guinea pigs, better pets than dinner

true to our word, we had cuy al horno last night. that would be a whole guinea pig, roasted in the oven. it was presented to us on a plate in a state of suspended animation, body intact, mouth open, teeth visible (dramatically clenching a red pepper), four legs outstretched in terror, and deep fried to a delicious degree. it was horrible and fascinating to look at. our waiter encouraged us to photograph it, so we did. (photo to come soon). he promptly removed it from the table after the photography session, and took it back to the kitchen to remove it's head and feet, and divide it in two for a more manageable dining experience. upon it's return, we devoured the small amount of meat we could find in the hindquarters. you might imagine it's not a terribly meaty beast, and you'd be right. while turning the mid section of the animal over to find more meat, we made a disturbing discovery that effectively ended the cuy dining adventure. the guinea pig retained most of it's vital organs. at first, david, the eternal optimist, assured me, the eternal pessimist, that what we found in the body cavity was no doubt delicious meat stuffing. we believed that theory until the liver fell out of david's pig, and the heart rolled out of mine. we discovered important cultural differences in the dressing of dinner meat. it can be a barrier, but the meat really is quite palatable.

it came with a side of cooked maize of the cusco gigante variety. casey, it was delicious, but thoroughly cooked and would be of no use to you. we came close. so close.

right now we are in cusco in an internet cafe off the main plaza. as we entered, a growing crowd of adults (approximately 300) we marching, carrying signs, and chanting outside. then the policia showed up in riot gear. we're looking forward to participating in the development of this exciting party outside.

it's off to lima this afternoon, and california the next day. muy pronto, indeed.

a new wonder

we are in aguas calientes, which is a small town at the base of machu picchu. though this town is completely given over to tourism, it´s still, ummmm, nice. there are hot water springs that are pleasantly luke warm, and more happy hour specials than you can shake a stick at.

we went to machu picchu at 5:30 this morning. the bus cuts back and forth on 20 switchbacks up a steep mountain that leads from aguas calientes to machu picchu. the mountains here are covered in a verdant jungle coating, and low white clouds cling to their peaks and valleys. in all seriousness, magical is a good word for it. when the bus delivered us to the top, we stood staring down at machu picchu through the cloud forest. the peaks in the distance stand at 6000+ meters, and their snow caps tower above machu picchu (which stands on a sizable mountain itself). the early morning clouds and mist swirled about the ruins in a ghost-like way that will forever haunt us. we had the place essentially to ourselves (sharing it with the other early birds and the heroic inca trail trekkers), and we explored the ruins extensively for a few morning hours. as morning broke, and the clouds and fog gave way to equatorial sunshine, the tourists started to arrive in droves. we took that opportunity to escape up to the peak of hauyna picchu, the large peak visible in all iconic machu picchu photographs. it was challenging both physically and in a ¨david-is-afraid-of-heights¨ sort of way, but the view at the top was spectacular and worth the physical and emotional stress.

now we are awaiting train transport back to cusco. we only have 2 nights left in peru, and have yet to indulge in the local delicacy of cuy del horno (oven roasted guinea pig). i think that´s on the menu tonight.

by the way, we did have some chicha (saliva fermented corn beer). bitter, indeed.

Post script: in our entry about the coriolus effect, we stated that peruvian toilet water spins counterclockwise while flushing, and wondered what yours does. please advise.

coriolus effect?

which way does the water spin in your toilet when you flush? ours goes counter clockwise. seems like the handiwork of aliens.

the umbilicus (o en espanol, el ombligo)

if cusco is the bellybutton of the world, as the incas claimed, it is definitely an inee. it sits in a fertile valley (the sacred valley, to be exact) surrounded by the andes and some impressive inca ruins. we love it, and there don´t seem to be any bed bugs here. cusco is seriouly unbelievable. the narrow streets and inca walls are unlike anything we´ve seen. carlos bustamante was right.

we had a train ride yesterday from puno to cusco. it was 10 hours through the andes and the high plains (altiplano), and it was pretty darn magical. the drunk french people were the only problem with the train ride, but we have never been the type of people to let a few inebriated frogs stand in our way of a good time.

tomorrow we depart for the village of ollantaytambo, a small village in the sacred valley. we will see more ruins, more alpacas, and more artisanal crafts; we will be one day closer to machu picchu.

