One of the things on my mind recently is the different between Cusco and Santiago, with a number of conclusions. One conclusion I reached was that living in Cusco is like living inside a theme-park. Firstly, there’s the feeling that the town and surrounding region is playground for visitors form all over the world (whether they’re just sight-seeing or doing some trekking), not to mention that so much in the town is determined or affected by the number of tourists in town. Whether it’s a restaurant or a tour company decisions are made based on the time of year and the corresponding expected influx of visitors.Being in Santiago at the moment it feels as though this place has a rhythm of its own, as if this is a place that really is centred on the lives of the people who live here and that visitors are just that, visitors. Don’t get me wrong I don’t have any regrets about living in Cusco and I think it’s a great place to visit. Being there though (and I may have mentioned this already) was a really eye-opening experience.