Ah Cusco, what a wonderful place. A bit of a shock after being in Sydney as they are both very different types of cities. Sydney is modern, new and for young people, whereas Cusco is much much older and very cultural - which I love. It was a long journey to get here, after flying to Santiago (note to self, must visit!!!) and having a change over there, then on to Lima which I'm not sure what I make of yet. The area we drove through seemed very poor and it was a huge city! Will do more exploring there later in my travels. Then after staying the night in a hostel, I had to get up at 3am for my flight. However, there were huge delays at the airport as the flight from the day before had been cancelled. I got in one queue then told to go to another only to reach the front and be told to go to a different one, and at this point my Spanish was limited so I didn't have a clue what was going on really. Thankfully a friendly guy who spoke English as well explained the mess to me! So after waiting in queues for 3 hours, I finally got through security and then attempted to get money but my card wasn't being accepted which created more stress. I was glad to get on the plane and rest, I felt so tired and drained. It was very daunting bing in a country where not many of the locals talk your language and things aren't going right! Once I arrived in Cusco I managed to get money, grabbed my bag and then headed to my host family's house. Nancy was lovely when I met her and really welcoming which made me feel much better. I went and had a lie down after a mate de cocoa to help with altitude sickness. Thankfully, I didn't really suffer from it. A mild headache but nothing more. Some people are bed bound for days. I didn't realise quite how high up Cusco is, something like 3400m above sea level. As high as Mount Blanc! That afternoon Nancy walked me to the school so I would know where to go for my classes. Its roughly a half an hour walk, but Calle Suecia will be the death of me! It's very steep and the final road to get to the school. And then there are lots of stairs in the school, plus with the altitude there's much less oxygen so normal walking can even be difficult. It has gotten better with time as my body has adjusted! And very good for my fitness, hoping when I do the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu I will be more prepared (it's going to be hard going!). Anyway, my first afternoon I had a tour of the city centre with other new students from the school so that was good to get a bearing on the city. It's all cobble stone roads and paths, with white building and terracotta roofs. It looks a lot like a city you may find in Spain or Greece, but obviously there are a lot of Spanish influences here after they colonised several hundred years ago. It was sad to hear that they destroyed a lot of the original Inca buildings and built Spanish style properties on top of them. You can still see some of the Inca style buildings in the city, but not much. It was good to meet the other students who all seem nice. We are an odd mixture - ages ranging from 18 to 50! And from all over the world, but I like that fact a lot. When travelling you make the most unlikely of friends but learn so much from them. English is the common language that most people can speak but we are going to try and make a concerted effort to talk as much Spanish as we can. And as the classes have gone on it's been much easier.
So my classes are very intense. We have 4 hours every day, either in the morning or afternoon, they change every week. I prefer the morning classes as you have the afternoon and evening to explore and do more things. But that also means being up super early! The first Monday we had a written and oral test to determine what level of class we needed to be in, so you're not out of your depth but also not finding it too easy. The first week there was just three of us in my class, Anja (Belgium) and Rosa (Brasil). They are both lovely and we had a great flow in the class. Our first week focused on learning more vocabulary and practicing the present tense. The second week we had three new students join our class, Johanna, Michael and We. However, in my second week I got really ill suffering from bronchitis and tonsillitis. So I spent half the week in bed by doctors orders. Nancy was really good and took me everyday to them to get checked out and have my injections (4 the first time)! My third week has probably been my favourite for learning Spanish, my confidence has come a long way and I feel like I can hold a fairly basic but decent conversation in Spanish. It's good living with the host family as it forces you to talk more Spanish than you would if you lived at the school. Everyone just resorts to English as it's easier so it's good that I get time to practice more with local Cusconians. Nancy is very patient as well and talks slowly so it's easier to understand. Her daughter Mya (26) is lovely as well however she speaks much faster and at times I have no idea what she's saying. I think she may also use more slang terms that we do not learn. My fourth week and I am securely in the intermediate class which is good - I think I was in beginners to start. Doing a year of Spanish at uni has definitely helped and the more we study here the more that comes back to me. But I do think I am able to hold a better conversation now than I did then and that's probably from being immersed in the culture and surrounded by the language 24/7. I've found I am even starting to think in Spanish. Perhaps I should do a Spanish blog at some point! The teachers at the school are all lovely, I have had Paula, Giovanna, Desiree, Alfredo, Dorian and Nury. Alfredo is very good at card tricks, he starts and finishes the lessons with them which is always entertaining. We have a lot of fun in the classes and are always laughing which is probably the best way to learn when you're relaxed and enjoying it. My final week of classes was not a struggle but I think there's been an overload of new information. It'll be good to have a break and put everything I've learnt into practice. I feel like I've come along away, above all with understanding the language. Even if I am not always able to put answers together, I am now pretty confident in my ability to understand what is being said to me!
