Blogs from Pisac, Cusco, Peru, South America - page 2

Today we started at 6am, heading to San Pedro Creek and the Parque Nacional Manu to stay in the Manu Eco Lodge called Tambo Paititi in the cloud forest. Being a tropical rainforest, we weren't surprised when it begun to rain as we began the 50km cycle ride to the lodge. Unfortunately, i didn't manage to get my waterproofs on in time so i was wet through in no time. Now for all those of you, me included in this, that own 'mountain' bikes, the terrain we were cycling on was what these were built for. There was not an inch of ground that was flat, rocks stones, boulders formed the obstacle course that was our road. Having said that we still travelled faster than the car behind us. Some of the track made me shake ... read more

I had my first training session in Calca which is about 30 minutes by bus from pisac. It was one of my favourite sessions so far despite the children having the attention spans of a gold fish. I suppose I’ll let them off though seeing as they were only 5 and 6. Anyway, me and Nico were in charge of 10 kids and we organised a few dribbling, shooting and passing drills with various levels of success although the kids seemed to enjoy themselves whatever which was good. That evening I went out with Jose (a brother) and his wife Suzy and daughter Ariana to a chicken restaurant owned by his cousin. Was really nice apart from the chicken foot in my soup which I did not particularly enjoy. Slimy outside crunchy inside. Weird! Don’t recommend ... read more

It is nice to be finally blogging from Peru! It was a very long journey but I did eventually make it. My flights all went to plan which was very nice although the zip of my rucksack did break in madrid meaning I had to carry it like a football for the rest of the trip. A bit of a faff but oh well. When I did get to Cusco we drove to Urumbamba to drop of a different volunteer which I thick is further from pisac than cusco but never mind. The drive was actually quite fun. Got to see some of the spectacular building and scenery in Peru. I have not taken many photos yet but I have plenty of time for that. Took a couple from the plane but you can't see much. ... read more

Carolina, Bri, Xavier and I went on a tour of the Valle Sagrado. The van picked us up sharply at 8 o clock. We had no expectations, other than lunch was supposed to be provided. Our tour guide, Puma, was a friendly guy who spoke English, French, Spanish and Quechua. As we drove by Sacsayhuaman (pronounced ‘sexy woman’) he talked about the history, geography and culture. For example , the word ‘Inca’ refers really only to the king, not to the culture. The culture (and language) is Quechua. Also, Cusco should really be pronounced ‘Cosco’, because it refers to the Quechua word for ‘navel’ as in ‘the navel of the world’, which is what this city is supposed to be. As opposed to ‘cusco’ which was the Spanish Conquistador’s word for ‘little dog’. Interesting stuff. Anyway, ... read more

I hit the market early that day to check out the merchandise. It was a beautiful, sunny day and I couldn't resist the temptation to bring my camera along to photograph all the gorgeous colors and textures. Markets are one of my favorite events to attend while traveling. The hustle and bustle of the organized chaos is endearing. I am always eager to be included. Visiting a local market is very revealing of the culture; a great place to learn about the food and textiles. Market day in Pisac is held every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.... read more