Cuzco

Well, it looks like this will be my home for the nxt 6 months or so, I´ve got a job and soon will have an apartment in Cuzco  I start work in the beginning of November, teaching about 6 English classes a day, to teenagers and adults.  Below is a little Peruvian dance I saw the other night.

 Exploring Cuzco... in my first days here I got the ¨boleto turistico¨ which costs 130 soles (like $40) and so was able to get into several of the ruins that you may have seen photos of, along with a few museums in Cuzco, and this dance performance that you see above.  I got almost all of the holes on my Boleto punched within the 10 days before it expired.

Some other sites close to Cuzco explored:  the famous Plaza del Armas, where you can´t walk 5 steps without being asked to buy a painting, sign up for a tour, or pay for a massage.  This is where a little boy trapped me into buying a little llama finger puppet, now a close friend of troll´s.  Fortunately it only cost 1 sol. 

When I first arrived in Cuzco I stayed for 3 nights at the Pirwa Backpackers Colonial, where I met lots of great people and some day trip travelling companions.  However, knowing I would be in Cuzco for awhile, I had to find a cheaper housing option for a week or 2.  I found the Hospedaje Paraiso down the street, where they said I could have my own room for 10 soles a night.  That is less than 4 dollars.  Of course, I wasn´t able to meet many other travellers at this place, as most people staying there were locals.  Also, no hot water.  One bathroom shared between all the rooms.  I stuck it out for over a week, but now here I am back at the Pirwa, enjoying hot showers, free internet, free breakfast, and the backpackers social life before heading out for a 5 day trek to Macchu Picchu.

The view from my ¨budget¨hostel... people gathering to read the day´s headlines

My boleto turistico!

My ¨budget¨room... still a private room for less than $4 a night!

It seems like every day in Cuzco there is some sort of parade or celebration.  And every night is a party.  I have already resigned myself to only going out on the weekends (when I start work), though it seems every night of the week the discotecas and bars are packed with tourists and Peruvians.



There are apparently a lot of holy days in October, as you can see a parade with some sort of
Catholic figure (usually Christ!) and a full marching band almost every day! This one actually went right below
my hostel window and woke me up from a nap!




This was some sort of school parade... adorable!



Not even the rain can stop the festivities!  It was POURING and the parade in the plaza still went on!

 

View of Cuzco from above the city.  It is really quite vast, and has a population of around 353,282.  People from all over
Peru move to Cuzco because of the opportunities that the tourism sector here offers for jobs