«How long are you staying here for?» – Most people answer «one week», «two weeks», maybe «one month», maximum. When I tell them that I’m staying for more than half a year, I get surprised looks.
Cusco is ever-changing. People come, people go. You constantly see new faces, hear new stories. For a brief moment, your path crosses other travellers’ tracks, your lives touch fleetingly. Some will inspire you, or maybe you will be their inspiration. You strike up deep conversations with people you only recently met and joke about the most trivial things. You find friends where you wouldn’t have expected them and feel like you’ve known them forever.
Then again, nothing is everlasting. Too soon, it is time to say goodbye. Perhaps you will see them again, some for sure, others probably not. Hugs and tears, tickets in their hands. They continue on their journeys, home or off to other places. You stay behind, stuck in time.
Days go by, then weeks, then months. You really get to know the city, finding your favourite coffee shops, the best «caseritas» (market ladies) and the cheapest empanadas. This is the luxury of the one who stays…
Until it is time for you as well, to pack your bags and head on, off to new shores. But you don’t want to think about that. Not yet.