Gee's Travels: December 2013

We flew into Cusco airport at around 10.45am local time where I was picked up by a local "indígenas" who took my bags and showed me to the woman who would take me to my home. Here I met my house mum, Anita Maria, and a crazy 60 year old Swiss woman named Ursula, who I also share a room with! We had a rather interesting lunch consisting of turkey with a fruit salad (apple, tangerine, mango and celery!!) and lots of Coca tea which is a local speciality made from Cocaina leaves and is apparently very good for curing the altitude sickness (Cusco is 3800m above sea level!) Me and Ursula then walked into the centre of Cusco where we had a Pisco Sour (very typical South American cocktail made from egg white, Pisco, sugar and lemon juice), it was very strange but refreshing. Then we returned to the home for a nap, and at 10.30 returned to the main square, Le Plaza de Armas where it was absolutely packed- people were throwing fireworks in any direction and there were a band playing. The tradition is to wear yellow for good luck, so it was a sea of yellow flowers and fancy dress. Also another tradition is to walk around the plaza 12 times for each month of the new year, however, me and Ursula only managed 2. We then caught a taxi home at around 2am and went to sleep! So overall an interesting first day and one of the weirdest New Year Eves I have ever had and think I will ever have.