10/11/14

Today Spanish lessons consisted of a field trip. My professor and I walked around "El Baratillo" which is a type of flea market of sorts... It was quite the place. HUGE... we could have walked around forever and gotten sooo lost. It was very interesting, apparently some of the products sold are donations (new items) and others (most other things) are second-hand. They sell literally anything and everything from toilets to tools to clothes to empty medication vials. It was quite strange, but very fun to walk through. Frank, my instructor, said that he has bought new Doc Martens there for approximately $12 and another one of his friends found a brand new RL purse for super cheap. The place was packed and it was very difficult to get around but the people watching there was fantastic. I loved the atmosphere of being in the crowds and the hustle and bustle of it all, however, it was a place that everyone, including locals, need to be aware of pickpocketing. One man was selling iphones (which are very difficult to use in Peru even if you have the right equipment) so we stopped to look at it, and Frank and I almost burst into laughter as it wasn't even close to being a real iphone! At the end of the market, there is an "animal market" if you will... it felt like being at a petting zoo or a farm or something. They had sooo many cute puppies that I obviously snuggled for a while, kittens, chickens, and guinea pigs that are HUGE. They literally look like large rabbits. But guinea pigs are very important here as the best peruvian dish here is Cuy (guinea pig). I have not tried it yet, but definitely intend to.
Following my spanish lesson, I was supposed to meet up with my Swedish friend but with lack of phone use and internet access we couldn't find each other. On my way to an Internet cafe, I ran into a couple volunteers I met in Urubamba! Very unexpected but a very nice surprise. They introduced me to the other volunteers they were with.. all from Urubamba unfortunately, so I still have yet to meet any volunteers in Cusco. We ended up walking through a natural market called "San Pedro." Everything is fresh, organic, and delicious. As they were on their way out of town, I received a message from another volunteer in my clinic and we decided to go ahead and make some reservations for a Machu Picchu trek! So next weekend... mountain hiking here I come! To my surprise, MP is actually lower than the city of Cusco! So hopefully the altitude shouldn't be too much of a problem. It felt very good to finally get in touch with a volunteer from Cusco. After a lot of praying and a lot of effort of putting myself out there, little by little, things are starting to get easier.... Off to Pisac tomorrow to meet up with the volunteers from Urubamba to do some shopping, so until next time.

megan