Howdy folks! Geoff and I arrived safe and sound to Lima about 1 am Friday night. We stayed in Lima Saturday night to catch up on sleep and explore the city. It was quite the boomi
ng metropolis. We heard varying estimates from cab drivers on the population - from 3 to 8 million. Riding in a cab provided more of an adrenaline rush than 5 simultaneous rides on the Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens. You though NYC was bad. Only one of the 5 cabs we took had seat belts, and my eyes were either glued shut, praying that we did not become statistics or laughing hysterically out of nervousness and sheer enjoyment. That night, we explored the town square, saw the changing of the guards at the president's palace, and treated ourselves to the local favorite, ceviche (raw fish marinated with lime juice). Talk about fresh! Yum!
We arrived in Cusco Sunday, gasping for breath at the end of the climb to our third story hotel room (with a lovely balcony I might add). The elevation here is about 10,900 feet, so altitute sickness is almost a given. So far, I've had some dizziness, but it is getting better. Geoff has been hit harder, however, with nausea, dizziness, and general malaise. Blah. One thing that helped us immensely is mate de coca (tea made with coca leaves - see pic). Cultivation of the coca plant dates back 5,000 years around here and has always been used medicinally and ceremonially. (NOT the same as cocaine). Last night, we had some traditional Peruvian fare. Geoff had chicharrones (pork cracklings) and I had a traditional dish of beans, eggs, cheese, rice and herbs (I'm forgetting the name). We haven't yet gathered the courage to try cuy (guinea pig) or alpaca.
Today, we explored the city a bit more. While Geoff went to the market in search of chiramoya (a fruit he has been obsessed with since living in Spain and hasn't had in years), I checked out Iglesia Santo Domingo. It was originally an Inca temple, and the foundation is still remarkably solid. After being taken over by the Spaniards, it was turned into a church and destroyed several times by earthquakes. (This is a common historical theme for churches and temples in
Peruvian history). (See pics of view from street below). I also stopped into the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (even if you don't know Spanish, you can probably figure that one out). Its one of fe
w nonprofit organizations that promotes the survival of traditional Andean weaving. There were live demonstrations (see pic). On my way back, I took some pics of incredibly cute girls dressed in traditional costume carrying baby alpacas, puppies, or sheep. They purposefully stand outside touristy areas waiting for suckers like me to pay them a few soles for a picture. It worked beautifully.
Geoff found his chiramoya (the last one at the market, apparently!) , and we enjoyed this delicious mix of a pineapple, pear, and apple on the balcony with the afternoon light hitting just right. Brief note on the weather - the nights are chilly and the days are beautifully mild in the 60's-70's, usually with an hour or so of rain in the afternoon (though none yet today). Now we're off to enjoy a cheaper and more authentic dinner of only food only from stands (aren't we rebels). For dessert, we'll probably have some Cipro. Until next time....
Howdy folks! Geoff and I arrived safe and sound to Lima about 1 am Friday night. We stayed in Lima Saturday night to catch up on sleep and explore the city. It was quite the boomi
ng metropolis. We heard varying estimates from cab drivers on the population - from 3 to 8 million. Riding in a cab provided more of an adrenaline rush than 5 simultaneous rides on the Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens. You though NYC was bad. Only one of the 5 cabs we took had seat belts, and my eyes were either glued shut, praying that we did not become statistics or laughing hysterically out of nervousness and sheer enjoyment. That night, we explored the town square, saw the changing of the guards at the president's palace, and treated ourselves to the local favorite, ceviche (raw fish marinated with lime juice). Talk about fresh! Yum!
We arrived in Cusco Sunday, gasping for breath at the end of the climb to our third story hotel room (with a lovely balcony I might add). The elevation here is about 10,900 feet, so altitute sickness is almost a given. So far, I've had some dizziness, but it is getting better. Geoff has been hit harder, however, with nausea, dizziness, and general malaise. Blah. One thing that helped us immensely is mate de coca (tea made with coca leaves - see pic). Cultivation of the coca plant dates back 5,000 years around here and has always been used medicinally and ceremonially. (NOT the same as cocaine). Last night, we had some traditional Peruvian fare. Geoff had chicharrones (pork cracklings) and I had a traditional dish of beans, eggs, cheese, rice and herbs (I'm forgetting the name). We haven't yet gathered the courage to try cuy (guinea pig) or alpaca.
Today, we explored the city a bit more. While Geoff went to the market in search of chiramoya (a fruit he has been obsessed with since living in Spain and hasn't had in years), I checked out Iglesia Santo Domingo. It was originally an Inca temple, and the foundation is still remarkably solid. After being taken over by the Spaniards, it was turned into a church and destroyed several times by earthquakes. (This is a common historical theme for churches and temples in
Peruvian history). (See pics of view from street below). I also stopped into the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (even if you don't know Spanish, you can probably figure that one out). Its one of fe
w nonprofit organizations that promotes the survival of traditional Andean weaving. There were live demonstrations (see pic). On my way back, I took some pics of incredibly cute girls dressed in traditional costume carrying baby alpacas, puppies, or sheep. They purposefully stand outside touristy areas waiting for suckers like me to pay them a few soles for a picture. It worked beautifully. 
Geoff found his chiramoya (the last one at the market, apparently!) , and we enjoyed this delicious mix of a pineapple, pear, and apple on the balcony with the afternoon light hitting just right. Brief note on the weather - the nights are chilly and the days are beautifully mild in the 60's-70's, usually with an hour or so of rain in the afternoon (though none yet today). Now we're off to enjoy a cheaper and more authentic dinner of only food only from stands (aren't we rebels). For dessert, we'll probably have some Cipro. Until next time....
2 comments:
Que bonita! Tengo hambre tambien!
Yo la tengo
you freaking rock - a true traveler letting things change til the last second. I remember such things.
I have a friend from Peru, Laurie's Javier actually. I shall ask him where he is from.
Much Love
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