31-12-06 NEW YEARS EVE!! - Cusco So the day started off ok, i did another cultural thing, i took a tour of the sacred valley with one of the guys from the hostel. The day was to be a long one.The tour took us all over the place, to various markets, and villages, ruins etc. The only problem we had was after doing the Inka Trail, and Machu Pichu most of the ruins were very much an anti-climax. So my advice would be to do the valley tour first as its still really interesting, but then do the trail after. but anyway, we left the hostel at about 8am, and didnt get back until about 7ish. Just in time to grab something to eat, have a shower, put my makeup on, then get ready for the New Year. The hostel was putting on a pretty big party, that most of Cusco was going to come to. So being a hostel guest we had a bonus of getting the ticket cheaply. It cost 50 soles for the night, which included free drinks until 5 am. So basically 7.50 english for the night! bet you all paid more than that for new year!! anyway, after getting ready, i went into one of the rooms, and started again with some games involving cards, and alcohol. This was a mistake as from there on the night spiralled downhill, and the beer goggles were to come on!! So the party wasnt really going to get started until about 1am after the big thing in the main square, so at about 11:45 we walked down to the square. We were confronted with this mass of people. there must have been thousands of people there, all setting off dodgy fireworks and bangers. Bangers, on a separate note are perfectly legal here, and are about the size of a large greggs sausage roll (good similie hey), so all the local kids were setting them off all the time, even throwing them into the corwds, which wasnt the most sensible thing in the world. Safety was definately not something they think of here! anyway, when the clock struck 12, at each "dong" you are meant to eat a grape...dont ask me why, you just are, then after the 12th dong, you have to run round the square 12 times...........i only managed 2, and nearly got my leg blown off. its a shame i cant load videos onto my travel journal as you would see some of the video footage.....shocking! so after the square mayhem, we retired back to the hostel for some more drinks, and to "party like its 2007". i should mention by this time, that the guys i was spending the new year with were awesome people, and such a laugh. No comparison to square dancing in Deva Close, but hey, they were good people. anyway, i guess this is another time that the pics do it more justice, have a great year 2007, and keep in touch!!