On our first Monday we had a welcome dinner for the new students with local delicacies (thankfully no cuy - guinea pig!) which was good to get to know everyone a bit better and try some different styles of food. Normally, I have breakfast and lunch at Nancy's so I get to try more of the local meals, and in the evenings the students go out for dinner together. I have met lots of lovely people in my first few weeks: Bryony, Sam, John, Anja, Rosa, Oscar, Miguel, Simon, Rubén, Carol, Annalise, Johanna, Michael, We, Sunny, Annike, Lara, Kelly, Amber, Katie, Luisa, Chris, Lisa, Jazzmine, Nicole, Claire, Flavia and more. Bryony and I went to a shisha bar in the first week where we saw a rat scuttling around the place! But we also went out for dinner and to bars at some lovely places too. It's a mixture between rich and poor all mingled in together. Plaza de Armas is the main square with the cathedral which is beautiful. It has a large fountain in the middle surrounded by benches and trees. Plaza de San Blas is also lovely with a decorative fountain and church, some cute shops and restaurants there too. On the Thursday it was Sam's birthday so a large group of us went out for dinner and drinks after. La Bodega was the name of the restaurant - a Peruvian Italian place - with great food. That was a really lovely night. On the Friday, I bought my boleto touristico and Sam and I visited Sacsayhuaman and Cristo Blanco at the top of a mountain by Cusco. The walk up was exhausting and hard work but we took it slow and had regular breaks to admire the views. There are lots of Inca ruins at the top at the Cristo Blanco is a much smaller version of the one in Rio. The views at the top overlooking Cusco were amazing, the journey up was definitely worth it for that reason. After we finished exploring we headed back into the city for some lunch, where we went to a vegan restaurant called Green Point. In Cusco there are lots of different style restaurants which is good as you can try lots of new things. It's also very cheap - 4 soles is roughly £1 and you can get a three course meal for like 12 soles... Good value for your money! On that first Saturday, Miguel, Sam and I visited a couple of museums. We went to el museo histórico regional and museo municipal de arte contemporáneo. Both of which I found very interesting. In the first we had a guide who gave us lots of information about the Incas and the Spanish colonisation. All in Spanish so good practice. The boys didn't like the art museum much but I really enjoyed it. There was a cartoon style painting with an image of a taxi with a driver and passenger - both with speech bubbles reflecting how they were scared the other was going to rob them. It stuck in my mind as it's an interesting depiction of how even the locals do not necessarily feel safe. Cusco in general is fairly safe but not so much at night, there are horror stories of people vanishing never to be seen again! So need to keep your wits about you and take proper taxis. A lot of the locals drive around hoping to make some money... After the museums, Miguel and I went to a cafe for a drink before going back to his place so we could change. We then headed off to a local hostel for a drink with his friend. After that I headed over to the school to meet some of the others where we played some entertaining card games. Only Bryony and I decided to go out so we went back to the same hostel to meet Miguel and some others. It was a 90s themed night so lots of cheesy music. Unfortunately, this is when I had begun to feel ill and the next day my throat was very sore and my cough was terrible. On the Monday I went to the doctors at the school but she wasn't much use. On Tuesday, John, Anja and I went to the museo de Inca and had a tour there learning more about the history and culture. That night there was a Pisco Sour class (the famous drink of Peru) and as it was John's birthday we all went out for dinner. However, I could barely function, let alone socialise anymore. The next day Nancy told me to rest and not go go the school, she was going to take me to the doctors for a second opinion. As it turned out, it was tonsillitis and bronchitis. He told me to stay in bed for at least 3 days and not go anywhere cold. Have I mentioned Cusco is freezing! And it rains and thunderstorms pretty much everyday. So other than to go to the doctors for injections I rested in bed, slept and read. I was starting to feel much better though. On the Saturday, I ventured out for the morning to go to Starbucks and use the wifi to call home and check messages. I then decided to go to mercado San Pedro to do some shopping. I bought a warm jumper, a bag, a bracelet, a beautiful llama ring (that was from a smaller market in a church) and some flowers and chocolate for Nancy to say thank you for looking after me. It was John's and Oscar's last night in Cusco so a few of us went out to dinner at Indigo near the school to say goodbye. They do delicious food! That Sunday, Miguel, Sam, Anja and I went to Moray and Maras for the day which are in the Sacred Valley. We took a bus (more like a minibus crammed to the max) and I was squished between a couple of old men... Not overly pleasant. Then from the bus stop we hired a taxi for the day to take us between the places. Our first stop was Moray which are Inca ruins, terraces used for farming way back when. They are rather beautiful and surrounded by mountains and gorgeous green landscapes. Maras was my favourite stop, well the salt mines. The town itself is nearby but very small. The salt mines are in a valley with a snow capped mountain at the far end, a river, a green valley and the unusual salt mines carved in to the sides with a small village at the top. We tasted the fresh water and boy was it salty, a lick of your finger was more than enough! We had a late lunch there before heading back to the bus stop to go into the city. Anja and I decided to go el museo de chocolat