This video gives you an idea about the yoga teacher training course I did with Chaitanya Nitai Das at Yoga Inbound in Cuzco. I really loved the training and can truly say that yoga has had a life changing effect on me.
In this video you will see parts of the lessons – yoga philosophy and training and Chaitanya will tell you about his training and the idea behind Yoga Inbound and finally I will tell you why I enjoyed it so much.
For more information about Yoga Inbound in Cuzco – please visit the website: http://yogacusco.com/
A year ago today I boarded a plane in London for Madrid, and began a journey that has taken me through fourteen countries in 12 months, culminating back in Spain where I am now. Along the way I have had some amazing high points, and also without doubt some of the most challenging times of my life. The countries I have travelled through are, in this order:
12 months later I am speaking Spanish fairly well (albeit with multi-country accents & vocabulary), I’ve finally learnt some yoga, and I’m in the process of setting up an online English teaching business with an old friend here in Barcelona. You’ll be hearing more about this sooner rather than later as it should be ‘going live’ within the next couple of weeks.
Finally, I just wanted to say a big thank you to all the people I have met along the way. The trip wouldn’t have been the same without you. Special thank-yous to: All at the Cooperative School in San Pedro, Sushi, Francisco, my mother, Paul, Serena, Jameson & Laney, Pete & Heidi, Svayam, Carlos & the Reina Madre crew in Buenos Aires, Rachel, Ben & Marina, Rory/James & Marcela in Spain, and Ana-Maria.
Finding myself with a few days to kill in Cusco, and having seen enough colonial churches and Incan ruins to last a while, I decided to try and find a Spanish school that I could join at short notice and do a few days of one-on-one Spanish lessons.
I quickly found out about the Fairplay Spanish School, a relatively new Cusco-based NGO that trains local Peruvians who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to become Spanish teachers – especially single mothers – to teach Spanish. Fairplay then acts as their agent finding them work and then taking 33% of the fee with the rest going directly to the teachers.
As I’ve already studied 8 weeks of one-one-one Spanish on this trip in both Guatemala and Ecuador, and have done huge amounts of Spanish grammar, I specifically requested to just spent my time on conversation practice. I spent my time with my teacher (Marta) pictured above, strolling around the museums, plazas, shops and markets of Cusco, chatting away. The photo above was taken at San Cristobal church overlooking Cusco in the middle of one of my Spanish ‘classes’.
I would highly recommend Fairplay Spanish School and especially Marta (herself a single mother) to anyone thinking of studying Spanish in Cusco, Peru.
The Fairplay Spanish school charges the following:
$15 or $30 enrolment fee (the higher fee includes the Fairplay grammar book) $4.50/hour – for one-on-one lessons with a less experienced teacher $6/hour – for one-on-one lessons with a more experienced teacher
Whilst in Cusco, I stayed at Andes de San Blas guesthouse. It is located in the heart of San Blas (Calle Carmen Alto 227), and costs about $10 a night including breakfast and free wi-fi internet.
You can contact them at andesdesanblas@hotmail.com or by phone on (+51 84) 242 346.
I absolutely adore Cuzco and spent some of the best times of my trip in this city. I also spent longer here than anywhere else…more than a month in fact.
Cuzco is definitely the archaeological capital of the Americas. As the heart of the once grand Inca empire, the magnificent city of Cuzco is at the top of most traveller’s list. The city is a beautiful colonial place built on hefty stone foundations of the Incas. Massive Inca-built walls line steep, narrow cobblestone streets and the plazas are many and beautiful.
The city is an absolute tourist mecca with hundreds of hotels in all price ranges, restaurants, bars, clubs, yoga places, health shops, regular shops,massage parlours, markets. It is an absolutely fantastic place to be a tourist and spend a long time.
The city is also an excursion point for many amazing sites: Machu Picchu, Qorikancha, Saqsaywaman, Q’enqo, Tambomachay & Pukapukara, the Sacred Valley, Pisac, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero…just to give you a few recommendations 🙂
So as you can see you need to reserve a good deal of time for Cuzco and the surrounding areas. They are AMAZING!
Eco Truly Park is a beautiful Peruvian Pacific coast ecological, artistic hare Krishna community located on Chacra y Mar beach, a district of Aucallama, in the province of Huaral, one hour by bus or car (63 km) north of the capital city, Lima.
It is an international community with about 30 members living there all year long and lots of volunteers visiting as well to enjoy the community living. I specially loved being among like-minded humans who were all vegetarians and lived according to the same principles as me – namely to live in harmony with each other and nature and not kill.
This was the comment I left on their website after spending an amazing time there in 2009:
“I spent 10 days in Eco Truly Park and really loved the time there. After six months of intense travel in Latin America it was like a sanctuary of peace, relaxation, learning and introspection.Everyone were tremendously welcoming and accommodating. I loved the delicious vegetarian food and the yoga practise as well.I would definitely recommend it to anyone with a spiritually open mind.”
For more information, please check out the volunteer website: tp://volunteeringecotrulypark.blogspot.com/
or visit their facebook page: Eco Truly Park, Peru
The video below is a tribute to the place – hopefully it will give you an idea about the beauty of the place and the people.
Having spent possibly a bit too long in Cusco, Peru – I’m heading back to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca tomorrow morning, then onto Copacabana on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. Whilst in Cusco, I have been studying Spanish with a fantastic Spanish teacher called Marta at Fairplay, a local NGO that trains single mothers to teach Spanish. Our lessons consisted of wandering around town going to the market, churches and just sitting in the sun chatting. No more grammar lessons!! More soon…
This video shows Machu Picchu, sacred centre of the Inca Empire in Peru and one of the new natural wonders of the world. It begins on the train between Cusco and Aguas Calientes, arriving at the main street in Aguas Calientes, procedes to Machu Picchu, and shows some of the views from high above Machu Picchu perched on top of Huayna Picchu. Finally, the video finishes with a mysterious creature I spotted whilst lost amongst some ruins. It hopped like a rabbit, but looked more like a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel.
