Cienciano, El Molino and Inka Team

My apologies to all of my adoring fans for not writing sooner than now. I've been much to busy working and playing...just kidding...except for the working part. This week I've had to work a lot at Paddy's because Moose got stuck in the Sacred Valley due to a bus strike. And I don't mean just any kind of bus strike. Apparently there are no laws reguarding what constitutes a lawful strike so in this case, when the farmers found out that Peru was trying to privatize water they freaked and set up all kinds of road blocks. If anything comes close to the blocks they throw giant Inka sized rocks at them. Moose said it was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Wish I could have been there!

I've just been staying within the confines of the hostel whish works perfectly for my piggy bank. Literally, I have a piggy bank made out of a Gloria juice box. It works because I can't ever get into it unless I cut it open. Perfect! I've managed to save quite a bit...even when I go out. Although my piggy bank has nothing to do with me never spending money when I go out. Peter and I have perfected the art of free drinks in Cusco. We are now friends with several of the owners including Coco, owner of IncaTeam. Everytime we see him it's a kiss on the cheek and a free cubelibre!!! Wahoo. Some of my favorite clubs are Mythology, which begins as a salsa club then the later it gets turns into a DJ club, Mama Africa, which is by far the smallest but most intimate, and Roots, the biggest and probably Moose's favorite club because it's where all the girls from Lima go to party when they're in town. All in all we have a great system and I love to dance so it works out perfectly.

As far as culture goes my Spanish is improving drastically. I can have proper conversations with my friends from here in Cusco, although there are a lot of questions involved!, and can understand native speakers when the order from me at Paddy's. I'm having a blast there and love working with Karina, my now Peruvian sista! I also went to a local soccer match here in Cusco. The team is called Cienciano and they were pretty good. The soccer stadium is huge but the day I went it was empty. Moose said it was because the other team they were playing wasn't very good. I wouldn't know it by watching them play because the freakin game ended with a 0-0 score. See, that's why I don't watch futbal because it's so darn disappointing. How can a game end with no clear winner. The only great thing about that game was buying the tickets. There was this tiny hole in the wall that no one would have noticed had it now been for the crowd of people standing around it. That, my friends, is a Peruvian sized ticket booth. It was so funny I had to take pictures! For your viewing pleasure please visit my myspace!

Now it's off to El Molino, the black market here in Cusco. Peter wants to buy some more bootleg DVDs. It's a huge market here. The last DVD I watched was Revolutionary Road and "Property of Paramount FOR SCREENING PURPOSES ONLY" kept popping up at the bottom of the screen! lol They are pretty good though. And DVDs are not the only thing you can buy at El Molino. They have knock offs of just about every famous name brand like NIKE, Volcum and D&G! Time to shop!!!

Sad news, good news and travel plans

Well, I didn't get the job at ICPNA. I understand them not wanting to take me on and risk getting caught. Frankly, if I get caught working without a work visa I'll get kicked out of Peru and won't be allowed to come back. But I'm not worried, foreigners work here in Cusco all the time without a visa. Also, my friend Christie got fired from the hostel as bar manager. They won't even let her work as a bartender. She pissed someone off and they want her gone. I'm really sad about that because Moose, Peter and I love working with her here at The Point. But everything happens for a reason. Now she'll be able to trek to Macchu Picchu and go to Puno to see Lake Titicaca. She's happier I think. She was becoming miserable with all the responsibility they were putting on her and the only extra thing she got that we don't is an extra meal a day. Oh, and Jaun Jose, the chef here left because he has some kind of stomach aliment. He's got to go to Lima for treatment. I'm really going to miss him, he was such a great guy and fun to work with.

So, I went yesterday to Paddy's, where Moose works and got a job there working three or four nights a week. It's the highest Irish Pub in the world, altitude wise of course. I won't make as much money as I would have at ICPNA but I'll make enough to keep traveling. Speaking of traveling...Moose and I have some tentative plans. We're thinking at the end of April we'll head up to Mancora, Peru. It's a beach town and we're ready for some warmer weather! We'll probably stay there for about two weeks then head north to Equador and eventually over to Columbia. Things could change of course but that's where we stand so far.

Fingers crossed

I went by ICPNA today and it's on shaky ground as to whether I'll actually have a job there on Monday. They're still having problems with work visas and everything. So, I'm still on hold until Friday when I hope I'll be guaranteed a job for next Monday! Keep your fingers crossed for me!