Last Saturday night we went to see the second production of Kusikay which was equally as spectacular as the first production seen in Cusco last year. Here is a bit of info about the show as taken from the brochure.
Kusikay specialises in creating plays that integrate elements from the theatre, circus, dance, music and live folklore, presenting outstanding pieces that allow the audience to get in touch with the ancient Peruvian culture.
KUSIKAY presents PAUKARTANPU
This time in our second season, we are pleased to present the production of a fabulous story - PAUKARTANPU - inspired in the traditional feast of the Virgen del Carmen or Mamacha Carmen, which takes place every year from the 15th to the 19th of July, in the province of Paucartambo, Cusco.
The play recreates an imaginary journey in which a tourist, a couple of bakers and a drunkard get involved in highly emotional situations that lead them to discover the Andean roots, which mixes elements of the Inca and Spanish cultures. Each character will tell the festival in honour of Mamacha Carmen through their own experiences, getting into the depths and heart of the earth.
By means of the dance and music and by using a good sense of humour, the drunkard meets the Saqras or demons, which turn him into the juggler of the festival, forcing him with his pirouettes to defy the laws of gravity. Meanwhile, the couple of bakers interact with the audience and the dancers, while the tourist, immersed in his desire to get the best shots of the trip, does the inconceivable and ends up so distracted in the middle of the Waca Wacas.
The dancers of pre-Hispanic, colonial or mestizo origin pass by one after the other, telling their traditions. The dance of the Majenos represents traders who brought liquor from Arequipa; the Qhapaq Qollas dance was created by the collavinos merchants to honour Mamancha Carmen; the Kachampas dance, on the other hand, symbolises the Inca warriors in their fighting expansion and conquest; and the Waca Wacas dance satirises the Spanish bull-fighting festival. Meanwhile, the Saqras escape in rhythmic movements from the Virgen, who is dressed in a lavish costume inspired by the spectacular multicoloured rays of sunrise at Tres Cruces, which coincidentally is the place where the story begins.
Besides the dances, we will discover in this play the encounter of two cultures, and the religious syncronism between the Andean and the Spanish, the merging of these two worlds that has resulted in a mestizo Peru. Rich in traditions, Kusikay puts the music and enriches this production with novel and traditional themes, fusing ancient and modern instruments.
We invite you to use your imagination through the characters, music and settings, which will amaze and entertain you using the humour and fantasy of a living culture. Get closer to the spirit of the Andes with this wonderful production, Paukartanpu, a show that will be your best compliment of your trip to Peru.
www.kusikay.com - I have added the website as you may be able to see some of the lavish costumes and get a clearer idea of what the show is all about. This show continues to run, Mondays to Saturdays at Teatro Kusikay, Calle Union 117, Cusco, Peru, starting at 7.30 pm. Further information available at info@kusikay.com
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Another week in Urubamba and I am loving it here more and more. I love going to market each day with Nohemy - we take it in turns cooking and also once or twice a week I cook for the musicians and other friends. The weather continues to be glorious and I am getting a brilliant tan. We tend to sit outside on the patio after lunch each day, sharing either a huge jar of chicha morada or litre bottles of coca cola, sometimes having a little siesta in the sunshine.
I went to Cusco on Tuesday, mainly in order to visit the Garcilaso theatre and purchase tickets for the Kusikay production ´Paukartanpu´ for the Saturday. There is nothing I love more than setting off in a carro for Cusco in the bright sunshine, watching the spectacular views as the bus climbs the mountain road zigzagging out of the valley, my favourite andean music playing on the iPod.
Also this week I had Carlos, Lidia and their children, Jessica and her two children round for a meal. They went crazy on my Malaysian chicken soup and we had a fun evening listening to music once the sun went down. I´ve also been round their house for an evening watching dvds of various live concerts, my favourite one at the moment being Rata Blanca, a rock group from Argentina who are brilliant. Sunday week it will be Carlos`s birthday and they are planning a big bash similar to Lidia´s a few weeks back.
The highlight of the week though was the Kusikay show on Saturday night. We got to the foyer about 7.15 and some of the cast were circulating among the theatre-goers and causing a good laugh. Seated 3 rows from the front right in the centre, like last year, we had a brilliant view of the stage and were full of anticipation as the auditorium filled up, waiting for the show to begin.
When it began it was absolutely amazing. If you look at the website www.kusikay.com and click on ´view video´ it gives you a few highlights of the show and you can see by the music, costumes, acrobatics and dance how brilliant it is. What you cannot see is how funny it is, they had the audience in stitches of laughter at their various antics, or spellbound at the gravity defying acrobatics. Best of all was the brilliant music which unfortunately isn´t for sale as a CD otherwise I would rush out and buy it.
