it has been round and about Cuzco now seeing the city through the eyes of a local...
after 6 weeks...one quite isn't a tourist is one?
Well i'm still tagged one each time I go to the tourist area....people peddling all the time...it's the peak tourist season
Even when Mlevi...
BTW...am dropping that name....as I'm no longer worthy of it.... 1 beer a week does not do the name proud....
...goes to the non tourist areas....always a target....maybe even worse
The first one that really got me was the visit to
San Pedro market...
a few blocks from my new home....
I decided to buy some nuts...almonds, brazil, raisins...to keep up my healthy eating...
after agreeing to the price in my now reasonable spanish...after the nuts were tasted and packed away, the mami(market lady ) doubled the price....!!!!!
Not amused, I paid up and thought...now am wiser....
buying fruit should be straight forward....price agreed, paid and off I went....
But no...the second mami followed me to the exit and demanded 3 soles more...she had made mistake...I guess they figure you do not want a scene...so cough out more.
Reminds me of the first time at the market the woman who claimed (after 1 hour) that I had given her a fake note and followed us all around..!!!!
So all that put me off shopping ...for a bit...
Next i got hit, again, at a market..El Molino...big market that sells everything...
We got there after getting lost on a matutu...this was a posh mat...not like one last Sat where you fold over twice and hold your breath....
We were in search of walking sticks for the next hike...
so after we ask around, this 'nice guy' offers to bring them...we had an idea of the price....after serious negotiations from 40 to 35 soles for two sticks...money changed hands....walking around we soon came to a stick vendor....25 soles.....!!!!
Yea....too late...should have known better...FOOLISH TOURISTS!!!!
(Even the taxi guys without doubt put on an extra half sole.....)
We had 2 beers that day from my now "local" overlooking the plaza de Armas
I am determined not to buy anything..unless food for survival and in the supermarket....and enjoy the preparations for the Inti Raymi festival
Next week shall be low keyed as I continue to try to teach English to the gals...at a Nun ran school(est. in 1825 and has 1400 gals....) and ran in the efficiency that only Nuns with a certain conviction do...Even if their English is no better,at least 2,000 people in Cusco have a good idea of Kenya...
My classes have 40 X 5 groups X 5 in each family....not bad publicity for Kenya....?
But yesterday a little shoe shine boy talked me into cleaning my trainers....they were not dirty but thought he at least is making a honest living....until even he asked how much i wanted to pay given that shoe paint is expensive.....LOL!!!!
There are times, there a 3 people queuing to sell you stuff...!!!!
That's when I say I do not speak English or French.... I evoke my African roots and say I speak Swahili only.....it works...
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