A RETURN VISIT TO PRU: THE CHARM IS HERE AGAIN
A RETURN VISIT TO PRU: THE CHARM IS HERE AGAIN
I had a deep affection for Peru when I visited as a backpacker a few years ago. I went back in March to oversee a 10-day “World in Focus” photography tour sponsored by AFAR and Nikon. We witnessed hundreds of people parade through Lima’s streets during Holy Week, we met female weavers from the indigenous Amaru village of the Sacred Valley, and we watched the ruins of Machu Picchu emerge from a cloud of fog. We also visited many of the same areas I had seen on my first trip.A RETURN VISIT TO PRU: THE CHARM IS HERE AGAIN
Photo by Sarah Buder
But I was most eager to revisit Cuzco. On our first day there, nostalgia swept over me as we gathered in the Plaza de Armas, where a church and the cathedral frame the square’s central fountain. Some members of our group joined me for a tour of my old haunts. We walked up Cuzco’s cobblestone alleyways, passing colorful shops that sold woven cloths and hand-painted dishes. When we reached the San Blas neighborhood, I took them to Green Point, which still served my favorite quinoa burger topped with a zesty sauce and flower petals. After lunch came the open-air San Pedro Market, where, during my first trip, I had used my newly acquired Spanish skills to barter for a pair of shoes. I watched my fellow travelers try on alpaca wool sweaters and sample picarones (Peruvian doughnuts), just as I had years before.
That night, our dinner table was abuzz with conversations about the city’s maze-like streets and the traditional monteras (adorned headpieces) local women wore. I now had a new memory of Cuzco I would cherish: sharing it.
