This is la cuy that they eat...

 La familia - from left to right Rossana, Luis, Lucho, Andrea

 Alpaca / llama zoo!

 Viva el Perú (note also the Cristo Blanco on the left)

Señora in the alpaca/llama place

Time for an update. Monday I had my first day of rain, lots of rain. Before I left I already put the weather forecast of Cusco on my homepage and it wasn’t greatly promising to see pictures of heavy rain every day (January, February is rainy season here) – but when I arrived it wasn’t so bad. The thing is, Cusco is surrounded by mountains so once the clouds are inside, they don’t leave so quickly. Anyway today was better already.

Last weekend was nice, on Saturday I went with Lucho and Luis to a sort of big market place (el baratillo) where people sell second hand stuff. Mostly looking like fifth hand I must say. They sell everything ranging from doll heads (scary) to empty coca cola bottles, to car parts and phones. I had to buy a phone still so this was the perfect place and I even managed to buy one that wasn’t about to fall apart, pretty much new actually! Fourty soles, which is a little bit more than 10 Euros. Anyway, quite the place, el baratillo.

Sunday we went with the whole family to el Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley). It’s a valley with lots of villages with Inca excavation sites and remains, and artesania and all, about an hour away from Cusco by car. It was so nice, I saw lots of these places, unfortunately didn’t have this tourist pass you need to enter most of them, but beautiful landscapes. Also a mini zoo-type place along the road with alpacas and llamas and all! Very cool. After seeing loads of places and look-outs, we went to see Lucho’s sisters with children etc. We stayed there for a while, in a beautiful village between the mountains, with very fresh air and little rivers and all. In the evening we went back – stopped by the Cristo Blanco (the one they also have in Rio de Janeiro) to see beautiful Cusco by night. Then we drove back by car, listening to music and enjoying tiredness and the view.

Monday back to the aldea again – facing reality of snot and poop. And of two beautiful smiles greeting me! It takes me effort to call the little one la Cuy because yesterday I saw the real cuy- which is something like fried, stuffed guinea-pig, complete with eyes and teeth. Quite gross – it’s a delicacy here and apparently quite nice but to be honest, I hope I’ll be able to leave the country without having to try it. Today I also went to see the building of the NGO where I will be working my last one or two weeks. Lucho is the director, the NGO is called Inca Educa, and they offer short practice aimed types of education of a few months to people between the ages of 17-30. They pay a small amount and choose a direction, like bakery, cooking, house keeping, bar/restaurant personnel, etc. After they finish, they get an official diploma and Inca Educa helps them to find a job. There is also a nursery for the kids of the people who take classes. They open next week, and then I’ll see when I start there. Ya está, that's it for now.