everyone here wants you to go to www.n7w.com and vote for machu picchu as one of the new seven wonders of the world. everyone.

good eats and high altitude

we´re in puno, a hillside port town on the shores of lake titicaca. the elevation of the city is somewhere in the neighborhood of 12,500 feet above sea level. while neither of us have had any serious effects, we can definitely feel it. things are moving a bit slower for us.

we went out on the lake today in a tour group to visit the floating islands of the uros people, and taquile island, inhabited by quechua speaking descendants of the inca people. first we saw the floating islands, which are made and continually replenished from the reeds that grow in the shallow areas of the lake. then we moved on (in a very very slow boat....maybe running on a lawnmower motor) to taquile island. the 2k climb straight up the side of the island was challenging, but arriving at the island top village and having lunch of fresh caught lake fish and quinoa soup (followed, of course, by coca tea), was well worth the effort.

our trip has been full of outstanding culinary experiences: ceviche and bird´s nest beef in lima; potatoes in peanut sauce (ocopa arequepina), river trout (trucha), and meat stuffed peppers (rocoto relleno), which are all traditional foods, in arequipa; and last night, it was alpaca and quinoa soup followed by roasted chicken in puno. papas fritas accompany everything, and we´re not complaining. seriously, there are papas fritas with everything. even inside the omelettes.

tonight we´re off to another dinner adventure, and then another hotel room adventure. marta learned last night that the phrase ¨sleep tight, don´t let the bed bugs bite¨ is not just a figure of speech. the bed bugs bit, and sleep tight she did not. the socks and long underwear defense will be employed this evening.

tomorrow we will depart puno for a day long train ride through the andes and altiplano. it will deliver us to cuso, the belly button of the world. or so we´re told.....

arequipa

we´re in arequipa, peru. did you know that arequipa is also called the white city? interestingly, when the spanish took it from the incas, they tore down their temples and erected beautifully ornate cathedrals and other colonial buildings from sillar stone. sillar stone is white volanic stone that glows in the sun, which earned the city it´s nickname. fascinating.

today we have a full day planned of samping the delicious arequipenan food, and strolling amongst and through the narrow colonial and pre-colombian streets.

tomorrow, it´s off to puno, where we´ll navigate the world´s highest navigable lake and do epic battle with altitude sickness.

hasta luego.

Slappers?

Our hostel in Miraflores in Lima has a sign near the desk that says 'If you've been to the disco with the rappers, don't bring back the slappers.'

Seems like words to live by. We're off the Arequipa this morning.

lima, peru

we almost never use capitol letters in this blog, which is handy for me now, as i am having trouble finding the shift key on this peruvian keyboard. there are not going to be any contractions in this entry either. by the way, does anyone know where the apostrophe is on a peruvian keyboard?

we arrived in peru yesterday, and fell in love with it immediately. despite swollen airplane feet, we walked through the downtown lima plazas, witnessed the incredible celebration that is dia de los madres, or dia de mamas. happy dia de mamas, mamas. today we move on to miraflores, the cliff top neighborhood with shops, restaurants, and other things that make tourists feel happy. and we are, if anything, happy tourists. all is well, and we are safe and sound.

radio flyer

lugging groceries home from shopper's corner, and hauling gear to the beach just got a whole lot easier.


big foot can eat his heart out over our new over-sized wheels (see photo of the week 2/11/07).

a new friend

our good friend kate was visiting this weekend from tahoe. we spent most of this glorious sunshine-filled weekend tanning ourselves on the beach or relaxing on the deck. a super time was had by all. while at the beach this afternoon, we made a new friend, joe. he is a mercenary fighter. although joe is a man of few words, he is a man of action. joe is always in the ready position, aware of his surroundings, and silently watching and waiting. he is no doubt a war hero.

storming the beaches of normandy

at the ready in desert storm

stalking in the mountain caves of tora bora

wading through the razor sharp grasses of vietnam

on special operations in parts unknown

joe has become a very close friend of ours, and we imagine he will be tagging along on many future adventures and endeavors. we hear he speaks spanish, so we're considering allowing him to join us in peru next week.

raining

i am normally very pleased to ride my bike across santa cruz to work, but today it is raining and that really changes everything. the activation energy to put on my rain gear and head out into the cold, unrelenting rain is nearly insurmountable. i will do it sooner or later, but for now i am wasting time, hoping it lets up a bit.