InkaEVERYTHING-YOU-CAN-IMAGINE

I wouldn't have bet any Inkan gold on it, but the supposedly-conquered empire is actually alive and kicking up a commercial storm. Everything has an Inka link in Cusco. First, there is the acceptable. Inka tours, Inka museum, Inka jewellery. Then, there is the stretch. Apparently the most popular Peruvian drink is Inka Kola-- imagine bubble gum in bright yellow, liquid form. Of course, we all know the Inka emperor sipped soda on his throne... And then, the frankly hilarious:

"Inka Farma"-- the Inka pharmacy with traditional aspirin etc..

"Inka....fe". Ancient Nescafe available.

My top pick: "Inka laudromat." Enough said.

Tourist mecca

A Thai massage in the middle of the Andes? A picture with two girls in pretty indigenous dress, with a llama in the background-- for a price, of course? A 10-day trekking tour with three carriers to lug all your vital makeup, books and various sweathshirts?

If you've ever desired any of the above proposals, hurry over to Cusco. Every ancient corner of the city seems devoted to supplying every possible tourist need. I've never seen so many Alpaca-wool sweaters, organized tours or "typical" restaurants in my life. Though the city is absurdly charming, I was a little shocked both by the number and the insistence of the vendors that swarm the streets.

Poor llamas posing in the city.

"Good price, amiga, good price."

Strolling around Cusco

Except that "strolling" is probably the wrong word. Boasting vertiginous streets that curve into the mountains at nearly 4000 metres of altitude, Cusco is more a town where tourists pant and heave. The city is unbelievably enticing-- hidden courtyards, colonial balconies and intensely green hills framing the whole.

Selling goods in front of an Inka wall.

Not pictured is the steep slope taken to reach this beautiful spot.

The wisdom is on the wall

"Indian power"

"Water is not sold, it is protected" (much better ring in Spanish).

Qorikancha temple

Qorikancha was the major temple in the Inka capital of Cuzco, and its prime it hosted place of worship and study of the sun, moon, planets and stars. It was also smothered in gold. But its incredible shine, of course, did not withstand the Spanish invasion. All that remains today are sleek stone walls, some of which were used to calculate time and solstices (things got a tad technical during one segment of the visit, so I'll skip the part on star placements...) There is also a church that the conquistadores built over the wreckage-- sometimes using the same stone. But our tour guide barely showed our group any of the Christian parts-- "its modern," he kept saying-- while avidly recounting every world-altering Inka invention.

It's honestly very sad to force oneself to conjure up images of past Inka glory when staring at the crucifixes, cloisters and convents that assisted in the empire's destruction. Yesterday, a message in the Inka Museum's visitor's log put it even more crudely: "Screw the Spanish," someone had scrawled.Santo Domingo church and convent.

Original Inka walls of the sun temple. Note the slant-- earthquake proof.

Our guide displaying the Inka Rolex.

Cusco

Cusco, the capital tucked away in the Andes, seemed simply stunning after I finally arrived this afternoon after missing my first flight from Lima and proceeded to be rejected from the hostel I was on the waiting list for-- under pouring rain. Complaints aside, it truly is beautiful. As I arrived late (ahem. Blame rush-hour traffic in Lima, not the timing of this hyper-acurate Swiss blogger...), I haven't explored much of this city, save a cutsy Inka museum. Pardon the poor pictures-- it was very cloudy this afternoon.

Vocabulario

FLORERO- Literally a vase (flor is flower), but used to described a grand orator who does little after the talk. Often used to describe the very chatty Peruvian president, Alan Garcia.
Q'OSQO- Quechua spelling of Cusco, which means the belly button of the world, as this majestic city used to be in the center of the vast Inca empire.
SAQSAWAMAN- Inca ruins close to Cusco. Now read out the name. Separate "saqsa" from "waman". And you'll understand why everyone here calls the remains "sexy woman."

Lima life

Living la vida Lima:

Can't claim I'm the one paragliding, but I did press click.

Watching the Lima life fly by.

So.many.shops.EVERYWHERE.

A metropolis crammed with 10 million inhabitants at least gets a gorgeous beach as compensation.

A photo exhibit in Parque Kennedy explores indigenous community and their suffering during the conflict between the Sendero Luminoso and the state. Above, a widow.

L'Eau Vive

Today, I dined with nuns. The restaurant L'Eau Vive is something of a local attraction, as the French-themed cafe is run exclusively by nuns of the Carmelite order. A priest founded the quiet, tasty retreat more than 60 years ago, and it attracts nuns from around the world-- my waitress was Congolese. The place is efficient but I was only disappointed that the women don't wear their habits during this service.

Beneath the nuns' quarter is the restaurant.

The Carmelite order.

Overheard ALL OVER PERU

Unfortunately for the majority of Peruvian eardrums, some musician had the bright idea to adapt the famous Titanic song, My Heart Will Go On, to local sauce. Traditional Peruvian flutes play the corny tune all the time. A little sample;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFbnTgDmbVo

Taxistas

Due to danger and size, I've been taking a lot of taxis in Lima. Generally, they are memorable trips. A couple of the winners:

1. I was in a rush to reach the bus terminal, and hopped into a taxi pretty rapidly. Once I arrived, the driver stepped out to help me with my bag. Only then did I realize he only had one arm-- incredible.
2. On Sunday night, a cabby and I struck up a conversation as he brought me back to my hostel. As the conversation for some reason lingered on inflation, he decided to teach me the difference between fake and real soles. He pulled out coins and bills, and asked me to guess which were valid. Then he concluded that I was easy to con.
3. A very friendly taxista attempted to convert me to Evangelism during a thankfully short ride to the center of the city. He even had a bible ready, had I displayed interest.

