Daily life in Cusco for most people is very difficult. It is a never ending struggle for survival, perhaps making enough coins in a day to put food in the mouths of their family for the night. There is nothing glamorous about the lives of most local people in Cusco.
For many of these people, daily life centers around the San Pedro Market, located at the center of the city. I first discovered this exciting and chaotic hub of daily commerce within my first day or two of arrival in Cusco and I have been drawn there on a weekly basis ever since.
This is the place where the locals go for their breakfast, their lunch, for vegetables, meats, soups, fruits and vegetables, cheeses, horse heads, the delicacy of guinea pigs and anything else you could possibly imagine. Hundreds of vendors fill this place and each one sets up their individual stall and offerings beginning at dawn until the sun sets late in the evening.
Upon arrival there is an overwhelm of the senses, unfamiliar smells, sounds and a bright mosaic of vivid colors across the full spectrum from dozens and dozens of textile vendors and merchants.
My very first encounter at the market was with one of the smiling ladies who makes fresh juices for less than a couple of dollars. Over the months, rows of ladies making fresh juice now shout for me and smile as I walk by to get my business, but I remain loyal to my favorite. She lovingly makes my drink whenever I visit.
Each visit I am always sure to get a sweet tamale for 15 cents before I make my way to the many rows of vendors cooking chicken, fish, rice, soups and many things I do not recognize. For less than $3 I can enjoy a generous plate of rice, vegetables and fried eggs. Other days I enjoy a plate of fish and rice as I manage to squeeze in for a seat on the long bench amidst the locals.
At the market there are rows and rows of bright colored fruits and vegetables for just pennies, each merchant begging for your purchase. There are aisles with ingredients for shamans and ceremonies, coco leaves, ayahuasca, sacred tobacco and baby alpaca skeletons. There are also many different kinds of nuts to be found from the region as well as coffee, cacao and teas.
Every trip to this market is an exciting adventure of colors, smells and new discoveries. One can arrive with only a few dollars in their pocket and eat a substantial meal and go home with a bag of fruits and vegetables to spare.
Field Notes
Even if you live to be 100, it’s really a very short time. Â
So why not spend it undergoing the process of evolution,Â
of opening your mind and heart, connecting with your true nature?
-Pema ChödrönÂ
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Zen and Ink Journals represents hundreds of hours of writing over the past decade, sometimes from a train in remote China or a coffee shop in Kyoto, a hammock in Costa Rica or a simple cabin on a mountaintop in Boquete, Panama or Ciudad Colón.
On these pages, I share my observations of kindness and beauty from my adventures in the world and invite you to listen quietly for the call within you to explore the places that beckon your soul.
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