© Richard HuangAfter visiting the Uros floating islandsand Taquile Island,we returned to the hotel for the night, then took a long-distance bus back to Cusco the next day. Since we had taken a tourist coachon the way there and had already seen all the sights along the route, an ordinary intercity bus was fine for the return journey. It stopped only once, at a service station, saving us a great deal of time.
© Richard HuangOrdinary though it was, the bus was surprisingly luxurious: it carried only twelve passengers, and everyone had a bed. We could settle in and sleep soundly for six hours.
© Richard HuangWhenever I tired of sleeping, I looked out at the scenery and photographed anything that caught my eye. The bus was speeding along, so every picture came out crooked.
© Richard HuangThese tombstones on the high plateau have a desolate air. At this altitude, the sky seems close enough to touch, as though heaven were only a step away.
© Richard HuangWe stopped at this service station to stretch our legs and have lunch, then continued on our way.
© Richard HuangThen it was back to sleeping and taking crooked photographs…
© Richard Huang
© Richard HuangBy mid-afternoon, we had arrived in Cusco for the third time and checked into the hotel we had booked.
© Richard HuangCusco has many interesting hotels, so each time we visited, we tried a different one.
© Richard Huang
© Richard HuangOnce we had settled in, there was still plenty of daylight left, so we went for another stroll around the Plaza de Armas.
© Richard HuangThe last time we were here, the Plaza de Armas had echoed with drums and gongs and teemed with people.To our surprise, today it was once again filled with drums, gongs, and tremendous excitement.
© Richard HuangThis appeared to be an Easter event. Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus. Its date changes every year, and in Peru the observances usually last an entire week, with events large and small held throughout.
© Richard HuangI know little about Christianity, so all I could do was follow along, take in the spectacle, and learn something new… This, I believe, was a statue of the Virgin Mary. Ritual carries its own weight: even if religion means little to you, a display like this commands respect.
© Richard HuangJust look at the gleaming golden base and all those solemn expressions,
© Richard Huangand you can tell how important this event is to the people of Cusco.
© Richard HuangThis appeared to be a casket containing an effigy of Jesus.
© Richard HuangThe procession was made up of many different groups. The long column carried an array of sacred objects in a circuit around Cusco.
© Richard HuangWherever the procession passed, worshippers lining the route scattered fresh flower petals before it.
© Richard HuangThe faithful—and curious onlookers like us—followed in the procession’s wake, a great tide of people filling every street and alley.
© Richard HuangAll kinds of people took part in the procession:
© Richard Huangpublic officials,
© Richard Huangelderly men and women,
© Richard Huangand bewildered children…
© Richard HuangThe procession passed the cathedral…
© Richard Huangand wound through the market…
© Richard HuangAll evening, we simply kept walking and walking…
© Richard Huang(This photograph was selected for Toronto’s CONTACT Photography Festival.)
© Richard HuangNight had fallen over Cusco, and stars dotted the sky. At last the crowd came to a halt; after all the commotion, the city grew quiet once more. We had spent six hours on a bus from Puno that day and had planned no activities at all. It should have been an uneventful day, yet we unexpectedly witnessed something that touched us deeply. Perhaps some things really are arranged for us in ways we cannot see…
Good night, Cusco.