I really couldn’t be happier that I ended up in Cusco this summer. I find it sad that so many people just come to this city for a few days around a trip to Machu Picchu, because there really is so much to do and see in the city and the surrounding area. I’m lucky that I only work at the school from 9-1 each day, which leaves me with the afternoons to explore the city. Here are some of the things I’ve been up to:
– From the Plaza de Armas, its a short (though strenuous) walk up to Sacsayhuaman, one of the sites with Incan ruins right outside of the city. One day after school, I put on my hiking boots, took the short cab ride to the Plaza and hiked up the many steps to the ruins. The site was cool, but the best part was the view of the entire city from the top. I sat and stared out at the city for a while, which was really nice. Just a 10 minute walk away is Cristo Blanco, a huge statue of Jesus that overlooks the city. I figured I might as well make the hike up there, as well, and the scenery was just as beautiful.
– From the Plaza de Armas, its a short (though strenuous) walk up to Sacsayhuaman, one of the sites with Incan ruins right outside of the city. One day after school, I put on my hiking boots, took the short cab ride to the Plaza and hiked up the many steps to the ruins. The site was cool, but the best part was the view of the entire city from the top. I sat and stared out at the city for a while, which was really nice. Just a 10 minute walk away is Cristo Blanco, a huge statue of Jesus that overlooks the city. I figured I might as well make the hike up there, as well, and the scenery was just as beautiful.
– After purchasing my “Tourist Ticket” to get into Pisac and Ollantaytambo, I figured I should take advantage of the other sites that are included in the price of the ticket. One day, I walked to Pachacutec monument, about 20 minutes from my house, where you can climb up and get a nice view of the city. Next, I kept walking about 30 minutes and made my way to the Plaza de Armas to visit some of the museums. The Regional History Museum wasn’t the most extensive museum I’ve been to, but hey – it was free, I suppose.
– For the past few months, I’ve been itching to start reading more books in Spanish. I know I’ll need something to keep me understanding Spanish when I go back to the States, and I know reading would be a good way to do that. I had asked my host mom where I could find good book stores, and she gave me the name of an area. After some extensive exploring of the area to find the bookstores she could have been talking about, I stumbled upon a store with hundreds of really old books in English that had been translated to Spanish. For 4 soles (less than $2) I picked up “La vuelta al mundo en 80 dias” – Around the World in 80 Days. It’ll be slow to get through it, but at least I have something to read in Spanish!
– One night, my host mom invited Vanessa and I to a dance class with her at her gym. We agreed to go with her, thinking it would be some sort of Salsa class. When we got there, though, we realized that we would be doing kickboxing for an hour with a super intense instructor yelling “AHORA!” [NOW] and “AVANZA” [FORWARD] at us. I had never done a kickboxing class before, so at least I can say my first was in Cusco, Peru!
– Last Wednesday, I made a trip to Pisac to go to their Festival of the Virgen del Carmen with Emma. It was rough trying to find the bus station in Cusco with trips to Pisac, so I ended up being quite late. It was really interesting to see all the dances when I finally made it, though. As the only gringas there, we started the party when one of the men in masks came and asked me to dance with him. Afterwards, 7 of the men tried to take a selfie with Emma and I, and though we’re pretty sure they failed at actually taking the picture, it was quite the experience.
– On our last day in Cusco, Vanessa and I took a trip to Qorikancha – a former Incan temple that was taken over and converted into a church when the Spanish invaded. It had a really cool mix of Incan walls, Spanish architecture and modern coverings to protect the building.
– One night, my host mom invited Vanessa and I to a dance class with her at her gym. We agreed to go with her, thinking it would be some sort of Salsa class. When we got there, though, we realized that we would be doing kickboxing for an hour with a super intense instructor yelling “AHORA!” [NOW] and “AVANZA” [FORWARD] at us. I had never done a kickboxing class before, so at least I can say my first was in Cusco, Peru!
– Last Wednesday, I made a trip to Pisac to go to their Festival of the Virgen del Carmen with Emma. It was rough trying to find the bus station in Cusco with trips to Pisac, so I ended up being quite late. It was really interesting to see all the dances when I finally made it, though. As the only gringas there, we started the party when one of the men in masks came and asked me to dance with him. Afterwards, 7 of the men tried to take a selfie with Emma and I, and though we’re pretty sure they failed at actually taking the picture, it was quite the experience.
– On our last day in Cusco, Vanessa and I took a trip to Qorikancha – a former Incan temple that was taken over and converted into a church when the Spanish invaded. It had a really cool mix of Incan walls, Spanish architecture and modern coverings to protect the building.
– For my last night in South America, Vanessa and I had planned on going salsa dancing, but we ended up playing Jenga all night with our host family. It was sad to say goodbye to them, but I hope to see them again some day :)