Christmas in Cuzco



Watching Christmas fireworks with my Daddy in Cuzco!



Maybe it was the fact that I had already suffered through a parasite infection and the universe felt bad for me, but somehow I seem to be escaping the altitude sickness monster unscathed. My Dad, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be so lucky. From what I hear, it feels like the world’s worst hangover… times ten! After resting for several hours while our fellow Loki-ites counted down to Christmas in different time zones, we heard fireworks going off around 11:30pm. Dad decided that sick or not, he was going to wake up to see Christmas in. We did a “Christmas countdown” in the courtyard with the other hostel guests and then rushed outside to see the fireworks. In the moment I first stepped out of the hostel and saw the illuminated sky above the Cuzco city line, I thought to myself, this one view has been worth all of the sacrifices and hardships so far. It was the single most amazing, most spectacular sight I’ve seen in my entire life and I only wish words and pictures could convey the beauty of the moment. The sky was ablaze with fireworks in every direction, far exceeding any firework show I’ve seen before. There were kids lighting fireworks in the street and, because the road was cobblestone and therefore there was nowhere to anchor them, there were fireworks going off in every direction. It got a bit dangerous, so we ducked into an alleyway that led us to a hill with an unobstructed view of Cuzco’s sky line. Here we met two Loki staff members and spent the next hour or so chatting and enjoying the amazing Christmas fireworks that lasted nearly two hours!

The next day, Christmas Day, we enjoyed a sumptuous North American style Christmas dinner at the hostel, complete with stuffing and mulled wine before heading back out to explore the city. I bought an alpaca hat and sweater to ward off the Andean chill and Dad got a pair of alpaca gloves. We had the opportunity to attend the last few minutes of Christmas mass where everyone was carrying a little adorned Christ Child in a basket. It was kind of odd to see everyone carrying a doll, but it’s a neat tradition. Knowing what I do now about the Spanish conquest, the Latin devotion to the Catholic religion doesn’t quite sit well with me, but I guess it has become their history and tradition now.

Overall, Christmas in Cusco has been quite magical and breathtakingly beautiful and although I miss my family and friends back home like crazy, I’m so happy to be in this gorgeous city with my Dad! Merry Christmas, everyone!