Bad Case of Wanderlust (My Trip Around the World): Cusco Days 3, 4, and 5

My third and fourth days in Cusco were rather uneventful as I was ill, and my fifth was spent mostly on odds and ends like laundry, shopping for toiletries and groceries, and the purchasing of souvenirs, so not much to write about really.

I did, however, have an excellent time at my hostel's free Pisko Sour night. The owners, and our bartenders for the night, Pedro and Eduardo compete to see whose cocktails best exemplify, as Pedro says, "the perfect blend of sweet and sour".

I hadn't really had a chance to interact too much with the other people here because of having been ill, and I really enjoyed getting to know them. There were two couples from Britain, one from Germany, one from the US, and a pair of friends from South Africa. We spent the night trading stories, and as most of them had been traveling through South America longer than I have, I collected quite a bit of valuable advice. I also had a good laugh with my fellow pelirroja (redhead) in the group about the tendency of Peruanos to stare at our hair and complexion, particularly small children who want to touch our freckles. And my hair is barely red anymore! (Although the sun is blessedly bringing it out again.)

Plus, thanks to an explanation by our London couple, I finally have an understanding of the British academic system, the previous lack of which has always prevented me from fully grasping two of my favorite works of literature: "The History Boys"... and "Harry Potter". ;) (Now I finally get OWLS and NEWTS, for those of you in the know.)

So since I haven't got any crazy stories to tell or many pictures to show, I'll just tell you a few things I've learned or noticed since being in Peru, particularly in Cusco.

1) Peruanos will but "ito" behind anything. For example, they rarely just order "cafe" (coffee). It's a "cafecita". And if you want to say "right now" rather than just "now", you say "ahorita" instead of "ahora". Hell, I even heard a doctor refer to another doctor as "doctorita"!
2) Wear a hat! The sun here is gorgeous and radiant. And punishing. I've been wearing SPF 50 everyday, and my skin still looks kinda rough.
3) Don't buy crafts from little girls. I'm kidding of course, but damn if two 11 year-old cousins working one of their mother's craft stalls weren't the toughest bargainers I've yet to come across in Peru.
4) Yes, people love telling me what my name means in Spanish
5) Dogs. My sisters would love it here because there are dogs everywhere. Strays and owned and it can be very difficult to tell which is which. Like this one.

6) Alpaca wool is about the softest thing I've ever felt, which reminds me that I can also show you a picture of the lovely souvenirs I've bought. Family, some of these are your Christmas presents, so avert your eyes.