Sidestreets

I have so much to say I can't type fast enough!

Ok, First, I arrived in Cusco yesterday afternoon and I am staying in the same house I was in before. Although, the house is full of new people. Fun and different.

Play by Play for today: I am starting to understand (a little bit) why foreigners fall in love with this city and want to live here…

1. Today my roommate was leaving (after being here for 3 months) so there was a lot of last minute packing and shopping to do! In true Duffy fashion I tagged along and made a list of things I liked and scoped out prices. Always searching for the best deal.
2. Experiencing a little packing drama has made me very eager to leave lots of my stuff here- then maybe I will have enough space for presents!
3. I took Laura to the airport to see her off. On the way back from the airport I shared a cab with a friend of Laura’s who is Peruvian. Her name is Karla and she was super nice. I just got dropped off where she needed to go and figured I would walk the rest of the way home.
4. This is the first Saturday that I have had totally free since I arrived (I think) and I decided to take side streets that I have never explored and I found a gold mine! I happened to stumble upon the “Arts” district! (most of the city is arranged by type of store. For instance, if you needed to buy a mattress you would go to one street that is lined with mattress stores) I was surrounded by bolts of fabric, ribbon, paint, bead stores, you name it. Seriously, heaven. This was perfect timing because I saw a dream catcher in the Jungle and decided that I could make some to take home with me. My last day in the jungle I cut roots to make the frames and collected river stones to go in the center. So, needless to say, I bought a ridiculous amount of string, wire, and a pair of pliers and I will soon get to work!
5. Then I ventured through a market (that I have walked by at least 4 times a day, every day I have been in Cusco) and found fresh fruit, fresh flowers, handmade wooden spoons! It had everything! I also saw a shop that had live frogs next to a tray of TOTALLY gutted frogs. Maybe gutted is not the right word… the skin was missing from these particular frogs and just their bodies and guts were out on display- it was fascinating … and gross. The lady behind the counter was not happy that I wanted to take a picture and thus you will not have the honor (or maybe you will be spared) from experiencing this with me. At least for now, have no doubt, I will go back and do my best to get photos. There was a large section of the market full of butchers… who also would not let me photograph them.
6. I am currently watching a Spanish soap opera (novella) and it is quite distracting. Not my cup of tea.

I am having an internal struggle against the structure, commitment, and responsibility that will accompany Monday. There is still so much exploring I want to do here! I have yet to see any of the ruins that are close to Cusco or visit any of the museums and historical sites!

I will write more/post pictures of Salkentay and the Jungle soon!