Lima

It's mad, but so far I like it. Lima, the roaring Peruvian capital, didn't top my massive list of places to visit. Nevertheless, the incessant pace, beautiful architecture and welcoming sun aren't too hard to bear so far...

Man in front of the Iglesia de la Merced, on the main square.

A horse guides tourists at the plaza de armas, or main square, of the city.

After mass.

In the inside market.

Men playing cards near Chinatown.

Chinatown

When in Peru, do like in China. Never has the legendary saying held more truth than today, when I wandered around Chinatown. Peru's substantial population of Asians-- chiefly Japanese and Chinese, though they seem to be equally called chinos-- brought with them their valuable addition of traditional food. Chifas, or Chinese restaurants, loiter the streets, much to the my vegetarian tummy's pleasure. In between kitsch pictures of The Great Wall or rice fields, they often have a painting of Jesus hanging on the wall. In Lima's Chinatown, the chifas share tight street space with horoscope readers and herbal healers. It's not even comparable to New York's neighborhood, but it's still amusing.

Monasterio San Francisco

The yellow monastery, built by the Franciscans, has a warm facade and a pretty altar. But honestly, the approximately 25'000 skeletons lying beneath the church are far more interesting. During the very romantic tour of the ghastly catacombs, I learnt that the femur, tibia and skull are the human bones that survive the longest. Unfortunately, I have no photographic evidence. "No fotos" signs are plastered all over the colonial-era walls of the church. As is "no tocar"-- including next to piles of bones. I don't quite understand why that sign was necessary, but it was amusing nonetheless.

Overheard in Peru

"What? That's a district in Lima!"

- A Peruvian friend, after I told him Switzerland is only home to seven million people.

My Lima hostal

Loki hostals are synonymous with heaven for backpackers trailing through Peru and Bolivia. A friend in Ecuador recommended them, and the Loki in Lima has lived up to its reputation. It hosts a bar, a pool table, free internet, cheap bunkbed-filled rooms and an incredible array of travelers. As one Argentine put it, "modern-day Babel is Loki"-- except everyone understands each other despite the numerous language barriers. Everyone, that is, save the neighbors. As I was exiting the rather noisy bar, an egg flew over the outside wall and smashed onto the patio. Apparently the multicultural party world that is Loki can be a little bothersome...

Huanchaco

The beach town of Huanchaco presents a typical, if never boring scene-- surf, tourists, sand, sun and waves. But conspicuously present are caballitos de totora, a hilariously-shaped boat created more than 3000 years ago. It's still used for fishing-- and endless photo ops-- in Huanchaco.

Fisherman unknotting his net. He told me controling the boat was simply a question of equilibrium. "Do you ever fall?" I naively asked. "Never!" he replied.

Sunset and resting boats.

I stayed on land.

The Chimu

The Chimu, a pre-Incan civilization that stretched through much of coastal Peru between 900 and 1460 A.C. They worshiped the moon, engaged in human sacrifices as an honour and built a vast city, Chan Chan, in present-day Trujillo. The town used to cover 20 km squared, but the crumbly walls that remain are a poor testament to the former might of their people. It is still a very impressive sight.

View of the temple.

Excavations, renovations-- its still being built!

A frieze that represents the changing tides.

Corridor. Don't get lost in this temple-- there is but one entry and exit...

Me in the middle of the temple.

Bargaining

Mostly, lowering a price through chatter is an activity I quite enjoy. But Peruvian bargaining is far more intense than it is in neighboring Ecuador. So far, I claim one big failure and one success.

The fail: After a Peruvian bureaucrat finally deigned stamp my passport following a three hour wait, I went to the bathroom. "Twenty cents," the woman in charge told me. As I was fishing for coins, a Peruvian lady walked up and asked how much the fee was. "Fifteen cents," replied the woman in charge, at the exact moment I was handing her my 20 cents. Does gringa equal idiota?

The success: As surf lessons are rather pricey, I began scanning the horizon of rates as soon as I arrived in Mancora. 45 soles for an hour lesson seemed to be a mantra among the various tents lined up along the beach. But on the chosen day, I went only with 30 soles-- albeit having a little change hidden in pocket of my towel-- and nothing else in my hands. When they chanted the "45" mantra, I replied that I only posessed 30... They laughed, handed me a surf and told me I had learned quickly in this town.

Typing

In front of the main judicial court of Trujillo, sat a man with his typewriter. An uncanny sight to my screen-filled eyes, so I stopped to chat with him. He has been typing letters for more than 18 years, but computers are threatening his business, he added.

Trujillo

Last night, I took a miraculously-untortureous nine hour nightbus from Mancora to the city of Trujillo. The latter is chiefly known for being the first town to declare independence from the Spaniards-- an act that is amply recognized with statues, monuments and plaques. It's a lovely city that has maintained immense colonial charm despite being firmly anchored in this century-- ancient mansions are now major banks and scooters fly through the narrow streets.

Plaza de las Armas, with the commemorative statue dedicated to those who successfully fought against Spanish rule.

Iglesia-- what else?

The old and the new.

The oldest library in town-- foundedin 1933. The dueña is a fierce 90 year-old who is something of a local celebrity. They still have books on colonial history, journalism and biology from that era.

Similar to some Spanish and Morrocan architecture.