Afterwards we went for a nice meal and enjoyed alpaca steak cooked in cognac and fine herbs which was so delicious I am definitely going back there again sometime. In fact I would love to see the Kusikay show again and will probably book up and go again in about 6 weeks time. Although expensive by Peruvian standards, at 21 quid a ticket it is well worth every penny.
The highlight of this coming week is Savia Andina´s concert at the Municipal Theatre in Cusco this coming Saturday. I am going to Cusco on Thursday afternoon just to buy the tickets, visit the ATM and possibly meet up with Juan. The best seats are only 40 soles, about 8 quid each, which is incredibly cheap for a band of that calibre. I have over 50 of their CDs and have never seen them live so you can imagine how much I am looking forward to it.
I´ve been enjoying tending Nohemy´s garden too which has a wild assortmnt of fruit trees, herbs and other vegetables. I spend 20 or 30 minutes a day watering everything which is a help to them as they are so busy with the demolishing of the old building attached to their house before they can commence the new 3-story building that is going to replace it. Trying to find workers is a bit of a nightmare as half the time they don´t turn up and those that do, if you don´t watch them every minute they down tools and do nothing. Nohemy gets really mad at them at times.
Well, that seems to be all for the moment - I hope to add more photos within the next week, all of which can be seen in the photostream. Will write another entry after the Savia Andina concert.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Hotel where Layla and I stayed last year
These are the first 48 pictures and if you click on this photostream you should be able to move on and see the others. a few more will be added tomorrow, plus another batch at the beginning of September once my monthly limit (for August) has been reached.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Calca Fiesta, Visits to Cusco, Tunapa Restaurant
It hardly seems two weeks since I last wrote a blog entry - despite the leisurely life style here the time seems to be really flying.
The weather has been really fantastic the last couple of weeks, without even one day of cloud or rain, just one small shower that was gone and forgotten within the hour.
I have visited Cusco quite a few times, sometimes in the afternoon just for a few hours. I tend to get my cash from a secure ATM in the main square (Plaza de Armas) these days where you cannot even get in without inserting your card. This is because on a recent visit to the main ATM in Urubamba, the guy in front of me got his cash and receipt but the machine kept his card. I would be devastated if that happened to me as I would be unable to get at my funds. Rather than take the risk I withdraw enough each weekend to tide me over until the following weekend.
Nohemy has taken me to another market further out than the main one here, which takes place twice a week where one can buy fruit and vegetables really cheaply. They also sell livestock and I love picking up the baby ducklings for a cuddle. I bought so much stuff last time that we didn´t bother going this week though. Now that I have my little kitchen up and running I love being able to invite musicians round and they love coming, knowing I am cooking something nice. They provide the beers and I provide the food and we listen to music via my iPod and Pedro´s speaker or sometimes one of them brings a dvd player and speakers so we can listen through that and they bring CDs - there is a band called Rata Blanca who sound so much like Uriah Heep that is is incredible - and one of them is going to copy it for me. Sometimes they bring instruments and have a jamming session and I really love that. Up until now I have bought about a dozen CDs - I bought a double album by a band called Expresion Inka in El Molino market before even realising that some of my musician friends are members of that band!
I have also been to the Tranca Fija a few times, a bar which the musicians love to hang out in. I have got to know the owner really well, a guy called Victor and his wife and children. He lets us put on our own music and doesn´t mind the musicians playing. We have had a couple of great sessions in there with someone playing a guitar and others singing, or listening to music from my iPod via Pedro´s speaker. Sunday before last we were invited there as it was Victor´s son´s 14th birthday and we were given food and were drinking rum and sprite all evening. A lovely fun evening and I woke up with quite a head on me next morning!
Whilst in Cusco midweek I got the first lot of photos downloaded to a CD and some have already been uploaded to the internet from where they can be seen on this blog, once I establish the link. This will be done within 24 hours and maybe within the hour if it doesn´t take me too long now. Another lot will be added to the photostream early next week.
