Wow, Friday morning at 4am I have to leave the HQ to get my flight via Lima to Quito/Ecuador. There my first couch surfing experience is waiting for me. Time was running so fast. I’m really looking forward to my next adventure, but of course I’m sad to leave Cusco and the NGO Taxi people, who got a kind of family in the last weeks. :-)
The last days of school were super cool, but as well exhausting and challenging! I did a lot of classes and as well 2 cooking classes (pupils and parents) on Monday and Tuesday afternoon this week. Of course less people came then registered so we had of course too much food - HQ people were happy! The shopping tour for these events was as well an experience. I went with Steffi and Bo to the Molino Market and we came back fully backed, nearly not fitting in one taxi. Thanks guys for the support!! The dinner was then the Quinoa-Veggie-Dish I prepared already last week for all in the HQ. Happily everybody liked it, as well the passion-fruit-green-tea-drink I prepared with almost no sugar (https://www.foodpairing.com/en/home). The cooking class was very chaotic but as well a lot of fun and one of my best experiences! Here I want to thank the UNILEVER CHEFS, where I participated often in different cooking classes and probably learnt a lot how to prepare and conduct such a lesson. Unfortunately the kids didn’t take the knife lesson so serious, so I’m very happy now that I still have 2 eyes and all fingers. ^^
Unfortunately no parents came to the two afternoon sessions I prepared - Peruvian style…
Last Friday I went to a concert of Jesús Adrián Romero. He is a famous christian musician here and it was a great evening, as well Peruvian style. I went there at 7pm, as this was the official opening time. In the end they opened at 8:30pm and the concert started at 9:15pm instead of 8 o’clock. It was not too bad, because I got in contact with a Peruvian lady and her 19 years old daughter while cueing. The daughter was in Belgium for half a year school exchange and she told me a very scary story - she was there as well there in the time of the attacks in Brussels. She wanted to take a bus in the city, but was a bit late and the bus very punctual. So she started to walk her way and later she heard that exactly THAT bus was exploding in the attacks. I still feel troubled when I think about it. The concert itself was as well amazing - even if I’m not super religious the atmosphere was breathtaking and in the end - when Jesús invited everybody to hug their family and friends (I was there alone) - an older Peruvian lady just hugged me as well.
Saturday morning we - the NGO group (Eli, Steffi, Emma, Maie, Bo and myself) - went to Lares to the Hot Springs. Spa for body and soul - was really necessary! :-) It was a great day, followed by a cold night, a morning hike and breakfast at our hostel. As there were no taxis to our bus, we started to walk. Suddenly a VW Bulli passed by and via hitch hiking (my first time!!) the old Peruvian guy took us for little money until Pisaq - where we went to the Hippie Market and some Sacred Sushi (Pisaq is a city in the Sacred Valley). The cruise in that old bus was amazing! I had enough space for my legs, comfortable seats, we had great music, Bo got girly fans (the two girls of the driver), we had a stop on the top of the Andes we were crossing, were dancing and drinking rum on 4461m altitude and had a lot of fun with our old driver, who lived on Ibiza and Mallorca for 11 years (party grandpa). :-) Thanks Javier!!
Tonight we will have dinner (left overs from cooking class - pimped up) all together and going out one more time. Tomorrow I have my last classes with the kids at school. As well I will give a thanks to the teachers and coordinators there - I prepared my famous red wine cake. After this I will have my last lunch in Cusco - I’ve chosen already the vegan restaurant „Green Point“, where I enjoyed delicious food few times before. And then it is time to pack my monster backpack, say goodbye to the great people I’ve met here and to the lovely city.
Thanks to all who made my time here wonderful and enjoyable. The biggest THANK YOU goes to Eli - you are not only the NGO coordinator who is doing a great job, you got as well a good friend and I will miss you! :-***
Hasta la próxima - de Ecuador… :-)