Cusco Welcome Party

Kudos to Travis & Sam for planning a perfect Peru Welcome Party!  We arrived to this amazing mansion overlooking Cusco and of course a llama was chillin’ and waiting to greet us.  (Cuz, llamas are a thing here)  And the path was lit by torches.  Check out the video of our grand entrance:  

Check out the entrance to our Welcome Party here in Cusco...the path to the mansion overlooking the city was lit by torches and created this amazing ambience. The views were spectacular. My favorite part of this video is David Baum saying to Diane Brashear, "Everything is about to commence, my sister."

The mansion had an incredible view...

...a draw bridge...

...impressive rooms with Peruvian decor...

...a church adjacent to the house...

...a sweet little fire pit...

...etc.  

All great vibes at the party last night!  (Except when that local guy tried to steal Heather’s phone, YIKES)

Mucho bailar anoche!  (Much dancing last night)  

Here's a video of the dance floor jamming with one of my favorite songs - “One More Time” by Daft Punk

"One More Time" by Daft Punk is one of my faves. This was early in the party, but I love seeing all my fellow Remotes groovin' especially Casey with her poor shoulder in a sling!

Unfortunately, the party included a “going away” for 3 of our fellow Remotes: technically 2 and a half Aussies.  Tom(Mountain Climbing Buddy), Tanya and Lisa are leaving Remote Year for various reasons…

...and they will be sorely missed.  

But, everyone has a path in life.  And, everyone has to follow their heart.  

Our group is down from 70 to 66 now.  But, Candice, Tom, Tanya & Lisa will be with us in spirit.

El Prado - Parties & Protests

El Prado is a popular, tourist-y type of main drag in La Paz.  My hotel, Hotel Copacabana is right in the heart of it.

On Sundays, they have these art-walk type parties called Feria Dominical Del Prado, with live music, arts & fun things for kids like big chickens! 

The view from my Hotel Copacabana window

Check out this cool funk band:

Uploaded by Matt Sherwood on 2016-05-31.

One thing that has been consistent through all of my travels in South America so far, is protests.  Granted, I've only been to a few cities, but in Cordoba, Buenos Aires, La Paz, etc, there are protests ALMOST every day.  

El Prado is a popular street for protestors.

Most of the time, the protests are peaceful, just marches or assemblies of the passionate population.  But, you always know they're happening because of the powerful sound of explosives (David would be proud). 

Here is an example of a peaceful protest (with explosives) -- just some folks marching on El Prado.  (View from my hotel room)

I lived on a tourist-y, main strip of La Paz, 6 De Agosto Drive. The area is called Hotel Plaza, El Prado. All along my street are hotels, and government buildings. Almost every day there is a protest, sometimes in the form of a sit-in, and sometimes a march.

Once in a while, the protests do get a little violent.  This was the first one I saw.  

A group of people were protesting in front of the Ministerio de Justicia.  (You can see them at the bottom behind the trees)

Then, the riot police showed up, and for a good 5-10 minutes you heard the fracas on the front line.  

The people pushed back and, eventually...

...the people won.

And the riot police retreated.   Check it out:

My hotel is right across from the Ministeria de Justicia. This is one of those protests that the riot police tried to break up, but failed miserably. My view of the front line was blocked by trees, but you can clearly see the riot police retreating from the angry mob of people.