This past weekend was a really brilliant one. I went to Calca fiesta in the early morning with Nohemy and Alfredo, a pleasant bus ride through the valley about 40 minutes away. There were hundreds of stalls selling artesania and I bought a beautiful alpaca waistcoat amongst other things. Nohemy and Alfredo attended the mass in the temple but I stayed outside so that I could see everything. There were bands parading by and dancers, a very colourful event. I stayed until 12.30 and then got a colectivo (shared taxi) back to Urubamba where one of the musicians met me at the terminal as we were going to Tunapa restaurant where Expression Inka play, because I love their music so much and the thought of seeing them live was irresistible, especially since finding out that two of the friends who visit are the main members of that band. A moto took us up into the hills far from the centre where we live and when I finally arrived I was really impressed. You could not find a more beautiful setting anywhere. We dined on the terrace and the band, Expresion Inka where playing in the open air and the sound was stupendously hauntingly beautiful. I was given a free pisco sour cocktail on arrival and ordered an enormous one to follow and really enjoyed the buffet lunch which was set out in four areas, with sushi and ceviches in one area, all types of salads and cold meats etc in another, lots of hot dishes - my favourites were Seco de Alpaca, a delicious fish called Perico which I will be looking for to buy, various pork and chicken dishes in sauces - and finally a long table with a choice of about 20 exotic desserts. Enjoying that lovely food whilst listening to that fantastic music was an experience never to be forgotten, looking down at the colourful gardens reached by a series of steps below until arriving at the river Vilcanota flowing swiftly past, with Pisonay trees on the shore - all set against the backdrop of mountains. There was an artist painting there who is also a friend of the musicians and women selling artesania, and I bought a beautiful cardigan from one of them. After the band had finished playing one of them accompanied me down the steps into the gardens and we took pictures, including some down by the river. It truly was a magical experience and one I hope to afford once a month hereonafter. Socrates and Jose were so pleased I had gone there as well.
Then about 5 pm I set off with Nohemy and Alfredo for a night in Cusco, having already arranged to meet up with musicians that evening. Around 9 pm I met up with Juan and Pablo and some others who recommended seeing a live band called Amaru Puma Kuntur at Illapa club. I thoroughly enjoyed that - one of the musicians with us was a congo drum player in the band. The rest of us sat sipping mojito cocktails and I adored the music which was a fusion of andean, rock and tribal music with unusual other instruments including one similar to a didgeridoo. In front of the band flames were burning brightly in a crucible along with lit candles and other offerings to Pachamama - all of this on a wooden floor, so yet another example of the lack of health and safety here!!! A young girl danced in front of the band and their show was excellent. When it finished at 1.30 am I continued on to Ukukus club with two of them, as it was Chano Puentes despedida celebration before he went back to England today - I know Chano from my visits to Edinburgh where his band, Apu, often perform, so it was fun to see him again. The club was heaving with people and the music being played was mostly progressive rock that I adore, and I danced practically non stop for the next four hours - the musicians love to dance so it was a highly entertaining evening, sharing a few beers as well, and I managed to get a few pics taken with Chano to show to Nohemy and Alfredo who know that family well. By the time I got back to Nohemys at almost 6 am it hardly seemed worth going to bed but I did and managed to get 4 hours sleep, waking up at 10 am.
We set off back to Urubamba at noon, transporting a mini fridge I had bought back earlier in the week. First by taxi to the carro stops, then paying for an extra seat so we could transport it to Urubamba in the carro and then transfer to a moto for the last part of the trip. Having a little fridge of my own in my little kitchen means that I won´t have to keep throwing things away. There is a fantastic variety of fruits available here for instance, sold by the kilo, and I am forever throwing fruit and vegetables away. Also I like to buy my spices in liquid form and these go off too if left for a few days.
We dropped off the fridge in the kitchen and then decided to go and have lunch but Nohemy couldn´t remember the name of the restaurant where we were going and gave vague directions to Alfredo who would follow in the next moto that came along. When we got to the restaurant and sat at tables outside we were wondering where Alfredo was and then Nohemy said he may have thought she meant another restaurant further down the road and sure enough, next minute she was laughing her head off as she could see him in the far distance walking back. We tucked into our bowls of soup whilst waiting for him and teased him on arrival. We spent a very pleasant couple of hours over lunch, sharing a litre bottle of coca cola to begin with and then a double size 600 ml bottle of Cusquena beer each and sitting in the warm sunshine having a laugh it was thoroughly enjoyable. We eventually got a moto back and then I went off out for the evening, as Socrates and Jose were having a drink in La Chinita cafe bar like last Sunday and had invited me to join them again. Quite a few other musicians were there and we had a fun evening sharing lots of beers with the bar owner putting on lots of andean cds and videos, and I danced a fair bit too until one of them accompanied me back about 10 pm. The bar owner is a lovely guy who likes to help the musicians who are always hungry and skint by cooking them lovely meals and he has taken me to his heart too and has offered to cook a really nice meal at his home, a hacienda in the countryside, and will get this organised within the next two or three weeks. Victor from Tranca Fija has also offered to do the same - he has a huge oven in the bar and one weekend we are going to cook a huge lechon (pork joint) in it along with tamales, rocoto relleno (meat stuffed chilli peppers) and get the musicians to play for us.
