My last thoughts on Cajamarca

Misc. Notes de Cajamarca:

1. I´m pleased with my decision to not bring jeans for the 3 month trip, which I was hesitant about at first...but the stretch pants are really working for me considering the fact that my diet consists of an assortment of bizarre foods supplemented with a lot (lot!) of rice, cookies, crackers, and sweets. I have to say that I literally think my head is getting fatter, because my hat doesn´t fit like it used to, ha!
2. The signal for come hither is different...it´s actually our hand signal for go away (sort of flicking the back of your hand toward the person, shoooing them away)... it confused me the first couple times.
3. Name isn´t as important here it seems. When you meet people here, get your kiss on the cheek, and there may not even be an explanation of how you know the person who introduced you. It´s more important to know things like where you came from and are you married? Really, it´s not embarassing if on the 2nd meeting or an hour into knowing the person, you ask, what´s your name?? I feel like in a culture that´s more collectivistic, it´s not important what your individual name is or how you are called.
4. Another thing I´ve noticed about the culture, is, although it is very collectivistic and family is very important, there is very little trust and love between other people outside the family (perhaps with the exception of a random adopted gringa--I´ve felt almost nothing but love from the people here). It´s a little surprising to me, but at the same time, again, it makes sense considering not so long ago in the country, neighbors were killing neighbors. It definitely sets up a strange prisoner´s dilemma situation, where people kind of act like assholes to eachother because if they don´t, someone might do it to them...for example, my ¨mom¨picked roses out of someone´s garden the other day...I thought it was strange, but figured, hey, maybe that´s ok here! Moments later, a woman ran out of her house and started screaming at us, and we ran away! (That that I believe this is normal practice by any means). And everyone has little ideas about how to remain safe from ¨the bad people¨, for example, my mom told me to sit in the middle of the bus, because it´s more secure...? I personally have felt more offense from people being so mistrusting of each other though, than actual threats...Also in the clinic--and this probably has something to do with the fact that Peru's medical system seems to be about 30 years behind ours, there is little respect given to the patients from the nurses and doctors.
5. Though it has a different root cause, respect for the environment is not part of the culture either. And I don´t mean that people aren't driving hybrid cars or recycling, I mean that people literally just throw their garbage everywhere. Finish your bag of cancha or bottle of Inca kola, throw it on the ground. Have to pee, just go in the street. Walking your dog and he shits on the sidewalk, well that´s just fine. I literally got spit on once walking through the market...and I like to think that it wasn't because I was the lone whitey. But, labor is cheap and abundant here, so it´s a job for someone to pick up trash I suppose. It´s just sad seeing beautiful natural places like the Llacanora waterfalls filled with bottles and plastic bags.
6. I am going to kill the taxistas here....walking down the street, every step is punctuated with honks from taxi drivers. I realize they are just trying to indicate that they are available, but seriously, when I´m walking down the street with purpose, faced straight ahead or maybe talking on my (stupid little Peruvian) cell phone, I´M NOT INTERESTED, and as a result of this practice the city is crazy loud with honking (also because they honk at anything and everything). At night the honking slows down and is replaced by dogs, chickens, and distant or not-so-distant reggaeton music.

The other day I visited the Ventanillas de Otuzco, which are little window looking holes carved into volcanic rock, where the ancient Caxamarcan culture burried their dead around 50BC. Woah. It´s crazy how many little gems there are like this all over Peru...just go for a walk and you´ll find something totally incredible.

So now, I´m off to Chachapoyas (on Sunday), which is supposed to be just as fantastic and culturally significant as Machu Picchu, but not as famous beause it´s a pain in the butt to get to. The area houses several fortresses of the Chachapoyas people, like Kuelap. And of course, it´s yet another long (16 hour) bus ride from Cajamarca, on crappy roads. BUT it´s through the Marañon valley, which is bigger than the Grand Canyon, and is supposed to be breathtaking.


Marañon Valley above. Kuelap fortress below, built in the year 1000.