Nightlife and What That Means in Different Parts of Peru

The culture in Pisaq seemed to be almost a world away from that of Cusco. While Cusco has a bustling nightlife, Pisaq tends to go to sleep early. Because of that, the town is up by 5:30 AM, when many of us woke up to ringing church bells. I’ve never labeled myself as a morning or night person because I don’t like to be up too early or too late at night. However, I felt like Pisaq took the concept of early riser to another level. For instance, I felt like I didn’t know what to do with myself when it was 6:00 PM and many of the stores and restaurants were closed. I felt trapped by my own boredom inside of the hotel we were staying at because of how little there was to do.

I generally got a different energy from the city although we were no more than 40 minutes away from Cuzco. Meanwhile, I never had to think twice about what time a restaurant or tienda closed in Cuzco because they were always open when I needed them to be. I think I was spoiled by that life for the few days that I spent in there prior to the trip to Pisaq. However, I was that much more grateful for the longer operating hours in Cuzco when we returned from that weekend.

With Lima, it felt as though it was the South American city that never sleeps. With all of the city lights out there, I could tell that there was more of a nightlife in this city. Although it seemed as though it did not thrive as heavily on tourism as Cuzco did, I could still tell that tourism has played a role in shaping what Lima is like after dark. We only spent two or three nights in Lima, but from what I saw, I had no trouble getting a bowl of chicken and shrimp fried rice from Mercado 28, an area with a food court like setup that can fulfill anyone’s late-night cravings. Although each of these cities bring with them different personalities, each of them hold a special place in my heart because they make up the beautiful mosaic that is Peru.