Peru: Days 5 & 6

We had to get up at 4:30am to get on the road by 5:15 on our last full day in Peru, and it quickly became evident why. Our driver had to dodge boulders, tree stumps, huge agave plants, and many other kinds of debris that the strikers placed in the road the day before. The photo shows just an example - we dodged conditions like this for a full 90 minutes before arriving at the train station just in time to board the train to Macchu Picchu.















Along the way the vegetation changed from "high desert dry" to "rainforesty." It was another 30 minute bus ride up perfect switchbacks before we got to the site, and it was a "take your breath away moment."
















We toured the site and marveled at the sophistication of the engineering that made it possible. Hikes to see the Inca Drawbridge and the Sun Gate featured natural begonias and bromeliads along with great views of both the site and the surrounding mountain scenery.

That night I had a quiet dinner with my dad at the Monasterio hotel in Cusco (the hotel was actually a former monastery complete with its own chapel, which is now adjacent to the business center) and sampled my last serving of ceviche. Although it was good, the stuff at Sol y Luna in the Sacred Valley won the trip prize for all-time best.

Our last day included a day tour of Lima and what I remember most is the fact that it doesn't rain there. Apparently ever. I also finally learned some new features on my camera that allowed me to take better photos in dark situations. It's the little things, sometimes...

The trip home was uneventful and included flights that took off and arrived on time. It was a mere 24 hours at home to do last minute shopping and packing for the Angola adventure, which began the following day with travel to DC for a week of training.

Peru: Days 3 & 4

I should have known it was too good to be true. Not long after that last entry our guide Wilfredo informed us that a 2-day strike was going to shut down the rail service to Machu Piccu. Short of hiking 42 kilometers through the mountains, we weren't going to make it as planned (I would have considered it, but traveling with my 67 year-old dad made this option out of the question).

The worst part of the news was that we had to get up at 5am the next day to get to Cusco before the strikers blocked the roads. Even at 6am there were some boulders and debris in the road, but we made it to Cusco without any problem. My foul mood was lifted temporarily by the site of the "Chuckie" internet cafe, complete with photo images of the psychopath horror movie doll. Then we stopped at a roadside "cuyeria" and ate a little guinea pig. I was given the prized neck portion but I had trouble finding the meat. Apparently you're supposed to eat the skin also, but I demurred.

That was yesterday. Today we slept in and walked around the sites near our hotel (itself a former monastery, complete with a chapel with motion-sensor lights that illuminate the golden altar so brightly it sort of creeps you out). The main attraction was the strikers parading around the main square though. By afternoon all was quiet.




We're trying again tomorrow to see Machu Piccu. Fingers crossed...

Peru: Day 2

Peru is enchanting. I can tell based on the number of photos I've taken, and the numbers of photos I haven't taken but regretted. Today was another tour of sites in the "sacred valley." The skeptic in me originally thought the "sacred" part was just a marketing ploy to make the area sound more impressive. After today's adventures I changed my mind. It's an understatement.

We started after a breakfast of quinoa and yogurt touring the ruins and town of Ollantaytambo, which would turn even the most boring person into a fan of Inca stonemasonry. The best part about visiting this site was that it represented one of the few places where the Incas whooped up on the Spanish. Sort of an Inca Little Bighorn, I guess.















In the afternoon we drove around a lot of dusty roads at high altitude, and that's where things got interesting. A whole new layer of mountains appeared, some approaching 20,000 feet. I forgot how impressive the Andes were.





























Aside from the majestic mountain scenery, another highlight was visiting a salt mine, where water from a natural salty spring is channeled into small pools where the water evaporates leaving the salt behind. Evidently this activity has been going on since before Incan times, and the end result is stunning.
















I don't know what this country can do for an encore, but I'm looking forward to finding out. Did I mention that Inca Kola is really, really tasty?

Peru: Day 1

Five things I didn't know about Peru until today:

1. People eat guinea pigs to celebrate festivals and special occasions.

BEFORE:














AFTER (the facial expression doesn't inspire much confidence that the "roasting" was humane):














2. There are something like 300 types of potatoes in the area around Cuzco. Not sure how many this lady sold while napping.


















3. The Inca flag is a rainbow-esque flag, but not the same as the gay pride flag. But it's still fun to pretend (the last time I saw a rainbow flag that big I was standing at 18th & Castro trying to decide if I should succumb to the hot cookie taunting me from the window).














4. The Southern Cross is easily found next to the bright stars representing the eyes of the "llama constellation." Somehow missed that one in astronomy class...

5. Vicuñas are related to camels, have the softest wool of the Andean animals, were never domesticated, and refuse to have their picture taken directly in the face (trust me, I tried).

Peking Opera vs. Monty Python

So our intrepid group of four had been warned that the art form known as the Peking* Opera might involve an acquired taste. We expected screechy sounds and general cacophony. But what we got was something close to wonderful. The costumes were elaborate and colorful, the stories relatively easy to follow, and the singing, well, it was different. I'm not sure I could have handled a full three hours, but I can honestly say our ninety minute exposure was enjoyable. I would go again if given the chance.

An added bonus is that I finally understand where the "Knights Who Say Ni" skit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail comes from. I don't know if that movie still influences the youth of today as much as it did my formative years (I was not alone in my ability to recite the entire movie in junior high school), but I did used to ponder where in the hell they came up with some of the skit ideas. After our night at the opera, there can be no more doubt. Now excuse me while I go cut down the mightiest tree in the forest with a herring.


*Pedantic Information Section
Although most anglophone people refer to the Chinese capital as Beijing, some institutions retain the name "Peking." The difference is one of dialect. Beijing is the name of the city in Mandarin, and Peking is the same name in Cantonese. Most foreigners were exposed to the Cantonese-speaking south originally (think Hong Kong or Macão), and when the foreigners asked "where is your capital" the locals replied in their dialect: "Peking." Now you know the rest of the story...

Would you like scorpion with that?

Some of the food people eat in China is weird. A walk through the grocery section of the Beijing SuperWalMart proves this, although to be honest it's not that much different from other developing country grocery stores I've been to. What WAS different was the live turtle tank accompanied by the live turtle slaughter station, where the cute lil' guys get their insides turned upside down and wrapped in plastic before the bar code gets unceremoniously slapped on.

But I'm not here to talk about that. The video on this entry was taken at a restaurant in Beijing that served scorpions (apparently boiled) along with a duck entree. There really wasn't much flavor except for a pasty feeling towards the end. All night long I kept thinking about the recently downed arachnid coming back to life and crawling around my stomach, which was a mildly upsetting thought. Anyway, I'm posting this video as proof that I actually did eat one of these lil' guys. Appropriate crowd reaction ensues...