Cusco: the land of pushy salesmen

Cusco is quite a relief after the chaos of Lima. It is the home of the mighty Pisco Sour.

Pisco Sours-pretty much every restaurant gave your a free one if you ate there-Muchas Gracias!!!

However, it is touristy as well. When we first arrived, we were quite polite to the vendors who walk up and sell just about everything you can imagine: blankets, clothing made of alpaca (so they say), massages for the lady, manicures for the lady, finger puppets, or paintings. We always replied politely, no gracias. However, after about a week in the area our replies quickly changed to NO!!!!

They may look cute, but they are evil as hell, demanding more than the initial 1 sole they asked for this picture.

Cusco is quite breathtaking. The culture is very rich, the streets are small and cobblestone, the buildings are amazingly sturdy, and the architecture and colors are great.

Nat trying to find Plaza de Armas-turn around

Plaza de Armas

Nat posing by the famous Cusco walls.  These stones were perfectedly placed together-pretty incredible.

Quick picture outside our hostel at Samay Wasi in the San Blas district.  This is the art district and we both highly recommend staying here if you come to Cusco.

On Sunday the 8th, we caught a local bus to the town Pisac for the market. It is not only a market for tourist but a market for locals as well. They sell fabrics, food, dyes, chickens, clothing. Bobby gave Natalie 'Bargaining 101' but Bobby did most of the talking. Savings ranged from the average of 30% off to an ego-boosting 65% off! Great day....until the ride back.

Nat pointing out the various dyes that are used to make the bright colors for the Peruvian fabrics.  This lady was a pro, she would mix a certain amount of several of the dyes to come out with some crazy colors.  It was really interesting the pink dyes came out green whereas the green dyes came out purple.

Nat is a sucker for the cute kids and little animals.  This guy's name was Bobby-go figure. 

We ran into Raj at the market in Pisac and compared our deals of the day.

Here is South America, they fit as many people as they can on boats and buses to get the most money. And best of all, the manners aren't quite the same. Bobby was forced to stand with his head at an angle next to the ceiling and on one foot as the local women have no problem making space for their bags. If you don't hold your ground, the will push you as far as they can out of their way. Natalie, on the other hand, had both feet on the ground but was concentrating on thoughts of bunnies and the smell of clean laundry to avoid throwing up on the man she was practically sitting on. An hour later, we were free and back in Cusco to get prepared for Machu Picchu!