Taining in.

P1050249
Originally uploaded by fake fotos

Sure, sure, there´s plenty more to tell about Cusco, but who´s
got the time? Certainly not me what with my priceless daily hours
spent on the various internets throughout South America.

So, to wrap up my funandgreat times in Cusco: I stayed for Christmas, I stayed for New Years, both memorable in their bombasticness. In order to celebrate both holidays properly,
TNT is apparently the firework of choice. Doesn´t matter if it is
illegal, you got to light that stick and set it down next to someone
you´ve never seen before. BOOM! What terrifying fun! Never
been so shell shocked in my life. I´ve never actually been shell-
shocked, so that last statement is riddled with truth.

Now, the train ride. I was hoping to save some money and travel
with the backpackers, but that service is out of service; only the
deluxe service is now servicing the best of the best tourists
travelling from Cusco to Puno. So, what the hell, I´ll pay $130 for
a 10 hour train ride. Yet again, the Peru Rail experience did not
disappoint, serving up another one of the most surreal travel experiences of the trip. And yes, there was a fashion show.

Perhaps it is the contrast of luxurious, monied tourists traveling in a luxurious, monied train through an extremely impoverished region that makes the experience stand out. On the way out of Cusco I was
staring blankly out the window when a swiftly traveling stone struck the train not three feet from my window. Take that, rich people!

Sarcasm aside, being able to travel in such accomodations is an extreme privilege, to be sure. Made all the more apparent by the refinery of the train and the abject poverty that the train passes through. Who doesn´t love carving up a nice juicy steak, washing it
down with a fine red wine while staring out the (protective) windows at the incredible scenery?

On the other train from Machu Picchu to Cusco, I was basking in the contrasts yet again, staring out the windows at the scenery and the people when I read the lips of one local: "¡pinches ricos!" I´ll let you all translate that one on your own internets time.

To be able to travel as I do through this part of the world is, again,
quite the privilege. Especially considering the fact that a lot the people living in the "third world" conditions down here would risk their lives and families to be able to earn the minimum wage in the US of A. Quite the paradox.

To conclude, I loved and hated the train ride. Some of the most incredible landscapes I´ve ever passed through, accompanied by some of the richest people I`ve ever been around. Nothing wrong with them, just the constant reminder that being rich does not mean
that you have taste. Yeesh, some of the worst fashion mistakes I´ve
ever seen. Thus, I´ve just negated anything of substance that may have ocurred in this post. Excellent.