Up early again, a quick coffee and “pan” (thought it would be bread, but we got cake!), and we hit the road.
Peru is really a country of contrasts. The past few day’s weather is one example (35 degrees one day and 2 degrees the next), but also the west side of the mountain range we just crossed never gets rain (some places not since the Ice Age they say), so the land is totally void of vegetation except in the rare river valley. It’s not even good land for grazing. The east side of the mountains however is lush with vegetation and healthy crops, and the people are obviously better off economically. The economic conditions continued to improve as we get closer to Cusco.
Today’s drive is amazing. When we leave Abancay, we again get into switchbacks, back and forth, back and forth. After driving about 35 kms, we stop for a picture and see the town directly below us, probably 3 kms away as the crow flies!
The drive from Chalhuanca to Abancay brought to mind the words “World in Transition”. The traditional Quechuan farms with deteriorating homes started changing to more modern, well-built houses. Some even had glass in the window openings. Soon we started seeing teenage girls dressed in American-style clothes – tight jeans and sweaters. Restaurants had somewhat modern finishes and furnishings. Building exteriors were plastered and painted, rather than just bare dirt blocks. Obviously television has brought some new ideas to these people, and the mix of old and new is strange. The farmers were still tilling the soil by hand or possibly with oxen and plow, and weeding between the rows of corn plants with their odd-shaped hoes. And road workers were sweeping the fallen rocks off the roads with "brooms" (tree branches).
From the summit, the drive to Cusco is quite fast, and we find a nice hostal near the central plaza.
Finally in Cusco we start feeling like we’ve made a little progress toward our Christmas destination, some 10,000 kms away.
