Peruvian menu

There's a lot of food in the world that you didn't know existed. Things you didn't know that you could eat. Mysteries on how to get certain food is cleared in this menu - Sweater gives trout - stop fishing, just squeeze them out of your sweater!

El Condor F***ing Pasa

I'm continuing my ethnological research in order to answer our reader's questions. Today the focus has come to music!

Before coming to Peru I had one association to Peruvian music - El Condor Pasa on pan flute. After more than 2 weeks in Peru not much has changed... Of the music I've heard here about 75% is pan flute and of this half is El Condor Pasa, a fourth "Andean music" (the kind of music you will hear if you're getting a massage in spa's) and the rest is old Elton John, Phil Collins and Celine Dion hits in pan flute versions.

At every possible chance the Peruvians will throw in a pan flute performance - in restaurants, in the local bath, on the bus, in every freaking street corner... And they will try to sell you their CDs and get some tip, not caring a bit that they were standing 50 cm from your ear while you were trying to talk to your husband. And their friend who never learned to play will be dressed up as an Indian, dancing and making bird sounds in some strange clay instrument.

When they are not thinking about the tourists Peruvians seems to have a weakness for the eighties, I really have had the opportunity to listen to Samantha Fox, Roxette and Fine (Five?) Young Cannibals on this trip. And Rick Astley. I had completely forgotten about him, how could I...

There is of course some modern, local music. R'n'B (how do you write that??) with a lot of latino influences, Ricky Martin-style singers and Beyonce in spanish, but really, who cares the least bit about that??

Colca Canyon

After a day in Arequipa we got on a tour to Colca Canyon, the second deepest canyon in the world with another Peruvian canyon on first place and Grand Canyon on third. Colca canyon is mostly visited for the possibility to see condors, but it is also filled with small towns, pre-Inca terraces and beautiful views.

On the way to the canyon we made short stops to watch vicuñas, a llama-like animal, stock up on coca tea and coca candies (good against altitude sickness and perfectly legal since in its natural form the coca leaf doesn't give you "highs" or is addictive).

We arrived in Chivay, a small town in the northeast end of the valley, in time for lunch and then checked in at our hostel. To get a room with a double bed in this country is very easy - you ask for a "matrimonial", then you say you are married and that you in fact are on your honeymoon (luna de miel) - works like a charm every time, hostelowners have even switched beds from one room to another. Also at this hostel it worked, we were given the "married room" according to our guide...

In the afternoon we went to the hot springs, just outside the town, where we soaked our tired bodies in out- and indoor pools for a couple of hours. In the evening we went to a restaurant to see a local dance show in classical turistic style. Of course, both Yarden and I were dragged on to the dancefloor to dance. Wonderful...

Yarden shows his moves on the dance floor

The following day we were up before sunrise in order to get to the Condor Cross early in the morning when the condors are most visible. But we also managed to squeeze in a couple of stops in villages on the way to look at inka terraces, churches, tombs and maybe some shopping... A bit after eight we got out of the bus to take a walk for about 30 mins to the Condor Cross. On the way we saw one condor close by and felt quite happy that we at least had gotten to see one. But when we reached the cross there were condors everywhere. For two hours we stood, together with hundreds of more tourists, with our heads lifted to the sky, our cameras snapping picture after picture and just enjoyed the performance.

Majestic condor

Going in for landing....

The condors are impressive creatures, they can be over 3 meter from one tip of the wing to the other with a weight of 10-15 kg. The young condor is brown and it's only when they are around 7 years old that they change to the characteristic black and white plumes. Since it's so big it has difficulties to take of for flying which is why they stay high up on the mountains so they can use the wind.

Condor couple

Young condor

Condors in Peru

Arequipa

After a day of rest in Huaraz after our trek we continued our trip southwards by bus. First 8 hours to Lima, where I decided that Lima is in fact a mucho depressive city with a constant cloud parked over the city. It's huge, dirty and polluted so after 2 hours in the bus station I was thrilled to get on the night bus to Arequipa. Just another 14 hours...

Peru really is a strange country when it comes to its nature. We drove on a highway that went through sand dunes that feel steeply into the ocean on one side. And then it continued with stone desert and every now and then a town with half-finished houses and garbage everywhere. It's all very boring to look at. But then you also have the amazing mountains and canyons and green valleys.

