This will probably be my last email written on Peruvian soil. My final closing email about this adventure will follow once I am back home in England.My last few days in Cusco have been equally as enjoyable as before. On Monday as soon as I arrived in Plaza de Armas many of the children appeared and managed to convince me to buy another lot of finger puppets. When I said I now had more than they did and could sell them for 1 sole apiece in the Plaza they dissolved in fits of laughter! I met the mother of two of the children and her two year old daughter still carried in the traditional way on her back. I asked her to show me how to put the baby in the cloth and arrange it on her back and she happily obliged. It really is an excellent way to carry babies.
Later in the afternoon I went to visit Gorky and Lydia, this time accompanied by about 9 little shadows (all of whom managed to persuade me to buy an icecream, the word having spread about the gringa willing to buy lots of finger puppets and buy icecreams as well!). Later the children enjoyed rushing off to buy bread rolls which we all enjoyed feeding to the pigeons. Whilst doing so a really scruffy tramp walked by and grabbed as many pieces of the pigeon's bread as he could. This is really unusual in Cusco where everyone even the children earn a little something from the tourists. The children could scarcely believe it.
Having bought another couple of CDs as well, Gorky told me about a shop where really good andean music is available and offered to take me and he was right; the variety of CDs on offer was amazing. After skimming over the multitude I have in my collection already I whittled it down to 6 CDs and after listening to a song or two from each CD settled on 3 albums which are really brillient and so obscure as to be unobtainablefrom Europe.
In the evening five of us went to a picanteria, which is a typical restaurant where even the poorest Peruvian can afford to go. As well as Gorky and Lydia, their friend Rudolf (the one who recognised me in Chincheros market) and his wife came along. Picanteria Chincana was situated quite high up in the town in the direction of Tica Tica and it is doubtful that any tourist would ever find it as it was accessed via a doorway and through a huge courtyard. We had a lovely time there. At first I was dismayed that every single thing on the menu contained beef, apart from a soup made of chicken's feet or another soup made of sheep's head - both of which I declined even more avidly than the thought of beef!!!! But they managed to produce some chicken from somewhere and although the others were drinking chicha, the two women the strawberry version of chicha called 'frutillada', the guy went out and came back with a litre of Cusquena beer for me. At the end of the evening the five meals, 4 pints of chicha, the litre of premium beer and 2 pints of frutillada came to well under 6 quid - amazing eh!
On Tuesday I made my way into Cusco centre again. I wanted to visit the ancient instrument museum I visited last August and Gorky accompanied me, walking past the stone of 12 sides and the magnificently dressed Inca nearby who poses for photos for a tip. We were just trying to ascertain where the museum actually was when Juan's friend Alfredo arrived. He works in a museum in Lima and sometimes at this museum in Cusco so soon led us to it. Inside I was eager to see what music was on offer, knowing that here more than anywhere else one can find the really indigenous music from the countryside. After listening to a great number of CDs I finally settled on four really brilliant ones, and wrote a list of another 5 to obtain later. We then returned to the shop and then Gorky, Lydia and I went to one of my favourite restaurants on Plateros, called La Fogon, and enjoyed an excellent lunch for just 1.50 per head (complimentary buffet salad, lamb and veg soup, roast lamb with roast potatoes, a chicha morada dessert and a chicha morada drink, and even buying another jar of chicha morada to share the bill came to just 5 pounds. All enjoyed on the balcony in warm sunshine.
Afterwards we walked to nearby Plaza de Armas and rested for about an hour in the warm sunshine. Whilst there Gorky told me the very interesting story about how the pealing part of the bell in the cathedral disappeared about a hundred years before. In those days the sound of that bell could be heard more than 20 kilometres away, but today's version can only be heard a few blocks away. The richness of that peal dates back to when a Spanish noble married an Inca princess, and later betrayed her by being unfaithful with other women and when she found out, her sadness was somehow entrapped in the sound of the bell. Early evening I took a taxi home, having arranged to meet Gorky and Lydia at La Retama at 8.30 pm. Whilst home packing my suitcase ready for my flight early Thursday morning Alfredo and Neomy phoned and as they were both still tied up in Urubamba, agreed that I would make my way to Urubamba the next morning. Then I thoroughly enjoyed the performance in La Retama with Gorky and Lydia, the band playing along with several series of dancers. Gorky and Lydia really enjoyed it too but were amazed at the expensive prices in the restaurant. Luckily we were able to watch the show without being pressed to buy drinks.
