CUSCO...Another World

Days have gone by since I have been able to gain access to an internet. As ¨flexibility¨is the name of the game here...I found that I had to revise my Cusco arrangements from a residential situation to accommodations at Poqen Kanchay Foundation Healing Center. It an original home of one of the oldest families in Cusco. It is a beautiful excluded center with 15 bedrooms (accommodates 38 people), a gorgeous peaceful garden and 17th century original artwork that has been in the family for decades. As the coincidences of the world run large, the only other guest at the center is an acquaintance of mine from Chicago who is also deeply engaged in understanding the Peruvian culture and works closely with the owner, anthropologist Dr. Theo Paredes. It is a mix of both worlds, the activity of a bustling little town outside with vendors on each corner dressed in native clothing...to the cars, buses and trucks moving here and there. Then, you turn into this area on the long wall with a large brown wooden door, the door opens and iron gates spring open when pulled by the local workers. There, you find yourself in a paradise of flowers and a beautiful ancient looking hacienda.

Immediately, I was greeted by the coordinator who insisted that the regime is a cup of tea in the garden, followed by a light lunch and many hours of sleep to adjust the body to the altitude of 11,000 ft above sea level. To my surprise I slept for many hours and even missed the host the first day.

This Center is actually an entrepreneurial venture in tourism. It is the location for many groups from around the world that come to Peru to understand or participate in Andean traditional tours and ceremonies. The Center employs from 5 to 10 workers with a series of crews for various services including construction, landscaping, working with the Alpacca animals which are on site, and providing other cleaning and cooking services for guests. Each morning I see families coming in to provide services for the Center. Poqen Kanchay is also committed to preserving the culture and Dr. Paredes leads many archeological digs and fights to preserve sites of history.

On Tuesday, we participated in a view of the many towns in Cusco while visiting both a Buddhist Monk center and a rare archeological site of pre-Inka history (the Wira people) that has recently been discussed by Dr. Paredes and is in the process of being preserved. There is a new retreat center being constructed across the way from the site and we checked in on the developments with the construction crew.
That evening, I had the opportunity to observe a very rare ceremony of healing and cleansing implemented by two people well reknown for their work with ancient traditions that North America calls shamanism. It was an amazing experience as I witnessed the use of rattles, and clearing instruments, and ancient songs. It appears that the healers could detect what was wrong with the person while viewing them in the dark. They explained that they see energy or light and can see where there are blockages or disease. It was an amazing experience and my timing was perfect!

Internet is not available at the Center. I must walk blocks in town to find a little store front internet station. It houses 7 very old computers with Word 1997 software. It takes 3 minutes almost to open an email but we are making the best of it. It is crowded with people printing resumes and designing logos for their various small informal businesses. This too is a town of entrepreneurs. Very different from the modernized commercial and residential areas of downtown Lima, Cusco is very much like a small southern city in the south part of the USA...very rural in nature. People are very friendly. Yesterday we were land locked as there was a two day transportation strike. It gave me a chance for rest. I did walk to the internet station and witnessed a brigade of police men galloping fiercely on horses down the cement paved streets. Since there were no cars, it was a sight to behold. I did not want to take pictures for concern of safety as they apparently were headed to handle the protestors down the street who had aggrevated the transportation strike.

On Wednesday, all is back to normal. I wanted to send this blog before heading back to the Center to determine what the day will hold. In speaking with Dr. Paredes, I learn that planning is definitely not preferred here. I have emailed the university in Lima to try to coordinate with a couple of their entrepreneurs who live in Cusco. We will see what the day holds!