Cusco is a changin'

Since I first arrived in Cusco at the end of January, the city has undergone a complete change.

First of all, I arrived in rainy season. It rained at least once every day. Even if there was not a cloud to be seen in the sky, I still had to stuff my rain coat into my bag every time I left the house. It was a pain in the you-know-what. The surrounding mountains were lush and green as a result. Now, it's dry season. There is never a cloud in the sky (although the last few days have been very rare and overcast for a few hours in the morning), and it never rains. My rain coat is at the bottom of my drawer, hasn't been touched in months. The lush, green of the mountain has been replaced with brown. (The green you see in the photo is due to daily watering.)
The downside to the dry weather is just how cold it is. Due to my Chinese oven heating, my apartment is warmer than the average Cuscanean apartment in the evening, but by morning, I have a hard time getting out of bed due to the cold. (Remember, central heating does not exist here.) I bundle up to get to school in the morning, but strip off the layers by mid-day, as the sun is quite intense.

Dry season equals high season as far as tourism goes. The streets are packed, and gringos are everywhere. It's a good thing I moved so close to school. In February, I could hail a taxi in a second, now I hear horror stories of people waiting up to 30 minutes to find one. With the Inti Raymi holiday coming up next week, (the holiday devoted to the sun god, which culminates in a llama sacrifice at Saqsaywaman. I get to march in a parade and have a 4-day weekend.) there are about 10 parades a day in preperation. The streets are busier, the school is busier (I'm teaching 7 classes now), but the city is very alive and bustling.