Cusco is a terrifying. Beautiful, captivating, fun yet terrifying. Walking around I clutch my bag so tightly my knuckles turn white. Never, in this city, can you be off guard. The men here are also very different then in the United States. No filter when it comes to talking to young woman. Again, guard is always up.
Living at the hostel is an adventure all in its own. I have learned that young travelers LOVE to party. Its something new every night. My first day living here I met Claudette. A Brazilian English teacher on vacation. We connected right away and have been doing everything together. Eating, dancing, exploring. My new best friend :) I particularly like the hostel because I get to meet amazing people each day. And each person with a new story, a different life, a separate culture. Lots of Europeans. Not so many North Americans.
It's truly incredible how each new person you meet somehow, from that point on, is intertwined into your life in some way or another. Whether it's a story they tell you that you never forget or a lesson they unconsciously teach you, that person has added to the different strands that make you, you, even if you remember some people more then others.
So far my favorite thing about Cusco is the live music. Claudette and I should be labeled the Goddesses of discovering local bands. Every night we wander and end up finding a great live performance to be apart of. It is so inspiring watching people perform in small, local places and be completely content doing it. Even if the venue is no Madison square garden. On Friday night the Milhouse (hostel I'm staying at) had a band playing at the bar. They played a bunch of Jimmy Hendrix songs and left me speechless after each one. I also ran into my Canadian friend Michael who I met last weekend! Him and his friends were staying at the Milhouse a few more nights between journeys. I was so stoked to see him again (the others were asleep already). Towards the end of the show the band invited anyone who sang or played guitar to come join them on stage. I had mentioned to Claudette that I sing, so she pushed me up to the band. They played No Woman, No Cry by Bob Marley which I only know the main verse from. I was shaking so badly but sang my heart out anyways. I'm a Peruvian star now ;) After their last song the bass player came over to me with a beer, I kindly rejected the drink but got to talking. He invited Claudette and I to his next venue a little later. Needless to say we gathered Michael and Claudette's friend and adventured over to our next event of the night. We ended up at a bar where there were pretty much only locals. The new band was playing some sort of African tribal music. A little unexpected but hey, when life throws you a curveball, gotta go with it right? Needless to say I danced my gringa ass of like there was no tomorrow until my hunger was too much to bear. While putting my sandals on to go grab food, one of the older men at the show came over and took my shoe and tried to put it on me himself. I kept asking him not too but this did not sway his perseverance to get my shoe on. He then started kissing my foot which made me want to throw up (I hate feet and despise people touching them). Finally, after shooing the man away Michael and I escaped to go hunting for 2am street food. After what seemed like an eternity and a can of Pringles we stumbled upon a woman making burgers/sandwiches on the sidewalk. Egg, chicken, burger, little crunchy things that looked like fun size French fries, lettuce and onion = best sandwich that has ever made its way into my mouth. It might of have been the fact I would have eaten a dead bird off the side of the road at that point, but I'm convinced it was a sandwich sent from above. Thus, concluding my first Friday night out on the town.
Free. The word free is my absolute best friend right now (bread comes as a close second), sorry Claudette ;) Living on a budget is not something I'm used to, but this trip is all about learning and growing so I'm trying to embrace my daily allowance with open arms. The Milhouse had a free walking tour on Saturday morning so I decided to go. Can't resist the word free right? I learned all about daily life and more recent culture. I also learned that last weekend I ate cow heart. Hmmm, who would have known the woman grilling meat outside the club was serving people cow heart... Saturday night Claudette and I went to a bar again to see a band that was covering a well known Brazilian band, Manu Chao. Yet another phenomenal performance. The after show, not so much. The lead singer kept trying to dance with me, and after following me into the bathroom to make me Salsa with him, I decided it was time go. Claudette and I then went to the Temple (same club from last weekend) and I danced until my heart practically collapsed. I think I will stay in for most of my nights here now. It's a very different scene and I find it hard to enjoy myself with the constant glare of men and groping that I receive. I love the dancing and the live music but it's not the same when it's uncomfortable to move your hips or close your eyes and get lost in the essence of a song.
Sunday morning I ran into Michael and Lindsay as they were checking out and heading to breakfast. I tagged along and said my second goodbyes. Good luck you guys in all your adventures and have fun surfing! On the way back to Milhouse I ran into my new friend from Holland (who for the life of me, I cannot remember the name of) and we went to the market in Pisaq, a village about 45 minutes from Cusco. After dinner with Claudette and our new roommate, Cynthia, a French translator traveling from Canada, I ran back to the hostel and made them turn on the Broncos vs. Chiefs game. I was the only North American at the bar and everyone was making fun of me for liking such a "boring", "confusing" sport. It is also a big insult to call it football, I HAD to say North American football or I was reprimanded. The Broncos slayed, which was great for my Colorado pride. I played a few rounds of blackjack with Claudette and our other Brazilian and Holland friends.
I applied for a different orphanage today and find out tomorrow if I get to volunteer there, keeping my fingers crossed! I got a job at the hostel as well and will start working at the bar. It's nice because I get my room for free and get to hang out with the staff, who are really cool. Things are all falling into place and I'm just going where the Peruvian wind is taking me.
Thanks everyone for your support and keeping up with my blog, it means a lot. I promise once I find a computer with a USB, pictures will be uploaded!
