Dale Rojo

Well, another town, another twam to support. This team got beer banned from the stadium. nice work guys. Cienciano de Cusco played one hell of a game today. 4-1, against Universitaria of Lima. I'm convinced and more than a little irked by the players taking dives, swaying the joke of a referee that was out there. By the end Universitaria left the game two players down, though. Goes to show, elbows to the face? You'll be seeing red buddy. After each Universitaria player was eighty-sixed, hordes of young hinchas would pile down the bleachers to ground level to pelt the hated opponent with refuse. As the dishonored player would leave the field, twenty police officers would form an honorguard, a sort of twenty one riot shield salute leading to the door.

I ended up making it to the black market today. Molino, a 2 sol taxi ride from my house opened me up to a whole world of illicitly attained media. Professoinally pirated cd's, I'm talking chili peppers, 50 cent, the good and the bad could be found at twenty different cd tiendas. Complete with scanned cd jacket and screen printed cd-r. Sweeny Todd, available here, in Peru, a top quality DVD for 4 soles. Less than a buck fifty people. Soccer jerseys, counterfeit northface jackets, counterfeit jeans, counterfeit shoes, whatever you could think of, stolen, scanned and copied for my enjoyment. It's like a pirate's cove of american garbage.

Cusco is working out very nicely for Lenay and I. The town seems to be generally safe. I haven't ben kidnapped by any bogus taxi and held for ransom (which is good). My family has been especially kind to me, making me feel quite at home. Except that Pati (Ny host Mom) won't let me do dishes. I mean, ahh that sucks Erik, you don't get to do any dishes? What a drag. I know. Apart from that, the only thing that bothers me is walking through the Plaza de Armas and being shelled with handouts, wandering proprietors in bad English, Come enjoy our restaurant, or come check out the tourism opportunities our company's got! It's the same people that solicit to me every day I'm walking up the calle Suecia. I mean, just because I'm a Gringo doesn't mean we all look the same!