With the pre-organised start of our travels now over it was time to start living like proper backpackers again. Unfortunately this meant we'd have to knuckle down and start learning Spanish [mega, mega, mega sighs].
We'd made a token start with the excellent language app 'Duolingo', but this clearly wasn't ever going to be sufficient in dealing with real conversations. Plenty of other travellers had suggested that the best way to learn quickly would be to take lessons while also staying with a local Peruvian family... This was certainly an available option, but we settled for just a week of lessons (in a language school for travellers in Cusco), attempting basic conversation with the teacher 4 hours a day would be enough of a challenge in our opinion!
In fact in was great fun! Well, for about 3 days anyway... Our teacher was great, the school was great and spending sunny days in Cusco never got tiring, but by Thursday the lessons had advanced past my Duolingo level and my brain hurt.
Luckily, respite was on hand. Two days of regionwide protests were scheduled for the Wednesday and Thursday (over the presidents insane proposal to basically privatise what would essentially be the National Heritage in the UK) and it was decided that the school would close at morning break Thursday and we would all pop out and join in for "15 minutes". Nigh on two hours later we popped back for homework to be set and grab our bags. Result. [The protest was a total success, by Friday lunchtime the proposal was completely scrapped, hurrah!]
Obviously we still needed a weekend release from the daily study and homework (our tutor set tons of it!) and so booked via feratta for the Saturday. Both Bex and I had been meaning to give it a go for ages and so jumped at the chance of a 'basic' 410m ascent of a nearby (well, a couple of hours away) canyon side.
For those not in the know; via feratta is Italian for 'iron road'. It has its roots in assisted WWII mountain infantry crossings, but the essence of a modern via ferrata is a steel cable running along a route which is periodically fixed to the rock. Using a harness/kit, climbers can secure themselves to the cable, limiting any fall. Some are simply that (the climber would climb unassisted) but ours, as with most, also had rungs for hands and feet driven into the rock.
For the most part it really was fantastic fun, but we would quickly find that, on a cool breezy morning, the cables and rungs would not at all times leave you feeling quite as secure and safe as you might like... This sensation was amplified by the sudden appearance of a previously unadvertised 'bridge'. Of course we were secured by harness and cable and clearly no harm could actually come to us, but did I shit my pants and force on a brave face? Well, yes... but I'm not sure I managed the brave face part too well.
Only two other clients had booked the same day and as they had booked a zipline descent we got to descend via the same method... for free! Result.
Soon enough, however, Monday was back upon us. New tutor, same toil. We focused our attention on our next big adventure (more on that later) and the forthcoming weekend activity; catching the big match between Peruvian Primera División's Cienciano (Cusco's #1 team) and Alianza Lima.
Now, you might think buying a couple of football tickets would be a rather simple tasks, right? Apparently not. Our student digs were 10 minutes walk from the stadium so we strolled over on the Thursday to get tickets in advance of match day (Sunday). What we found was actually what looked more like a building site, all concrete, exposed steel reinforcement and corregated iron. What we didn't find was even more confusing; no club shop, no ticket office (directly at the stadium or on any street in the vicinity), we couldn't even find entrances or turnstiles?!?!
We regrouped at the apartment and hit the internet. Yes, we had the right stadium and we should have been able to buy tickets there... Luckily, we would apparently be able to buy tickets from select outlets in town also, phew!
It can be quite disparaging to be misunderstood when trying your best with a new language; so the looks and reactions we got when attempting to buy football tickets in various chemists and supermarkets soon had us deciding to turn up at the ground on Sunday and hope for the best.
Sunday morning greeted us with gloom and drizzle. We donned jumpers and raincoats and headed out to see if the match was even on (by this point we doubted EVERYTHING the internet had told us). First signs were good. We caught the tail of a procession of Cienciano fans, all young teens with banners, firecrackers, flares and an accompaniment of barking dogs that chased random passing cars.
We followed until we reached the stadium where proceedings were thankfully in full swing. Random sections of corregated fencing had been removed to create entrances (of a sort) and touts were selling tickets for the home end. We optimistically headed round to the side in the hope of gaining entry and seats on the halfway line away from the firework wielding fans at the two opposing ends. Amazingly, and I mean we were truly amazed by what we saw, we found the official ticket office... Half a dozen people queuing in front of a 5" square hole located over 6' up a brick wall. Obviously.
I purchased tickets and we made our way in. The riot police let me keep my belt, which was nice. The locals were not afforded this luxury and all left their's hung over the 'gate', I've yet to find out what atrocities had previously been committed to require this relinquishment, but I am left to wonder if it was related to their previous game being played behind closed doors...
Such ominous thoughts were soon set aside. The stadium was simple but great inside; an enormous 42000 capacity, concrete, fully terraced amphitheatre. It's a shame therefore that such a big game had only pulled in about 10000 people (probably because they couldn't find anywhere to buy tickets!). There was a great family vibe in the two quiet sides and the aforementioned teens bounced up and down in the home end for the entire match. The away end numbered about 200 and I imagine they didn't enjoy it as much, 10% possession might be a tad generous in what ended in 1-0 loss for them. The sun came out and we had a great time though, it even ended in time for Sunday lunch! (11:30am Sunday kickoff is normal, Saturday or afternoon kickoffs exceptional).
And that was that, in the end simple and great fun! Monday would bring no further Spanish lessons (our two weeks enough for now) and so we relaxed then and packed for what would be more adventurous times in the wild again...
