Over the past few days we have had torrential rain in the Sacred Valley - only at night in Urubamba but day and night in other parts of the Sacred Valley and in Cusco. My friend Sarah who moved to the centre of Pisac from the outer edges of Taray village on my advice, managed to come to Urubamba for the day yesterday but when she arrived she said the river level was up to road level and that some fields were already flooded. Here in Urubamba it was sunny as usual and we all went to the Chicharonia restaurant on the main road just outside Urubamba for the roast duck lunch as planned. We had a lovely time there, we all enjoyed the roast duck, and especially enjoyed sitting outside in the sunshine. We shared a litre bottle of fig wine that Alfredo had brought back from Cusco the day before and followed this up with a couple of bottles of beer. A one man band arrived, playing charango and pan pipes and played the songs I asked for and the four of us got up and danced, there on the side of the road, having a good laugh in the process.
Also in Urubamba yesterday was a festival of fruit with lots of vendors in the Plaza de Armas selling fruit of all kinds and even fruit trees and we bought pear jam and then sat in the plaza relaxing in the sunshine, enjoying the profusion of beautiful flowers everywhere - they keep that plaza pristine and full of colourful flowers and it is always a pleasure to sit there awhile. Later I accompanied Sarah back to the bus station and before she left we arranged to meet in the Plaza de Armas in Cusco on Tuesday.
Who would have believed sitting there in that warm sunshine how things would change drastically in the next few hours. I had an email from Sarah in the evening saying that on the bus journey back it was much much worse with houses under water and water on the road as well. I had another email this morning - it was lucky she was in the centre of Pisac because a friend alerted her in the night that the bridge over the river which is the road climbing out of the valley in the direction of Cusco, had collapsed - half of it suspended over the swollen river and the police station nearby had broken into two pieces. She escaped from Pisac on foot with just a backpack by taking the lane towards Taray and then crossing the bridge onto the main road, where she was lucky to find a collectivo which took her to Cusco. Had she waited until this morning she would have been marooned in Pisac because the main road through the Sacred Valley which is the only other way out became completely flooded. Fields of crops and all the houses on the side of the main road throughout the valley were flooded and those made of adobe bricks were undermined by the water and completely collapsed. We had 15 hours non stop torrential rain from yesterday early evening until 9 this morning which caused this disaster on top of two other nights torrential rain.
This afternoon after lunch Nohemy and I walked down to see first hand how the situation was in Urubamba. Just two or three hundred yards from the bridge which leads out of Urubamba towards Cusco the river had completely covered the road, with many houses that had already collapsed into the flood water. It was really sad seeing carts and lorries piled high with peoples furniture struggling through the flood water to drier land. The garage just past the bridge was completely flooded and probably the petrol had already been contaminated by the water because there was a strong smell of gasoline in the air. I took a few photos which you will see next week as I intend to download the latest ones to CD on Saturday. The restaurant where we were sitting outside in the sun yesterday was much further down the road so definitely would have been flooded terribly considering that the Casa Grande restaurant just outside of Urubamba on much higher ground was flooded up to its window cills. We would never have believed sitting outside in the sunshine yesterday that things could change so drastically overnight.
It isnt only the Sacred Valley which is affected either - Cusco is in a state of high alert as well, with drinking water contaminated, lots of landslides and adobe homes collapsing, rocks falling from mountainsides onto homes or the road below. Although traffic can still reach Cusco from Urubamba at the moment it is probably unwise to make the journey unless it is absolutely essential. We are all praying the rain will abate so that the river recedes. Nohemy said that in all the years she has lived in Urubamba she has never known flooding on this scale. We are certainly lucky that Urubamba is a lot drier because even Yucay has disappeared under flood water with adobe homes collapsing in the main street and this is only a mile or two away. They have a lot more rain in Pisac - in fact every time I have visited Pisac it has rained and if it is raining in the Sacred Valley it is raining even harder in Cusco.
Even today it seemed hard to believe that things were so drastic just outside Urubamba because after 9 am the sun came out and it was another warm sunny day in Urubamba as usual. Sarah has booked herself on a flight to Lima leaving tomorrow morning and will go to Brazil for longer than originally intended until her flight home on the 18th. So our plans for meeting tomorrow in Cusco are off. Alfredo made it to Cusco today mainly to check on the house there and will be back in Urubamba tomorrow. The three of us will wait until the weekend though before we go there again. Hopefully by then things will have improved.
I feel so sorry for all those people throughout the Sacred Valley who have lost their homes, or had their belongings ruined by flood water or the crops they have tended all lost in the floods and I hope the government will send some aid to alleviate their situation. Pisac and Qoya are the worst affected, Pisac being totally marooned with both roads out either flooded or inaccessible because of the collapsed bridge. It makes one wonder how long people will be marooned there. Pisac is always full of tourists. Listening to the news today, even the trains to Machu Picchu were suspended due to the flooded river. Even villages the other side of Urubamba are affected by the flooded river so we are lucky to have escaped the worst of it here in Urubamba.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Alfredo´s Birthday, Visits to Pisac and Cusco and the San Sebastian Fiesta
Alfredo really enjoyed his birthday – Nohemy´s friend Betty and her husband Lucho came to the house for the meal which was Alfredo´s favourite fried pork, with a special spicy sauce, a mint and onion salad and potatoes, plus the inevitable maize they love so much here. Betty brought a bottle of wine and Nohemy was listening to her favourite Mexican music and singing away. Their tenant who runs the bar also had her birthday the same day and we were invited next door. Just as we were about to leave the hairdresser tenant on the other side arrived with his girlfriend and daughter and we carried on drinking beer whilst they ate the food Nohemy gave them, the beers that Ruben had brought - who was very happy to see how well the puppy has settled in. Lassie loves to explore the patio and the two little girls play with her a lot - she is brilliant with children. Then Ruben had to go so we went next door where another plate piled high with food was given to us, including guinea pig - I had to refuse mine as I couldn´t manage another thing. Alfredo and I went halves on 6 litres of beer for his tenant and her guests and we stayed with them a couple of hours.
The following day I accompanied Nohemy on a visit to one of her friends leaving Alfredo to keep an eye on the workers. On the way we bumped into another friend of hers - an old guy called Metoya who promptly invited us to go and have a beer. We were near his house so he popped in to get his jacket and showed us his garden which was full of roses and fruit trees - he gave us several avocados each from a tree there, plus apples and peaches. We walked to a nearby shop with seats in it and they shared 3 litres of Pilsen beer and I had 2 cusquenas which are 620 ml. He is a very old worldly kind of guy and said how much he enjoyed our company and invited us to go for another beer the following week. He has played in a trio called Trio Imperial de Cusco for many years and promised to give me copies of their CDs to add to my collection. We got back to the house at 7 pm and Alfredo accompanied us to a nearby pizzeria for his favourite pizza and we shared a large family one which gave us 4 slices each. By the time we left there we were so full we could hardly move - Nohemy and I even turning down the chilled beers Alfredo offered us from the fridge, left over from the day before!
