Goodbye Peru!

As most of you may know, I am already in Buenos Aires and am actually about to leave here but I figured I would write a few last things about Peru...

Awaiting Angels is a great program but there is a lot of miscommunication and incorrect information between the organization itself and the programs throughout Cuzco. Alipio and Marta Leon Torres are great people to contact for volunteering. Marta works for Awaiting Angels but also does various outreach around the community and knows of plenty of opportunities to help where the money actually goes toward the people not the organization. If there is any interest, contact me, and I can put you in touch with them.

Fairplay is the organization through which I took my Spanish classes. This is a great one. A small percentage of the fee goes to the actual organization for books. The rest of the money, the student pays directly to the teacher. The teachers are single mothers who spend 7 months training to teach Spanish. They know some English (it depends on the teacher), and the money goes directly to the mother and her child/children. It is a fairly new organization, but one worthwhile to use.

There are some great book exchanges in Cuzco. There are a couple of cafes/restaurants in the San Blas area that have a great variety of books. Los Perros is off of the Plaza de Armas but they will charge 3 soles to exchange a book...not worth it given their small selection.

There are many clubs in Cuzco, but my favorite was Uptown. It's designated as an Israeli club (there are many Israelis who go to Peru, especially Cuzco) but many locals go there as well. There is good dancing and a good mix of music. There is some American hiphop but it does not dominate the whole night. Mamafrica is another club, but that is more for an American experience with an overwhelming amount of techno and people crammed into every corner. Mythology is another place, more for locals, but has a higher concentration of American 80s and 90s music with older hiphop and R&B. Overall, there is a good variety of different clubs, depending on what you are looking for.

Plaza de Armas is very touristy although walk 2 blocks away and there is hardly a tourist in sight. People will approach from all angles wondering if you want your shoes shined, postcards, paintings or any other trinkets. Some of these can develop into a snatch and grab situation where one person will occupy your attention and another will sneak around and grab your stuff. Fortunately for us, this never happened. People working in restaurants will solicit you with their menu. I would suggest not going to any of these places, if they are directly around the plaza, because you will be charged much more than if you were to walk a few more blocks.

I believe that is all I have. Just some tidbits incase anyone decides to venture down to Cuzco. Any questions on Lake Titicaca, Arequipa or the Amazon and I will try and offer as much of an answer as possible.