Burro Mayor

I've been in SA for a good two months now. I've been to my share of discotecas. And you know I've done more salsa dancing now than in my whole life. With every new town, Lenay spends the first week asking new acquaintances about the best salsa joints around. After hanging out at Amauta for a few hours, getting out of my chair to occasionally spin and twist with Maggie, our resident instructor, a few of us hardcores (salsa people) went to Uptown, a well known salsa joint in the Plaza de Armas. Striding up smoky stairs to the door, I felt confident. I've got some pretty damn good chops now! I can move across the dance floor with out crushing any toes. I should do great!

I I've got to say is damn. Damn the local Cusqueños with the god like grace they possess on the dance floor. I can spin a girl around a couple of times and call it a night. These dancers, keep their partners flying in an orbit like flurry, above, around, and behind each other. I can understand why all the foreign girls were weak in the knees for these guys. Damn it they're professionals. And they're making us gringos look bad! Really, Really Bad. I tried to keep up for a few songs, but what guy doesn't lose confidence in the midst of greatness. I've got to practice...

Lenay confinced me to throw down thirty nine soles on a four hour horse ride. It was fun, but we stink like horse in the internet cafe now. Serious stink. Lenay's horse was directly in front of mine, and was ripping it THE WHOLE TIME. Yes, flagellation. Horses don't smeel pleasant.

The whole ride I was trying to get my horse (Burrito Mayor) to kick it up to a gallop. It was so stubborn that it would not leave the caravan line. Eventually Lenay and I jockeyed ours to the front and took off, along with Vipka, a German girl we met. She has been studying in Cuenca for the last few months, so We reminisced about La Mesa and my beloved Pilsener.

The horse tour took us to several locales. Located at the outskirts of Cusco, La Templo de la Luna features a cave system where the Incas would carve images into stone. I will be returning there. Later in the day, We visited another ancient crag, chalk full of tunnels, God knows how old. It was pretty incredible

Cusco...not Cuzco

I have to say now, I'm really starting to like Cusco. Well, apart form all of the tour operators, preying on me during my walk to school. It's cool, everybody SHOULD bungie jump from a random cliff in Peru! That would be awesome. What it's come down to is me rejecting my anglophonic roots on the streets, fully embracing this education. No hablo ingles amigo. Sorry.

The transportation system in Peru is a long shot away from the DTA. They've got rapid buses in Cusco. Basically it's a full size conversion van filled to the limit. No room to sit? That's okay, you'll just get an opportunity to stretch when you get OFF the bus. Don't sweat it. I've had the wonderful experiences of getting on the wrong bus twice so far. How am I supposed to know where they're going, it's not like they've got a sign! I'll get some bus pics this weekend.

I finished my first week of school (Amauta) today. My weekly schedule is divided between two classes. After making sure that I've dragged my lazy ass out of bed and out the door by eight o'clock, I've either got to catch a rapid bus, of shell out two and a alf soles for a taxi. The taxis here have so far been safe. The trick is to take a certified taxi. If not, I've heard of people getting kidnapped, getting beaten losing their credit card, and their dignity.

Class starts at 8.30, Carla's been helping me brush up on my conversational Spanish. Huge Strides People. I know our accents have been improving, at least a little, because bilingual Peruvians don't always practice their English on us. Ronald, our culture teacher, apart from spending an hour telling us the love story behind his recent marriage, had us give presentations today to practice our new cvocabulary (it's a daily thing).

Pictured is La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús. It is located in the Plaza de Armas, central Cusco. Ground Zero.

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!

Some RetCon

For those of you who missed my earlier albums on FLICKR, here are my twin albums via facebook. Hope you enjoy (again).

-Erik

1. Cuenca
2. Baños
3. Carnaval in Salinas
4. Ingapirca
5. Anaconda Program
6. Liga Game
7. Otavalo
8. Mindo
9. Quito
10. More Quito

Pisco Helps Soroche

For the last 3 days I've been getting acquainted with Cusco, Peru. The culture is fairly different from that in Ecuador. I love Ecuador, and I plan on returning there someday in the near future. But the new culture is refreshing. What's even more refreshing is that I'm living in the cradle of Incan civilization. there are still walls in the city center that were built before the arrival of Franciso Pizarro. You can tell Incan stonework apart by the fact that they didn't use mortar. Every individual stone is cut to fit the wall. Additionally, archeological discoveries didn't end one hundred years ago. Marla, our new instructor, told us that a temple was found beneath the foundations of an office building less than ten years ago. For any history nut, this is the place to be.

Before leaving Quito, we had to get one last look at the city we dearly love. So we took the teleferico, a cable car that climbs the volcano Pichincha to an overall height of 4100 meters. On the way up we met several colombians, a Canadian and a missionary from Arkansas, living in Lima. It took roughly ten minutes to reach the top. The view and the altitude were breathtaking. Walking a path following the crest of the hills, we were literally walking in the heavens. Lenay decided to take full advantage of this.

Getting to Cusco was a little rough. By the time Lenay and I left Quito, our entire host family was battling a bug. Struggling with a cold, coupled with the pollution of a capital city such as Quito, made things a little complicated on the plane. Let's just say that I'm only now getting my hearing back. Getting oneself accustomed to the altitude (3400 meters-or 11000 feet) takes some time. Soroche, or altitude sickness is what we've been coping wiht. This means less running, less drinking (dreadful) and less eating. Because gravity's hold is weaker here, digestion takes longer, and late meals should generally be avoided. Fortunately, Cusceños tell me that a Pisco Sour takes care of that problem nicely.

In Peru, their national currency is the Nuevo Sol. Actually having to exchange our money and judge the rates has been taking a little time to adjust to. Now, one dollar equals 2.86 soles, so I'm paying seven smacks for dinner again. And Mom and Dad, I want you two to know I'm developing a healthy addiction to to Coca! No, not cocaine, but it is the plant! Lacking the chemicals, coca leaves have been used here since before the time of the Incas. Peruvians usually put it in their tea, for energy. It's no different from coffee, but mate de coca does help sorroche!

Lenay and I met our new host family Sunday. Patricia, our host mom is a lawyer, her brother, Juan Antonio owns his own bakery and is a professor of Chinese cuisine. He told me a story about how all his friends beg him to make a ginger and garlic soup. Both being strong aphrodesiacs, it's become a cult favorite among that circle. I'm at an internet cafe with Renato, one of Patricia's sons. He's 19 years old, and attends the university in Lima. We've been pressuring Lenay to watch The Ring all day (unfairly). I opted not to go to the black market with her today....next time.