Our last days in Cuzco have been quite pleasant, with the exception of spending a couple of days upheaving everything I ate on the Inca Trail. Stomach bugs are no fun, but they can be useful as a test of one's attitude I suppose. Plus, it seems a real journey would be lacking without a certain amount of physical discomfort anyway.
Besides continuing to enjoy the city and its cheap food, as well as the good company at our hostel, Dave and I went to a soccer game and rode horses with a guy from Poland. I'm reading Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel right now and so it was fascinating to think about the substantial roles horses have played in world history while riding.
Most of the conquistadors who came to South America grew up on ranches and farms in Spain and were masterful horsemen. The horses they rode into Cuzco were their prized life partners, bred for 4,000 years not for meat, milk, or hides, but for their incredible strength. Meanwhile, the only large domesticated mammal in South America was the llama, which though hearty and intelligent, unfortunately could have never pulled anything larger than a wheelbarrow -- let alone a human. Nonetheless, while horses may have revolutionized communication, transportation, agriculture and warfare in Eurasia, it should be recognized that they will never be able to compete with the divine softness that is baby Alpaca fur.
The soccer game was fun and we went on Mother's Day, when mujeres entran gratis (women get in free!). The young male fans weren't too crazy that day, possibly because they knew their moms were watching.
All said and done, we have absolutely loved our time here in Peru.
These horses are chiseled and they don't even work out.
Fuzzy wuzzy was actually an alpaca.
The countryside is so much quieter than the city. I find it interesting that in addition to other pollutants, noise pollution too is associated with cardiovascular disease; indeed, the more decibels of nighttime traffic noise you live with, the more thoracic aortic calcification you're likely to have.
Rural urban zone.
A Christo modeled after Rio's Christ the Redeemer.
The sunny valley of Cuzco.
Dave -- to be renamed Red Beard at the end of three months without a razor.
Some of the ruins outside of Cuzco.
San Pedro Market.
Any part of a cow you could ever want.
For the soccer game, the ticket booth was a literal hole in the wall. There were just a couple of these spread around the stadium where everyone lined up for tickets.
A beautiful day for the beautiful game.
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