Well that seems to bring you up to date with what I have been doing here. I have been living in Urubamba for 6 weeks now and am falling more and more in love with the place with every day that passes. The fantastic climate has a lot to do with it, but in addition I love being with Nohemy and Alfredo who feel like family to me and treat me as if I were one of their own too. I love the fun times I spend with the musicians - the ones here in Urubamba and also several others who live and work in Cusco. I will probably write again in about 10 days.
The weather has been really fantastic the last couple of weeks, without even one day of cloud or rain, just one small shower that was gone and forgotten within the hour.
I have visited Cusco quite a few times, sometimes in the afternoon just for a few hours. I tend to get my cash from a secure ATM in the main square (Plaza de Armas) these days where you cannot even get in without inserting your card. This is because on a recent visit to the main ATM in Urubamba, the guy in front of me got his cash and receipt but the machine kept his card. I would be devastated if that happened to me as I would be unable to get at my funds. Rather than take the risk I withdraw enough each weekend to tide me over until the following weekend.
Nohemy has taken me to another market further out than the main one here, which takes place twice a week where one can buy fruit and vegetables really cheaply. They also sell livestock and I love picking up the baby ducklings for a cuddle. I bought so much stuff last time that we didn´t bother going this week though. Now that I have my little kitchen up and running I love being able to invite musicians round and they love coming, knowing I am cooking something nice. They provide the beers and I provide the food and we listen to music via my iPod and Pedro´s speaker or sometimes one of them brings a dvd player and speakers so we can listen through that and they bring CDs - there is a band called Rata Blanca who sound so much like Uriah Heep that is is incredible - and one of them is going to copy it for me. Sometimes they bring instruments and have a jamming session and I really love that. Up until now I have bought about a dozen CDs - I bought a double album by a band called Expresion Inka in El Molino market before even realising that some of my musician friends are members of that band!
I have also been to the Tranca Fija a few times, a bar which the musicians love to hang out in. I have got to know the owner really well, a guy called Victor and his wife and children. He lets us put on our own music and doesn´t mind the musicians playing. We have had a couple of great sessions in there with someone playing a guitar and others singing, or listening to music from my iPod via Pedro´s speaker. Sunday before last we were invited there as it was Victor´s son´s 14th birthday and we were given food and were drinking rum and sprite all evening. A lovely fun evening and I woke up with quite a head on me next morning!
Whilst in Cusco midweek I got the first lot of photos downloaded to a CD and some have already been uploaded to the internet from where they can be seen on this blog, once I establish the link. This will be done within 24 hours and maybe within the hour if it doesn´t take me too long now. Another lot will be added to the photostream early next week.
This past weekend was a really brilliant one. I went to Calca fiesta in the early morning with Nohemy and Alfredo, a pleasant bus ride through the valley about 40 minutes away. There were hundreds of stalls selling artesania and I bought a beautiful alpaca waistcoat amongst other things. Nohemy and Alfredo attended the mass in the temple but I stayed outside so that I could see everything. There were bands parading by and dancers, a very colourful event. I stayed until 12.30 and then got a colectivo (shared taxi) back to Urubamba where one of the musicians met me at the terminal as we were going to Tunapa restaurant where Expression Inka play, because I love their music so much and the thought of seeing them live was irresistible, especially since finding out that two of the friends who visit are the main members of that band. A moto took us up into the hills far from the centre where we live and when I finally arrived I was really impressed. You could not find a more beautiful setting anywhere. We dined on the terrace and the band, Expresion Inka where playing in the open air and the sound was stupendously hauntingly beautiful. I was given a free pisco sour cocktail on arrival and ordered an enormous one to follow and really enjoyed the buffet lunch which was set out in four areas, with sushi and ceviches in one area, all types of salads and cold meats etc in another, lots of hot dishes - my favourites were Seco de Alpaca, a delicious fish called Perico which I will be looking for to buy, various pork and chicken dishes in sauces - and finally a long table with a choice of about 20 exotic desserts. Enjoying that lovely food whilst listening to that fantastic music was an experience never to be forgotten, looking down at the colourful gardens reached by a series of steps below until arriving at the river Vilcanota flowing swiftly past, with Pisonay trees on the shore - all set against the backdrop of mountains. There was an artist painting there who is also a friend of the musicians and women selling artesania, and I bought a beautiful cardigan from one of them. After the band had finished playing one of them accompanied me down the steps into the gardens and we took pictures, including some down by the river. It truly was a magical experience and one I hope to afford once a month hereonafter. Socrates and Jose were so pleased I had gone there as well.