Afterwards Juan had about ten minutes to chat with us before rushing off in a taxi to get the 10 pm bus to Puno.The poor thing has spent all week going back and forth, 8 hours direction each way, so none of us have hardly seen him! Gorky, Lydia and I then went to Fernando´s bar for the last time and spent a pleasant hour and a half there. Fernando gave me his address yet again, and I hope this time it will be third time lucky, as both times previously I managed to lose it before ever getting around to writing a letter or postcard!Then we went to Kame Kasi, again for the last time, and thoroughly enjoyed Arco Iris's performance and a little chat with Jesus afterwards but not for long as they all had to be up early to travel to Sicuarani the next morning. The best surprise that evening was that within moments of sitting down at a table near the stage, my favourite song ´Let there be love´by SimpleMinds was playing and I knew it was because the DJ from last August recognised me and when I looked over he was waving and I got up and thanked him profusely for the song (but more for remembering me 6 months on). I actually brought a brilliant photo of him with all his CDs taken last August but both visits to Kami Kasi forgot to take it. Last night after getting home I tried to find it in my packed case but without success so it looks like it will have to be posted from England later. At least I know the address of Kami Kase now.
Today I was up early at 6.15 and by 7.30 in a taxi on my way to the terminal for buses to Urubamba. I wanted to travel by colectivo but unfortunately they did not leave from the same place, but luckily the taxi driver saw me making enquiries to no avail before pulling away, beeped his horn and drove me to the spot a few hundred yards away from where the colectivos departed. There was one with room for just one passenger but despite all the shifting to make room I could see there was no way the door would close with me in there as well and said I would wait for the next one. This did not take long; I was first in the next one and within 5 minutes or so we were on our way.
When I arrived at the house in Urubamba and walked into the kitchen, both Alfredo and Neomy were surprised to see me arrive so early (well before 9 am). The day here has been an excellent one. We went to the market as our quest was to find 10 CDs for Carlos, their son in Switzerland and half a dozen for Aquiles in London. The market was one of the biggest of the week and I thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Knowing the tastes of Carlos and Aquiles I was able to make suggestions for both and we all listened to parts of loads of CDs and ended up with about 18 or 19 for them and I found another two CDs for myself and 3 DVDs, one of them Alborada's live concert in Lima last summer which was so brilliant that in no time a huge crowd surrounded that CD stall, everyone exclaiming how brilliant they were. That band appeals to everyone, both young and old. The cost of these CDs is incredibly cheap - just 60p each, even the DVDs.
We also bought chicha morada in sachet form, aji amarillos and other items and at one point I had fun cuddling some 2 week old baby chickens. Then it was time for lunch and we went to Alfredo's nephew's restaurant again. Alfredo and I walked on ahead and Neomy arrived shortly afterwards with an excellent bottle of Argentinian red wine (La Chimaza) and we ended up staying a couple of hours, finishing the wine and sharing a litre of Cusquena as well and having a good laugh as usual.
Sadly this is my last day in Cusco and a little later this afternoon they are both coming back with me to Cusco in order to see me off at the airport tomorrow morning. It has been one of the warmest and sunniest days since I arrived here in Urubamba today, which is amazing considering the rainy weather I left behind in Cusco early this morning. All of us will be going to La Retama this evening at 8.30 in order to see Juan's band and the show for the last time, it being my last time to see Gorky and Lydia as well. In the morning we will meet Juan at the airport who has booked a flight on the same plane as me, albeit with a diffent seat.But although not sitting together on the flight at least I don't have to worry about arriving in Lima alone because I still don't know if Erika or Edgar have read their messages and know that I am arriving tomorrow. I will be staying with Erika's Mum (Elva'ssister Renee) as usual and Juan is staying with some friends of Alfredo's. I am hoping to find the pena inBarranco tomorrow night where the group El Polen play, Juan, Erika and her fiance Edgar accompanying me. The weather in Lima has been in the high 30s so hoping it is still as good on Friday, the plan is a whole day on the beach. Peruvian beaches are amazing and I hope to capture the scene in a dozen or so photos. Unfortunately in 2003 before I got back to Lima, my camera broke, meaning I had no photos of my one and only visit to Northern Peru - the city of Trujillo and nearby ancient Chan Chan as well. My next email will follow once I am back home as I cannot imagine there will be time in those 2 days in Lima for internet cafe visits. I hope the account of my travels has made interesting reading. As you can imagine, once home, I will be saving hard for the next trip!
