The Incas called Cusco the "navel of the world", and they were right. Cusco is the kind of place where you will meet about everybody you have met on your trip through Peru and eventually also your neighbour, local postman, whatever.
Yesterday night fellow couchsurfer Karl and me were walking up the hill to my hostel in San Blas and... guess whom I met? Martin. My christmas friend from Hamburg! I didn´t expect him to be here as he had planned a different route when we last spoke and indeed, he had lived some real adventures: he had booked a boat trip on the amazon river and two days after taking off his boat hit a tree - and sank! He was in the toilet when it happened and the way he told it - in a mix of English, German and Spanish and in his typical loud voice - it was hilarious! Unfortunately he had unpacked his backpack and the divers could only rescue the backpack itself and two jackets. So he had to buy everything new in Peru! But, being Martin, he laughed it off and will fly back to Iquitos tomorrow to give it a second try ;-)
No 5 minutes later - the second "recontre" - Marcos, an Argentinian circus artist I had met in Manuel´s shop in Arequipa about two, three days ago. He had booked a tour to Macchu Picchu and later will travel via Bolivia back to Argentina. I told him that we where going to Brazil and he asked me which part of Brazil I am from - once again it seems that my Portuguese accent didn´t get lost on my way through the Andes ;-) Bill will be happy - especially as he is making fun of me for always mixing Spanish and Portuguese ;-)
Today, in the same street... we were on the way from the hostel to an internet cafe - Kaliz - the crazy Venezuelan "artisano"! He is quite some character - funny, smart, charming - it just would be nice if he took a shower every now and then ;-) This was the third time we met or actually the fourth. We had met twice times in Lima, once in Arequipa and now again in Cusco. And it looks like we´ll meet again as he will travel the same route that I have planned to travel ;-) The first time we met he had a bandaged hand - both Alberto and me suspected that he broke it in a fight. Today it was still swollen but it looked much better. And he had obviousy taken a shower and looked quite nice with his long curly dark hair. Guess he will join the local gringo hunters - and might be quite some competition as so far I haven´t seen many black Venezuelan guys with curly long hair ;-)
Not a real "rencontre", but later on today I spotted some dutch guys who where in our hotel in Pisco and went with us to the Islas Ballestas...
I am quite curious now, whom I´m going to meet next ;-)
Last night I was ready to bet with Karl 5 USD that we would meet his neighbour from Portland, Oregon. But he was fair enought to tell me that he lived in his grandmother´s guesthouse and that she was not planning on leaving the States anytime soon. So I saved my 5 bucks. Anyhow, I would still bet 5 USD that we will meet some more travel companions or people from back home.. lets wait and see ;-) All roads in South America lead to Cusco, gringo capital of the new world!
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