San Agustin Internacional Cusco

We arrived in Cusco safe and sound, even after the little incident on the bus, and settled into our hostel. We had heard great things about Cusco and were excited about spending a couple of days in the city. People had told us and we had read that Cusco is the gringo capital of South America and they weren`t wrong, Cusco is unlike any city we have been to in our travels so far, just geared up for tourists with nice restaurants everywhere ...

... has spread not just within Peru itself, but further field thanks to the opening of Peruvian restaurants around the world.

Its diffusion has been spurred on by various initiatives to promote the drink over the years. In 2003 the Peruvian government took a decision to actively promote it both domestically and internationally. This has been implemented through initiatives such as the stipulation that all entities representing the ...

Yo, well hello from the wonderful city of Cusco. After 4 bus rides, 1000+km, countless hours listening to bad Peruvian pop music and two bum cushions later, all I can say is it was worth the wait. The Plaza del Aramas is gorgeous, there are numerous other fine attractions in the city too, the Avenue de Sol, Plaza san Francicsco, the Sexy Woman Inca Ruin to name but a few. After not seeing many other tourists at all in the relative ...

... of visitors arrives. Going up by bus we get the first glance of Machu Picchu between the mountains on its saddle high over the Urubamba River. Upon arrival we start the guided tour of about 2 hours taking us to the most important areas of Machu Picchu. We will learn about the importance – religiously and historically – of the place, and we will be able to appreciate the fine architecture ...

We left Puno and headed to Cusco via coach bus. Our first stop was in Pucara. We stopped into the local museum which, while small, had an extensive amount of information about the civilizations that predated the Incas. There was a good amount of sculptue and pottery on display along with a well organized time line that went back to 10,000 BC. People have been living in the Pucara area for a long time. I would throw a few names of civilzations at you but my brother did not take a ...

... your course on whichever day and date is most convenient for you. We are open all year, including weekends and holidays.
Placement tests and exams
In the first Learn Spanish class the student’s current proficiency is evaluated, and based on these results, which helps us to determine your level of Learn Spanish (if you have some previous knowledge ...

... that the desk is not brown but chestnut - somehow Miriam I don't think I'll be needing the word for chestnut any time soon - so perhaps we can move it along.

That evening we're treated to a free plate of meat in a local carne restaurant. I get chatting to laid back Ian and its all fairly hospitable. That night was quiet and was the last time I can recall not being either drunk or hungover.

Mystic Tass

Class on Tuesday is the usual ...

... constellations, Milky Way and the Southern Cross is particularly significant at Machu Picchu (Reinhard 2002).

The multiplicity of different ceremonial features and groups within the city indicate that it probably hosted a complex schedule of ritual events, celebrations and important gatherings throughout the Inca calendar. The predominance of mountain replication shrines and solstice alignments suggest that the primary spiritual focus at Machu Picchu was mountain worship ...

... out of Hostel Loki. I was clearly on the gringo trail and on the gringo trail chances are high you would bump into anyone you have already bumped into on a previous stop. Seeing that it was still early in the morning, I decided to take a nap. Had a light sleep but was starting to experience bad headaches and some shortness of breath as I was lying down. Found out later that this was all symptoms of soroche – altitude sickness. The ...