Centre of the Incan Empire

Our first two weeks in Cuzco have flown by. Within hours of landing I felt the effects of altitude sickness and after throwing up my beautiful welcome lunch they called the doctor in to confirm that it was my oxygen levels and not something else. Now washing and cooking everything in boiling water, our little electric teapot is now our new best friend. We are staying in a little known suburb (even by the taxi drivers) called La Rapa. Every morning, we take the van 30 mins upward to the community of Puma Marca, where some 100 filthy but gorgeous kids await us. So far, I have been teaching English, Computer classes and P.E. (mostly dancing).

We have also sanded and painted what will be a new classroom and a cafeteria, and worked on a self-sustaining vege garden for the school. Evenings we have Spanish classes, Peruvian cooking classes and home visits with the local social worker. On my last home visit, we helped dig a trench and put in pipes so a local woman and her son could access running water. Despite my best efforts (such as donning a plastic poncho), I return every evening covered in dirt and mud, but to the breathtaking surroundings of the Andes.

We squeezed in tours of the Sacred Valley, Sachsaywuman, Pusaq, and overwhelming markets and pan-pipe performances on the weekend as a warm-up for Macchu Piccu and the Inca Trail. Been too tired to go out and salsa in the evenings, but that is next on the list.