Peru - Cusco - Cuisine and Crazy Side Effects

Before leaving San Jose, I did manage to meet up with Will for an incredibly short visit, which was great but too short. Best we could manage under the circumstances though. My favourite was that once he had finished asking after all our friends back in Ottawa, his next inquiry was about Dirienzos and whether their amazing sandwiches were still only $3.50. Cant blame him, I would also consider that a priority issue of concern.

The sadder moment of this night was when I was getting ready to hop in the shower and realized I had managed to forget my quick dry towel and 2 pairs of socks in La Fortuna, much to Micks amusement. I am notoriously absent-minded, but on this trip, I have been trying extra hard to double check when I leave a room. Apparently not hard enough. At least it wasn´t my passport (except Mick is holding on to it. Come to think of it, he may have confiscated it from me...).

We flew into Lima, Peru and spent the night at a very average hostel close to the airport. Why? Because for reasons unclear to us, we booked flights to Cusco for 5am. I continue to puzzle over why we went for such an absurdly early flight, considering I am adamantly against being awake between the hours of 3-5am. That is no mans land. You should not still be awake from the night before and you should NOT be waking up to start your day. And yet... hmmm. We arrived in Cusco at 7am and ready for bed. We lucked out and found a hostel that let us in even that early in the morning and I crashed. For twenty minutes, when BOOOOOOOM! Mick and I stared at each other. BOOOOM! BOOOM! As our luck would have it, there´s some kind of water festival on this whole week, which is celebrated with remarkably echoing fireworks at 730 am and 10pm every day. Sweet.... not. Once the initial shock wore off, I slept till noon.

We went exploring for the afternoon and you know what? I quite like Cusco. It is very touristy, which I can forgive and since its getting into off season, its not crammed with fanny packs as it might be in the summer. Tons of Canadians running around here actually. Red roofs as far as the eye can see, really old school churches everywhere, llamas wandering around and sprawling markets of colourful blankets and accessories. Mick went on a bit of shopping spree... its so easy to shop in other countries. I restrained myself, since anything I buy I have to carry for another 11 months, but the alpaca gloves I bought for $2.50 were an excellent investment, since its really cold at this altitude at nighttime and Peru isn´t really into central heating.

Peruvian food almost deserves a whole post by itself. Before I get to rave reviews, I have to vent on the Andean Grill. After being assaulted by restaurant touts in the Plaza de Armas, this place won our business for dinner. The menu looked amazing and Mick and I both ordered the Rosemary Chicken Supreme. The free glass of wine with dinner was distinctly reminiscent of cranberry juice. Oh well, its free, I thought. The main course arrived and man, it smelled delicious. On a bed of perfectly whipped and seasoned mashed potatoes lay a juicy filet of chicken layered with Andean ham and melted mozzarella cheese, with a tomato rosee rosemary sauce drizzled around. And it tasted just as good.

UNTIL Mick discovered the middle of the chicken was ten kinds of raw. I literally spat out the bite I was chewing and upon investigation of my own filet, the same problem was discovered. My stomach turned and I couldnt even eat the potatoes off the plate. We booked it outta there and I consoled my hypochondriac tummy with saltines and water for the rest of the night. Seem to have escaped salmonella poisoning thank goodness. But that was enough to wreck my evening. Plus it poured rain on us the whole walk uphill back to the hostel too, so I was a bit of a crankypants by the time we got in. One much needed hot shower later, I was restored to mental sanity and Mick was no longer afraid to talk to me.

That being said, there is plenty of amazing to make up for the disgusting. I have to give a shout out to Jack´s Cafe for excellent pumpkin soup and incredible Ginger Lime Honey tea. Other culinary discoveries include cheap delicious alpaca meat from Inca Panaka restaurant and the menu del dia at most places, which allows you to order a small salad (I liked tomato in garlic best), big soup, main course (favourite was lomo saltado - roasted veggies with grilled meat and rice), and either a drink or dessert. Still havent ventured to try cuy al horno, which is guinea pig on a spit, since its pretty expensive here. Maybe in Arequipa (headed there today).

Now, since I randomly caught chicken pox, I have been rather conscientious about taking preventative medicines, so I have been taking my anti malaria meds and the anti altitude sickness drugs to the letter. As it turns out, Im rather vulnerable to side effects as well! The altitude meds, while doing an excellent job of preventing sickness, also cause intermittent pins and needles in my hands and feet. Really annoying. But worse is the malaria pills, because they are causing serious sleep issues, including but not limited to snoring, talking in my sleep on a conversation level and crazy dreams all night. Poor Mick. Ive become the worst roommate ever. Luckily I get to stop taking them, so the nights should get quieter again.