We'd made a token start with the excellent language app 'Duolingo', but this clearly wasn't ever going to be sufficient in dealing with real conversations. Plenty of other travellers had suggested that the best way to learn quickly would be to take lessons while also staying with a local Peruvian family... This was certainly an available option, but we settled for just a week of lessons (in a language school for travellers in Cusco), attempting basic conversation with the teacher 4 hours a day would be enough of a challenge in our opinion!
In fact in was great fun! Well, for about 3 days anyway... Our teacher was great, the school was great and spending sunny days in Cusco never got tiring, but by Thursday the lessons had advanced past my Duolingo level and my brain hurt.
Luckily, respite was on hand. Two days of regionwide protests were scheduled for the Wednesday and Thursday (over the presidents insane proposal to basically privatise what would essentially be the National Heritage in the UK) and it was decided that the school would close at morning break Thursday and we would all pop out and join in for "15 minutes". Nigh on two hours later we popped back for homework to be set and grab our bags. Result. [The protest was a total success, by Friday lunchtime the proposal was completely scrapped, hurrah!]
Fighting the good fight!
Riot police weren't overly concerned...
Obviously we still needed a weekend release from the daily study and homework (our tutor set tons of it!) and so booked via feratta for the Saturday. Both Bex and I had been meaning to give it a go for ages and so jumped at the chance of a 'basic' 410m ascent of a nearby (well, a couple of hours away) canyon side.
For those not in the know; via feratta is Italian for 'iron road'. It has its roots in assisted WWII mountain infantry crossings, but the essence of a modern via ferrata is a steel cable running along a route which is periodically fixed to the rock. Using a harness/kit, climbers can secure themselves to the cable, limiting any fall. Some are simply that (the climber would climb unassisted) but ours, as with most, also had rungs for hands and feet driven into the rock.
For the most part it really was fantastic fun, but we would quickly find that, on a cool breezy morning, the cables and rungs would not at all times leave you feeling quite as secure and safe as you might like... This sensation was amplified by the sudden appearance of a previously unadvertised 'bridge'. Of course we were secured by harness and cable and clearly no harm could actually come to us, but did I shit my pants and force on a brave face? Well, yes... but I'm not sure I managed the brave face part too well.
Fun!
Fun!
Errrrmmm... Not so fun!
Only two other clients had booked the same day and as they had booked a zipline descent we got to descend via the same method... for free! Result.
Soon enough, however, Monday was back upon us. New tutor, same toil. We focused our attention on our next big adventure (more on that later) and the forthcoming weekend activity; catching the big match between Peruvian Primera División's Cienciano (Cusco's #1 team) and Alianza Lima.
Now, you might think buying a couple of football tickets would be a rather simple tasks, right? Apparently not. Our student digs were 10 minutes walk from the stadium so we strolled over on the Thursday to get tickets in advance of match day (Sunday). What we found was actually what looked more like a building site, all concrete, exposed steel reinforcement and corregated iron. What we didn't find was even more confusing; no club shop, no ticket office (directly at the stadium or on any street in the vicinity), we couldn't even find entrances or turnstiles?!?!
We regrouped at the apartment and hit the internet. Yes, we had the right stadium and we should have been able to buy tickets there... Luckily, we would apparently be able to buy tickets from select outlets in town also, phew!
It can be quite disparaging to be misunderstood when trying your best with a new language; so the looks and reactions we got when attempting to buy football tickets in various chemists and supermarkets soon had us deciding to turn up at the ground on Sunday and hope for the best.
Sunday morning greeted us with gloom and drizzle. We donned jumpers and raincoats and headed out to see if the match was even on (by this point we doubted EVERYTHING the internet had told us). First signs were good. We caught the tail of a procession of Cienciano fans, all young teens with banners, firecrackers, flares and an accompaniment of barking dogs that chased random passing cars.
We followed until we reached the stadium where proceedings were thankfully in full swing. Random sections of corregated fencing had been removed to create entrances (of a sort) and touts were selling tickets for the home end. We optimistically headed round to the side in the hope of gaining entry and seats on the halfway line away from the firework wielding fans at the two opposing ends. Amazingly, and I mean we were truly amazed by what we saw, we found the official ticket office... Half a dozen people queuing in front of a 5" square hole located over 6' up a brick wall. Obviously.
'Ticket office'... obviously.
I purchased tickets and we made our way in. The riot police let me keep my belt, which was nice. The locals were not afforded this luxury and all left their's hung over the 'gate', I've yet to find out what atrocities had previously been committed to require this relinquishment, but I am left to wonder if it was related to their previous game being played behind closed doors...
Such ominous thoughts were soon set aside. The stadium was simple but great inside; an enormous 42000 capacity, concrete, fully terraced amphitheatre. It's a shame therefore that such a big game had only pulled in about 10000 people (probably because they couldn't find anywhere to buy tickets!). There was a great family vibe in the two quiet sides and the aforementioned teens bounced up and down in the home end for the entire match. The away end numbered about 200 and I imagine they didn't enjoy it as much, 10% possession might be a tad generous in what ended in 1-0 loss for them. The sun came out and we had a great time though, it even ended in time for Sunday lunch! (11:30am Sunday kickoff is normal, Saturday or afternoon kickoffs exceptional).
And that was that, in the end simple and great fun! Monday would bring no further Spanish lessons (our two weeks enough for now) and so we relaxed then and packed for what would be more adventurous times in the wild again...
Diplomas received!!!! Yeesssssssssss!!!!
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