Jun 22, 2013 - El campo de las llamas y las alpacas

Hoy hemos trabajando en un campo de llamas y alpacas. Se cepillo la lana de las llamas y las alpacas. Cuando uno llama escupe en la cara de mi amigo, nos reímos hasta que me duele el estomago. Después de nos reímos, caminar en un montón de caca. No se río entonces. Para almuerzo como mucha comida nuevo. Pruebo un escarabajo y no me gusta. Bebo mucha agua para limpiar el sabor.

May 12, 2013 - Routine

Well, I think I’m in ‘routine’ mode now. Every morning I go to work to teach and every afternoon I prepare for another class. But, the good news is that I have picked up another student starting this week. 1-on-1 this time and for 3 days a week for a couple of weeks. I must admit, I really do enjoy the teaching. It doesn’t feel like work at all, even though I’m pretty exhausted at the end of each class. And the other thing that is exhausting is just getting on top of all the English grammar that we weren’t taught at school. I thought I was...

May 6, 2013 - Working Girl

I’m officially a working girl here. Well, in terms of teaching, not the other connotation of ‘working girl’. (Although the second option would definitely pay better!) My students are 3 friends, all in university and all studying tourism. They are supposedly Intermediate level, based on the course work they completed at their school. But, in reality? They are struggling with pre-intermediate stuff. So, the school has agreed to re-do their intermediate course, but fast-tracked. So, that’s what I’m doing with them – cramming a 3 month course...

May 2, 2013 - The emotional ups and downs

It’s been an emotional roller-coaster for the past few days. The school that I nearly had a job with last week sent me an email saying that they weren’t hiring anyone for May because they didn’t have enough students. (Their English language school is just new for them, but their Spanish school has been running for 6 or 7 years). I felt very disappointed. This was the one school that I thought I had a real chance at. As there has been deathly silence from all of the other schools I approached, I was pretty much convinced that the only...

Apr 28, 2013 - The Sacred Valley

Yesterday I took a long trip through the Sacred Valley, stopping at places such as Pisaq, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero. The Sacred Valley is absolutely gorgeous. Bonus is that it is only at 2,800 metres. One of the observations I’ve made is just how much the focus has changed from Spanish history to Quechua history since I first came here in 2000. All the guides I’ve had so far have been Quechua and very determined to promote their culture and beliefs. The other big difference is just the incredible number of tourists there are now. Back in...

Apr 27, 2013 - All the main sites close to Cusco

Thank you to those who sent me their well wishes and concerns for my health. I’m pleased to say that I have fully recovered from whatever the heck I had. A 3-day turn-around is pretty good, especially considering how bad day 1 had been. Anyway, I recovered just in time to finish off visiting all the places on my Tourist Ticket plus more. On the day I became ill, I went to the sites closest to the city: Saqsaywaman (pronounced like ‘sexywoman’); Q’Enqo and Tambomachay. These photos are from the 23rd of April.

Apr 26, 2013 - A lot can happen in 3 days. Or, not much at all.

It feels like forever since the last blog, but I think it’s been only three days – two of which I’ve spent in my room sick as sick can be. I think I got a 48 hour ‘flu. On Wednesday night I went out to dinner with two ladies I had met the day before. (One Aussie and one Swiss). I deteriorated over dinner but thought I was just tired. But by the time I got to my hotel I realised that I was really ill. I had the shivers and shakes and the body felt like it had been hit by a truck. I dosed up on panadol and basically knocked myself out....

Apr 22, 2013 - Continuing With The Tourist Mission

I’ve quite enjoyed getting back into tourist mode here. I’m trying to work my way through the various museums and churches in Cusco as well as re-visiting some of the main Incan sites that I’ve seen before. OK… part of it is due to the fact I had to buy a Tourist Ticket that grants me entry to most places. If I’ve paid for it, I’m gonna see everything it covers even if I’ve seen it before! Mind you, I don’t think I have been to any of the museums in Cusco before. No idea why. As I’ve discovered today, they are pretty good. I won’t bore you...

Apr 21, 2013 - Tipón and the Southern Valley

Still more sites that I hadn’t seen before! Today was a trip out to Tipón, Pikillacta and Andahuaylillas. I couldn’t believe it when I got the same driver and the same guide. (the old guy). Geez. He was hard enough to take for one day, but two? I’m glad I have the capability to ‘switch off’. Seriously, I know that the name of Cusco means Navel of the World. OK already. Enough!!! There were a couple of people from the previous day’s tour on the same tour with me today… they also felt the pain. We stopped off at some ruins called Rumicolca –...

Apr 20, 2013 - Touring Moray and the Salt Mines at Maras

Considering I’ve been to Peru and Cusco three times previously, I managed to find a tour to places that I’ve not visited before. Today was a trip out to Moray and the Salt Mines at Maras. You gotta love the complicated way that Peruvians organise themselves. I used a travel operator located about 3 doors down from my hotel. I was to meet there at 9.00am. In my head, that meant that once I’m there I’d get picked up in a bus and we go. In reality… not quite that way… I got to the office on time. About 9.15 I was escorted by a young woman to...

Apr 19, 2013 - The Happenin's In Cusco

Well, I’ve been here in Cusco for 3 or 4 days now. So, what’s been happening? I put on my ‘work clothes’ and took my resume to two schools one morning only to find out that the directors don’t start working until after 4.00pm. So, then I repeated the exercise at 4.00pm. The first school, my number one target, just took my résumé and said that there’s nothing for May, so maybe in June. They’ll get in touch. (The woman was a bit brash quite frankly, so that school has become my last school of choice). But at the second school, the lady was...

Apr 17, 2013 - Wandering Around Cusco

I flew into Cusco yesterday afternoon and pretty much immediately felt the effects of being at altitude. Not badly, thankfully, but just getting my bag out of the plane’s overhead locker left me puffed. Good reminder. Move and walk S L O W L Y. And then walking to the taxi I felt the weird tingling in all four limbs. The only way to describe it is weird. You aren’t “quite right”, but there’s nothing really wrong either. The hotel is lovely. And I was wrapped to find myself upgraded to a mini-suite. (Basically a double sized room that can...