Nohemy and I went looking for the chacra one day last week and you would have laughed if you could have seen us climbing up and down embankments, crossing streams, and all to no avail - there are chacras one after the other and in the end we gave up as I could not remember the way once we got off the track. I think we entered the right way but got lost once inside – we crossed a field of maize and then I recognised the fallen tree where that photo of me was taken (after we had both clambered down an embankment catching our skirts on twigs etc. We then followed the path with the narrow stream (but it went in two directions and I couldn´t remember which direction we went in last time), then there were two bulls tethered right by the pathway so we detoured through another field of maize and somehow after that we got lost. We had a good laugh in the process though. Nohemy couldn´t believe that she had forgotten how to walk in the countryside. The Andean people we met on the walk back were very friendly, greeting us, and we chatted to an old guy who Nohemy remembered from her youth. I definitely want to go back there, especially as Henry said I can go there whenever I want and even mentioned it to his parents and their custodian farmer - it is an absolute paradise of a place, birds singing in the trees, the sound of running water in the narrow canals and when out on the unpaved road/lane outside the water thunders down from the mountains over huge boulders - if one fell in they would be swept away by the sheer force of it. Because of this there is no shortage of water in Urubamba even in the dry season, although they do switch it off at times. Nohemy said that hasn´t changed in all the years she has grown up here. Afterwards it was our intention to go to the recreation field as Alfredo had heard earlier that the mayor was going to treat people to a beer and snacks but even though we got there an hour after it was supposed to start there was absolutely nothing going on. The problem here is that nothing ever starts at the time it says it will - we popped into La Tranca Fija instead only to find their fridge had broken down so we had a coke instead of the cold Quara beer we had been looking forward to.
I had a lovely day last Friday when I went to Pisac. I got there just after noon and there was no sign of Sarah in either the internet cafe or the cafe I found her in last time. So I did a tour round the market stalls in Plaza de Armas but unfortunately the guy selling the CD I want wasn´t there that day. I went and saw Beltram for a while after that and then went to Ulrikes for lunch and also exchanged another couple of books. I think I will keep exchanging them as I read them so that I leave a nice pile in readiness for my next visit. I had the vegetarian lasagne for lunch which was delicious.
By about 2.30 I decided to head back seeing as I hadn´t found Sarah, was halfway down the narrow street leading to the bus stop when I heard my name called and she came out of a different cafe and was thrilled to see me. I must still have her email address wrong because she hadn´t got my message yet again. We had lots to talk about and after a coffee in that cafe we walked back up to Ulrikes and had 4 games of Scrabble and I didn´t head home until gone 5.30, having arranged for us to meet up in the original cafe at 10.30 on Wednesday morning. She wanted to show me a property she has viewed to get my opinion on it. From the description it didn´t sound like a good idea. Nohemy thought so too and said she must buy a house where there are plenty of other people living around and not in the countryside because there is always someone who might think she has money and could break in and even kill her for it.
On Sunday at 12 noon we caught a bus down the main road just outside Urubamba to have lunch at a cafe there and were lucky to sit at a table outside in the sunshine and the food was delicious - I had a roast duck breast and it came with a stuffed pepper, baked spaghetti and baked potatoes and was exceptional value for money. In addition to sharing a large bottle of coca cola we also knocked back a litre bottle of fig wine which Nohemy had bought on Saturday.
You would not believe what a laugh we had on Saturday. We went to Tupac Amaru Plaza as usual and Nohemy said there were stalls selling clothes for dogs and I bought a frilly dress which she looks adorable in - just wait until you see the photos! Then it started raining and her head was getting wet so I said to Nohemy we ought to look for a hat as well. On a different stall selling doggy clothes we found a fuchsia pink bobble hat with holes for her ears and when we put it on her she looked so funny that Nohemy and I were crying with laughter and couldn´t stop - and that continued the rest of the day because of the comical looks of disbelief on people´s faces or people laughing hysterically too.
On Tuesday I didn’t go to Tunupa restaurant as planned because Alfredo went to Cusco which meant Nohemy would have been on her own and there was no way I could afford to pay for two lunches at Tunupa so I deferred that until later in the week. We had a nice day though - we went to market to buy the necessary to cook lunch and whilst on our way bumped into Metoya, one of the members of Trio Imperial de Cusco, who is an old friend of Nohemy and who promptly invited us to lunch. We went to a nice cafe and had the set menu and afterwards went for a few beers. In the shop where we drank these we persuaded them to put on some andean music and Metoya had us up dancing and we generally had a good time. Metoya said his two fellow musicians are on holiday at the moment, one in Quillabamba, the other in Trujillo, but he hopes they will be back before I fly home - if so he will arrange for his group to play just for us, which I thought was a lovely suggestion. We kept ringing home to see if Alfredo was back from Cusco but no reply at either house. When we did get back about quarter to seven, Alfredo was just arriving back then and we put a smile on his face when I suggested going to their favourite pizzeria and we shared the usual family size one. I love the pizzas here because they are cooked in a brick oven over firewood and come with creamed garlic sauce, a spicy chilli sauce and powdered oregano, and they give you a load of garlic bread to keep you happy while you are waiting!
Wednesday was another lovely day. As Nohemy´s workmen didn’t turn up she decided to accompany me to Pisac to meet Sarah and we caught the bus around 9.15 and arrived at the cafe where we were to meet Sarah at 10.30. I had forgotten when making the arrangement to meet Sarah that there was a big fiesta at San Sebastian in Cusco that day, so we went to Pisac with the idea of hoping to persuade Sarah to come to Cusco with us. We had drinks in the cafe and Sarah also wanted to speak to her shamen who was there with his wife and daughter so Nohemy and I went up to Ulrikes and I exchanged another 4 books and at the same time found the vendor of that CD I have been looking for, and he remembered me from last time and let me have it for the 10 soles I paid last time so I was well pleased. We said a quick hello to Beltran and then went back to the cafe and within a few moments the three of us were on our way to the bus stop but actually managed to get a carro to Cusco which is a lot quicker. I felt very nervous at the bendy road though as the driver was going fast and there was no barrier on the edge and a very steep drop into the ravine below. Sarah was telling us that one night there was a horrendous noise and it was a car which went over the edge and Nohemy said it happens regularly.