Arequipa's Cathedral with volcanoes in the background

After almost 24 hours on buses we finally arrived to Arequipa, Peru's second largest city and with its 760.000 inhabitants it only has a tenth of Lima's population. And it is so much nicer. It's a nice colonial town with beautiful buildings surrounded by high volcanoes around 6.000 m.a.s.l. One of it's bad sides though is that it's a victim of many earthquakes, the last big one in 2001. But they keep rebuilding it over and over... Tired after the bus ride we didn't do much, walked around in the picturesque city center, visited a museum and booked a tour out of the city.

Around Plaza des Armas

There are about 3 taxis for each person in Arequipa

In the evening we went on a date and had a beer on one of the balconies overlooking the magnificent Plaza des Armas. So, to sum it up, Arequipa was a very nice stop on our journey. Beautiful, friendly and you can actually breath the air without choking.

Look how happy girls become when someone takes them on a date!

Food

Many readers turn to us with questions related to our travels. They want to know more about what's happening in this part of the world and if we can explain different habits and customs. One of the most common questions is about food - what are we eating, what are others eating, how does it taste...the list is endless. And really, who could be better than me to answer questions about eating?

I want to start with a confession though. Something I'm a bit ashamed of. We haven't had ceviche yet, Peru's national dish. And no guinea pig either. We have had some Pisco Sour though, which is Peru's national drink, they even have an official Pisco Sour-day here. I didn't like it too much, it reminded me too much of an unfortunate evening during my high school years (remember the whisky sour Frida??).

What we eat is basically rice and chicken. Since my husband takes great pride in being the only tourist in a reastaurant we often end up in smole hole-in-the-wall joints with a bunch of locals staring at us while we are trying to decipher the menu of the day. The typical menu consists of a soup that up 'til this day we have not been able to understand what sort we will be served. Doesn't matter though, it always turns out to be potatoes, carrots and unidentified, suspicious pieces of meat/chicken/intestines... Sometimes surprisingly tasty. After the soup comes the main course, normally one of the following choices: chicken, fried fish, lomo saltado (some kind of meat hidden undera thick layer of fried onion and tomato) and finally something with a strange name that we have absolutely no idea what it is. Always served with rice, sometimes also with fries. To this the one and only drink is of course Inca Kola. Sometimes you get lucky with your order, sometimes less so. One thing that never disappoints though is the price - together with a drink the check is normally 8 soles (approx 2 USD).

Another staple in our food circle is the quarter of a grilled chicken served with french fries, tiny salad and sometimes a drink for 5-7 soles (1,5-2 USD). This can be found at a multitude of Pollerias everywhere in Peru.

Yarden at a Polleria

The third cheap option is to go to a Chifa, a chinese restaurant. They serve pretty much the same food as in the other restaurants but it has more chinese sounding names.

Logical menu - first you eat, then you pay!

Then of course, sometimes one of us says - I don't know about you but I'm on my honeymoon - and then we end up having alpaca steak and some wine, or a coffee and a sandwich for three times the price of an ordinary meal. But it is nice!

Funny people...

No, there will be no eating of dog on this trip!

Multi-religious experience

Sometimes you find yourselves in situations you really wouldn't want to be part of but there is absolutely nothing to do but trail along. Yesterday was such a time. After a 4-day trek in high altitudes getting on a bus and head back home (or to Huaraz in this case) should be a piece of cake. Well, it just wasn't. This was where the real adventure began.

Packed into a minibus, the most common public transportation in Peru, together with about 16 other, we started to climb on a serpentine gravel road. At the top I looked out of the window and saw the most amazing serpentine road going down on another mountain. I turn to Yarden and just when I'm saying "look at that crazy road" I realise that it is the road that we are going down. It is a narrow road, sharp curves, plenty of crosses as memorials over people that didn't make it and we're sitting in this minibus that has seen better days. I squeeze Yarden's hand hard at every curve and release it a bit every time we make it through. Yarden says that he definitely hope there is a God and I answer that I believe in all of them at the moment. Whoever will help us through I'm ready to pray to.

Half-way down the road the minibus stops. In front of us is another bus that also has stopped. Turns out the other bus' steering wheel stopped working. Not something you want to happen at a serpentine road. Everyone gets out of the buses, we speak a bit to a couple from the other bus, that we met on the trek earlier. They seem a bit shaken and don't look forward to get into the bus again. After an hour the drivers fixed the problem and everyone gets on the bus again. The couple joke about having us call their mother's if they don't make it, it doesn't feel completely as a joke... The rest of the way down is nerve-wrecking. I try not to look at the road.

