Rambling in Peru, Day 5: Savannah’s sister city?
By Tom Barton | November 18, 2009 | Peru
Actually, this is my 10th day here, not my fifth. I apologize for being behind. I left my laptop computer in Lima, Peru's capital, opting not to take it on a leg of a potentially rust-inducing trip that included three days at an eco-lodge in the Peruvian Amazon. Forgive me for playing catch-up.
If Savannah is looking for a South American community to be a sister city, it doesn't have to send City Council on another taxpayer-funded expedition to find one.
I nominate Cusco, Peru.
The similarities are striking.
Both are old cities. Both are proud of their histories and like to celebrate them (Cusco is ancient; it goes back 3,500 years, which is older than most of TV anchorman Sonny Dixon's jokes).
Both are former capitals -- one was the seat of power for the State of Georgia, the other for the Inca Empire.
Both have similar populations (Cusco has about 275,000 Cusquenans). Both depend on tourism to help the local economy, which supports jobs in hotels, restaurants, shops and bars that blanket much of downtown. Both have cobblestone strees that will jar fillings loose when you drive on them -- although Cusco has far more.
Both have lots of old churches, huge cathedrals and numerous squares. And if you look in the middle of Cusco's main square, Plaza de Armas, any Savannahian will see a familiar sight -- a fountain that looks like an ornamental cousin to the one in Savannah's Forsyth Park.
I regret not doing sufficient historical research before I left Savannah, but a friend advised me to check out this ornate fountain and see for myself how similiar it looks to the one in Forsyth. He was right. Except for a few minor differences, it's almost a spitting image of Forsyth Park's fountain, with two tiers, four tritons and water birds (but Cusco has no statue adorning the top).
Savannah's fountain was installed in 1858 and is an apparent copy of one in Paris. I don't know if the Cusco fountain is a rip-opp, too. I couldn't find a marker. But one thing was certain: It looked like home. The setting -- flanking the square are the Iglesia Jesus y Maria cathedral and La Compania de Jesus church -- is was impressive, too.
I liked Cusco. Our group stayed at converted, 16th century seminary that's up a steep, narrow, cobblestone street from the main square. Getting up and down on foot on these urban inclines took some adjustments. So did altitude sickness. Cusco is about 11,000 feet above sea level, but that's why powerful drugs were invented. I felt horrible early on. But the modern medicine triumphed in the end.
There are some key differences between Savannah and Cusco besides altitutes, but they aren't huge. Cusco, for example, has a central market that takes up almost an entire downtown block. It's crammed with vendors selling fresh fruit, homemade cheeses, bread, flowers, baskets and more exotic items like fresh frog legs. I could tell they were fresh because some of them were stil swimming around.
Prices seemed to be in the average Savannahian's purchase range --- cheap, extra cheap and just right. One vendor offered to sell me a handwoven straw mat for $40. It would have filled a small room. I declined because it wouldn't fit in my overnight. Who said the dollar doesn't go as far as it used to?
Cusco had a lot of street dogs. So did Lima. I'm not sure what it is about Peru, but this country appears to be awash in dogs. They were street savvy, too. I didn't see any dogs serving as roadkill on Lima's chaotic streets. But I did see something here I've never seen before.
One morning before breakfast, I walked to Cusco's main square. There, I noticed several large dogs poking around. I thought nothing of it. As I began hiking back to the hotel, I saw a fat pigeon strolling across the street. Faster than you can say, \"Come and get it,\" a large dog darted into the street and grabbed the boneheaded bird in its jaws, shook it and then carried it back into a bush near the square and chowed down.
Some animal rights groups might have been appalled. But I admired the dog's swiftness and cunning, if not its menu selection.
Pigeons are rats with wings, in my opinion. Thus this lowly street dog did Cusco a big favor by getting rid of a pest. So here's an idea: Maybe Savannah should consider using some kind of canine patrol to put the bite on the local pigeon population near its fountain. I've seen how effective it works, and I for one didn't cry fowl.
I did, however, lose my appetite for a big breakfast.
(Tom Barton is is with the Savannah Morning News and is in Peru on an IRP Gatekeeper Editors trip organized by the International Reporting Project.)
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