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..
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