If ever in Pisco, Peru a visit to the Market is a must. It is best to visit when you have lots of time to waste and have not yet eaten lunch. This is because the market is so confusing that getting lost is inevitable and there are so many interesting foods to sample and goods on display at every corner. At first glance, the Market appears to be completely haphazard in its organization but is actually somewhat divided into relatively distinct sections (fish, produce, spices, bloody carcasses, electronics, toys, home necessities, etc.). For whatever, reason, one product seemed to include itself into all sections of the market: fly-gathering chicken bodies complete with feet. Kristina's favorite vendor is a woman simply known as "Spice Lady". Her booth is full of wet and dried spices that can be smelled from rows away.
There is also an area of the market that resembles a taxi queue. Peruvians call these taxis "Tuktuks". The small vehicles have three wheels, what sounds like a vespa engine, and enough room to comfortable seat two (though we frequently saw them with four or five).
From our limited experience, we have found the Market to be the sole highlight of Pisco. However, it wasn't always this way.
We have heard rumors from other volunteers that Pisco was once a town for tourists. The small village contained ancient adobe structures/buildings, and more importantly, a thriving stretch of beachfront where Peruvian and other tourists would vacation. After the earthquake struck in 2007, most of the adobe buildings had been destroyed along with the local people's adobe homes. These people fled from the oceanfront to inland areas leaving the beach for shantytowns. They are still there. The beachfront seems to be feared by the people of Pisco and therefore remains uninhabited. Consequently, the tourists have ceased vacationing in Pisco and have migrated to the surrounding towns.
Although Pisco is no longer a disaster area, the recovery process is slow with few signs of economic potential or viability. The Market may not be the answer to Pisco's woes, but it is a relative bright spot in a fairly bleak landscape.
We have heard rumors from other volunteers that Pisco was once a town for tourists. The small village contained ancient adobe structures/buildings, and more importantly, a thriving stretch of beachfront where Peruvian and other tourists would vacation. After the earthquake struck in 2007, most of the adobe buildings had been destroyed along with the local people's adobe homes. These people fled from the oceanfront to inland areas leaving the beach for shantytowns. They are still there. The beachfront seems to be feared by the people of Pisco and therefore remains uninhabited. Consequently, the tourists have ceased vacationing in Pisco and have migrated to the surrounding towns.
Although Pisco is no longer a disaster area, the recovery process is slow with few signs of economic potential or viability. The Market may not be the answer to Pisco's woes, but it is a relative bright spot in a fairly bleak landscape.
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