Chillaxing in Cusco - Days 491 to 494
Tim had to have a tooth out, so we both took advantage of chillaxing in Cusco as well as a bit of sight-seeing for a few days.
Day 491 Tim went off to the Dentist to have his tooth pulled out. I said goodbye to our Airbnb host and their lovely dog Luna and found myself a nice café to get some writing done. I intended to catch up on my blogs; I was way behind. Intentions often change, and we have learnt that going with the flow results in some wonderful moments.
The waitress served me my coffee, and we got chatting. She had lived in America for some years, an independent individual and returned to Peru just to visit family, friends and the occasional holiday here. One time, visiting Arequipa (where we will also visit soon), she met a man and stayed in touch. Three years later he invited her to Cusco where he works, and romance developed. He proposed and she just “knew” it was the right thing to do.
We chatted a lot about “knowing”. When we get out of our personal thinking often the answers to our questions, problems, and challenges appear effortlessly. I very much enjoyed and appreciated chatting with a kindred soul.
Tim arrived in pain. He quickly took a painkiller, and we made our way to our next Airbnb where we are staying for the next 8 days. Thankfully our hosts allowed us to drop our luggage off the evening before so that we didn’t have to lug them up the steep hill after Tim had been to the Dentist.
What a delightful place. Émy and Ores with their two young daughters aged 2 and 6 months have a few rooms in their home that they rent out. This is what Airbnb is really all about. Staying and getting to know a local family. I say local, Émy is French, however Ores is from Cusco. The rest of the day Tim slept, and I caught up with some writing.
Days 492 and 493 were a bit of a blur. We didn’t do much. Tim slept most of the time, listening to what his body needed. In between times, we had great fun playing with Paola, the 2-year-old. Tim is so brilliant with little children; so patient and full of joy. Despite the lump the size of an egg on his cheek he still was skipping and running around with her.
We did get out and wander around San Blas and came across a small quaint Olave Art Gallery. This is a family affair with more ceramic dolls by Antonio Olave which we also saw in the Folk Museum and some lovely pottery made by his artistic children. There were quite a few images of a little boy pulling a thorn out of his foot.
The curator explained the story of Q'alito who befriended some shepherd boys and helped one particular boy who had a thorn stuck in his foot. The parents were intrigued by this boy and threw a bag over his head. He was so shocked that he turned into a statue and he became the patron saint of Vilcabamba. This same village contacted Antonio Olave and asked him to repair the statue of Q’alito. And in 1965, he had the massive honour of presenting Pope Juan Pablo II with an image of this little boy.
We continued our walk into the historical centre of Cusco, repeatedly saying “No Gracias” when street vendors were trying to sell us paintings, massages or meals. I know it’s their way of making a living, however, surely they only need to ask once!
Day 494 our friend Martine, who we got to know on our 3P retreat, was back from her Ayahuasca trip. We couldn’t wait to hear all about it. Ayahuasca is a native vine from the Amazon which is used to produce a powerful psychoactive substance. She went to a very safe place with a doctor, psychologist, Shaman and an assistant all taking care of her and the other participants. She was very chilled when we met at Jack’s café (our favourite bistro in Cusco), having just had her credit card being eaten up by an ATM machine. I think she even surprised herself how calm she was and not feeling angry about the loss and inconvenience.
I needed to get back to our Airbnb as I was coaching a client. Martine had mentioned that she was going on a trip the following day to see the Rainbow Mountains, we decided to join her so was meeting her for lunch and booking our trip. Just as we left the heavens opened. Quickly streams were tumbling down the cobbled steps. There was so much water that I didn’t see the gutter; putting my foot right in it with the water reaching way past my ankle. By the time we met Martine, our feet and legs were soaking. Luckily Martine offered me her spare pair of walking boots; amazingly they were the right size.
An early night for us. We needed to be at a nearby plaza at 4am for our trip. Will it be worth it?
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