On arrival at Cusco we had a 10 minute walk and then caught a bus to Nohemy´s house in Cusco and we left some of our things there and it was a 20 minute walk to San Sebastian and soon we were all enjoying ourselves tremendously in the fiesta which was a major event with dancers and bands and the parade of the saint which took about 40 men to carry it. There were street sellers everywhere and young lads waiting their turn to dance were very friendly and Sarah was really enjoying herself - it was the first such fiesta she had ever been to. We found a great place for lunch and had roast lamb which was a lot of meat for 3 quid a head and came with baked potatoes, the baked spaghetti dish and rocoto relleno (stuffed pepper). After the meal we went back to the fiesta for another hour or so and Sarah treated the three of us to dishes of fruit (figs, pineapple, apple and peach in a syrup) and we all nearly died of fright when they let off the fire crackers which are really loud. They string them up on cane frames so that when one goes off, several hundred go off and the noise is indescribable. At 3.30 Sarah had to leave as she had to get back to Pisac so we walked back and put her in a taxi. After a flying visit to Mega superstore to stock up on a few things, we headed back to Urubamba and got back just after dark. Nohemy really enjoyed the day as well and got on well with Sarah.
Sarah is going to come to Urubamba for the day either tomorrow or Sunday. If tomorrow I am going to cook my Malaysian chicken soup speciality and if Sunday we will all go to the restaurant outside Urubamba for the roast duck. Nohemy has said that even after I go back home Sarah must keep in touch and come and visit. Sarah will be flying home around the same time as me, but if she ends up buying a house before then she will be coming back here not too long after. She has her flight back from San Paulo in Brazil, which was all arranged before she left England so will only be in Peru until around the 13th. When she is with us tomorrow or Sunday Nohemy is going to show her a couple of properties she owns in Urubamba to see if they are of interest. She would be quite happy to sell one of them in order for the house extension to advance a lot quicker.
The following day I accompanied Nohemy on a visit to one of her friends leaving Alfredo to keep an eye on the workers. On the way we bumped into another friend of hers - an old guy called Metoya who promptly invited us to go and have a beer. We were near his house so he popped in to get his jacket and showed us his garden which was full of roses and fruit trees - he gave us several avocados each from a tree there, plus apples and peaches. We walked to a nearby shop with seats in it and they shared 3 litres of Pilsen beer and I had 2 cusquenas which are 620 ml. He is a very old worldly kind of guy and said how much he enjoyed our company and invited us to go for another beer the following week. He has played in a trio called Trio Imperial de Cusco for many years and promised to give me copies of their CDs to add to my collection. We got back to the house at 7 pm and Alfredo accompanied us to a nearby pizzeria for his favourite pizza and we shared a large family one which gave us 4 slices each. By the time we left there we were so full we could hardly move - Nohemy and I even turning down the chilled beers Alfredo offered us from the fridge, left over from the day before!
Nohemy and I went looking for the chacra one day last week and you would have laughed if you could have seen us climbing up and down embankments, crossing streams, and all to no avail - there are chacras one after the other and in the end we gave up as I could not remember the way once we got off the track. I think we entered the right way but got lost once inside – we crossed a field of maize and then I recognised the fallen tree where that photo of me was taken (after we had both clambered down an embankment catching our skirts on twigs etc. We then followed the path with the narrow stream (but it went in two directions and I couldn´t remember which direction we went in last time), then there were two bulls tethered right by the pathway so we detoured through another field of maize and somehow after that we got lost. We had a good laugh in the process though. Nohemy couldn´t believe that she had forgotten how to walk in the countryside. The Andean people we met on the walk back were very friendly, greeting us, and we chatted to an old guy who Nohemy remembered from her youth. I definitely want to go back there, especially as Henry said I can go there whenever I want and even mentioned it to his parents and their custodian farmer - it is an absolute paradise of a place, birds singing in the trees, the sound of running water in the narrow canals and when out on the unpaved road/lane outside the water thunders down from the mountains over huge boulders - if one fell in they would be swept away by the sheer force of it. Because of this there is no shortage of water in Urubamba even in the dry season, although they do switch it off at times. Nohemy said that hasn´t changed in all the years she has grown up here. Afterwards it was our intention to go to the recreation field as Alfredo had heard earlier that the mayor was going to treat people to a beer and snacks but even though we got there an hour after it was supposed to start there was absolutely nothing going on. The problem here is that nothing ever starts at the time it says it will - we popped into La Tranca Fija instead only to find their fridge had broken down so we had a coke instead of the cold Quara beer we had been looking forward to.
I had a lovely day last Friday when I went to Pisac. I got there just after noon and there was no sign of Sarah in either the internet cafe or the cafe I found her in last time. So I did a tour round the market stalls in Plaza de Armas but unfortunately the guy selling the CD I want wasn´t there that day. I went and saw Beltram for a while after that and then went to Ulrikes for lunch and also exchanged another couple of books. I think I will keep exchanging them as I read them so that I leave a nice pile in readiness for my next visit. I had the vegetarian lasagne for lunch which was delicious.
By about 2.30 I decided to head back seeing as I hadn´t found Sarah, was halfway down the narrow street leading to the bus stop when I heard my name called and she came out of a different cafe and was thrilled to see me. I must still have her email address wrong because she hadn´t got my message yet again. We had lots to talk about and after a coffee in that cafe we walked back up to Ulrikes and had 4 games of Scrabble and I didn´t head home until gone 5.30, having arranged for us to meet up in the original cafe at 10.30 on Wednesday morning. She wanted to show me a property she has viewed to get my opinion on it. From the description it didn´t sound like a good idea. Nohemy thought so too and said she must buy a house where there are plenty of other people living around and not in the countryside because there is always someone who might think she has money and could break in and even kill her for it.
On Sunday at 12 noon we caught a bus down the main road just outside Urubamba to have lunch at a cafe there and were lucky to sit at a table outside in the sunshine and the food was delicious - I had a roast duck breast and it came with a stuffed pepper, baked spaghetti and baked potatoes and was exceptional value for money. In addition to sharing a large bottle of coca cola we also knocked back a litre bottle of fig wine which Nohemy had bought on Saturday.
You would not believe what a laugh we had on Saturday. We went to Tupac Amaru Plaza as usual and Nohemy said there were stalls selling clothes for dogs and I bought a frilly dress which she looks adorable in - just wait until you see the photos! Then it started raining and her head was getting wet so I said to Nohemy we ought to look for a hat as well. On a different stall selling doggy clothes we found a fuchsia pink bobble hat with holes for her ears and when we put it on her she looked so funny that Nohemy and I were crying with laughter and couldn´t stop - and that continued the rest of the day because of the comical looks of disbelief on people´s faces or people laughing hysterically too.
