Sueno de una Noche de Verano

Man U should have been in the final today. Still always next year. I have a wee bet with my pal Kenny, yes Kenny, that Inter will win.

Today I'm doing some cultural activities. Miguel is taking me to La Merced which is one of the museums here I've not been to. Miguel is a guide and also an interpteter and he works mostly with medical missions who come to Peru to work, mostly in remote parts where access to doctors and dentists is limited or non existent. He's off to Puno on Monday to work there for a few weeks. He has an incredible mine of information about Peruvian society and history. I enjoy his company and its a shame he's not in Cusco more often. Looking forward to our visit to La Merced. Apparently it has the third biggest pearl in the world and the only Rubens to be found outside of Europe. I think. More once I've been.

I was having a chat about Shakespeare with Denyse, my Spanish teacher, as one does just to pass the time. She also likes footie, but yet to find out what team she supports in UK. Everyone here who likes footie has a favourite team in Premiership. I've met one mad Celtic fan too.

When she was 16 Denyse played Helena in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, in a place called Puerto Maldonada, where she went to school. Puerto Maldonado is in the Amazon forest and I flew there a few years back on my way to my Amazon adventure. Its good to know that the old bard reaches even to Puerto Maldonado. To see the place it's almost impossible to believe, but so it goes.... I guess Robert B gets there too. Must ask her. and of course Bob D

Denyse is my favourite teacher now for sure, since Claudia left me for Uruguay. She is a constant source of stories about Peru and especially the Andes. She's lived all over Peru, even though she's quite young and all that.

She tells me that there are mermaids to be found in the rivers of the Andes. And here's me thinking they were only to be found in George Mackay Brown country. Though I did once see one playing in the rocks on the shore at Aird Tong. And there was always the rumour that Katag Bheag was one in her spare time. Which probably explains my father's aversion to her company.

There was once an Inca warrior called Ollantay, whom the town of Ollantaytambo is named after, lying in the Sacred valley and worth a visit should you find yourself in these parts. Tambo is Quechua for hostel or hotel. Anyway Ollantay fell in love with the Inca's daughter, called Ima Sumal,I think. The Inca was not keen and things turned out a bit Shakespearean. Pressure of Spanish grammar prevented me from discovering how things turned out, but not too happily. Denyse reckons that there are similar stories in the Andes to many of S's plays. Cuentos de los Andinos.

It's getting time for food again. So off to Granja Heidi. Wonder what he has in store today? Tomorrow I might go the Chi Cha restaurant which is run by Peru's most famous chef,called Gaston Acurio, if I can afford it.