Then about 5 pm I set off with Nohemy and Alfredo for a night in Cusco, having already arranged to meet up with musicians that evening. Around 9 pm I met up with Juan and Pablo and some others who recommended seeing a live band called Amaru Puma Kuntur at Illapa club. I thoroughly enjoyed that - one of the musicians with us was a congo drum player in the band. The rest of us sat sipping mojito cocktails and I adored the music which was a fusion of andean, rock and tribal music with unusual other instruments including one similar to a didgeridoo. In front of the band flames were burning brightly in a crucible along with lit candles and other offerings to Pachamama - all of this on a wooden floor, so yet another example of the lack of health and safety here!!! A young girl danced in front of the band and their show was excellent. When it finished at 1.30 am I continued on to Ukukus club with two of them, as it was Chano Puentes despedida celebration before he went back to England today - I know Chano from my visits to Edinburgh where his band, Apu, often perform, so it was fun to see him again. The club was heaving with people and the music being played was mostly progressive rock that I adore, and I danced practically non stop for the next four hours - the musicians love to dance so it was a highly entertaining evening, sharing a few beers as well, and I managed to get a few pics taken with Chano to show to Nohemy and Alfredo who know that family well. By the time I got back to Nohemys at almost 6 am it hardly seemed worth going to bed but I did and managed to get 4 hours sleep, waking up at 10 am.
We set off back to Urubamba at noon, transporting a mini fridge I had bought back earlier in the week. First by taxi to the carro stops, then paying for an extra seat so we could transport it to Urubamba in the carro and then transfer to a moto for the last part of the trip. Having a little fridge of my own in my little kitchen means that I won´t have to keep throwing things away. There is a fantastic variety of fruits available here for instance, sold by the kilo, and I am forever throwing fruit and vegetables away. Also I like to buy my spices in liquid form and these go off too if left for a few days.
We dropped off the fridge in the kitchen and then decided to go and have lunch but Nohemy couldn´t remember the name of the restaurant where we were going and gave vague directions to Alfredo who would follow in the next moto that came along. When we got to the restaurant and sat at tables outside we were wondering where Alfredo was and then Nohemy said he may have thought she meant another restaurant further down the road and sure enough, next minute she was laughing her head off as she could see him in the far distance walking back. We tucked into our bowls of soup whilst waiting for him and teased him on arrival. We spent a very pleasant couple of hours over lunch, sharing a litre bottle of coca cola to begin with and then a double size 600 ml bottle of Cusquena beer each and sitting in the warm sunshine having a laugh it was thoroughly enjoyable. We eventually got a moto back and then I went off out for the evening, as Socrates and Jose were having a drink in La Chinita cafe bar like last Sunday and had invited me to join them again. Quite a few other musicians were there and we had a fun evening sharing lots of beers with the bar owner putting on lots of andean cds and videos, and I danced a fair bit too until one of them accompanied me back about 10 pm. The bar owner is a lovely guy who likes to help the musicians who are always hungry and skint by cooking them lovely meals and he has taken me to his heart too and has offered to cook a really nice meal at his home, a hacienda in the countryside, and will get this organised within the next two or three weeks. Victor from Tranca Fija has also offered to do the same - he has a huge oven in the bar and one weekend we are going to cook a huge lechon (pork joint) in it along with tamales, rocoto relleno (meat stuffed chilli peppers) and get the musicians to play for us.
Well that seems to bring you up to date with what I have been doing here. I have been living in Urubamba for 6 weeks now and am falling more and more in love with the place with every day that passes. The fantastic climate has a lot to do with it, but in addition I love being with Nohemy and Alfredo who feel like family to me and treat me as if I were one of their own too. I love the fun times I spend with the musicians - the ones here in Urubamba and also several others who live and work in Cusco. I will probably write again in about 10 days.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Homage to Pachamama, a Visit to Cusco and Sacsaywaman, Lidias Birthday etc
It has been about a week and no opportunity to write another blog entry. Leisurely though life is here, somehow I rarely find time to stay at an internet cafe long enough to write the next entry; what time I have is spent catching up on replies to those who have written.
We had glorious weather the whole past week and I am as brown as a berry already. I have got my little kitchen up and running and invited the first lot of musicians round for a meal - Rosalio came with Pedro, and two others, Marco and Jose joined us. I cooked Malaysian chicken soup for them and they really enjoyed it. We shared a few bottles of beer and listened to music from my iPod via Pedro´s speakers and it was a really fun evening. Rosalio is going to invite me round to his parents house one weekend soon as he would like me to meet them. Rosalio still lives at home with his parents but Daniel now has his own place, since the birth of his little son, so at some point I will probably be invited there as well.