On Tuesday I didn’t go to Tunupa restaurant as planned because Alfredo went to Cusco which meant Nohemy would have been on her own and there was no way I could afford to pay for two lunches at Tunupa so I deferred that until later in the week. We had a nice day though - we went to market to buy the necessary to cook lunch and whilst on our way bumped into Metoya, one of the members of Trio Imperial de Cusco, who is an old friend of Nohemy and who promptly invited us to lunch. We went to a nice cafe and had the set menu and afterwards went for a few beers. In the shop where we drank these we persuaded them to put on some andean music and Metoya had us up dancing and we generally had a good time. Metoya said his two fellow musicians are on holiday at the moment, one in Quillabamba, the other in Trujillo, but he hopes they will be back before I fly home - if so he will arrange for his group to play just for us, which I thought was a lovely suggestion. We kept ringing home to see if Alfredo was back from Cusco but no reply at either house. When we did get back about quarter to seven, Alfredo was just arriving back then and we put a smile on his face when I suggested going to their favourite pizzeria and we shared the usual family size one. I love the pizzas here because they are cooked in a brick oven over firewood and come with creamed garlic sauce, a spicy chilli sauce and powdered oregano, and they give you a load of garlic bread to keep you happy while you are waiting!
Wednesday was another lovely day. As Nohemy´s workmen didn’t turn up she decided to accompany me to Pisac to meet Sarah and we caught the bus around 9.15 and arrived at the cafe where we were to meet Sarah at 10.30. I had forgotten when making the arrangement to meet Sarah that there was a big fiesta at San Sebastian in Cusco that day, so we went to Pisac with the idea of hoping to persuade Sarah to come to Cusco with us. We had drinks in the cafe and Sarah also wanted to speak to her shamen who was there with his wife and daughter so Nohemy and I went up to Ulrikes and I exchanged another 4 books and at the same time found the vendor of that CD I have been looking for, and he remembered me from last time and let me have it for the 10 soles I paid last time so I was well pleased. We said a quick hello to Beltran and then went back to the cafe and within a few moments the three of us were on our way to the bus stop but actually managed to get a carro to Cusco which is a lot quicker. I felt very nervous at the bendy road though as the driver was going fast and there was no barrier on the edge and a very steep drop into the ravine below. Sarah was telling us that one night there was a horrendous noise and it was a car which went over the edge and Nohemy said it happens regularly.
On arrival at Cusco we had a 10 minute walk and then caught a bus to Nohemy´s house in Cusco and we left some of our things there and it was a 20 minute walk to San Sebastian and soon we were all enjoying ourselves tremendously in the fiesta which was a major event with dancers and bands and the parade of the saint which took about 40 men to carry it. There were street sellers everywhere and young lads waiting their turn to dance were very friendly and Sarah was really enjoying herself - it was the first such fiesta she had ever been to. We found a great place for lunch and had roast lamb which was a lot of meat for 3 quid a head and came with baked potatoes, the baked spaghetti dish and rocoto relleno (stuffed pepper). After the meal we went back to the fiesta for another hour or so and Sarah treated the three of us to dishes of fruit (figs, pineapple, apple and peach in a syrup) and we all nearly died of fright when they let off the fire crackers which are really loud. They string them up on cane frames so that when one goes off, several hundred go off and the noise is indescribable. At 3.30 Sarah had to leave as she had to get back to Pisac so we walked back and put her in a taxi. After a flying visit to Mega superstore to stock up on a few things, we headed back to Urubamba and got back just after dark. Nohemy really enjoyed the day as well and got on well with Sarah.
Sarah is going to come to Urubamba for the day either tomorrow or Sunday. If tomorrow I am going to cook my Malaysian chicken soup speciality and if Sunday we will all go to the restaurant outside Urubamba for the roast duck. Nohemy has said that even after I go back home Sarah must keep in touch and come and visit. Sarah will be flying home around the same time as me, but if she ends up buying a house before then she will be coming back here not too long after. She has her flight back from San Paulo in Brazil, which was all arranged before she left England so will only be in Peru until around the 13th. When she is with us tomorrow or Sunday Nohemy is going to show her a couple of properties she owns in Urubamba to see if they are of interest. She would be quite happy to sell one of them in order for the house extension to advance a lot quicker.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Bullfighting in Ollantaytambo
Since writing last I have been to a birthday party - Daniel´s - which took place in his parents home. His Mum provided a delicious meal for everyone and we were all seated in the recording studio upstairs with brilliant andean music playing on their fantastic sound set up. I really enjoyed it. Wilber was there and said the reason his Mum´s birthday party was cancelled was because she had been rushed to hospital with suspected appendicitis that day and that she was under observation with the possibility of being operated on.
On Tuesday 6th January Nohemy and I went to Ollantaytambo for the fiesta there. We were unable to get away as early as planned because of two workmen turning up unexpectedly to work on their extension. Also it poured with rain that morning so the food we had cooked to take with us as a picnic we ended up having for lunch, by which time the rain had abated somewhat and we set off around 1 pm.
The bus wound its way beneath high mountains and everywhere huge boulders could be seen that had fallen from above. Rocks and boulders are always falling onto the road or onto properties situated beneath the mountain, so I felt a bit easier when the road led away from the shadow of the mountain. Any such boulder landing on the bus would be catastrophic I reckon.
On arrival in Ollantaytambo we spent a while walking round market stalls and checking out things that were going on, and then walked down to the bullring where preparations were still being made for the show. We decided to get a good seat and wait, and ordered a litre of beer to share. By this time the rain had mostly gone off but it was windy and at times there was a little flurry of rain. Fortunately by the time the show began an hour and a half later things had brightened up a bit and the wind had died down. The bullring and surrounding area were packed with thousands of people, including lining the road above and on all the terraces high above.
The show included several different bulls and lots of matadors, including wannabee matadors - ie drunken men who jumped into the ring from the audience. One such guy refused to be ejected from the ring and kept standing in a provocative pose so that the bull charged towards him and he only just made it behind the wooden board in time. In order to get each bull out of the ring a guy dressed in rancho style lasso´d the bull. The best was when he mounted the bull and it was incredible how he managed to stay on with the bull jumping and rearing all over the place, with the matadors waving their cloaks at the same time so that the bull charged. What was great about this bullfighting show was that at no time were the bulls ever harmed. The show was more meant to entertain and give people a good laugh rather than anything serious. The bulls must have enjoyed it too as they were always reluctant to leave the ring. I took lots of photos which are already in my truprint album, reachable from the link which I will add again after this entry.
After the show had finished we had quite a job on getting through the crowds in order to make our way back to the Plaza de Armas, close to where the buses arrive. We had to hang onto our bags with both hands as thieves often abound in such crowded places. There was lots going on apart from the bull fights but we decided to head straight back while there was an abundance of transport, in case of difficulties getting back later on. Walking from the terminal once back in Urubamba we popped into La Chinita, which is now run as a chicha bar by Henry´s parents. We shared a couple of litres of Pilsen and chatted to Justina, Henry´s Mum, who reminded me that I was their madrina at the cement pouring ceremony on Sunday. We then had a Quara beer each, a beer made from barley and fruit which tastes more like wine and finally got home about 8 pm, so there was still time for our nightly game of monopoly.
