Día uno en Cusco

Wow! I am on very little sleep and slightly oxygen deprived at the moment. Arrived in Cusco in the very early AM. Been traveling since Thursday night and ready to be here. Flying into Cuzco was absolutely beautiful-the Andes shrouded in big chunky clouds partly lit by scattered beams of sunlight. I landed and instantly when I got off the plane I felt a difference in my breathing from the altitude. Cusco is 10,000ft above sea level....I've been to Aspen before, but this is a whole new level.

I was met by a representative of the local volunteer organization, Maximo Nivel . We also collected another chica de Estados Unidos, Jessica. After a brief intro and a quick tour of the building in downtown Cusco, we were taken to our homestay at Senor Americo's house. Americo has lived in Cusco his whole life. He welcomed us in and I think both Jessica and I were blown away by the accommodations. Beautiful view, clean house, and Americo es fantastico. So welcoming! He showed us our rooms and fed us some tradicional Peruvian cuisine. He has 2 kids both in their 20s and at university, and a wife who we get to meet Monday night. He speaks un poco English but its great! I think I doubled my Spanish vocabulary in 24 hours. He is very patient. Luckily Jessica speaks quite well and has been translating a bit. I am really really excited to be forced to use Spanish daily.

Although I have been a pescatarian for 11 years I realized that this trip-I am just going with the flow. In the past 48 hours I've had sopa de pollo, sopa con pork I think...not sure what the meat was...haha and breaded chicken...how's that for jumping in? The food is amazing. Many of the dishes contain some form of potato or papa. Papas were originally from Peru......There are 3000 different varities from Peru alone....Ireland eat your heartout! ;-) So far I am impressed by the cuisine. Everything we've been eating is home-cooked and Americo is excited we are eating it and loving it. Apparently the last girl he hosted drank water and shoved tiny morsels around her plate. He hasn't seen anything yet...Me Gusto Comida!! ;-)


Jessica and I walked to the Plaza de Armes after our siesta-the plaza is mostly cobblestone streets surrounded by cobblestone walls and was originally built by the Incas. Esta muy bonito - with a cathedral and a center market. At the market we bargained for homemade goods such as wool purses, fruita and much more, however I must admit, it's really hard to bargain when you're getting a handcrafted wool purse for 3.00 USD ....The dollar goes WAY far here. Cabs cost less than a dollar to go anywhere in town!
On our walk there we traversed through some of the main local markets..there were people EVERYWHERE. I saw a box of baby chickens, kids manning the stores for their parents, a girl carrying a goat in a blanket. I almost felt like I was on a movie set. Buses road by with people packed inside-all wearing multicolored woven wool wraps, and big hats. The faces of the older women on the streets were etched with distinct, deep crevices indicative of either smoking a pack a day for the last hundred years, or being exposed daily to intense sun...I'm guessing the latter.


Cusco has many similarities to San Francisco, steep streets with beautiful views, a rainy season and a dry season, both from Nov-March and then March to Nov. Its altitude keeps it cool at night and when there is sun-esta muy caliente.

We ended the day with getting lost on our way back to the house, even though I was given three maps and a piece of paper with our address by Americo before we left...all conveniently keeping the kitchen table warm back at the house. Luckily we got home before the break of day.

I can't explain it-but my initial instincts tell me that things are aligning and are beginning to point me in some important direction in life-I think I'm going to like it here. :-)

Hasta Manana