The 31st July was like New Years Eve here, celebrated by homage to Pachamama - Mother Earth. The market was full of extra stalls selling various things for people to buy and pay homage including yellow confetti to strew outside the house, incense sticks, other things to burn in a dish, chewing of coca leaves, sharing beers etc. I was with several musician friends on this particular evening and it was interesting to share this ceremony with them. Afterwards some of them played for us and for me that was the best part. Although the baptism was supposed to take place on 1st August it was deferred for some reason and I wait to hear when the new date has been fixed for it.
The following day we went to Cusco for the weekend and that was really enjoyable too. We went to El Molino market again and I bought a few more CDs and a couple of DVDs. Afterwards we took a taxi up towards the feria but stopped en route to look at all the animals for sale - chickens, ducks, guinea pigs, rabbits, kittens and pupplies and further on more livestock animals. Arriving at the feria it was absolutely enormous, far bigger than the main market day at Otavalo, and very crowded too. I had to be really careful to keep hold of my things as such places are rife with pickpockets and thieves. I was the only foreigner there as well and was only safe there because I was accompanied, Santiago being one of the dodgier parts of town.
Later on after tea with Nohemy and Alfredo, I met up with Pablo, another musician befriended last year, and it was great to see him again. We went for a few beers in a bar just off Plaza de Armas. The intention was to go to KamiKase but we were so engrossed in conversation that before I realised it, it was too late to go there as the live band usually finishes promptly at midnight and the music changes to disco for the next few hours. I was only interested in going to see the live band. Later on Pablo accompanied me back to Nohemy´s house and I stayed the night there.
The next day I met up with Lydia and her son Sebastian in the early afternoon. Sebastian is my Godson from the baptism ceremony of last year. The plan was to go to Sacsaywaman and Lydia suggested walking up there. I agreed but found it very hard going because it was such a steep upward trek. We walked for over an hour, stopping frequently for a rest, because the altitude in Cusco is so much higher than Urubamba, plus I am suffering a bit from a cold and cannot breathe through my nose, so the steep climb combined with the altitude and being unable to breathe properly made it too difficult to go more than quarter of the way on foot. We arrived at the church of San Cristobal and at this point decided to take a taxi. A big fair was taking place there but we decided we would call in on our way back.
The taxi took us up to the entrance to Sacsaywaman, but we were unable to enter the actual site because the cost of entry was so high. It would have cost 14 quid for me to get in plus 8 quid for each Peruvian, and none of us could afford this - 14 quid is 70 soles which is quite alot of money here. The site is huge and the walk is miles to get around the other side, so we had to take another taxi which took us to the statue of Jesus Christ which looks down over Cusco and can be seen from the Plaza de Armas lit up at night, as if he is standing in the sky. Here we took a few photos, and there was a woman selling chicharon - fried piglet - with maize, broad beans, salad and green chilli paste - delicious it was too, sitting eating it in the open air, the sun shining down, enjoying the tremendous views in every direction, especially the fantastic view over the whole of Cusco below us. I really love Sacsaywaman and another day would like to go back and take a nice picnic.
Later in the afternoon a brisk wind blew up so we decided to make our way back. We went back on foot via a shortcut - which was almost like walking down a cliff it was so steep in places and we had to go slowly so as not to overbalance and fall. It took us ages but finally we came to a bridge which crossed into Sacsaywaman and along side it the beginning of a long series of cobbled steps which were just as hazardous to negotiate, it would have been so easy to turn an ankle if we had not proceeded really slowly. Finally we reached the road, about half an hour after leaving the Sacsaywaman bridge, and in no time arrived at the fair. We went in and found seats in the bar area - dozens of covered areas with benches and tables and people wandering round with crates selling litre bottles of Pilsen for 7 soles a bottle. The custom here is to buy one or two bottles at a time and a single glass circulates. This means downing one´s beer really quickly as the next person is waiting, so sometimes one can end up drinking much more than one intended.
We shared 4 bottles of beer - we were sitting with some relatives of Lydia´s so there were about 6 of us sharing each bottle. A parade of bands and corpus christi paraded by and at intervals a set of firecrackers were set off, the ones we heard in the distance sounded bad enough. At one point Lydia and I went off to find a loo in a nearby shop (ignoring the two portaloos in the street which must have been horrendous by now, so many people were there) and on our way back the ones where we were sitting were set off. Lydia warned me they were horrendous and I was jolly glad we had exited at that point because the noise was horrendous and it was dark by this time and one could see the clouds of smoke, with the fire crackers jumping in all directions, even over the crowd. They obviously don´t worry about health and safety here! And the noise was incredible even from 500 yards away. Goodness knows what it would have been like had we still been sitting there. I understood why nearby canvas covered food and beer outlets shut their doors when they realised these were about to be set off. It was about 8 pm by the time I got back to Nohemy and Alfredo´s and I had an early night as they always retire to bed early. I was quite tired after all that walking and fresh air though and slept well.