On Thursday I was up at 5 and outside the Immigration Office in Cusco by twenty to eight and yet again it was a wasted journey. The lady said she had contacted Lima and was informed I could only get this done one or two days before I leave the country, so I will be there on 16th February at the same time to get it sorted out then - much preferable getting it sorted here rather than in Lima. The lady confirmed there is no problem extending my time here and that the dollar a day payable is more a kind of fine than an extension and can only be paid at the last minute.
On Friday I spent a few hours getting the latest photos uploaded to the truprint album - see the link I will post after this - and then managed to be on a bus on my way to Pisac by 11 am. I arrived at Pisac just after noon, checked out the internet cafe and cafe to see if Sarah was about but she wasn´t - then went around the market stalls looking for the CD I should have bought last week but the guy selling them wasn´t there. I saw Beltran, the guy who used to be a co owner of El Toldo restaurant and he suggested us having a beer once I had had my lunch and I said I would definitely come back and do that.
I then headed to Ulrikes and ordered the same delicious chicken on homemade tagliatelle that I had last week, a large Cusquena beer and followed this with her delicious home made apple strudel and icecream, and whilst waiting for the food to arrive chose two more books from the book case to exchange. All this took about an hour and I then went round the market again in another futile attempt to find that CD seller, then Beltran and I went into a cafe next door to where he works and had a Cusquena beer each which he wanted to pay for but I insisted we went halves. When I left he told me to visit him at the shop any time that I visited Pisac. I then got a bus back to Urubamba and got back about tea time.
On Saturday evening whilst playing monopoly Ruben, the hairdresser next door, arrived with the puppy he had promised Nohemy and Nohemy knowing how much I love animals said it is mine until I fly home and then it will be hers. She wants to be cuddled continuously and I mean continuously - even if I am right next to her she cries unless I pick her up. I solved the problem by popping her into a textile shoulder bag so she is next to me at all times. She is peering over the top of the bag as I write now and is happy to be enclosed and next to me. I let Nohemy choose the name as it is going to be her dog really and she chose Lassie. Its two and a half months old and almost pure white, very soft thick pelt, with a few pale brown markings - a Pekinese which is very popular here. As Nohemy has let me have her for the next 5 weeks I thought the least I could do is get the collar and lead and some puppy food. I kept Lassie and Poppikins apart in separate rooms until Lassie settled in which is just as well because when I did introduce them Poppikins went mental and straight into defence mode. I am hoping that with time and as they are both so young they will be friends and company for each other but until that looks likely I will keep them apart in case Poppikins injures her with her claws.
On Sunday I went to the cement pouring ceremony at Henry´s parents and the morning session of the cement pouring was almost finished by then and we were all served lunch. For a while Lassie had a little playmate as they have a Pekinese puppy too, but at this young age they just want to be cuddled and sleep. At 3 pm when the last of a cross was poured there was a little ceremony where bunches of flowers in the shape of a cross were tied to the iron anchors that soar into the air (these form the corners and centrepoints of any building, encased in concrete, to hold buildings together in the event of an earthquake). Then a bottle of champagne was tied with each bunch of flowers and as madrina I had to smash one bottle with a hammer, and another guy, the padrino, smashed the other.
Henry and his brothers were among the workforce and Carmen arrived just before the ceremony. Downstairs the tables had been lined up into two rows - all the hired workers on one table, including workers from the chacra, with family and friends on the other and Henry, Carmen, his Mum etc were bringing out the meals for everyone and his Dad was plonking large bottles of Cusquena beer in front of each person on every table. What impressed me was that Henry had remembered that I dont like beef and whereas everyone esle was given a T-bone steak he brought for me a plate of fried chicken. Everyone had a great time, with music playing on the dvd player, his Dad Seremino replenishing the beers continuously, and there was lots of dancing later on. I stayed until 10 pm when other family members were getting up to leave, and Carmen and one of the brother´s wives walked me home. During the evening Henry said I can go and visit the chacra anytime and spoke to his Mum and Dad and also one of the workers. I might go one day this week as it is the most beautiful place and will take Nohemy with me as I know she will be really impressed. I just hope I dont get lost finding my way in because it would be easy to end up on someone else´s chacra by mistake. Henry said that work permitting he would try and organise a family get together there before I fly home in February. They all think of me as part of their family now what with me being madrina at Henry´s wedding and now madrina of the house extension!
Today I cooked a delicious roast pork dinner English style complete with apple sauce and gravy (Colin sent me the latter which was very gratefully received). I intend to cook a different roast every week that I remain here as both Nohemy and Alfredo enjoyed it so much. Tomorrow some friends of Nohemy´s are coming to visit in the afternoon and we are all going out for a few beers, and weather permitting we may visit the chacra on Wednesday afternoon - I want to go on a really hot day so that Nohemy sees it all at its best. With a visit to Cusco plus another visit to Pisac this week looks pretty full already. I saw Ernesto, the old guy, yesterday who gave me Sarah´s email address again, and that is when I realised why she hadn´t replied or heard from me because he missed out two numbers in it - so hopefully I will see her when I visit Pisac again this week. I will write another entry next weekend.
On Tuesday 6th January Nohemy and I went to Ollantaytambo for the fiesta there. We were unable to get away as early as planned because of two workmen turning up unexpectedly to work on their extension. Also it poured with rain that morning so the food we had cooked to take with us as a picnic we ended up having for lunch, by which time the rain had abated somewhat and we set off around 1 pm.
The bus wound its way beneath high mountains and everywhere huge boulders could be seen that had fallen from above. Rocks and boulders are always falling onto the road or onto properties situated beneath the mountain, so I felt a bit easier when the road led away from the shadow of the mountain. Any such boulder landing on the bus would be catastrophic I reckon.
On arrival in Ollantaytambo we spent a while walking round market stalls and checking out things that were going on, and then walked down to the bullring where preparations were still being made for the show. We decided to get a good seat and wait, and ordered a litre of beer to share. By this time the rain had mostly gone off but it was windy and at times there was a little flurry of rain. Fortunately by the time the show began an hour and a half later things had brightened up a bit and the wind had died down. The bullring and surrounding area were packed with thousands of people, including lining the road above and on all the terraces high above.
The show included several different bulls and lots of matadors, including wannabee matadors - ie drunken men who jumped into the ring from the audience. One such guy refused to be ejected from the ring and kept standing in a provocative pose so that the bull charged towards him and he only just made it behind the wooden board in time. In order to get each bull out of the ring a guy dressed in rancho style lasso´d the bull. The best was when he mounted the bull and it was incredible how he managed to stay on with the bull jumping and rearing all over the place, with the matadors waving their cloaks at the same time so that the bull charged. What was great about this bullfighting show was that at no time were the bulls ever harmed. The show was more meant to entertain and give people a good laugh rather than anything serious. The bulls must have enjoyed it too as they were always reluctant to leave the ring. I took lots of photos which are already in my truprint album, reachable from the link which I will add again after this entry.
