Friday evening...
Not too much to report, really. The town is still a party: music, dancing, tonight there are also fireworks and a free concert of popular peruvian music.
One of my highlights yesterday was a hot shower! I also wandered around Cusco, sightseeing, and actually found a little cafe with no tourists, and a menu only in Spanish. It was a bit of a relief-this festival is the biggest event of the year, with tourists from all over the world here. After class, the school offered a free class on local music and we learned about sikus, and even got to play them! It is hard to describe, but 2 sets of pipes bound together that you blow into, and local to the region. It was actually pretty fun to learn and I think they sell sikus in town! After that I went out for dinner.My new dining experience was chicha morada-purple beer made from corn! It was actually quite delicious-apparently the stuff from yellow corn isn{t as good. I wasn{t adventurous enough to order the quy, or guinea pig, which is quite common here. I couldn{t get the picture of the one I saw on the travel channel, standing on a plate, head and all, out of my head. One member of our group did order it, and it arrived lying down and headless.
Today is the Cusco{s birthday, apparently. There were more dancers, tourists, locals, schoolkids, and street vendors in the square than ever! I met Sadie (someone I met from England) in the plaza and we went to the Museo Inka, which I thought was pretty interesting. There was even an exhibit with mummies! I had my last class of the week this afternoon. Next: dinner somewhere (they eat so LATE here! I{m starving!) and then down to the plaza for the evenings festivities.
Tomorrow Sadie and I are meeting in the plaza early. They sell tourist tickets here that get you into about 10 places, so we will see what we can get to. Sunday is the REALLY big party, Inti Raymi, which starts in the plaza and then moves to ruins called Sacsayhuaman (pronounced "sexy woman"). Again, pictures to follow! I do miss you all at home, so now say hi even if it IS to criticize my punctuation....but hey, I found parentheses and quotes today! Love to you all!
One of my highlights yesterday was a hot shower! I also wandered around Cusco, sightseeing, and actually found a little cafe with no tourists, and a menu only in Spanish. It was a bit of a relief-this festival is the biggest event of the year, with tourists from all over the world here. After class, the school offered a free class on local music and we learned about sikus, and even got to play them! It is hard to describe, but 2 sets of pipes bound together that you blow into, and local to the region. It was actually pretty fun to learn and I think they sell sikus in town! After that I went out for dinner.My new dining experience was chicha morada-purple beer made from corn! It was actually quite delicious-apparently the stuff from yellow corn isn{t as good. I wasn{t adventurous enough to order the quy, or guinea pig, which is quite common here. I couldn{t get the picture of the one I saw on the travel channel, standing on a plate, head and all, out of my head. One member of our group did order it, and it arrived lying down and headless.
Today is the Cusco{s birthday, apparently. There were more dancers, tourists, locals, schoolkids, and street vendors in the square than ever! I met Sadie (someone I met from England) in the plaza and we went to the Museo Inka, which I thought was pretty interesting. There was even an exhibit with mummies! I had my last class of the week this afternoon. Next: dinner somewhere (they eat so LATE here! I{m starving!) and then down to the plaza for the evenings festivities.
Tomorrow Sadie and I are meeting in the plaza early. They sell tourist tickets here that get you into about 10 places, so we will see what we can get to. Sunday is the REALLY big party, Inti Raymi, which starts in the plaza and then moves to ruins called Sacsayhuaman (pronounced "sexy woman"). Again, pictures to follow! I do miss you all at home, so now say hi even if it IS to criticize my punctuation....but hey, I found parentheses and quotes today! Love to you all!
Comments
However, I must agree with you on not eating the guinea pig.