Short...of...breath!

Sorry for the delay. We haven´t been operating at our usual pace due to oxygen deprevation. On top of that, during the first week in Cusco we both expeienced some, um, how can I put it tackfully, digestive discomfort. A lot of digestive discomfort. After becoming acquianted with Peru´s medical establishment, we´re finally on the mend. Enough on that!

The flight into Cusco was amazing. We passed over the snow-capped peaks of the Andes and finally landed only to be met by hordes of us (foreigners), vendors pushing everything from oxygen to cabs and an honest to goodness Incan rock group. Well...sort of.

Jonathan, a school rep met us and brought us into town. Cusco was everything we had hoped it would be. The city is nestled in the Andes, completely surrounded by mountains. "Vive Peru" is carved into a hillside, the architecture is a mix of modern, Incan, and colonial Spanish. Even at 7am. the streets were bustling with activity, although the number of cabs seem to outnumber everything else. We were clearly not in Buffalo (or Lima) anymore.

Our apartment is a 5 minute walk from the main Plaza, about 10 minutes from school and close to everything in between. Thankfully, it´s located on a quiet side street with little traffic. It´s a modest apartment, but has everything we need. Okay, it´s lacking an oven but come on, we have cable TV and wireless. And no, we didn´t pack the laptop.

The school is unique for Cusco in that it teaches both spanish to foreigners and English to Peruanos. In the main gathering space, we actually run into more locals than we do English-speakers. It´s a great blend of accents, languages and skin tones. Megan stands out with her red hair and pasty skin, but we´re working on that. Some people might be wondering where the hell I come from...Brazil, Peru? Oddly, noone has guessed Maine yet.

With four hours of class each day, not to mention simply getting by in the city, our Spanish chops are improving. Mabel, Magda, Elvis, AnnaMaria and Jackie are quick to correct our langauge shortcomings, but always with a smile. We´ve become more fearless when speaking in Spanish.

Dogs are everywhere. Most of them seem to be homeless, but are in surprisingly good shape. The local restuarants must offer back-door specials. One day, we even watched the remainder of our breakfast go out the front door to Rosie, a neighborhood Boxer. They seem to hold their own on the mean streets of Cusco. "Benji" apparently isn´t fond of taxis as he chased one at full sprint around the Plaza, barking with every step. He must have been short-changed.