Cusco! Liberation from 22 hours of bus! The city is golden in the morning light. Even from the bus windows, you notice the women: long black braids twined with black yarn and tied together in a loop, dark skirts past the knees with several layers of petticoats beneath, floral loose aprons, plump feet and legs stuffed into stockings and leather shoes or sandals, two layers of sweaters, stiff-brimmed hats with silk ribbon bands, bright woven shawls worn tied at the neck and slung over the back as pouches for handicrafts, children, calla lillies, bread. The women seem to belong to the city more than anyone else. The streets are as elegant as they are, of worn cobblestone and steep alleys. Dogs of every breed settle into doorways and sidewalks, not mutts but handsome pets that roam
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