Fireworks and a stalker

New year celebrations were all I could have hoped for, and then some more. One of the best Hogmanay celebrations I've had in many a long year. Though I was probably the only one here calling it Hogmanay. I'm teaching Gaelic now as well as English. I offer a phrase of the Gaelic for every phrase of Quechua that I'm taught. Seems like a fair swap. Will post some Quechua phrases soon. Let me know if you fancy any in particular?

Took in the New Year at La Plaza de Armas here in Cusco. We started of with five of us but three were lost along the way. Not that it mattered much. The Plaza was crowded. Not quite to Edinburgh levels but enough to make it exciting and intimate.

Lots of booze was consumed and lots of people got drunk, as was to be expected. There was a band playing but couldn't hear them because of the noise. The big difference here is that everyone has fireworks and they let then off indiscriminately. And they begin really early in the evening, well before midnight.

Some of these firewporks are very powerful, and kids have them too. So you can be walking along and someone sets off a firework on the street right in front of you. It's incredible, I'm amazed there are not more people injured. People scatter to get away. Lots of rockets set off constantly. I've never seen anything like it. Took me a wee while to get used to it, then you just ignore it and get on with things.

There was an official firwworks display at midnight, not quite of Edinburgh standards but very impressive nonetheless. Will post a couple of pics on here in a bit. The rain stayed away which was good. After that it was off to a bar near the plaza for somo musica en vivo. Band didn't come on until well after one. I was knackered. We walked home about 2.30. Streets were still crowded. But everbody in happy mood.

Yesterday I got up at 8.30 to watch last hour or so of Man U game then had to go back to bed. Went off walking into town to meet a pal. It's not a long walk but it's up a bit of a slope, not really a hill. So have to walk nice and slow so as not to get breathless. I was overtaken by this young woman who kept looking back at me. I thought maybe I'd forgotten to comb my hair. Then she turned back and asked me if I was Donald. She remembered me from last year in Maximo, when we had chatted. She decided to follow me. I was not too surprised to learn she was suffering depression and getting therapy. Just my luck. She was my first stalker. We passed some benches and I told her I needed to rest. She said bye, walked on a bit then tuned back to tell me she was tired too and needed to rest.

What a pain. I was trying hard not to be rude, but eventually I told her I had to leave. I walked across the road and went into a shop until I saw her passing up the other side of the road. She is a good looking young woman but I prefer not to be stalked right now. I feel a bit bad but it was all too much.

I know lots of people here in Cusco and have people coming up to me all the time who remember me from previous visits, but none quite like her.

I've only got one more week left in Cusco. I don't want to leave, I feel at home here. I've got used to the altitude and coping well with it. BP is excellent, not had to take my back up pills this time round. Such is life.