Cusco - Week Two

Buenos dias everyone. I have now finished the second week of my stay here in Cusco. It is going quickly and only a week left here before leaving. Here is my update from last week:

Cusco Week 2 - Spanish, Football & Treking

Monday morning blues (Peru style) at the start of the week as it was back to Spanish lessons after spending the weekend out of Cusco. I am really starting to relax here in Cusco and feel a little bit local. I have my daily routine for getting up, having breakfast and then heading out for lessons. Spanish is going well now and I am able to start having simple conversations with our tutor. I have now progressed from "the glass is on the table" to ordering food in a restaurant and describing what I did last night. The constant problem I have is slipping back into French all the time. The result is a mixture English/French/Spanish, well I understand it anyway!!

The Spanish school is also a charity and after teaching "the gringos" Spanish in the morning they teach English to underpriviledged Peruvian children in the afternoon. The children are chosen from local schools in deprived areas and are selected based on their enthusiasm, aptitude and desire to learn. As a result we see a lot of the children around the school and always have a good laugh with them. The picture below is of one of the children and my Spanish tutor Claudia:



We have also been taking some of our Spanish lessons outside of the classroom in local markets and cafes. It is a great way to learn as we can use the language in "real" situations. The local market was great fun although the meat section turned a few stomachs with whole cow jaws amongst the items for sale!

In the afternoons this week I have been relaxing around Cusco, visiting museums and doing more salsa lessons. The salsa is coming on well now so watch out ladies!! Wednesday night was Laura´s birthday, so we all met up in the Blueberry Lounge for drinks before heading out to a local restaurant. It was a great night with a huge birthday cake and "Happy Birthday" sung to the music of a Peruvian pan pipe band!!

On Wednesday afternoon we went to visit one of the local schools in Cusco. This is one of the schools I was talking about earlier. The school was bursting at the seams with students up to age eleven. We were a real novelty when we arrived and managed to disrupt all the classes. Here is a photo of the school tuck shop:



On Wednesday evening we went to see the local Cusco football team (Cienciano) play. Last year Cienciano won the South American equivalent of the Champions League by beating Argentina´s Boca Juniors so they are a pretty good side. After being offered dodgy tickets by a local policeman (we bought legit ones in the end) we went in and watched the game. It was a good game however like the match I saw in Rio it ended in a 2-2 draw!! Here is a picture of me in the stadium at the end of the match:



Thursday and Friday afternoon were spent preparing for our first weekend away camping. This was our first chance to start using the tents and cooking stoves so provisions and kit had to be purchased. We were split into teams of three with each team responsible for their own food and tents. I was carrying the stove and all the cooking equipment - no jokes about being the lady of the group!!!

We set off from Cusco at 09:00 on Saturday morning and took a local bus to the start of the trek. Saturday's trek was 10km so not too bad to start off with. Here is a picture of me and Tom loaded up at the start:



Our destination was to the Inca ruins at Moray where we would camp for the night. The trek was fairly relaxed and after a break for lunch we arrived at camp by 16:30. The ruins were the site of an Inca agricultural research centre. The site has been partially restored and contains some excellent examples of Inca terracing. Here are a couple of shots from the trek:




Admiring the view, a great place to think things through.....



Our evening meal was a real gourmet affair. We started with chicken soup followed by a main course of ravioli in bolognese sauce and finished with a muffin. Not bad for our first effort of camp cooking. On Sunday we set off at 09:30 for a 14km trek to the town of Urubamba where we would catch the bus back to Cusco. The trek was fantastic as we descended down into the Sacred Valley and followed the river Urubamba. Along the way we passed a working salt mine cut into the side of the valley and constructed of terraces:



We finally arrived back in Cusco at 5pm on Sunday evening tired but thrilled by the experience. We all treated ourselves to a meal at Greens of roast chicken and all the trimmings, a perfect way to end the weekend.

That is all for this week - stay tuned for the next update and my last full week here in Cusco (also my birthday celebrations!!!!).