We both continue to feel safe but the atmosphere shifted in Cusco yesterday. All stores were closed, including the large San Pedro Market, and the streets were quiet. We went out twice and saw remnants of violence from the night prior including broken store fronts and bricks in the street. The second time we returned quickly as a group of protestors approached. We are now staying inside the hotel.
We are making the best of our time. Anna is connected to her phone and I am knitting while listening to audiobooks. The hotel is comfortable and the staff are very nice. We went out to get our favorite coconut-chocolate bars so we are good for a couple days.
We are starting to see supply issues as no trucks have been able to enter Cusco the last couple days. The hotel has turned off the heat (not needed for us hearty Minnesotans) and hot water at night. They are out of orange juice (confirmed when ordering Anna a screwdriver) and ice cream. These are obviously not impacting us greatly but are signs of what is to come. Tomorrow we are going to stock up in water.
We are seeing violence in the streets via TikTok. Unfortunately the US Embassy is giving us very little information and are absolutely no help sharing options for getting out of Cusco. We assume we are not hearing from them because there are no options.
At this point we are scheduled to fly out Friday at 5pm. The airport is scheduled to open Friday at 1am. Our hope is the airport opens as planned and all will be well.
Outside our window I can hear someone playing beautiful music. I sit near the windowsill and admit I feel an odd sense of connection with whoever is below. I have shouted several times “I love your music” and “Thank you for the music” but have not gotten a response. It could be the language barrier. It could be they think I am crazy. Either way, I hope the music does not stop.
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