We came back to Urubamba early Monday morning, arriving back about 10 am for a late breakfast. The weather wasn´t too good on Monday but was much better today, back to the usual sunny mornings and blue skies. Last night it was Lidia´s birthday party and I went along to it. It was mostly family there, but a few musicians, Pedro amongst them and everyone had to dance to the tropical music being played - not my favourite music and the dancing was lively so one was worn out after just one song, but it was a really enjoyable evening all the same. We were all given rocoto relleno, potatoes, and chicken and the beer was flowing. I stayed until around midnight but I heard next day the festivities continued until 4 am. I met another friend there, Jessica who I got to know last year, and I invited her round to my kitchen today and cooked her a Trujillo style chicken guiso, a bit like a casserole but drier. She really enjoyed it and I promised to have her round again very soon. Her husband has left her, gone off with another woman, and she is on her own with two little children aged 3 and 6, so it is nice to be able to do something to help. After lunch I took them to an internet cafe which was something quite new for her. Unfortunately the youngest one couldn´t understand the games and cried his eyes out and we had to leave he was making so much noise!!! Much to the dismay of his little sister.
The rest of this week looks pretty quiet, but I will probably go and watch some musicians play on one of the days. The next planned visit to Cusco is this coming Sunday. We cannot go before as work has started on their 2-storey extension and one has to be there to keep an eye on the workers, otherwise they just down tools and do nothing. Alfredo knows a place where we can buy a fat rabbit for 25 soles and I will then watch Nohemy cook it and learn how to do this myself. I had rabbit here once last year and it was really delicious. At the fiesta on Sunday I got a brilliant picture of a platter of cooked guinea pigs - this will appear on my blog in a couple of weeks when I get around to loading the first lot of pictures.
Well that seems to be all news for now. I am mainly only writing once a week because life is much the same here on a day to day basis. Lovely and leisurely and I am really enjoying the long rest!
We had glorious weather the whole past week and I am as brown as a berry already. I have got my little kitchen up and running and invited the first lot of musicians round for a meal - Rosalio came with Pedro, and two others, Marco and Jose joined us. I cooked Malaysian chicken soup for them and they really enjoyed it. We shared a few bottles of beer and listened to music from my iPod via Pedro´s speakers and it was a really fun evening. Rosalio is going to invite me round to his parents house one weekend soon as he would like me to meet them. Rosalio still lives at home with his parents but Daniel now has his own place, since the birth of his little son, so at some point I will probably be invited there as well.
The 31st July was like New Years Eve here, celebrated by homage to Pachamama - Mother Earth. The market was full of extra stalls selling various things for people to buy and pay homage including yellow confetti to strew outside the house, incense sticks, other things to burn in a dish, chewing of coca leaves, sharing beers etc. I was with several musician friends on this particular evening and it was interesting to share this ceremony with them. Afterwards some of them played for us and for me that was the best part. Although the baptism was supposed to take place on 1st August it was deferred for some reason and I wait to hear when the new date has been fixed for it.
The following day we went to Cusco for the weekend and that was really enjoyable too. We went to El Molino market again and I bought a few more CDs and a couple of DVDs. Afterwards we took a taxi up towards the feria but stopped en route to look at all the animals for sale - chickens, ducks, guinea pigs, rabbits, kittens and pupplies and further on more livestock animals. Arriving at the feria it was absolutely enormous, far bigger than the main market day at Otavalo, and very crowded too. I had to be really careful to keep hold of my things as such places are rife with pickpockets and thieves. I was the only foreigner there as well and was only safe there because I was accompanied, Santiago being one of the dodgier parts of town.
Later on after tea with Nohemy and Alfredo, I met up with Pablo, another musician befriended last year, and it was great to see him again. We went for a few beers in a bar just off Plaza de Armas. The intention was to go to KamiKase but we were so engrossed in conversation that before I realised it, it was too late to go there as the live band usually finishes promptly at midnight and the music changes to disco for the next few hours. I was only interested in going to see the live band. Later on Pablo accompanied me back to Nohemy´s house and I stayed the night there.
The next day I met up with Lydia and her son Sebastian in the early afternoon. Sebastian is my Godson from the baptism ceremony of last year. The plan was to go to Sacsaywaman and Lydia suggested walking up there. I agreed but found it very hard going because it was such a steep upward trek. We walked for over an hour, stopping frequently for a rest, because the altitude in Cusco is so much higher than Urubamba, plus I am suffering a bit from a cold and cannot breathe through my nose, so the steep climb combined with the altitude and being unable to breathe properly made it too difficult to go more than quarter of the way on foot. We arrived at the church of San Cristobal and at this point decided to take a taxi. A big fair was taking place there but we decided we would call in on our way back.
