I was exhausted after Manu, but managed to rest up on Friday night and was raring to go this weekend, which was really good. Yesterday I did laundry at the house, and then I made lunch with the mom, Isabel. We made Chupe de Camarones, a really thick, rich shrimp stew, as well as fish with a seafood sauce. It was fun to spend some time in the kitchen, and everything turned out really well!

In the afternoon, I went to a few museums in town, one housed in an old convent and the other a regional art museum. Both were interesting, but I actually preferred the buildings to the art for the most part. I also did a little souvenir browsing. I had plans to buy a sweater here, but I'm learning a lot about differences in quality and such, and can't decide whether to buy a cheap one that I know I'll trash in the next few months or buy a nicer one that will last longer (but also get lots of wear in the next few months). I also checked out a few hostels, looking for a place that my friend Jessica, who arrives on Wednesday, and I can stay once she arrives and I'm done with my homestay. I found a decent place for a good price in a good location, and conducted the entire search in Spanish! I was very proud of myself. I had dinner and drinks with some people from school last night, and we went out to a few discotecas and I didn't get home until 1:30. That's considered an early night in Cusco; maybe I'll find the stamina to stay out later one of these nights.

Today I went with the family to a parade downtown celebrating spring, in which the son, Luis, was participating as a rabbit. It was really cute seeing all the kids dressed up. Then we went to a place for lunch that serves very traditional food, and I had alpaca! It was good, and was kind of a cross between beef and pork. This afternoon I relaxed, then spent a long time composing my jungle update, and again trying and failing to get this whole picture thing sorted out. I'm heading home now for a quiet evening of reading and brushing up on my Spanish before classes resume tomorrow morning. I'm hoping I'll get to continue with the same teacher, but we'll see.