Life lessons of Loki Cuzco

My final days (and those all important final nights) at Loki Cuzco were more or less before the start of my Inca Trail as I would only be returning to the hostel for 17 hours before catching my bus out to Lima. I had tried to play the smart card, and doubting my motivation to get out of bed the day after my hike I had booked my bus ticket well in advance, so my plans were set in stone.
Despite a continual feeling throughout my stay in Cuzco that the city erred on the too touristy side (and was a bit of a sell out, sacrificing South American culture for the opportunity to make a quick buck) I would be sad to leave the beautiful little city that had been my home for 5 weeks. What I would be sadder to part with however (same as La paz) would be the other staff that had become my friends. I never thought that Peru would be the place I discovered a love of Israeli food for example, but due to my 6ft 5 friend Shai I had uncovered a love of Labane con mas Zatar and had the opportunity to learn all about the joys of growing up an Israeli Jew. In return I had introduced him to bangers and mash (although not great ones as you can't get decent pork in South Am), although I feel he needs to experience Mum's roast before hes an English food convert. I knew Shai and I would be friends the first time we went volunteering together and I watched him try to mime the word 'outside' (he had forgotten it in Spanish... try miming it for yourself, hilarious effects only), and I was too doubled over with laughter to help as the children guessed 'swimming' and 'dancing'. (Picture of us volunteering at the top)
I would be leaving behind Dror, another Israeli and main owner of the Loki franchise, who on my first night got drunk and decided to dance on the fridge behind the bar, knocking over several bottles of Jager for a devastated Caitlyn to smash when she next opened the fridge ('They're going to take it out of my pay!' - 'You don't get paid Caitlyn', as Dror told us not to worry and proceeded to dance in the puddle of liquor; 'Its South America Baybeee!!'). Dror, much the same as Cam and Alan in La Paz (having the same responsible management strategy), had become a close friend during my time in Cuzco... and I will be missing his morning greeting of 'Are you STILL here?!' each day.
I would be leaving behind Austin, the first ever American I've ever met who actually used phrases like 'right on' and 'awesome!', and provided quite the insight into what the Southern States of America really are like. One of the most amazingly lovely people I have met travelling. It will be a shame not to see him daily playing his banjo and wearing his wife beater, 'for real, y'all'.
And I would FINALLY be leaving Jeremy behind, the French Canadian who had been dogging my steps since I first started work in La Paz and had somehow ended up in Cuzco with me... and somehow I'm going to miss the way he dropped his pillow off the top bunk onto my face every morning, or the way he and his friend Roy decided to test the absorbency of the matress above my head by pouring a litre of water on it. I am keeping the cut- off denim shorts he gave me when he was drunk though...
I'm also going to miss the gaggle of interchangable American girls who seemed to inhabit the staff room for impossibly short periods, Vanessa with her everlasting patience sat behind reception doing everyone favours, and I've been missing my good friend Caitlyn since she left for Columbia some 2 weeks before me.
What I've once again learned during my stay in Cuzco is that seeing these fabulous wonderful places, being attacked by these rare creatures, irregular sleep patterns and insane diet is only part of the travelling experience. The remainder is made up of the friends I meet each day... some of whom change my world view immeasurably and educate me about other places and cultures, and others of whom are darn good fun to drink with for half an hour. One thing I do know for a fact is that the beautiful city of Cuzco was an amazing place to live for a while, but it was the people who shared the experince with me who made it all it was.
And sad though I was to be moving on there are no words for how impossibly excited I was to be off on my Inca Trail after a mere 5 months of waiting!!! Yay!!!