Darkest Peru

Leaving Kat and Bruno's entailed another set of crazy flying. We took off around 12.45am from Salvador, got to Sao Paulo a little while later and had lots of airport joy time to waste until the next flight at 8.30am. Not easy to sleep. Then a flight to Lima in Peru, a very hasty rush through baggage, immigration and customs and leaping onto the flight to Cusco with half a million other tourists (there was another flight to Cusco leaving from the next gate 10 mins later). I was feeling too sick to see the landing, but apparently it was amazing. Cusco is a sight to see, to be sure, although upon landing the main concern was the whole breathing issue. Cusco is about 3,400 metres above sea level and they offer oxygen shots in the airport when you arrive (we didn't get one for some reason - we were too busy running the gauntlet of taxi drivers wanting our business). Paul had his first effort at haggling with a taxi driver. He was good, but made the classic beginner's mistake of telling the guy straight off the lowest price he would go to. So of course we couldn't get lower than 5 soles higher than that.

Armed with instructions to find our next couch-surfer host, we trundled through town to find that it's actually a really small place. After a little bit of getting lost (we're learning to appreciate the idea of agreeing a price first in a taxi, rather than watching an ever-ascending meter price) we found Juan Carlos's house. It was behind a brightly painted iron gate, and turned out to be an old Kindergarten. Perhaps one of the strangest couches we've surfed yet. Juan Carlos came to meet us, and you couldn't hope for a nicer guy. He rents this old Kindergarten from the owners, and keeps one or two rent-paying housemates, the rest of the rooms he fills with couch surfers. He explained that a while ago he was obliged to spend a few months living in America, but didn't have any money or job or anything. He found a couchsurfer, and was planning to stay with a new one each week. But when he explained his plan to her, she said that an old relative of her's was going to Europe for 5 months and needed someone to house-sit her (huge) house for very little rent. Soon after another couch surfer contact said he knew someone with 15 websites that needed updating and sorting out, and would pay higher than the average as well. So within very little time he had a home, a job, and friends. He's been giving back to couchsurfing ever since. He's kind of the King of Couchsurfing in Cusco.

That evening (struggling for breath and feeling a bit faint), he took Paul and I, and a guy from Hong Kong called Richard, to a weekly CS meet-up that he organises. This is the first time we've been to one of these (they happen everywhere), and it was great to meet fellow CSers! We even had our first dose of Coca leaf tea to help counteract the altitude sickness. The next morning we took a walk into Cusco (Juan Carlos lives in a neighbourhood called San Sebastian, which is about an hour's walk from the town centre) which was quite a struggle due to the oxygen thing, but we're training ourselves for the trek. We had our Inca Trail briefing, which was all very exciting, and got given some garish yellow t-shirts for trek souvenirs. Lovely.

Juan Carlos also runs a volunteering project, Peru 109, which many couchsurfers who stay with him participate in while they are here. So in the afternoon Paul and I, one of JC's volunteers we'd met the night before (Kelly), and a new CS arrival, Liz, went to a domestic violence shelter to help out for a few hours. It was amazing to see the work they do there, and frustrating that there could be so much more good done. Paul and I got the fiddles out to the delight of the kids who were fascinated. Afterwards they all wanted a turn on the fiddles, and a go with the camera, and a shot at wearing my sunglasses.

We also did the now traditional Gay Gordons lesson with Juan Carlos, and then we had a go at teaching the kids and their mums a dance. It was hilarious. It was Kelly's last day, so there was also fizzy drink to be had (including something ghastly and fluorescent yellow called Inca Kola, which tastes a lot like Irn Bru), crisps, and toys given out. All very exciting. The kids were so much fun and so curious about everything - it was frustrating not to be able to do more! I think they get to meet a lot of new people as Juan Carlos often brings CSers to see them. Must be great for them.

That evening we watched Cusco by sunset, went for a beer in an English pub (it had a balcony where we could look over the main Plaza, ok?) and JC, Kelly, Liz and I drank lots of wine while Paul cooked us a fab bolognese. Today we made another mission into Cusco to be proper tourists. And it really is Gringo-tastic. Europeans everywhere, and a Peruvian for each one trying to find ways to part them with their cash. That sounds cynical, but we represent a vast mine of gold to them, and they'll do anything to get it off us. We felt quite hassled, but we'd harkened the warning of the Scottish couple in Foz and so were prepared. Aside from the usual beggars, we were accosted by people trying to lure us into their restaurants, people wanting to sell jewellery, paintings, Peruvian woollens, and offering massages. Oh, and of course Macchu Pichu treks. But if you immune yourself to all that, then you can appreciate the breath-taking architecture and overall beauty of the place. I could look at some of those buildings all day. We did a token visit to the Inca museum (although it was mostly in Spanish, but the artefacts were nice) and then discovered a huge covered market. It had everything - including all the big piles of fruit, veg, and meat you'd expect. My favourite was all the little juice bars which took up rows of the market, and long tables where you could sit and eat all sorts of food which came out of big cauldrons guarded by old ladies. Hopefully we'll go back there soon for lunch. And there were LOTS of potatoes. If only Scott was here...

That's it for now. Tonight some more new CS arrivals are doing a BBQ, and then there's been a hint of going out to play music with a Peruvian musician we met last night. We'll have to see. Peru is vastly different again from all the other places we've been to in South America, and I'm looking forward to discovering more of it! (Even though we are on the complete typical tourist trail. It's a tourist trail for a reason, I suppose!)