Well I thought I would be able to slow down on the blogs but there is just so much to share that they just keep coming. We woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day and a temperature that was probably around 70 F; no rain in sight. I had some time before Spanish class so I decided to check out the main town market (the San Pedro market). They were just opening when I got there so I only did a quick walk-by but it looks like it will be an interesting place to explore this weekend. It reminds me of some of the open air markets that existed in Moscow 15 years ago. The market itself occupies a large city block near the train station. It has walls and a roof but is open to the elements. Inside are a multitude of different types of stalls where all kinds of things are being sold, including some booths that had various animal parts on display. It is very colorful and a bit noisy to the eye at first because there is so much to take in all at once. I shot a few quick pictures to share the flavor of it.
Entrance to the market
Meat for sale in the market
Teaching continues to be a lot of fun. The girls are so motivated to learn, it is hard to keep up with them. We tried something a bit different today in our time with the older people. As I mentioned before we have been struggling a bit with what to do and even with the communication. Since music is universal today we decided to play some and see if any of them would dance with us. We ended up with about four older women out there moving and grooving with us to Elvis, songs from Grease, some modern pop, and some country music. Some of the others who did not participate seemed to enjoy the show while others did not like the peace of their tea time interrupted. It just goes to show that you cannot please everyone. It was silly and fun all at the same time. I am not sure what we are going to do for an encore but we will have to come up with something.
Random Courtyard through a door
On the way back from the convent Carrie (another volunteer who started at the same time as me on Monday) and I took a different way home and started exploring some of the shops and open doors. Just to illustrate, again, that you cannot take anything at face value here I took and have included a picture of one of the courtyards we found as we popped our heads through a non-descript door fronting one of the streets. So many doors, so little time….
By the way we passed a bakery too and since I had not tasted a new pastry yet today I bought one that turned out to be a banana crumpet-like thing. The clerk asked me if I wanted it heated and since at that point I had no idea what it was I agreed. So it was a warm banana crumpet thing and very tasty!
Typical side street
We also stopped in a few shops were they sell alpaca goods. There are some very nice textiles here and I am sure I will succumb sooner or later but not until I get a better feel for what is available. There is a big market in Pisco, a town nearby, that I will have to make an excursion to first before I purchase anything.
Also on the way back we stumbled upon an enclosed green space containing a couple of llamas. We were simply walking along the street then suddenly open space with a glass enclosure, green grass and animals. Most unexpected! Of course, I had to take a picture and here it is.
The Llamo of Cusco