Peru – February 2019
I arrive in Cusco by airplane from Lima, where I‘ve spent 5 weeks studying at a Spanish language school. A bit worried about the change in altitude (from 0 to over 3000 meters above sea level in less then 2 hours), I help myself to some coca leaves available at a dispenser in the airport. After picking up my luggage, I take a taxi to the host family‘s house where I will stay for 1 week. Catharina is already waiting for me and gives me a quick housetour before showing me to my room. That night I get a first taste of her amazing cooking and with her 2 young kids we watch a Chilean talent show.
On my first school day, Catharina‘s husband Manuel shows me the way to my school. As we stroll along the small cobblestones street, he tells me to be careful when walking here during the next few days. It‘s carneval time and apparently people here celebrate by throwing water and spraying foam at each other. Intrigued, I make a mental note to be watching out for gatherings in the streets.
In contrast to the school in Lima, I have several classmates now. While the Swiss guy and the girl from the US have been here for a while already, Arnaud who‘s Thai-French also arrived the previous day. Together we explore the market in Cusco‘s city center after lessons and even try some of the local specialties like Gelatina, Lomo Saltado and Cuy (Guinea Pig). Having missed the carnival celebrations in my Swiss hometown, I walk through Cusco‘s old town in anticipation. But it‘s already the middle of the week when the local festivities begin.
On this day, my friend Melanie and her boyfriend are arriving from Lima and I give them a brief tour of the town. We haven‘t made it to the main square called „Plaza de Armas“ yet, when we hear some girl screaming on the other side of the street. Looking over, we see a guy emptying a bucket of water above the girl‘s head. She responds by spraying him with white foam from head to toe before running off. Suddenly we notice that there are actually a lot of people in the streets carrying various kinds of water gadgets and spray bottles. Carneval has officially begun!
Melanie and I quickly find the next kiosk, where we buy some of the spray cans conveniently located in the entrance area. The local people‘s attitude towards us immediately changes once they notice that we are equipped for the battle. While they leave unprepared tourists alone, we are now part of the game and Melanie is the first to be sprayed with the white foam by a passerby. While defending ourselves with water and foam, I get caught by another person running past us.
Glad about the warm temperatures on this late summer day, and the interaction with the locals, we spend a few hours running up and and down the small alleys of Cusco playing like Kids. We also stopp by the Plaza de Armas to see the part of the carnival celebrations which is more like my hometown‘s. A number of music groups dressed in traditional Andean attire parades around the square and through the nearby streets. The beautiful streets filled with music makes it an even more special place to be.
While Melanie leaves Cusco soon for the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, I induldge in the cheap alcohol on offer with my classmates and one of our teachers. We play some drinking games which actually help us practice Spanish at the same time before hitting the bars in the town center. Too little sleep and too much alcohol mean a lazy last morning of classes. Our teacher that day notices our lack of enthusiasm and quickly changes the plan for the day. We visit some Inka ruins on the outskirts of Cusco which offer magnificent views of the surrounding mountains.
Very happy with my decision to have stopped in Cusco along the way, I depart for the real juwel of the area the following morning: Machu Picchu.
thattravelstory 