After one week in Cusco, I've learned a couple of things about this city. Basically, this is a "tidbit" post:
1. The plumbing here is extremely sensitive and fickle; Sensitive to the point that we are not allowed to throw toilet paper into the actual toilet. Instead, we have to throw any toilet paper that is used into a bin next to the toilet... Umm... no me gusta. The bathrooms definitely start to smell after a while, but our housekeepers are very good are changing the bins constantly.
2. Speaking of bathrooms, my stomach is not very happy that I'm in Cusco. I try to drink as much bottled water as possible, and we are fortunate that our house has a filtered water system. But I still find myself using the bathroom multiple times a day. Never any fun. I need to remember that sometimes the ice cubes are made with unfiltered water. So that may be one of the things that is setting my stomach off.
3. On any given day and at any given time, young kids could be wandering the street either walking to school or selling items for money. It's definitely different here to be seeing little kids walk around the streets when you don't see that all that often in the states. When their parents are away doing something the shop or on the streets, the kids are left to tend to themselves and care for each other or become the head shopkeeper. It's tough to see this sometimes, but the kids seem content to be doing something productive.
4. Going out at night in Cusco is a lot of fun. One of the things I read before I came here was that Cusco has a very lively nightlife. This is completely true. I've gone out three times since being here and each time has been crazy fun. Usually we start at a low key place and enjoy Happy Hour drinks (ex: 2 for S/.16 = 2 for $6 and it would include either rum and coke, pisco, or vodka) then make our way to the nightclubs, like Mythology, InkaTeam, and Mama Africa. They are a lot of fun, and we just dance the night away. People give out "Free Drink" tickets to each of these locations, which is mainly just a rum and coke. So we end up only paying for the drinks at our "low key" place for the night. It's kind of nice.
5. At any time during the day, fireworks go off somewhere in the city. On my first day here, I thought someone was shooting off guns nearby, and was really concerned that I had maybe made a mistake in coming here. But I was quickly reassured that the fireworks happen on a daily basis. And this is completely true. You hear them at every point during the day, but you never see them. It's the strangest thing.
6. It's interesting to see how people actually make money here. A lot of things are relatively cheap, but they all sell the same sweaters, bracelets, magnets (which I got my two!), bags, and other knick knacks. You can see shop after shop after shop of the same exact things, and of course, you always search for the best deals. It's interesting.
Well I'm sure there are other things that I'm forgetting, but I'll be sure to mention them when they pop into my head.
1. The plumbing here is extremely sensitive and fickle; Sensitive to the point that we are not allowed to throw toilet paper into the actual toilet. Instead, we have to throw any toilet paper that is used into a bin next to the toilet... Umm... no me gusta. The bathrooms definitely start to smell after a while, but our housekeepers are very good are changing the bins constantly.
2. Speaking of bathrooms, my stomach is not very happy that I'm in Cusco. I try to drink as much bottled water as possible, and we are fortunate that our house has a filtered water system. But I still find myself using the bathroom multiple times a day. Never any fun. I need to remember that sometimes the ice cubes are made with unfiltered water. So that may be one of the things that is setting my stomach off.
3. On any given day and at any given time, young kids could be wandering the street either walking to school or selling items for money. It's definitely different here to be seeing little kids walk around the streets when you don't see that all that often in the states. When their parents are away doing something the shop or on the streets, the kids are left to tend to themselves and care for each other or become the head shopkeeper. It's tough to see this sometimes, but the kids seem content to be doing something productive.
4. Going out at night in Cusco is a lot of fun. One of the things I read before I came here was that Cusco has a very lively nightlife. This is completely true. I've gone out three times since being here and each time has been crazy fun. Usually we start at a low key place and enjoy Happy Hour drinks (ex: 2 for S/.16 = 2 for $6 and it would include either rum and coke, pisco, or vodka) then make our way to the nightclubs, like Mythology, InkaTeam, and Mama Africa. They are a lot of fun, and we just dance the night away. People give out "Free Drink" tickets to each of these locations, which is mainly just a rum and coke. So we end up only paying for the drinks at our "low key" place for the night. It's kind of nice.
5. At any time during the day, fireworks go off somewhere in the city. On my first day here, I thought someone was shooting off guns nearby, and was really concerned that I had maybe made a mistake in coming here. But I was quickly reassured that the fireworks happen on a daily basis. And this is completely true. You hear them at every point during the day, but you never see them. It's the strangest thing.
6. It's interesting to see how people actually make money here. A lot of things are relatively cheap, but they all sell the same sweaters, bracelets, magnets (which I got my two!), bags, and other knick knacks. You can see shop after shop after shop of the same exact things, and of course, you always search for the best deals. It's interesting.
Well I'm sure there are other things that I'm forgetting, but I'll be sure to mention them when they pop into my head.