Today we met our new friend, "Dennis", in the plaza and he showed us the local market. It was an exciting kind of place with dead animals hanging around for sale to eat. Ewww. The rest of the market was colorful with people selling fruit and flowers and little trinkets. I bought a few things but mainly I just walked around staring at everything....

April 4 Well, anoth** day of nursing Surekha and pretending I have a doctors degree from the medical univ**sity of Lusaka, *****ia. The patient seems to be getting bett** so we have taken the chance and booked the long awaited small plane flight ov** the Nazca lines for tomorrow morning. When I say th**e really is nothing to do h**e in Nazca ple...

My Colca Canyon Trekking has left me with very sore knees.I am walking with a very noticeable limp. I arrive at the Loki Backpackers Hostel in Cusco only to discover that it is at the top of a very step hill (could be a line in an Alanis Morissette song ). I only manage short tours around Cusco before my knees make me return to the hostel which ...

Hola Dears, I know it is Erev Yom Kippur but this is the Southern Hemisphere and not yet evening (although I should have probably been in or after the Arucha Mafseket had I planned to fast). And now to the travel part. I think I left you somewhere on the Puno-Cusco way, so here goes... Puno to Cusco (17/Sep): We had planned to go with one of the...

Everything has been changing the last couple days and I am starting to get settled into my new life. I started my TEFL class and moved into my new apartment yesterday. There is a lot going on, and I think it will all prove to be a great experience. My TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course goes Monday - Friday, 9am-3pm with an hour...

ANOTHER picturesque train ride took us back to Cusco. The sun set during the journey and entering the city by night and descending through the steep sided city on the zig-zagging 'switchback' gave us an interesting view of life in the suburbs. After climbing the steep steps to our hostel we collapsed into bed with aching legs. Our hostel had a f...

Friday, Day 4 Puno to Cusco On the eight hour bus ride to Cusco from Puno we will climb to the town of La Raya at 14,000 feet, with a view of snow capped Chimboya mountain at 19,000 feet.. For comparison Ohio is at 850 feet, Mt. Rainier in Washington state is at 14,000 feet. Cusco is at 11,000 feet. Around Lake Titicaca is fertile delta land whe...

On Monday I woke up late, happy in the knowledge that my classes don´t start until the afternoon this week! The benefit of being considered an `intermediate` Spanish student. This is my final week in Cusco before I fly to Quito in Ecuador, to go to the Galapagos islands on Sunday for a 10 day cruise. Deciding to lunch at a different restaurant e...

Holy Shiite Muslims. I have SUCH the throbbing headache! Not from partying or fabulous late nights or even from shopping myself into a stupor. It´s altitude sickness that has it´s claws in me. I´m in Cuzco, Peru and maxin´and relaxin´ at 3,300 meters above sea level. Remind me never to climb Everest. I arrived at this colonial heaven in the sky ...

Where have the last two weeks gone! I can't believe how much has happened in such a short time. In Cusco attempting to learn Spanish, really feel like the special needs child in the class, my brain has not had to work this hard sice someone attempted to teach me O'level maths in 1984! (unsuccessfully I might add). Cusco is so beuatiful and despi...