The taxi took us up to the entrance to Sacsaywaman, but we were unable to enter the actual site because the cost of entry was so high. It would have cost 14 quid for me to get in plus 8 quid for each Peruvian, and none of us could afford this - 14 quid is 70 soles which is quite alot of money here. The site is huge and the walk is miles to get around the other side, so we had to take another taxi which took us to the statue of Jesus Christ which looks down over Cusco and can be seen from the Plaza de Armas lit up at night, as if he is standing in the sky. Here we took a few photos, and there was a woman selling chicharon - fried piglet - with maize, broad beans, salad and green chilli paste - delicious it was too, sitting eating it in the open air, the sun shining down, enjoying the tremendous views in every direction, especially the fantastic view over the whole of Cusco below us. I really love Sacsaywaman and another day would like to go back and take a nice picnic.
Later in the afternoon a brisk wind blew up so we decided to make our way back. We went back on foot via a shortcut - which was almost like walking down a cliff it was so steep in places and we had to go slowly so as not to overbalance and fall. It took us ages but finally we came to a bridge which crossed into Sacsaywaman and along side it the beginning of a long series of cobbled steps which were just as hazardous to negotiate, it would have been so easy to turn an ankle if we had not proceeded really slowly. Finally we reached the road, about half an hour after leaving the Sacsaywaman bridge, and in no time arrived at the fair. We went in and found seats in the bar area - dozens of covered areas with benches and tables and people wandering round with crates selling litre bottles of Pilsen for 7 soles a bottle. The custom here is to buy one or two bottles at a time and a single glass circulates. This means downing one´s beer really quickly as the next person is waiting, so sometimes one can end up drinking much more than one intended.
We shared 4 bottles of beer - we were sitting with some relatives of Lydia´s so there were about 6 of us sharing each bottle. A parade of bands and corpus christi paraded by and at intervals a set of firecrackers were set off, the ones we heard in the distance sounded bad enough. At one point Lydia and I went off to find a loo in a nearby shop (ignoring the two portaloos in the street which must have been horrendous by now, so many people were there) and on our way back the ones where we were sitting were set off. Lydia warned me they were horrendous and I was jolly glad we had exited at that point because the noise was horrendous and it was dark by this time and one could see the clouds of smoke, with the fire crackers jumping in all directions, even over the crowd. They obviously don´t worry about health and safety here! And the noise was incredible even from 500 yards away. Goodness knows what it would have been like had we still been sitting there. I understood why nearby canvas covered food and beer outlets shut their doors when they realised these were about to be set off. It was about 8 pm by the time I got back to Nohemy and Alfredo´s and I had an early night as they always retire to bed early. I was quite tired after all that walking and fresh air though and slept well.
We came back to Urubamba early Monday morning, arriving back about 10 am for a late breakfast. The weather wasn´t too good on Monday but was much better today, back to the usual sunny mornings and blue skies. Last night it was Lidia´s birthday party and I went along to it. It was mostly family there, but a few musicians, Pedro amongst them and everyone had to dance to the tropical music being played - not my favourite music and the dancing was lively so one was worn out after just one song, but it was a really enjoyable evening all the same. We were all given rocoto relleno, potatoes, and chicken and the beer was flowing. I stayed until around midnight but I heard next day the festivities continued until 4 am. I met another friend there, Jessica who I got to know last year, and I invited her round to my kitchen today and cooked her a Trujillo style chicken guiso, a bit like a casserole but drier. She really enjoyed it and I promised to have her round again very soon. Her husband has left her, gone off with another woman, and she is on her own with two little children aged 3 and 6, so it is nice to be able to do something to help. After lunch I took them to an internet cafe which was something quite new for her. Unfortunately the youngest one couldn´t understand the games and cried his eyes out and we had to leave he was making so much noise!!! Much to the dismay of his little sister.
The rest of this week looks pretty quiet, but I will probably go and watch some musicians play on one of the days. The next planned visit to Cusco is this coming Sunday. We cannot go before as work has started on their 2-storey extension and one has to be there to keep an eye on the workers, otherwise they just down tools and do nothing. Alfredo knows a place where we can buy a fat rabbit for 25 soles and I will then watch Nohemy cook it and learn how to do this myself. I had rabbit here once last year and it was really delicious. At the fiesta on Sunday I got a brilliant picture of a platter of cooked guinea pigs - this will appear on my blog in a couple of weeks when I get around to loading the first lot of pictures.
Well that seems to be all news for now. I am mainly only writing once a week because life is much the same here on a day to day basis. Lovely and leisurely and I am really enjoying the long rest!
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