Cusco

Cusco is still much the same, but more expensive than of yore. The flight into Cusco must be one of the most difficult in the world for pilots and exhilarating for the rest of us. You can almost reach out and touch the mountains as you fly down into the valley. I reckon a flight over the Andes and into Cusco is a must do experience. Having done it a few times I feel like an old hand at it.

I need a few days to get used to the altitude,so have been taking it easy over the weekend. I went to meet Heber yesterday. He,s now living in an orphanage called Elim, but he,s allowed to visit his dad's house which is just down the road, and which is where he was when I met him yesterday. He was having lunch on his own in his room. He,s an incredibly happy boy, despite it all. He had all the cards and xmas cards I ever sent him stuck on the wall above his bed. It never ceases to amaze how much something so insignificant to me means so much to him and them.

We then walked up to his orphanange, through some of the poorest bits of Cusco. I met some of the other boys and Heber showed me around. They are planning a trip to Macchu Picchu some day soon and he wants me to go with them. Will have to check this out with the staff. I will go back next week to see him and Eliza has promised to come with me.

I took a taxi into town and was strolling round the Plaza de Armas when who should I bunp into but his brother Robin. He'd been staying in Elim but ran away and is now staying with his mother and helping her out with her stall. I can see why Elim would be a bit boring for Robin, he´s more adventurous shall we say. I´ve arranged to see him at Maximo this week but I´ve forgotten which day. I´m sure he'll find me though.

Met a few of the other boys too. Dany and Anthony are in an orphanage outside of Cusco. They came in to see me today. They wanted to go to a fairground, so we had some juice in Maximo and I took them along. Fortunately they did not mind that I had no desire to stay. I paid for a few rides and left them to it. They know their way around, having been street kids. Dany wants me to meet his girlfriend and his granny, not sure which is most important to him. He wants me to go and see some horses he rode when he was a wee boy, but its at some distance from Cusco, in the countryside somewhere, I think near his gran. My Spanish began to fail me at this point, so will need to see if its raised again.

I'm away to eat now. Tengo hambre. Chau.