The sound of Cusco

There are many things that I'll remember about Cusco, after I've left (which I will do, one day!). But if you were to ask me what Cusco sounds like, there's one noise that would always, inevitably, spring to mind before all others. And I'm afraid that it isn't anything terribly nice, like the twittering of the birds, or the wailing of the Huayno music, or even the honking of the taxi horns. It's those damn fruit peddlers, who ride around the streets all day in their over-sized tricycles-slash-mobile-shopfronts, and who advertise their wares using a fat, blaring loudspeaker. The horrible, loud monotone can be heard almost anywhere in Cusco, all day long: "papayas platanos chirimoyas, manzanas piñas limones zanahorias, muy fresco muy barato, papayas papayas naranjas, tenemos platanos dos soles por kilo, platanos platanos chirimoyas...". It's a sound that I'll always remember, and that I'll never cease to detest.

I can understand that these guys want to attract some business. But do they seriously think that there's anything attractive about the god-awful racket that they make? Personally, I get as far away from them as I can whenever I hear them. Even if I have to walk an extra block or two, I'll get my damn platanos and my papayas somewhere else, thank you very much. If they want to advertise, they should do so in a slightly less infuriating way, such as by putting a big sign up on top of their carts, or by using a nice, friendly musical tune (like the Mr Whippy ice-cream trucks use the Greensleeves tune in Australia).

Anyway, I guess it's just part of the culture around here. The Latin way is the loud, noisy, in-your-face, oft-aggravating-to-uninitiated-gringos way, I guess. The locals, no doubt, barely even notice it; and it certainly doesn't bother them. The accepted way of attracting business in this part of the world is by making a lot of noise. Literally. Doesn't have to be nice. Doesn't have to be agreeable. Doesn't even have to be coherent. Just has to be loud.