June 3: The Donkey and Monkey Saved Me

I've been in Cusco now for almost 24 hours, and I love it! The flight here from Lima was absolutely stunning! The gray, foggy, dismal Lima day became a sea from which the beautiful Andean mountains extended into the bright blue sky.

The kitchen and dining room

Carne, plátanos fritos y arroz

Mona--my new dog

When I arrived in Cusco, I had an easy time finding my taxi driver who took me to the Maximo Nivel offices. From there, I went to my new home! I live in a beautiful house that also functions as a bakery and catering service. There are a bunch of beautiful women (inside and out) who live here, and they're all related (somehow)... Martha and her mother Delia and her niece Sonia and her aunt Martha and others that float in and out. Also, there are three Americans here that are also doing programs with Máximo Nivel. I've met (and spent all my time with) two of them, Camden and Kris(ten), and Sabrina is the third, who is traveling this weekend.

The bakery portion of the house

Yesterday, Camden and Kris took me around the city a bit. They showed me how to get to Máximo Nivel from our home. We also detoured and found el Museo de Choco (Chocolate Museum) where I happily enjoyed free chocolate samples and a HUGE brownie ice cream sundae. Between living in a bakery and the frequent heladerías (ice cream shops) and panaderías (bakeries) on the streets, I think I'll do just fine with the food here!

So how did the Donkey and Monkey save me? Well, on my way home from Maximo Nivel yesterday, I got a little lost--all the streets still look the same! Except for one street which has these two brightly lit restaurants, Donkey and Monkey, and I remembered them from my walk to Maximo Nivel. Thus, I was able to avoid wandering through unfamiliar, congested streets, and I found my way back home!

Today, we walked around even more, finding all sorts of neat shops, museums, restaurants, festivals, markets, and parks. I'm adjusting just fine to the altitude. I'm drinking plenty of coca tea and water and "resting". The primary symptom I have is only shortness of breath, but it's already getting better, as I had no trouble walking 10+ miles today!

Breakfast--peach "jugo" and egg sandwich

What they make while I eat breakfast

There's so much more to talk about--I love the people and I love the food. I hate the transportation and the corrupt government situation and the danger of being a pedestrian. Yesterday, we saw the police grab a woman and take her stand away. She probably didn't have the permit she needed. Kris's Spanish teacher told her that a lot of times the police who take the stuff just distribute it among themselves, and she's left with nothing. It's sad.

Learning to be a pedestrian is perhaps the most important skill I've picked up. Here, pedestrians are NOT always right. No one yields to pedestrians, even when there's a crosswalk and the light shows the little green walking guy. It's just like playing Frogger if you're familiar with the game.

After eight hours of walking today, we are hanging out in the living room now having a jam session with the new instruments Kris and Camden bought today. Kris bought a new guitar, and Camden bought a zampoña! ¡Hasta luego!