FOR YOUR HEALTH

There are a bunch of these little wagons around Cuzco late at night selling a delicious smelling drink. I never knew what they were and, with my bad Spanish, was shy to ask. But last night on the way home from work I did. To be honest I didn't really understand much of what she said, but I did catch "It's for your health", and "herbs". I asked for a glass and she poured solutions of different herbs from four or five bottles into a large glass before topping it up with a hot steaming tea-like liquid from the main urn. Finally she added a clear liquid from yet another bottle, which caused the whole infusion to turn into an almost jelly-like state. It was hot and sweet and tasted really great. Perfect on a cold Cuzco night, and cheaper than whiskey.

STILL STUPID

Yep, I'll be twenty-eight years old in just a couple of months, but I am still an idiot. Here in Cuzco there is no snowboarding or rock climbing to satisfy my adrenaline needs. So, lately, not content to go mountain-biking at weekends, I have taken to cycling down the steps in front of my home on the way to work. As you can see the steps are pretty steep and there are a lot of them, so it took me a while to get up the courage. But now that I've started I just can't stop. And of course I get more confident/stupid every time I do them. Yesterday was a bit of a wake-up call as I crashed in the tricky middle section. Luckily only the gear shifter on the bike got broke and I was okay. But don't worry I got it fixed today so I can continue the madness again tomorrow :o)

The top section of steps.
The tricky middle part.
The bottom section of steps.
Where I wiped out (in the middle part).
The damage: these parts should be one. But it's okay now!

MORE CYCLING SNAPS

I took another road trip to the Sacred Valley last weekend with some mountain-biking on the way back. I went with good friends Sanne and Carol and once again we had amazing weather. I'm sure these photos are starting to get pretty boring, but don't worry, I'll be on the road again soon and hopefully will be taking more exciting snaps.

Photo on left is from Pisac Sunday Market

Bikes on bus roof.Sanne and me.Sanne and Carol

YOU NEVER LOVE A BITCH?

During my Tuesday evening English class I had my students talk about their favourite movies. Of course, one of the ladies chose Pretty Woman. When she asked my opinion and I said I didn't like this film, she replied 'Why? You never love a bitch?', meaning had I ever been in love with a prostitute. I don't know what impression my students have of me, but I fear it's the wrong one.

VIEWS FROM THE BUS

ROAD TRIP TO URUBAMBA

I took a road trip to Urubamba this weekend with my friend Carol. We set of early Saturday morning on the eighty kilometre trip. The first part of the journey is a grueling one hour up hill road out of Cuzco, made all the harder by starting at an altitude of 3500M. So we cheated and took a bus for this part (with our bikes precariously balanced on the roof).
From where we got off the bus it was pretty much all downhill or flat, and thus, much more enjoyable. We had great weather and wonderful views as we cycled into the heart of the Sacred Valley. The only downside was that the rental bike Carol had got a total of four puntures (obviously a very old inner tube) so we spent just as much time repairing it as we did cycling).For lunch we stopped in a town called Calca for guacamole and nachos lunch before attempting to carry on to Urubamba. But with a third puncture and twenty kilomtetres left, it didn't look like we'd have time to repair the tyre and make it to our destination before it grew dark. So we had to jump in a colectivo (minibus jammed full of people) for the last part of our journey. In Urumbamba we stayed in a lovely hostel with a great garden running down to the Urubamba River. And on Sunday, another beautiful day, we returned to Cuzo

Fixing yet another puncture.A bus shelter en route.

THE DESIDERATA

Written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

TWENTY HOURS

When I was in Argentina my Mexican friend Vini asked me about long bus journeys. ‘Aren’t they boring? What do you do?’ At that time I didn’t really have an answer for him except to say that I don't get bored. So on my next trip I documented what I did for both my benefit and to share with Vini.
Here is my diary for the twenty-hour bus trip from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu last December.

The bus departed at 20:00
>21:00 Attempted phrasebook Spanish with man sitting next to me. He told me he was twenty-two years old and a police man. I asked him to show me his gun. I guess the universal symbol for gun (two fingers in the air shouting ‘bang bang’) isn’t so universal, as he only showed me his photo ID. How disappointing!
>22:00 Ate bus dinner. My worst meal in a long time. Stale bread, dry chewy rice, and indescribable chicken. Kind policeman offered me his stale bread. I declined in Spanish, “No gracias”. Also wrote in my travel journal.
>00:00 Watched a movie (Rocky Balboa) and sipped scotch from my hip flask.
>01:00 Gulped from my hip flask. Patted myself on the back for wisely upgrading to a 6oz flask for this trip. Listened to new Kriss Kristofferson album, looked at stars, felt very happy to be on the road.
>01:30 Got comfortable. Took out sleeping bag, inflated pillow and changed clothes.
>08:00 Tossed, turned, dozed, slept, dreamt of beds and flat surfaces in general.
>09:00 Woke up. Took bus shower (consists of using one baby wipe on face, neck, hands and armpits - in that order).
>09:30 Bus stopped for breakfast. I thought it was just a toilet stop and nearly missed out on coffee and sweet croissants. Luckily bus driver realized I was a fool and pointed me in the right direction.
>11:00 Ate orange on bus, listened to new James Blunt album. Took in scenery.
>12:00 Read through old travel journal. Fell asleep.
>15:00 Tried reading Fast Food Nation. Managed about fifteen minutes then felt bored and hungry for a burger.
>16:00 Nodded off again. Was woken by bus driver at station.
>16:30 Woken by bus driver again. I guess I’d just went back to sleep after he woke me the first time. We had been parked at station for thirty minutes. Got of bus very glad it hadn’t begun return journey.

DRAGONFLY

Found this guy outside my room yesterday.

MY JOB

I have just finished my second month working here in Cuzco. I have been teaching English at a small institute called Excel Language Center. It wasn't difficult for me to get the job (probably because of my Japan experience), I just gave my CV (resume) to the Director following my week of Spanish study at the school and started the next Monday. The pay is not much, fifteen soles (less than three pounds) an hour and I teach only three hours a day, but as the average daily income for a Cuzcueno is only twenty soles I'm doing quite well.
I teach two classes each evening starting at five-thirty and each month my classes change. So far I've been teaching adults and university students of different ability levels. For the most part they're all keen and enthusiastic (they are paying after all) so it has been a refreshing change from teaching kids who 'have' to be in class. Cuzco is a city in which sixty percent of the economy is based around tourism, so that explains the big demand for English and other languages here.
My students are a lot of fun and pretty easy going so we have a laugh in class quite often (as long as they've done their homework). And the conversation class I taught to advanced level adults in March was very interesting as we could talk about politics, culture, food and even drugs.
From Thursday I will have two new classes full of students with cool names like Fidel, Carlos and Alejandra. These will be my last classes as from May I will officially return to backpacker status and continue my travels around South America for two more months.