Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [204]
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SHOPPING
San Blas – the plaza itself, Cuesta San Blas, Carmen Alto, and Tandapata east of the plaza – offers Cuzco’s best shopping. It’s the artisan quarter, packed with the workshops and showrooms of local craftspeople. Some offer the chance to watch artisans at work and see the interiors of colonial buildings while hunting down that perfect souvenir. Prices and quality vary greatly, so shop around and expect to bargain, except in the most expensive stores, where prices are often fixed. Some of the best-known include Taller Olave (23-1835; Plaza San Blas 651), which sells reproductions of colonial sculptures and pre-colonial ceramics. Taller Mendivil (23-3247); San Blas (Cuesta de San Blas, Plaza San Blas); city center (cnr Hatunrumiyoc and Choquechaca) is nationally famous for its giraffe-necked religious figures and sun-shaped mirrors, and Taller and Museo Mérida (22-1714; Carmen Alto 133) offers striking earthenware statues that straddle the border between craft and art.
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BRICHEROS
The local manifestation of a common tourist-town phenomenon, the brichero is a parasite on the gringa (female foreigner). He seduces her as quickly and directly as possible and then shamelessly eats, lives and travels off her for as long as she allows. (We say ‘he’ and ‘her’, but they’re not all men: there are also female bricheras out there hunting men, and gay male Peruvians targeting gay gringos.)
Yes, to put it bluntly, bricheros are pretty much prostitutes. If you know this, and still choose to go there, fine – we’re all consenting adults, and casual sex while traveling is nothing new. Just don’t take the mushy stuff too seriously. In Latin cultures it’s common to talk of love far more than in Western cultures; the brichero doesn’t really expect you to believe his high-flown sentiments, and may genuinely not understand why you get upset when you find out he has two other gringa girlfriends, not to mention a Peruvian wife and kids.
Here are some common identifying features:
he talks about the mysterious energía (energy) of the apus (mountain gods) and his Inca ancestor
he tries to sell you drugs
he tries to kiss you within half an hour of meeting you
he buys you a drink within five minutes, then never again spends a cent in your presence
he works as a musician or jewelry maker
Please don’t think that everyone who meets this description, or any man who shows an interest in you, is necessarily trying to make off with your life savings. Just remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
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The same area is also home to an ever-evolving sprinkling of jewelry stores and quirky, one-off designer-clothes stores – a refreshing reminder that the local aesthetic is not confined to stridently colored ponchos and sheepskin-rug depictions of Machu Picchu. These and other mass-produced tourist tat from textiles to teapots are sold from pretty much every hole-in-the-wall in the historic center, and at the vast Centro Artesenal Cuzco (cnr Avs El Sol & Tullumayo; 9am-10pm).
If you’re the type who likes to get your souvenir shopping done fast, Aymi Wasi (Nueva Alta s/n) is for you. It’s got everything – clothes, ornaments, toys, candles, jewelry, art, ceramics, handbags… Your friends and family will never suspect you bought all their gifts in one place! And it’s all handmade and fair trade.
Cuzco is not known for its clothes-shopping opportunities, though there are a few cool stores hidden away in the Centro Comercial de Cuzco (cnr Ayacucho & San Andrés; 11am-10pm).
Tatoo (25-4211; Calle del Medio 130; 9am-9:30pm) has brand-name outdoor clothing and technical gear at high prices. Many shops in Calle Plateros and Mercado El Molino (see right) have a good range of lower-quality, far cheaper gear.
Textiles
Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cuzco (22-8117; www.textilescusco.org; Av El Sol 603A; 7:30am-8:30pm Mon-Sat,