we would collect our bags and continue on to Cusco. 

We arrived in the afternoon and took a taxi to Javier’s auntie’s apartment, where we would be staying for the foreseeable future. When we arrived, Lucy, a family friend and keeper of the apartment greeted us, helped get us settled, and bought us a few groceries to get us started.

Welcome to Cusco. Mate de Coca.

The next day, Javier’s cousin Alfy joined us. Together, we three went to the local market for juice and breakfast before going shopping. The two of them were hilarious- joking with the women selling their fruits and other goods. They would start to barter, and between the two of them, throw in a one-liner and have the ladies giggling- very smooth. Alfy felt the need to buy a whole crate of eggs- he said he really liked them, but proceeded to leave them when picking out a fruitcake. We went back later and recovered said eggs. As we left the market and walked down the street, we passed by one of Javier’s old schools.

Breakfast with Alfy at the Wanchaq Market. Jackie is holding a pan Chuta. yummy.

There was a long line of local women and children forming outside. We stopped to inquire. Turned out, there were holding their annual clothing drive the following day- Christmas eve, and the people were lining up the day before to receive their tickets. We asked if we could come and volunteer and they told us to return the following morning at 6am. Whaaaaa?? 6am?!? We agreed, but didn’t actually show up until after 7am- there was still plenty to do. 

Our job was to take a plastic bag and the next person in line. They were allowed so many items, and we were there to help them find things, as well as make sure they didn’t take more than allowed.

La Salle School Christmas Charity. The line to receive clothes for Christmas. Very sad, very real.

I watched Javier the first time, and was warmed at the way he interacted with the boy he was helping- the same was true with Alfy. They were excited, very interactive, and held the boy’s hands as they walked them out. They came in all forms. Some were nicely dressed, while others looked like they came straight from the mountains, having not washed themselves or their clothes in a very long time- like the little boy Javier helped who arrived with no shoes. I should mention that it was cold and raining… and he had no shoes. It was difficult for me, seeing as my Spanish is not so great, but considering many of the people I helped only spoke Quechua, Spanish wouldn’t have helped me much there.

Jackie volunteering.

It was sad. Poor people here, like all developing countries, are very different than poor people in developed nations. I wanted to put in a couple extra shirts or pants, but didn’t, and rightfully so. Even after a couple hours of this, the line was incredibly long, with no end in sight. While most of the children seemed happy, it was a somber time for us, and a stark reminder of how truly blessed we are. 

We spent Christmas eve at home. We kept debating on whether or not to tag along with friends, or just have a quiet night at home, and once Alfy decided to spend Christmas with us, it was settled.

Santurantikuy.

We invited Lucy to join us, as well as a friend of Javier’s, whose family was in Lima and he was unable to join them. We tried to catch Javier’s friend, Chulpy at a restaurant for lunch. Unfortunately, we overslept our nap and missed her. However, when we arrived, we ran into another friend, Roberto, and ended up sitting and eating with him. I was craving something chocolate, so after lunch, Javier and I went to Papachos for a brownie. While we were at the restaurant, we used their wifi, facetimed with our parents for a while, and at the last minute decided to do some shopping at the Santurantikuy. Since we were hosting Christmas eve dinner, we wanted to get little gifts for our guests, as well as candles and fireworks. 

Santurantikuy Christmas Market. Plaza de Armas, Cusco.

Santurantikuy is a craft festival of sorts that takes place for the couple days leading up to Christmas. Along with all the vendors in the Plaza de Armas, the people from the mountain come down as well to sell their crafts and vegetables. They stay in the Plaza for a few days, sleeping in the walkways with entire families. We saw one of these women walking with 9 children in tow…9 children!!!  

At home, we prepared for dinner. It was going to be a chicken kind of night, and Javier went out to get our birds. 

With Lucy and Alfy. Christmas traditions.

It ended up being a quiet and cozy evening. We all sat and had dinner together, drank hot chocolate, and ate paneton (fruit cake-it’s a big deal here). At midnight, we went outside, and the entire hillside was lit with fireworks- and I don’t mean little fireworks, I mean light up the sky, professional grade, or at least VERY illegal fireworks where I come from. It was beautiful. We lit sparklers and went out to the street to light our own little safe and sane fireworks. 

Once everyone was gone and in bed, Javier and I piled up the dishes in the sink to be cleaned the following day- the water gets shut off around 11pm every night until about 5am the following morning. Kind of a pain.

On Christmas morning, I woke up sick and stayed that way for about a week…

My childhood neighborhood. El trebol.

I tried to get outside at least once everyday, but even that seemed like too much effort at times. We walked Javier’s old neighborhood and checked on his parent’s house. We were amazed how much has changed in Cusco since we were there last- only four years ago. I would sleep most of the day and night, and Javier would nap with me, and go out with his friends some nights. 

New year tradition. Yellow underwear for new years.

By New Years Eve, I was feeling more energetic and ready to party. We agreed to meet at Tati’s house to pre-game before heading down to the Plaza de Armas for the show. Javier left Cusco when we was 17 and had never spent a New Years in the plaza, nor had most of his friends. So this was a first for many of them, and they were excited. The Plaza was packed, and we rang in the New Year with fireworks and a lot of noise. One of the traditions is to walk around the plaza counter-clockwise. We did it…once. Never again. It was a walk-stop-run deal. And we were carried along by the mob. It anyone had fallen, they would have been trampled. A few idiots would light firecrackers right in the middle of the mob causing people to scatter and smash into each other.

New Year’s Cusco 2016!!!

A little bit dangerous, but we survived. We met up with more friends, wandered around looking for a place to land, and since no one could decide on anything, we decided to head home at around 4am…far too early by Peruvian standards. 

Alfy was leaving in a few days, so before he left, he took us on hike. He had already taken this walk with a Shaman, so we took the same path as he recounted his experience. It was a lovely walk up the hill and to the ruins. We visited a few temples, as well as other spiritual locations. 

Hike with Alfy.

A couple days later, we said good-bye to Alfy, and were left in a quiet apartment. It felt weird. We took care of some incidentals, like getting our teeth cleaned, getting Javier new shoe inserts, and finding me a hand-woven blanket. We also met with family and friends, including Magno and his family. While having lunch with them, the subject of a place called Ccapaqmarca came up. Magno and his family were traveling there for the weekend and invited us to tag along. His daughters sing and dance in a band where he plays the guitar. The style of music is called Huaylia. It is the local music of Ccapaqmarca, where Magno is from.

At the Cusqueñita restaurant with Magno and Famliy.

Javier’s paternal grandmother is also from this town, so Javier was excited to go to the place where his grandmother was born. Everyone was really excited and we planned to meet early on Saturday morning and take a bus there together. 

To see more pictures of Cusco, click HERE.