House hunting, football and that salsa competition
is still in progress and I've looked at loads but nothing definite so far. The favourite is a small apartment 30 seconds walk form Plaza de Armas and that may well be signed sealed and delivered today - watch this space.
I've also been looking at possible venues for a salsa bar as most places here only play salsa until about 11pm then switch to the most dire old rubbish - can you beleive I've even heard them play YMCA!!
First though I have to speak to the immigration people to see exactly what I am allowed to do and I'm waiting for my friend to arrive so we can wander off down there and see what's what.
Yesterday a few of us had lunch with Roxanna from Mythology then we watched her play in a football match on a pitch high above Cusco, just below the 'Viva Peru' carving. The game ended in a 2-2 draw with both of our goals being scored by the only two gringos playing. I have to say it's the first time I've seen a football match where a pig wandered across the pitch during a match!
Last night there was a salsa competition at Mythology in Plaza de Armas (details on www.salsacusco.com ). I'd entered with Kola, a guy from Nigeria who has been dancing for 3 weeks. We'd been practicing all week and he improved so quickly it was unbeleivable. We nicked some moves from the videos of my leaving party at Barracuda in Birmingham, cheers Steve, Neville and David, and it was great fun - especially when..... WE WON! :) The prize was a bungee jump but thankfully only one so Kola get's to do it - no bl**dy way am I throwing myself off a cliff attached to an elastic band!
Sadly today is Kola's last day in Cusco, he should have gone on Friday but changed his plans to enter the competition. Adios Kola and thanks :)
house hunting
I've decided to buy a house in Cusco and have been out every day this week looking. I've seen some great places and some real dives but nothing quite right just yet. One house had the most spectacular views over Sacsayhuaman, Cusco and the mountains towards Puno and another was the perfect house, big with a room the perfect size for a dance studio, but both were too far out of the centre for what I have in mind (all will be revealed on that front later).
A new edition of rueda de Negotios is out today so who knows what I'll find - watch this space :)
All settled in and finished school (for now)
Today was my last week at the Academia Latinoamericano de Espanol in Cusco and I can recommend it unreservedly to anyone interested in studying Spanish here.
Living with a family for the first two and a half weeks was definitely a good move and Mayke and her family have been a priviledge to know.
There's been a lot to take in over the past three weeks and I have trouble remembering a lot of it and the basic building blocks are in place and I know enough to manage most situations (including a busted fridge and non-functioning internet connection).
I'm going to spend the next three weeks revising and practicing then will return for another week to learn some more. I'm practicing on my new Cusceno friends, I speak to them in Spanish and they reply in English - that way we all get to practice :)
I've moved into the apartment and apart from a few teething problems like the fridge that died after a power cut and having no water for most of the day instead of the agreed 2pm-4.30pm, everything is ok. It's walking distance from school and the centre of Cusco and has fantastic views of the mountains all around.
The only things that make Cusco less than perfect is that it's not so easy to visit the kids and the salsa here is nowhere near as good here as in Birmingham. If Julia, Zack, Vince and Lucy could visit every few weeks and I could transport Barracuda here on Monday nights I would truly be in heaven :)