In Yungay we switch to another minibus to Huaraz. This time it's a paved road and it feels safe. Should take about 1,5 hours to get back. After 1 hour a high noise sounds and the driver brakes fiercly. Everyone gets out of the bus, gets their bags and tries to catch another ride as fast as possible. We end up staying on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere for about 20 minutes until another minibus stops and picks us up. We finally arrive to Huaraz at 7 o'clock at night and I have rarely been so happy to be alive!

High-altitude dreams

You would think that sleeping in a tent in a national park, surrounded by snowy peaks and beautiful nature would cause you to have serene dreams filled with horses gallopping over fields, glittering mountain lakes and healthy activities. Not in my world. I woke up one morning realising that I had been dreaming about the following things:

- I was going to a Sting-concert. Everyone tried to get in without a ticket but I was cool and had tickets.

- I was playing golf with Jack Nicholson. He was mad most of the time.

- I accidentaly cut of 2-3 mm of skin from my mothers nose with a knife. She said it was ok but I knew it would hurt like hell.

- My fridge was filled with cakes. Big tasty cakes with loads of chocolate on.

I guess the fact that I was seen as cool for having tickets to a Sting-concert must have had something to do with the lack of oxygen. Playing golf with Jack Nicholson however is always cool.

Good thing I have action filled dreams at least!

Lima

It was with mixed feelings we got on the plane to Lima, two days after the big earthquake. A bit nervous about what would meet us there - complete chaos or just the normal South American disorder? After reading an equadorian newspaper we realised that the worst areas was quite a bit south of Lima though.

The next thing to worry about was our own security - the guidebook kept talking about robberies and the risk of getting into fake taxis and and other threaths. We decided to stay in Miraflores, a quite wealthy neighbourhood that should be rather safe for tourists. But the taxidriver still said that some places that we suggested wasn't safe enough. Found a hostel that was good enough for both us and the taxidriver and then took a walk around the area to get some food and check it out. Can't say we saw anything scary or threathening...

The morning after we took a bus into the center of Lima. No signs of the earthquake anywhere except for in every park volunteers where gathering water, food and clothes to the victims and on all official buildings the flags were on half-mast. Two things signify Lima in my opinion - colonial buildings and pollution. The buildings are beautiful, often colorful and richly adorned. We staggered away from the main streets on one occasion and started to photograph some beautiful buildings. Immediately a policeman came up to us and told us not to use the camera unless we saw a policeman close by, otherwise we could almost count on someone stealing the camera from us. So, back to the main streets, where there were policemen in every corner, and photograph the impressive buildings around Plaza Mayor and Plaza San Martin before we returned to the safer Miraflores.

Plaza Mayor, aka Plaza de Armas

Collecting supplies to the people in the earthquake areas

Only take photos when there's a police officer nearby!

Plaza San Martin

The second day we went to get bus tickets to Huaraz and then to Museo de la Nación to get some insights on Peru's history. Unfortunately the museum was closed due to the earthquake so instead we grabbed an unregulated taxi (huuh, living on the edge...) to Museo Larco who had an impressive collection of ceramics, gold, silver and textiles from ancient cultures. However, the most interesting part of the museum is their exhibition of pre-Columbian erotic pottery with very explicit illustrations of different sexual practices.

Funny pot in Museo Larco

More pots...

To summarize, Lima was a very busy city, the pollution was horrible but the public transportation system was very efficient (though a bit confusing). Central Lima was beautiful and impressive and Miraflores was a nice place to stay. It didn't feel as unsafe as everyone is claiming but maybe we were lucky. It's a very narrow line between rich and poor and while you can get a two-course dinner for 1,5 dollar you can just as well have a coffee for twice the price a block down.

Downtown Lima

Going trekking

We are now in Huaraz, a town 7 hours north of Lima. Today we have been acclimatizing to the altitude, the town is situated 3090 meters above the sea level. Makes it tough to walk up the stairs to our room sometimes.. Tomorrow we are going on a 4-day trek, called the Santa Cruz trek. So, mothers, don't be worried if we don't answer any emails for a while. We will be back with plenty of pictures of what is said to be the most beautiful trek in the Andes!