Farewell in Cusco (from a group email, 2006)
New Years went off with a bang as I celebrated with friends in the Plaza de Armas (Main Square) of Cusco. With do it yourself fireworks banned in the civilized world, the sky lit up as people of all ages let off various contraptions, sounding more like a battlefield than a celebration. We wore new yellow undies and ate grapes at midnight, both Peruvian traditions thought to bring good luck.

We decided against running around Cusco's huge plaza five times as the clock strikes 12 - another tradition thought to bring travels and luck in the New Year. With about 10,000 people running and pushing, it was a mob scene, frenetic and apparently more impressive than the Running of the bulls! (There were no bulls of course!) With a larrikin compatriot throwing grapes from our balcony vantage point at a bemused policeman below, we thought how such a scene would be considered "out of hand" or even a riot at home!

I was in hospital emergency twice in my last ten days in Cusco. (For other people, not for me). One time turned out OK, the other tragically. Felix's aunt and uncle were run over and both killed. I didn't know them well, but it was emotionally too much, combined with the stress of leaving. I cancelled my trip to Rome and stayed longer in Cusco.

As I joined the mourners following the coffin through the village of Poroy, I was overcome with emotion. A brass band played, people threw rose petals onto the coffin frequently and every 100 metres or so someone would stop and make a speech about Felix's aunt and the role she played in the community. As I walked in that eclectic crowd of indigenous, rural Peruvians and urban dwellers I realized the last time I was in this colonial village was three years before. I'd been a tourist returning from Machu Picchu, and the train pauses there before it's stunning yet slow switch-back descent to Cusco.

As I held the hands of Felix’s niece and nephew, the sadness of the tragic deaths gripped me, but also thankfulness for having the chance to be a part of another culture, to have experienced and understood just a little about how others live their lives. Three years seemed liked an eternity and as the priest sprinkled holy water on the coffin, I thanked the one above for the opportunities we have in life.

As my plane soared above Cusco and the majestic wrinkled Andes, I felt sadness for my goodbyes, but joy for the special experiences that Cusco had brought me right up until the last day. Mostly I thanked fate, for being Australian. I have the opportunity to travel - both the dollars and the passport - and I can return to Cusco when I want.).

These are a collection of stories and thoughts from 2005 in Peru, presented in "Postcard" form, downloadable in word.

No. 1: Postcard from South America

No. 2: The Magic of Peru

No. 3: Strikes!

No. 4: Religious Festivals

No. 5: Cienciano, A football frenzy

No.6: Peru's media (Not available)

No.7: A country encapsulated in a bus trip

No. 8 Christmas Contemplations from Cusco

web page: To the end of the Road (a trip to Manu)

web page: an easier way to live (reflections on life in Peru)

Bo and Arie skiing in Chile.

"A life lived in fear is a life half lived" from the movie Strictly Ballroom.

Copyright Ariana Svenson, 2005 - Comments and enquiries, please email us.