Cusco: Week 4

What a week! We made the most of our location this week with lots of good eating and fun with our classmates. 

Monday was a real treat! After Spanish school and our regular homeschool, we were all a bit worn out and walked about 3 minutes to a place I've been wanting to eat at. The outside is unassuming and the menu is written on a board by the door and the entire menu is S/5.00 (that's 5 Peruvian soles, or about $1.25 USD). Only through Google could I finally figure out the name of the restaurant is Samaritano. We were lucky to find four chairs together and as soon as we took our seats, the proprietor brought us big bowls of a yummy pasta and vegetable soup in a chicken broth, fresh limes, and a dish of homemade picante. A few minutes later, he asked, "pollo o carne?" The boys went with the chicken, and we gals asked for arroz Cubano, the veg option on the menu. He nodded and only a minute or two later brought our plates. Everything smelled and tasted amazing! And then he brought us some cups of hot muña tea. I loved it. People came and went, many clearly at the end of a long day of work. The locals definitely noticed us, but didn't seem put off by our presence. It was a warm, tasty, filling, fast, yet relaxing experience. And all of that for the whole family cost us $5 USD total. (And no, no one got sick--it was really good!)

Can you beat $5 to feed a family of four without doing dishes?

Tuesday we hit one of our favorite local restaurants, Nero de la 375, for dinner before the adults headed to La Cerveceria del Valle Sagrado for trivia night! It's sponsored by a local education charity and we had a blast! The drinks were great, the trivia was in English and Spanish, and there was a great musician after trivia. I think we will be back!

So much fun! I think we will take the kids next week!

Wednesday I took some time to enjoy the garden at our house and read a book. That night we joined our classmates for a tour of the San Blas neighborhood. It's where the school is located and it has lots of great history, views, and restaurants.

I really do feel fortunate to have landed in such a beautiful, peaceful place.

Such a fun night chatting and exploring with our classmates !

Thursday night we went to school for a lesson on medicinal plants that are used in Peru and to try some teas. We learned a lot! Afterwards we went next door to UFO Asian Food for some of the best Japanese food I can recall having. Even the tea and lemonade were noteworthy! (No pics because we were all so hungry we wolfed the food down!)

Really loving all the aspects of Peruvian culture that are covered in the activities at Amauta Spanish School. We found some new favorites!

Friday was a big day for us! It was the end of our Spanish lessons at Amauta Spanish School! I think we've all learned a lot, but now it's up to use to keep practicing and learning. We have really enjoyed the school portion of this experience and had some fantastic instructors throughout our four weeks there (Fanny, Nury, Dessy, Surabhi, Alejandra, and Hans) and have met some great fellow travelers in our classes. We still get to participate in activities at the school for the next four weeks while we are volunteering, but I'm going to miss class as I have LOTS more to learn! I'm also VERY proud of our kiddos for doing 80 hours of Spanish lessons over the past four weeks in addition to their regular studies. Just, wow...they are amazing!

Bittersweet day! Happy to have a lighter school load, but going to miss our professors and classmates.

Friday night we opted for a little time apart! The kids went to a salsa class at our school and the adults went to a restaurant/brewery to sample beers while they were in class. Fun for all!

Surprised to be finding so much good beer in Cusco!

Saturday was another long tour day, but it was worth it! We did a tour to Q'eswachaka Bridge, the only Inca bridge that has survived over 500 years and has almost maintained its original state. Declared as having "Intangible Cultural Value" by UNESCO in 2013, this bridge crossing the Apurímac River is made with ropes of vegetable fiber and is completely renewed every year through a process that is passed from generation to generation. It swayed a bit while you walked across and the reeds were a little sparse right in the middle, but otherwise it was an easy crossing! I'm so glad we did it. Our tour visited a little volcano and a few mountain lagoons along way, too, but the star was definitely the bridge and the cultural heritage that it preserves. 

A few pre- and post-bridge viewpoints...including a tiny volcano and the Inca Trail!

The bridge is a wonder! That's Frank hanging out in the middle on a lovely day.

We all made it across!

Today? Well, we slept in, went out for pastries and coffee, and spent the morning booking tours and transportation for our route out of Peru. It's still a ways off, but when you have four people and some "must do's" and "really want's" you book early. We were going to go for a long walk on the outskirts of Cusco this afternoon, but rain may change those plans. No big deal...we are ready to relax after four very busy weeks of learning!

Tambien, nosotros continuamos a practicar hablar español. Es demasiado fácil a regresamos a ingles, así probamos hablar español cuando estamos juntos.

~Jo, Nomadic Momma