Blogs from Sacred Valley, Cusco, Peru, South America - page 19

As the week went by I felt more confident and settled about the teaching... I felt a bit nervous during the first few lessons, but I find that confidence grows quickly. I stuck to the theme of sports and games with all off the classes for the remainder of the week... gradually refining the lesson I was giving. I got the classes to do some fun activity focus excercises too, such as charades with sports. I made a few learning's this week, such as: don´t hand out a worksheet and then try and explain it (they wont be listening!), and encountered a few problems, ie when you teach the verb ´to play´you run the risk of having kids writing 'I like playing horse riding', if the conditions aren´t clarified. Because I hadn´t been sure exactly what ... read more

I spent my first weekend in the small town of ´Paucartambo´at the ´fiesta de Carmen´, a traditional Peruvian festival. I went with Anna (the other TAPA volunteer staying at Lola´s) and Carmen (who acted as our guide, most useful!). Paucartambo is a 3 hour minibus ride from Cuzco, (Cuzco itself is 2-3 hours drive from Ollantay), along a very dusty mountain dirt-track. It was pretty hairy looking out from inside the minibus, when bearly a meter to our left was a sheer drop! The fiesta got underway on Saturday afternoon, when ´the Carmen´ (see pic) was brought out from the church, (accompanied by a band, military presence and the carnival of elaborately-dressed locals), to begin it´s day-long tour of the town. I was really impressed by the effort that had clearly gone into preparing the event, ... read more

The tout in Cusco (the main tourist town in these parts) assured us there was no way of getting to the Sacred Valley except by taking his 'official' tour, so, being seasoned scam spotters, we promptly dismissed his overtures and wandered down to the local bus station and got on the first bus for $1 and, lo and behold, it went all the way to and through the Sacred Valley! Mind you, getting back at the end of the day was a bit of a nightmare as hundreds of people were waiting for the bus (which was only small) and when it arrived the respectable queue of customers transformed itself into a mad scrum that would have struck fear into the New Zealand rugby team! And like the rugby ball we were propelled into the centre ... read more

- FOOD: The best hot chocolate in the world in Jack's Cafe. After a lovely crackling and alpaca starter in a posh restaurant, the Peruvian delicacy, guinea pig, was ordered. Luckily arrived not in it's usual form of legs sticking up and head attached. Strong meat, but picky and fatty. A once only experience. - AREA: Big market selling lots of food and crafts. Easy to barter! Amazing Inca ruins through relatively unused routes, with so many terraces. Stonework better than Machu Picchu dare I say it. Very impressive cathedral back in Cuzco - with NICE statues but a Tiger Lily type band playing haunting but funny sounding music! - PEOPLE: Very nice and friendly. But lots dressed up traditionally, holding baby llamas to get soppy tourists like me to take photos of them - for ... read more

So from Arequipa to Cuzco. Another bus journey where the bus companies swear blind it will take 8 hours when your guide book says 12. So 12 it is. The bus actually broke down in Juliaca for an hour after which the driver drove like a maniac around these winding roads to make it in 12 hours. Not very reassuring when the local newspaper is all about a bus having overturned with 67 passengers and numerous deaths had incurred..... Arrived in Cuzco tired and fed up to be accosted by people offering accommodation. This is not such an unusual sight in South America. It is just these were very persistent with a woman grabbing hold of Jessica after I had politely told her No Gracias 3 times. Little was I to know that this would be ... read more