After the show had finished we had quite a job on getting through the crowds in order to make our way back to the Plaza de Armas, close to where the buses arrive. We had to hang onto our bags with both hands as thieves often abound in such crowded places. There was lots going on apart from the bull fights but we decided to head straight back while there was an abundance of transport, in case of difficulties getting back later on. Walking from the terminal once back in Urubamba we popped into La Chinita, which is now run as a chicha bar by Henry´s parents. We shared a couple of litres of Pilsen and chatted to Justina, Henry´s Mum, who reminded me that I was their madrina at the cement pouring ceremony on Sunday. We then had a Quara beer each, a beer made from barley and fruit which tastes more like wine and finally got home about 8 pm, so there was still time for our nightly game of monopoly.
On Thursday I was up at 5 and outside the Immigration Office in Cusco by twenty to eight and yet again it was a wasted journey. The lady said she had contacted Lima and was informed I could only get this done one or two days before I leave the country, so I will be there on 16th February at the same time to get it sorted out then - much preferable getting it sorted here rather than in Lima. The lady confirmed there is no problem extending my time here and that the dollar a day payable is more a kind of fine than an extension and can only be paid at the last minute.
On Friday I spent a few hours getting the latest photos uploaded to the truprint album - see the link I will post after this - and then managed to be on a bus on my way to Pisac by 11 am. I arrived at Pisac just after noon, checked out the internet cafe and cafe to see if Sarah was about but she wasn´t - then went around the market stalls looking for the CD I should have bought last week but the guy selling them wasn´t there. I saw Beltran, the guy who used to be a co owner of El Toldo restaurant and he suggested us having a beer once I had had my lunch and I said I would definitely come back and do that.
I then headed to Ulrikes and ordered the same delicious chicken on homemade tagliatelle that I had last week, a large Cusquena beer and followed this with her delicious home made apple strudel and icecream, and whilst waiting for the food to arrive chose two more books from the book case to exchange. All this took about an hour and I then went round the market again in another futile attempt to find that CD seller, then Beltran and I went into a cafe next door to where he works and had a Cusquena beer each which he wanted to pay for but I insisted we went halves. When I left he told me to visit him at the shop any time that I visited Pisac. I then got a bus back to Urubamba and got back about tea time.
On Saturday evening whilst playing monopoly Ruben, the hairdresser next door, arrived with the puppy he had promised Nohemy and Nohemy knowing how much I love animals said it is mine until I fly home and then it will be hers. She wants to be cuddled continuously and I mean continuously - even if I am right next to her she cries unless I pick her up. I solved the problem by popping her into a textile shoulder bag so she is next to me at all times. She is peering over the top of the bag as I write now and is happy to be enclosed and next to me. I let Nohemy choose the name as it is going to be her dog really and she chose Lassie. Its two and a half months old and almost pure white, very soft thick pelt, with a few pale brown markings - a Pekinese which is very popular here. As Nohemy has let me have her for the next 5 weeks I thought the least I could do is get the collar and lead and some puppy food. I kept Lassie and Poppikins apart in separate rooms until Lassie settled in which is just as well because when I did introduce them Poppikins went mental and straight into defence mode. I am hoping that with time and as they are both so young they will be friends and company for each other but until that looks likely I will keep them apart in case Poppikins injures her with her claws.
On Sunday I went to the cement pouring ceremony at Henry´s parents and the morning session of the cement pouring was almost finished by then and we were all served lunch. For a while Lassie had a little playmate as they have a Pekinese puppy too, but at this young age they just want to be cuddled and sleep. At 3 pm when the last of a cross was poured there was a little ceremony where bunches of flowers in the shape of a cross were tied to the iron anchors that soar into the air (these form the corners and centrepoints of any building, encased in concrete, to hold buildings together in the event of an earthquake). Then a bottle of champagne was tied with each bunch of flowers and as madrina I had to smash one bottle with a hammer, and another guy, the padrino, smashed the other.
Henry and his brothers were among the workforce and Carmen arrived just before the ceremony. Downstairs the tables had been lined up into two rows - all the hired workers on one table, including workers from the chacra, with family and friends on the other and Henry, Carmen, his Mum etc were bringing out the meals for everyone and his Dad was plonking large bottles of Cusquena beer in front of each person on every table. What impressed me was that Henry had remembered that I dont like beef and whereas everyone esle was given a T-bone steak he brought for me a plate of fried chicken. Everyone had a great time, with music playing on the dvd player, his Dad Seremino replenishing the beers continuously, and there was lots of dancing later on. I stayed until 10 pm when other family members were getting up to leave, and Carmen and one of the brother´s wives walked me home. During the evening Henry said I can go and visit the chacra anytime and spoke to his Mum and Dad and also one of the workers. I might go one day this week as it is the most beautiful place and will take Nohemy with me as I know she will be really impressed. I just hope I dont get lost finding my way in because it would be easy to end up on someone else´s chacra by mistake. Henry said that work permitting he would try and organise a family get together there before I fly home in February. They all think of me as part of their family now what with me being madrina at Henry´s wedding and now madrina of the house extension!
Today I cooked a delicious roast pork dinner English style complete with apple sauce and gravy (Colin sent me the latter which was very gratefully received). I intend to cook a different roast every week that I remain here as both Nohemy and Alfredo enjoyed it so much. Tomorrow some friends of Nohemy´s are coming to visit in the afternoon and we are all going out for a few beers, and weather permitting we may visit the chacra on Wednesday afternoon - I want to go on a really hot day so that Nohemy sees it all at its best. With a visit to Cusco plus another visit to Pisac this week looks pretty full already. I saw Ernesto, the old guy, yesterday who gave me Sarah´s email address again, and that is when I realised why she hadn´t replied or heard from me because he missed out two numbers in it - so hopefully I will see her when I visit Pisac again this week. I will write another entry next weekend.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Pachamanca, Visits to Pisac and Tunapa Restaurant
On the Sunday after Christmas we were invited to a Pachamanca by the two main workmen working on Nohemy´s extension (they are working on several other properties as well)- We arrived early in the morning in order to watch the process whereby an oven is created in the ground with bricks all around and firewood and lots of stones are heated in this until it reaches a certain temperature. They had bought loads of pork and chicken and marinated it in spices while the stones were heating. Then the meat was added and covered with the stones and left to cook. Later on a load of potatoes were added to the embers - the delicious yellow ones that are available here which I have never seen back home - plus a load of broad beans still in their pods, a type of banana which needs to be cooked and huge cobs of corn. In this latter stage everything was covered in wet paper, several layers, and then earth piled over it all. I took photos of the various stages while it was all cooking which will be in the next download.
