"Chinchero, Chinchero!" A man's voice cries from the street below. It's six in the morning. We both groan and roll over. Cusco is awake.
Ask me to describe Cusco and the word that immediately comes to mind is LOUD. This is one noisy place. Outside the guest house, we call home is a bus terminal, and from morning until night there are two or three people calling out the bus routes to passers-by. Music always seems to be blasting from somewhere, accompanied by the sound of tyres rolling across the cobblestone streets, as well as the honking of impatient drivers.
The complaints end there. This is an incredible place, full of mystique and complexity. Cusco is a melting pot of culture, religion and history. Take for example the central square, Plaza de Armas, where grand colonial Spanish churches stand upon Incan foundations, and tourists and locals alike weave around tour guides selling the local attractions and woman dressed in traditional garb with baby llamas in their arms.
From the rooftop of our guest house, the view is spectacular. As you look beyond the town, your eyes are drawn to the hills, dotted with houses, before eventually giving way to green walls that point to the often cloudy and overcast skies. It is beauty in a form unexpected.
Unexpected is a running theme here. We had expected to be teaching English to children. Instead, we have been placed in a night school for adults at a project called Qosqo Maki. To be honest, we were initially disappointed. Both of us have a passion for working with young people. However, that disappointment has quickly dissipated as we've gotten to know our class. If anything, it's a privilege to journey with our students, most of whom are learning English to find employment in tourism, the major industry here in Cusco.
Qosqo Maki is a refuge for street children. At first, the English school was only offered to them. However, it became apparent there was more interest from adults, so the school was offered as a free nigh school. Qosqo Maki is supported by Maximo Nivel, the organisation we're volunteering through. Maximo has projects all across South America. Here in Cusco as well as running a school where English, Spanish and TEFL (English teaching) is offered, Maximo is involved in schools, childcare, construction, animal welfare, medical projects and environmental conservation in the Amazon.
Teaching English has demanded of us to learn English, at least more technically, so that we can teach grammar and punctuation correctly. Along with re-teaching ourselves English, we have been (attempting) to learn Spanish at Maximo. Few people here speak English, so it is a necessity to know some basic Spanish - or have Google Translate handy.
Fortunately, at the guest house we call home almost everyone speaks English. Our host, Yuri, opens his three-story home for Maximo's volunteers. At the moment there is a mixture of long-term volunteers like us, and those who will be here for just a week or two. Also living here is Yuri (an outstanding chef), his mother and their adorable dog Zinguito.
We've slowly begun to venture out into the town, finding our spots. We have become regulars at Valentina café, just a few doors down from Maximo. The staff there now know us by name. We've also picked our favourite juice lady at the San Pedro markets, a gigantic undercover market a few streets across from Plaza de Armas. San Pedro has everything, from llama jumpers and socks, local trinkets, meat (yes, meat!), cheese (yes, cheese!), fruits, vegetables, toiletries, bread - everything imaginable is available there.
Explore enough around the outskirts of the city and you find little gems. Up the hill from Plaza de Armas in San Blas is a delicious creperie called La Bo'M. The crepes and juices are delicious and the view is simply stunning. We also loved a cosy little restaurant called Faustina's, situated a block outside of Plaza de Armas. Faustina's has a family feel, with the staff explaining each part of the meal and the Peruvian culture undergirding their food.
Although we've only been here for two weeks, the setting, food and culture of Cusco have us excited to see and experience even more. With over two months left of our stay here, there's plenty of time to make even more discoveries. We might even catch the bus to Chinchero.
Learn more about Maximo Nivel and their programs by visiting their website: https://maximonivel.com.
