Cusco: Week 4-5

Now I have been traveling for 4 months. It doesn't feel that long. I still have two more weeks of classes. From August 11th, I won't have any accommodation anymore.

In the last 1 1/2 weeks, I have done a lot in Cusco. I visited the Coca Museum. You can buy coca leaves everywhere here. I even considered sending Coca candy home until I realized that coca is illegal in Germany and I might get into trouble😄.

Last Tuesday, we played soccer at 3500 meters. There is a football field opposite my school that can be rented by the hour. Surprisingly, I had no problems with the altitude, apparently I have gotten used to it.

Last Friday, there was a barbecue at school. I tried cow heart for the first time. Surprisingly, it was really tasty. However, I don't think I will ever order it or eat it at home, as the idea of ​​eating a heart feels wrong to me.

My class consists of two parts: grammar and conversation. Yesterday, in the conversation session, we visited the University of Cusco. About 15,000 students attend the university, which is one of the top five in Peru. The university has a small zoo. Faculty of Law, Computer Science, Medicine, and Biology. However, the buildings look terribly run-down and somehow you don't get the impression that you are on a university campus.

Last week, I visited an alpaca farm. I found it quite interesting as they showed how they dye the wool using a bacterium from a cactus. I also didn't know that baby alpaca wool doesn't come from a baby alpaca, but it's simply the first shearing of an alpaca. Usually, the alpacas are already 2 years old. At the same time, it was fun to feed the animals.

Today, I visited a farm with 65 animals that were taken in to protect them from their former owners. For example, they "rescued" a puma that was pumped with drugs and displayed in a disco in Arequipa.

A cockatoo was taken from a hotel because the hotel owner kept it so that tourists could take pictures with it. The cockatoo never learned to fly and its beak was in really bad condition. Many animals were also taken in by the farm because their former owners wanted to kill them as the skin is supposedly very valuable. I asked if it is Peruvian culture / if it is common to treat animals like this. I was explained that it is easy money. However, there is currently a change happening, so this kind of treatment has been / is being banned.

Last weekend, my friend from Holland and I wanted to take a trip to a thermal bath. However, the trip fell through as Noortje unfortunately had to go to the hospital after a 5-day hike. She was discharged after one day, but since she was supposed to fly to Santiago on Monday, we decided to stay in Cusco for the weekend.

So I went to the hairdresser on the weekend, got a massage and had a nice dinner with her as a farewell. On the way to the hairdresser, I saw a church. It sounded like there was a concert there, so I went into the church. However, there was a wedding taking place. The family members sat at the front in suits and nice dresses. At the back, the tourists sat in raincoats, hats, and gloves. It seemed really strange to me, but apparently, it's normal here.

Over the weekend, I wanted to do a 3-day hike, but the pass is closed due to heavy snowfall, so I decided to go to Tambopata instead.

There is a small party at school tonight with Pisco Sour (the solution for everything here) and a group dinner, as Saturday is "Independence Day" in Peru, we are celebrating a little in advance.

Independence Day is of great significance in Peru, as the Peruvians suffered greatly under the Spaniards. Usually, the entire weekend is celebrated with parades. However, this year it's not happening as Peru wants to protest against the government and corruption by not celebrating the holiday accordingly.