when we got back for a drink. I had an iced chocolate which was to die for. We sat in the alcove window looking out at a pretty plaza. After I left her I met back up with Miguel to go to the Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo which is a local dance that displays the different types of music and dance in the local areas from the past and now. It was a little cheesy but entertaining nonetheless. As I was walking back to the house, the heavens opened! And within five minutes I was drenched. I got in to the house and I could ring the water out of my clothes! I quickly fb aged hoping not to get ill again. I was feeling much better than the week before, just very tired. It had ended up being quite a busy weekend when I should have rested a bit more. The Monday night I went out for dinner with Miguel, Anja, Rosa, Claire, Nicole and the Brazilian girls. Half of which don't talk any English so we all talk in Spanish which is very good practice! For class the next day, Paula took us to visit some small local art museums of Cusconians. I very much like the Inca style of art, but the Spanish art is very religious and not my kind of thing. Rosa, Anja, Jazzmine and I went for dinner at a Indigo which was lovely and we had a good giggle and lots of girly chats. We then decided to go to the infamous Mama Africa for salsa classes but there was no one there so it was a touch awkward. Jazzmine and I weren't feeling too well so we decided to have an early night instead. On Thursday, in class, Desiree took us to el museo de cocoa where we learned about the history of cocoa and how it was used for medicinal purposes and antiseptics back in the Inca times and now how it has been manipulated into cocaine which isn't so good for you. I never realised how many benefits natural cocoa actually has but it seems it's very good for you. I am rather partial to mate de cocoa which is a tea made from the leaves. I headed straight back to the house after classes as I really wasn't feeling good. My throat had swollen up again and was very painful. The next morning I went back to the doctors to be told the tonsillitis was back and I need two more injections and another course of anti biotic pills. Yay! I really do not have good luck with my tonsils... Need to get them out when I'm home! Friday I went out for dinner with the Spanish speaking lot again which was fun, we went back to La Bodega and the pizzas were delicious! I had another early night but didn't sleep well at all, was awake well in to the early hours. Saturday morning I headed to Starbucks for the wifi and spoken with my family which was lovely. I then met up with a couple of the girls at the school to buy another boleto touristico (unfortunately they only last ten days, but are good value and give you access to lots of Inca and Spanish sites) as we had a day trip planned to the Sacred Valley the next day. After a restful afternoon I went to meet Rosa, Nicole, Claire and Miguel for a trip to the cinema, where we watched Exodus in Spanish! There were points that I wasn't sure exactly what was being said but overall I was impressed at how much I got... Probably helped that it was a story about Moses and Rameses so I knew the plot already! The day trip to the Sacred Valley on the Sunday was really good with Kelly, Katie and Amber! Very long as I had to be up around half 6, and we didn't get back till 8 in the evening. We had a couple of brief stops on the way to Pisac to take some picturesque photos, the scenery is just beautiful. Pisac is one of the most famous ruins in the valley, and situated even higher up than Cusco. The walk around the ruins is always a bit difficult with dodgy steep steps and hills, and with the altitude it's so much harder to breathe! It's all worth it though. We stopped in the town of Pisac as well briefly to look around the popular market, they have some really nice bits, I just wish I had room in my bag! I bought a new alpaca jumper because they're nice and warm, plus a new ring. Getting quite into them during my travels! Afterwards, we headed off for lunch at Urubamba. It's probably one of the larger towns in the valley, and we had a nice buffet meal sat in the sun in the garden. The difference in climate and weather from Cusco to the Valley is incredible. It's so much warmer and sunnier, making a pleasant change from the daily thunderstorms. After lunch we went to Ollantaytambo which may be my favourite place I've visited. Another dodgy, steep climb but the views from the top are stunning. The small town is surrounded by mountains and green valleys. There are ruins carved into all the different faces and even Inca faces sculpted into the mountains. There is a templo de sol at the top of the ruins and fresh water runs through some of the ruins further down as well. I think the water is meant to be quite important religiously. The whole place is unlike anywhere I've visited before, it has a very majestic feel about it. Our final stop was Chinchero, but it had started getting dark by this point so we weren't able to see the ruins there very well. However, we had a demonstration by some local women on how they make the clothes from the alpaca wool. It's very impressive especially as they use all natural ingredients including the shampoo and dyes. The heavens had started to open when we left Chinchero, and the roads were pitch black so a little daunting! However, we made it safely back in to the city and I think we were all exhausted and much in need of a good nights sleep. It's been a fairly relaxed last week of classes and being at my host family. Had some nice dinners out with friends in the evening. We visited Mythologie on the Tuesday night for salsa classes, but I'm yet to properly give it a go! I visited Monumento a Pachacuteq on Thursday which is also a museum giving the history of this famous Inca leader. You could climb up to the top of the statue which had some very impressive views of the city!