Paro Nacional

Today was a general strike (el paro / la huelga) in Cusco and the whole of Peru.

Strike!

Police with riot shields were out in force, lining the sides of the main square, Plaza de Armas. In practice, however, only a couple of dozen people were protesting when I passed through and were outnumbered ten to one by onlookers.

Many shops were shut, the San Pedro market was deserted, drivers were on strike, and one street even had net strung between two lampposts, while the locals played volleyball.

In a strange sort of solidarity, we ourselves went on strike - from tourism. Unwittingly, we had decided to give things a rest today and spent the morning in the tranquil surroundings of the bungalow we are renting and its gardens. Our host, Mary, returned today to her home in Lima, leaving us the run of the place, with help from her onsite handyman, Maestro Florencio.

Mary left us with a pair of unfamiliar fruits, which she called granadilla. This turned out to be a mix between a passion fruit (maracuya) and a pomegranate (granada), without the tartness of the former, nor the colourful seeds of the latter. In fact, with the grey soft interior of the fruit, I'm not surprised that it hasn't made an appearance on international plates.

Granadilla

Having bade her farewell, we made the only trip of the day - our daily constitutional - down the hill for lunch. Despite having a full kitchen, and normally enjoying cooking for ourselves, we have found the food in Cusco affordable, vegetarian, and delicious. Given that we normally have to choose maximum two from that list - especially in South America - we have literally gone to town on eating out.

Today was no exception on the price front, as we enjoyed a set lunch for 12 soles each at Prasada. After a starter of humita (corn tamale) or salad, we had the choice of a baked empanada filled with black beans, or a lentil burger with crushed potatoes. Both were good fare, but the small kitchen couldn't quite match up to the treats produced by Green Point. We shall be returning to try their more substantial main meals, however.

I spent what was left of the sunny afternoon - the cold, dark evenings draw in from 5pm - enjoying a beer from the excellent Barbarian brewery, while sat in our garden.

Genuinely hoppy