My Cusquenan Weekend; Part II

Sorry for not finishing sooner- I got distracted by Maccu Picchu :)
So as I was saying, Sunday was also an amazing day. Manuel is a professional musician, in addition to being the sound and lights guy for a bunch of different theatres. He was kind enough to invite us to a community music production- a wonderful collaboration between Manuel´s music group and a group of kids from a local elementary school.
Originally he thought that it was in the same location as they had it the last month, and so he met us at our hostel at around 3:00 and we started walking. Now Cusco is very high, with very little oxygen, and it also happens to be built into the side of the mountain...see where I´m going with this? So basically, we walked straight up for about 45 minutes. I don´t think my heart has ever pumped as fast as it was when we were climbing. I actually couldn´t talk. It was ridiculous. Luckily, Manuel seemed to tire, too, just not the same degree. Eventually we made it to the top of the hill, near the ruins of saksaywaman (called sexy woman by the majority of people in Cusco), only to discover that it was in fact on top of a completely different part of the mountain! So we then climbed all the way back down, hailed a taxi, and drove to the next site. Unfortunately, the taxi driver had no idea where we were going, which led to us getting out and walking up many more flights of stairs. Good times :)
Finally we arrived at our destination- this tiny little park beside a church. Success!! Only problem was that no one had any idea where the music production was supposed to be either, which led to a whole bunch of tardiness. While waiting, one of the guys from Manuel´s group procured a full bag of coca leaves (yes I am referring to the same plant as the one used to make cocaine, however coca leaves and cocaine are in no way related, as many locals are wont to tell me). At first, I just assumed we were going to chew on them to keep ourselves occupied- little did I know that there is a beautiful ceremony that accompanies coca leaf chewing. So, to start, you painstakingly search for three perfectly formed coca leaves- this is more challenging than it sounds because they are typically very dry and brittle. Once you have selected the coca leaves, you blow on them, and present them to another person in the circle. They then accept the leaves, blow on them, and then place them in their mouths. You continue to do this until everyone has a large wad of coca leaves in their mouth. What I did not realize was that coca leaves have anaesthetic (sp?) properties, leaving your mouth feeling as though you have sucked on too many
Hall throat candies :) It was an interesting sensation. Back to the ceremonial aspects of coca leaves- it was just such a warm and friendly gesture. Emily and I felt perfectly accepted within their group, and it was an honour to have participated in it.
Then out came the beer, and I discovered they do libations too!! One person starts with a glass, fills it to whatever depth they want, then passes the bottle to the next person. It took me quite a while to figure out what I was supposed to be doing with the bottle- at first I thought they wanted me to drink from it but this seemed a little rude. Anyways, they sprinkle a little bit on the earth, and throw a few drops behind them, and then drink the rest and pass the cup to the next person. The next person repeats the entire process, until everyone in the circle has had a chance to thank the Earth for providing for them. It was very cool! They also did tobacco smudging, very similar to some of the native ceremonies, but this once I skipped out on because I didn´t think smoke on top of a lack of oxygen would be very good for my health.
After all of these wonderful gestures, the music finally started, and it was beautiful. There were many pan floutists, and a couple of drummers. After watching for a bit, we realized that in the group, every person has one or two notes that they are in charge of playing, and then to produce the melody they basically all take turns playing their note. The amount of coordination this takes blows my mind! Then the dancing started, which was so much fun!!! They dance in circles, and somehow they all seem to know when they should be changing directions. Naturally, Emily and I had no idea, and as a result, spent many minutes getting our arms yanked out of their sockets. It was marvelous!!! After the dancing came the drinking, and they really do not enjoy taking no for an answer. As a result, I drank way too much beer for life, and I don´t even like beer! At some point during the night, I climbed the soccer posts, which seemed like a very natural thing to do. Apparently, Peruvians do not normally do this, and so Manuel and Emily spent many a minute discussing the levels of craziness/inebriation I was exhibiting :) What I found most amusing was the very drunk Pablo that decided to join me on top of the soccer posts. Hilarity! He was not sober enough to speak Spanish simply enough for me to understand, and so we just spent a whole lot of time being very confused. At some point, I think he was trying to convince me that he was acutally a famous singer, although I am not really sure of this.
Post all of these musical festivities, we returned to the main part of Cusco and decided to go out dancing with Jesus and Manuel. First we went to this bar called Muse- very strange decor, but quite enjoyable. The bartenders thought I was married because I have a ring on the fourth finger of my right hand (apparently it´s backwards in Peru). They were very relieved when I told them I was not, and proceeded to propose rather loudly. Oh dear! Hilarious! Then I got bored, because Muse was playing too much Reggae, so we went to a different club whose name I don´t know, and I came to the conclusion that clubbing in Peru is the same as clubbing anywhere. Same type of music, although I must say that there is more salsa dancing, which is spectacular!!
Alas, thus ended my rather lovely Cusquenian weekend. Such a learning experience, and so much fun :)