When it was ready it was all piled into two washing up bowls (!!) and plonked on the table and we all dived in and it was absolutely delicious. Everything was perfectly cooked and the bananas complemented everything perfectly, very sweet and yellow ones. I enjoyed that meal more than the Christmas turkey. Afterwards we all shared a jug of pina coladas that Nohemy had made. Then we cleared away and Alfredo bought the first two litres of beer, then I bought the second two, and the two brothers bought the last two and we lingered over the table on the patio drinking these until it began to get dark.
A couple of days later I went to Pisac for the day. Ernesto, an old guy who sometimes brings me books had told me about an English lady living in Taray, a village just outside Pisac, and asked if I would like to meet her and I said yes. We met at the bus terminal at 9 am and I took quite a few scenic photos as the bus wound its way through the Sacred Valley. We got off the bus just before Pisac, crossed a bridge over the river and then it was half an hour´s walk to Taray, the pretty little village where Sarah lives ... only to find when we got there that she had gone out!
We walked back to the centre and then got a moto to Pisac and Ernesto knew to look either in the internet cafe or a certain cafe and sure enough Sarah was in the cafe and he introduced us. When she realised I had travelled from Urubamba to meet her she wwas really thrilled and Ernesto went off and did his own thing while we chatted over capuccino coffees for about half an hour, at the same time enjoying the company of a couple of young musicians who entertained us with their didgeridoos.
Then we walked up the Plaza de Armas where a big feria market was going on and looked around and I bought a CD. The guy wanted 25 soles for it and when I said I would pay no more than 10 he said okay and let me have it - an original CD for 2 quid! It was only later that I realised that one of the others he had for sale is one that I have mislaid so I am hoping it will still be there when I go back this week and that I can get it for the same price! After walking round a bit I heard my name called and a guy who was one of the partners at the restaurant was standing outside a jewellry shop where he is now working and we chatted for a bit whilst Sarah went to the ATM, then after that she and I went to Ulrika´s cafe which is run by a German woman and we had the set lunch which was 3 courses for 17 soles or 20 soles depending on which desserts were chosen and delicious it was too.
It started raining while we were in there so we stayed longer than intended but chatting away and really enjoying each others company. There was a book exchange in there too so having a book in my bag I exchanged it for another and only had to pay 3 soles. When we got up to leave we spotted a game of scrabble so are going to have lunch there next week as well and have a game of scrabble afterwards. She is living in a rented house in Taray but hoping to buy a property just outside Urubamba on the way to Ollantaytambo. She comes from Truro and when her Dad died 4 years ago she sold the house and that money is in the bank and she has enough to buy the place if the present German owners are willing to sell. She is only going to be here another 3weeks or so and we are going to meet up each week whilst she is still here. Later this week I am going back to Pisac to meet up with her for the day again. I don´t know why I left it so long to visit Pisac again - last time was for the fiesta in July with Nohemy and Alfredo - because it is a pretty little place, full of tourists. When the rain died off and we left the cafe we found Ernesto in the Plaza de Armas and I travelled back to Urubamba with him arriving back around 6 pm, so just in time for the nightly monopoly games with Nohemy and Alfredo.
On Thursday morning I had a phone call from one of the Peruviandina brothers saying they were now playing in Tunupa restaurant instead of Muna so I decided to go there that day as I had nothing else planned during the daytime. I had so enjoyed myself at Tunupa the last time I went, several months ago. The food is out of this world and I would be very surprised if there was anywhere better than Tunupa for the vast selection of really delicious food.
I arrived about 1 pm and the place was really crowded, so headed straight to greet Daniel and Wilber who had just finished setting up their instruments. When I set out from home it was a hot sunny day but by the time I got to Tunupa the skies were grey and just as I greeted them it started to rain. This meant dismantling all their equipment and taking it to the indoor restaurant and they couldnt make up their mind as the two main indoor restaurants were too far apart for the other half to hear the music. After trying to set up in one side and realising there wasnt enough room, they decided to set up back outside as by this time the rain had gone off. So whereas everyone else was seated at tables inside I was the only one outside seated on the verandah with a great view of the band. It was windy and a bit chilly but I didnt care - the main reason for being there was for the music rather than the food although I did enjoy the food - a plateful of delicious starters including mixed seafood ceviche, the pork, alpaca and chicken dishes from the main buffet and a sampling of several desserts from the sweet buffet. A pisco sour was included and unlimited delicious coffee afterwards so really the price of 50 soles per head is very reasonable. It was fun to chat to the artist who I had not seen for a while and I have been invited to visit his studio this coming week and meet his wife and child and will be going there on Tuesday afternoon, about 5.30 when he is sure to be back from Tunupa. I will probably buy one of his water colours to bring home.
The last of the tour groups left around 4 pm and after packing up their instruments I walked with them up to the main road, just as a bus was arriving and I climbed aboard. We had agreed to meet at Dinnos because Daniel wanted to eat there. Although they do feed the musicians at Tunupa it isnt until much later and he was too hungry to wait. We shared a couple of Inka colas while he tucked into his chicken dinner and the two Ebers arrived and were trying to get him and others interested in forming a group to play in one of the restaurants in Plaza de Armas that night. When I said my goodbyes a bit later it was with the understanding that I might well come along to that restaurant and watch them play. When I got home it was to find that Nohemy and Alfredo had gone out as they had no way of knowing that the birthday party of Wilber´s Mum had been cancelled, and for a while it looked as though I might be spending New Year´s eve on my own!
About 9 pm I decided to walk up to Plaza de Armas to see if the band were playing in that restaurant where I bumped into Rosalio, Daniel´s brother, who explained they couldn´t get enough musicians interested in working instead of celebrating and that it was cancelled. So instead I went with him to his parents house where Daniel, both wives and their children were also there to share the New Years eve celebrations and I was very warmly welcomed by the parents, given big hugs by the two little girls who were both eager to show me the bags of toys, sweets and sparklers that their Dads had given them. We sat in the kitchen for a while chatting whilst Nohemy, Daniel´s wife, went out to buy lechon and wine and I contributed to pay for the wine, a red borgonya, sweet red that is very popular here. Meanwhile, Marisol, Rosalio´s wife was preparing the yellow confetti, candles etc and arranging a bunch of yellow flowers for the table. When the food arrived we all tucked in and shared the wine and it was a very nice way to see the new year in. Rosalio and Daniel then walked me home afterwards around 1 pm. New year´s day we spent mostly at home, with me sunbathing on the patio as it was a very hot day.
On Saturday we went to Cusco again, to Plaza Tupac Amaru as usual which we always enjoy and I plan to go there again tomorrow as I have to visit Immigration and get the extension on my leave to stay here until 18th February. The next big event to look forward to is the fiesta at Ollantaytambo on Wednesday which will probably be the subject of my next blog entry, with more photos being added to the truprint link soon after that.
