Saturday, December 15, 2012

El Cusqueño

Today is Saturday and currently I am sitting in a vegetarian restaurant called El Encuentro below the San Blas neighborhoods of Cusco. For some reason this city has an abundant veggie scene and this specific restaurant has one of the best lunch menus in town. For the equivalent of about $3 a person receives soup, an unlimited salad bar and a usually pretty interesting main course with a side beverage of tea. Sorry to go on about food but currently I am starving haha and this place is very addicting even for people who enjoy meat.

A fairly decent amount of time has passed by since the previous post in this blog and for that I apologize. It's been close to two weeks since writing and each day has been filled with learning more about Peruvian culture while wandering the colonial streets of Cusco. I have been working about 35 hours a week as a receptionist for the Pirwa Colonial Backpackers and this has been one of the most rewarding experiences of the trip. Being in an entirely Peruvian operated establishment I am the token Caucasian working within the hostel's confines and through time have been given the exclusive duties of luggage storage, checkouts, laundry paperwork, and being a quasi events coordinator. Working here has been hard yet fun at the same time because none of the other employees know how to speak English and the learning curve has been sharp at times. After two weeks my Spanish has improved substantially and sometimes there will be entire days without saying a word of English. The people who work here are hilarious and it's been fun learning about how locals interact with one another.

Life in Cusco will continue until about January 3rd because December is a really busy month for Pirwa. Christmas is coming and the place is buzzing with decorations and preparations for a hopefully a big New Years Party is under way. The original plan was to reach Argentina before the end of the year but leaving the hostel before then would put the place in a unfavorable situation and so an agreement was made to stay until things slow down. This isn't too bad because Cusco knows how to have a good time and it will be an opportunity to improve speaking the native language.

Besides working behind the counter of Pirwa life outside of the hostel has consisted of exploring new food places and historical sites of the city by day then dancing with friends to the sounds of Reggaeton and Latin pop music by night. Some really good clubs in Cusco consist of Mama Africa, Mythology, and Temple with each having their own unique atmosphere. Cafes like Kushka...Fe, Muse, and The Laggard help give this place a bohemian feel without escaping its traditional roots. Cusco overall is a pretty expensive city for Peruvian standards especially if you stick around the main plazas but there are some hidden gem restaurants that offer a lot of food at very low prices. One place is called Lions and it has best deal I've seen anywhere. Walking an extra blog away from the touristy part of the city can easily save you half the price in some situations.

Last week some friends and I went at saw a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band at a dive bar called 7 Angelitos and last night our hostel successfully initiated a ping pong tournament that ended with dancing at the club Temple. Yesterday was also filled with a hike to Saqsaywaman, an Inka ruin that sits above the city and is literally pronounced as "Sexy Woman".Being an employee of Pirwa has been interesting because other backpackers come to you for questions about trekking tours or places to find a cheap lunch and it has been fun showing new friends where some of the cool places in Cusco are located.

More updates will be on the way but until then I hope you are doing well and have a great rest of your day! Happy Holidays, stay in school, and don't ever ever try Alpaca breast milk...haha just kidding but seriously..




Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Machu Piccu and Cusco Corners

Today is Monday and for the past week I have been living in or around the former Inca capital city of colonial-style Cusco. Since arriving on an strenuous overnight bus from the deserts Nazca, a great deal of changes to the trip itinerary have taken place.

The original game plan was to relax at the low key Pirwa Colonial Backpackers which is located along La Plaza De San Francisco, tucked within the heart of the cities' historical district, for a few days then hiking Machu Piccu. After booking a two day tour of the Inca ruins a friend from the hostel who was working as a receptionist got fired. Having already been interested in possibly searching for a hostel gig either in Cusco or Buenos Aires, an impulse decision prompted me to ask to take his place. Within minutes I was now a member of the Pirwa Backpackers and now I am going to be working alongside an entirely Peruvian hostel staff for the next few weeks.

After landing the job I took a collectivo bus the next morning en route to Agua Caliente, the base village that sits below Machu Piccu. After a foggy cliff-ridden six hour ride and a two hour hike a small group of other travelers and myself arrived in Agua Caliente, ate a nice dinner, then woke up the next morning at 4:30am to summit the mountain. The hike was intense with massive vertical gains and took almost two hours. Machu Piccu is as beautiful as its reputation and the trek was the most rewarding experience of this entire trip by far. The views felt very alien and I feel extraordinarily lucky to have been there. By the way, thank you everyone for the birthday wishes it really means a lot!

Since hiking the Piccu life in Cusco has revolved around working as a reception assistant in a primarily Spanish speaking hostel and exploring the cities cobbled streets, cafes, food, and never resting night life. Some really good friends have been in town and we have dabbled in the dancing scene a few times which has been a great experience. Cusco has showcased some great music and everyday there are opportunities to vibe to great sounding DJs or live bands. Also some very cool couchsurfing friends have been made since arriving and it has helped me gain a better understanding of the Cusco culture. I will be here for a few more weeks then heading straight to Argentina to try some meat...
I hope everyone is doing well and have a great day!