Andean Cosmo: Cuzco
[Editor's note: Let's forget for a second that I haven't a clue how to correctly spell Cuzco, if with an s or a z. I'll stick to the z if only for consistency.]
Those of us who live in Peru, and especially in Lima, find ourselves immersed in a society with tastes and habits that are surprisingly homogeneous. This is true across districts, quarters, and economic and generational strata. I’ll concede that while some use True Religion jeans (and not because of their beliefs) and others prefer local brands, in general terms, we all listen to the same music (yes, reggaeton is danced just the same in Comas and La Molina), dress more or less alike, watch the same movies, eat the same food and complain about the same things. This homogeneity give urman beings a sense of calm and belonging (or “nAffil”, the basic need for affiliation according to David McClelland), that compensates the inevitable boredom from lack of variety. If you do/act/dress in the standard ways allowed by your city, you’ll be accepted. Escape the norm by an inch, and brace yourself for countless hardships to befall your soul!
It is thus that being able to escape to a nearby place like Cuzco becomes so amazingly refreshing. Having the option to leave the normalcy of the capital, in a flight no longer than 50 minutes, and arrive in a parallel universe filled with foreign tongues, bars and restaurants that are much more interesting and creative (in style and cuisine) than many in Lima (see recent note on the Cuzco lemonades, and don’t doubt for a second that I am a huge fan of Lima cuisine!), and significantly more cosmo than the capital itself (and not to mention one of the top cultural destinations in the world) is a luxury that not many countries can afford.
The best part is that this ‘luxury’ does not come at a high price. Cuzco offers decent lodging options for the most miserly mochileros (backpackers) all the way up to the most spoiled gringo. Cuzco is cosmo in the purest sense of the world: international and open to all. Insuperable cuisine (I recommend especially La Cicciolina, Jack’s and Incanto), lounge bars that would make Lima proud (Los Perros, Green’s, Fallen Angel and the sadly departed Blueberry Lounge), night clubs that I dare not suggest because frankly I’ve been out of that circuit for way too long, and, further cementing the town’s cosmo-ness, a remarkably full embrace of the gay community.
According to Webster’s:
cosmopolitan <ˌkäzməˈpälitn>, adj.:
• familiar with and at ease in many different countries and cultures : his knowledge of French, Italian, and Spanish made him genuinely cosmopolitan.
• including people from many different countries : immigration transformed the city into a cosmopolitan metropolis.
• having an exciting and glamorous character associated with travel and a mixture of cultures : their designs became a byword for cosmopolitan chic.
For anyone who is able to visit, Cuzco has much more to offer than ruins (including the recently-named Wonder of the World). It is a small city but one that has matured nicely and created its own identity as an international destination, untethered from Lima, and setting itself apart from many a horrendous provincial town, like those which unfortunately abound in Latin America.
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