When it was ready it was all piled into two washing up bowls (!!) and plonked on the table and we all dived in and it was absolutely delicious. Everything was perfectly cooked and the bananas complemented everything perfectly, very sweet and yellow ones. I enjoyed that meal more than the Christmas turkey. Afterwards we all shared a jug of pina coladas that Nohemy had made. Then we cleared away and Alfredo bought the first two litres of beer, then I bought the second two, and the two brothers bought the last two and we lingered over the table on the patio drinking these until it began to get dark.
A couple of days later I went to Pisac for the day. Ernesto, an old guy who sometimes brings me books had told me about an English lady living in Taray, a village just outside Pisac, and asked if I would like to meet her and I said yes. We met at the bus terminal at 9 am and I took quite a few scenic photos as the bus wound its way through the Sacred Valley. We got off the bus just before Pisac, crossed a bridge over the river and then it was half an hour´s walk to Taray, the pretty little village where Sarah lives ... only to find when we got there that she had gone out!
We walked back to the centre and then got a moto to Pisac and Ernesto knew to look either in the internet cafe or a certain cafe and sure enough Sarah was in the cafe and he introduced us. When she realised I had travelled from Urubamba to meet her she wwas really thrilled and Ernesto went off and did his own thing while we chatted over capuccino coffees for about half an hour, at the same time enjoying the company of a couple of young musicians who entertained us with their didgeridoos.
Then we walked up the Plaza de Armas where a big feria market was going on and looked around and I bought a CD. The guy wanted 25 soles for it and when I said I would pay no more than 10 he said okay and let me have it - an original CD for 2 quid! It was only later that I realised that one of the others he had for sale is one that I have mislaid so I am hoping it will still be there when I go back this week and that I can get it for the same price! After walking round a bit I heard my name called and a guy who was one of the partners at the restaurant was standing outside a jewellry shop where he is now working and we chatted for a bit whilst Sarah went to the ATM, then after that she and I went to Ulrika´s cafe which is run by a German woman and we had the set lunch which was 3 courses for 17 soles or 20 soles depending on which desserts were chosen and delicious it was too.
It started raining while we were in there so we stayed longer than intended but chatting away and really enjoying each others company. There was a book exchange in there too so having a book in my bag I exchanged it for another and only had to pay 3 soles. When we got up to leave we spotted a game of scrabble so are going to have lunch there next week as well and have a game of scrabble afterwards. She is living in a rented house in Taray but hoping to buy a property just outside Urubamba on the way to Ollantaytambo. She comes from Truro and when her Dad died 4 years ago she sold the house and that money is in the bank and she has enough to buy the place if the present German owners are willing to sell. She is only going to be here another 3weeks or so and we are going to meet up each week whilst she is still here. Later this week I am going back to Pisac to meet up with her for the day again. I don´t know why I left it so long to visit Pisac again - last time was for the fiesta in July with Nohemy and Alfredo - because it is a pretty little place, full of tourists. When the rain died off and we left the cafe we found Ernesto in the Plaza de Armas and I travelled back to Urubamba with him arriving back around 6 pm, so just in time for the nightly monopoly games with Nohemy and Alfredo.
On Thursday morning I had a phone call from one of the Peruviandina brothers saying they were now playing in Tunupa restaurant instead of Muna so I decided to go there that day as I had nothing else planned during the daytime. I had so enjoyed myself at Tunupa the last time I went, several months ago. The food is out of this world and I would be very surprised if there was anywhere better than Tunupa for the vast selection of really delicious food.
I arrived about 1 pm and the place was really crowded, so headed straight to greet Daniel and Wilber who had just finished setting up their instruments. When I set out from home it was a hot sunny day but by the time I got to Tunupa the skies were grey and just as I greeted them it started to rain. This meant dismantling all their equipment and taking it to the indoor restaurant and they couldnt make up their mind as the two main indoor restaurants were too far apart for the other half to hear the music. After trying to set up in one side and realising there wasnt enough room, they decided to set up back outside as by this time the rain had gone off. So whereas everyone else was seated at tables inside I was the only one outside seated on the verandah with a great view of the band. It was windy and a bit chilly but I didnt care - the main reason for being there was for the music rather than the food although I did enjoy the food - a plateful of delicious starters including mixed seafood ceviche, the pork, alpaca and chicken dishes from the main buffet and a sampling of several desserts from the sweet buffet. A pisco sour was included and unlimited delicious coffee afterwards so really the price of 50 soles per head is very reasonable. It was fun to chat to the artist who I had not seen for a while and I have been invited to visit his studio this coming week and meet his wife and child and will be going there on Tuesday afternoon, about 5.30 when he is sure to be back from Tunupa. I will probably buy one of his water colours to bring home.
The last of the tour groups left around 4 pm and after packing up their instruments I walked with them up to the main road, just as a bus was arriving and I climbed aboard. We had agreed to meet at Dinnos because Daniel wanted to eat there. Although they do feed the musicians at Tunupa it isnt until much later and he was too hungry to wait. We shared a couple of Inka colas while he tucked into his chicken dinner and the two Ebers arrived and were trying to get him and others interested in forming a group to play in one of the restaurants in Plaza de Armas that night. When I said my goodbyes a bit later it was with the understanding that I might well come along to that restaurant and watch them play. When I got home it was to find that Nohemy and Alfredo had gone out as they had no way of knowing that the birthday party of Wilber´s Mum had been cancelled, and for a while it looked as though I might be spending New Year´s eve on my own!
About 9 pm I decided to walk up to Plaza de Armas to see if the band were playing in that restaurant where I bumped into Rosalio, Daniel´s brother, who explained they couldn´t get enough musicians interested in working instead of celebrating and that it was cancelled. So instead I went with him to his parents house where Daniel, both wives and their children were also there to share the New Years eve celebrations and I was very warmly welcomed by the parents, given big hugs by the two little girls who were both eager to show me the bags of toys, sweets and sparklers that their Dads had given them. We sat in the kitchen for a while chatting whilst Nohemy, Daniel´s wife, went out to buy lechon and wine and I contributed to pay for the wine, a red borgonya, sweet red that is very popular here. Meanwhile, Marisol, Rosalio´s wife was preparing the yellow confetti, candles etc and arranging a bunch of yellow flowers for the table. When the food arrived we all tucked in and shared the wine and it was a very nice way to see the new year in. Rosalio and Daniel then walked me home afterwards around 1 pm. New year´s day we spent mostly at home, with me sunbathing on the patio as it was a very hot day.
On Saturday we went to Cusco again, to Plaza Tupac Amaru as usual which we always enjoy and I plan to go there again tomorrow as I have to visit Immigration and get the extension on my leave to stay here until 18th February. The next big event to look forward to is the fiesta at Ollantaytambo on Wednesday which will probably be the subject of my next blog entry, with more photos being added to the truprint link soon after that.
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