So here are some pictures from the past week or so...

The ladies at my going-away party! All quite beautiful I might add ;)

In front of the San Francisco church in Lima. Yana (from Czech Republic), Ulises (my wonderful host) and myself. This church has lots of catacombs underneath with lots of bones... ew.

Yana, on our bike ride through Lima. Some parts were more scenic than others...

A boat in Callao harbor... for ¨tourist¨ trips:

Ulises and Mariella (from France) at Mochileros Bar in Barranco, getting ready to see a concert:

Me and my good friend Dante. He plays percussion and blows on a whistle...

A blurry photo of the Plaza de Armas (main square) in Cusco on my arrival night. Big time partying. Part of the parade went around the square. There were HUNDREDS of groups in the parade and A LOT of people there to celebrate:

One of the groups in the parade. The photos didn´t turn out great because I couldn´t get very close, but the videos are awesome!

Some of the floats from the parade, the day after.

Well, everything continues to go well. Yesterday afternoon I went with a good friend Rodrigo, way up a mountain that overlooks all of Cusco, to the best chicheria in town, and hidden if I might add. In case you don´t know, chicha was the beer that the Incans brewed from corn, and today the peasants continue to brew it, and serve it up warm in huge glasses. It´s pretty weak, but a beautiful tradition, plus it´s tasty and fills you up! After that, I ran into almost all of my musician friends, which was a very happy reunion. They were pretty anxious for the cellist to come back :) It looks now like I will be playing with one Ecuadorian folklore group, one bluesy/funky/Afro-Peruvian group, one papacho-metal-fusion group, and a guitarist... It`s cool with me, I`m a fan of diversity. But I did buy myself a cellphone... too many people and too many rehearsals to organize. I went to the black market and for $15 I got a a cellphone that was stolen, plus a chip and 30 minutes. Hey, some times technology is a necessary evil. It´s good to have for emergencies too I suppose. Well, off I go for another night of adventures!