Halloween in Cuzco


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South America » Peru » Cusco » Cusco
October 31st 2014
Published: June 3rd 2017
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Not a very good start this morning to the first full day of the trip. Not only did we have to wake up quite early to catch our flight to Cuzco but I had to do this while still hungover from last night's activities. We all met up in the hotel lobby and 7:00am and piled into a van for the long drive to the airport. From the Lima airport, we had a one hour flight to Cuzco where we would be going from sea level to almost 11,000 feet in elevation. Our flight was delayed by about an hour. Despite the delay, I was so impressed by the airline, Avianca. Unlike most American airlines, there was so much space between the seat in front of me allowing me to slouch in my seat. Once we arrived in Cuzco, I was waiting for signs of altitude sickness to affect me but luckily nothing had set in. At the airport we were met by our guide for the next few days, Rivelino, who would take us over to our hotel, the Hotel Prisma.

After freshening up, we all met up back in the hotel lobby for Rivelino's orientation tour around Cuzco. Rivelino lead us to the Plaza de Armas, Cuzco's main square where we wandered around and admired the colonial Spanish architecture. The square was circled with your typical tourist trap restaurants and travel agencies. However, it was a nice spot to sit at one of the many benches and just sit back and people watch. Rivelino advised us that since tonight is Halloween, the plaza would be packed tonight and it would be a good idea to come back this evening. After exploring the Plaza de Armas, Rivelino brought us to a small side street to have a lunch at Aguaymanto, a restaurant specializing in traditional Peruvian food using organic and local ingredients. The place was a bit difficult to find as it was located on the second floor in a small market nook off one of the many side streets. Our waiter took the time to explain each dish to our group and I eventually settled on the Alpaca Saltado with rice and potatoes washed down with an Inca Kola. The Alpaca beef was delicious however I did not like the Inka Kola as I thought it was a bit too sweet for my liking. After lunch, Rivelino brought us to a small pedestrian street called Hatun Rumiyoc that was lined with an ancient Incan wall. Here we saw the famous 12 sided stone which shows the impressive stonework of the Incas and their ability to build impressive walls without the help of mortar.

In the early evening, Kevin and I made our way back to Plaza de Armas to see what what going on for Halloween. I wasn't expecting much thinking that Halloween wasn't really celebrated here but I turned out to be mistaken. The plaza was beginning to fill up with parents bringing their small children dressed up in costume. Initially, I thought the kids were just here to be amongst other dressed up kids but like at home, they were partaking in the trick or treat tradition. People would show up with bags of candies and the children would gather around to receive some of it. After wandering around looking at all the cute children dressed up, Kevin had the bright idea to purchase a few bags of candy and pass out candy ourselves. We went in search of a store and instead found a street vendor selling overpriced bags of candy. Taking our bags of candy back to the square, we immediately drew a crowd and were soon inundated by small children and their parents. The bags of candy went quickly and in no time we were all out but it was such an awesome experience to celebrate Halloween Peruvian style. For the next hour, we just wandered the square watching all the families celebrate Halloween. For dinner, Kevin and I went by ourselves over to a small nearby place frequented mostly by locals. Los Toldos Chicken appeared to be the Peruvian version of a Popeye's or El Pollo Loco. It was nothing fancy but the chicken was good and it was nice to be at a place that wasn't a typical tourist trap. There wasn't really anybody in the group who was interested in going out so Kevin and I decided to just have a low key night. We just walked back to the Plaza de Armas and had a beer at Norton's Pub, one of the bars/restaurants overlooking the square. Norton's Pub was definitely a tourist hangout as the place was filled with mostly visiting gringos. Kevin and I just ordered some beers and watched the scene over at the Plaza de Armas from the pub's balcony. Walking back to the hotel was definitely an interesting experience with children trick or treating from store to store, young adults dressed up in costume for a night of fun, people getting their faces painted by street vendors, and of course the drunks were enjoying themselves as well. Halloween in Cuzco was definitely a memorable experience.


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