Peru was, indeed, one of the most amazing weeks of my life - this doesn't mean it was easy. I did not get Dengue you'll be relieved to know, but I did get altitude sickness. The first few days in Cusco I couldn't hold down even the Cocoa tea the locals drink to combat the thin air up in the mountains. It wasn't a pretty sight. Anywhere I went I sounded like an asthmatic and really the only thing that could bring me out of my lightheadedness were the cute baby llamas hiding throughout the city.
Once I started to feel more like myself - and my stomach didn't feel like an active volcano - I gave Cuy a try. It was actually pretty moist and tender, but I still found myself kinda peeved. My travel companion and I, along with a couple dutch guys, sat down and braced ourselves. The waiter came out and made a neck snapping gesture. We looked at each other and laughed nervously. Shortly afterwards our guinea pig came out, hat and all.
I wasn't sure how to go about eating it, but I did - I even ended up trying the brain which tasted like a soft-boiled egg. Even though it wasn't bad, I don't think I'll be having it again any time soon...On the other hand I also tried Alpaca steak, which was AMAZING. We went to this wonderful restaurant Uchu simply because our hostel gave us a coupon, and it was one of the best eats of the entire trip. Our meal was brought out on a hot stone for grilling with four different sauces for quick marination. Not only was it delicious it was interactive, and just what we needed after a 24 hour bus ride. It was so tender and moist I was able to quickly look past the fact that I was eating a really cute animal.
The last place we ate in Cusco and our cheapest eat of the trip was at the Mercado Central de San Pedro. We had four meals because everything was 5 sols or less which is about 2 dollars. The market was not for the faint of heart but if you can handle a little grime then you can enjoy some of the best sopa and arroz con pollo in Peru - just be sure to avoid the butcher section unless you don't want to sleep for a week.
I could go on about Peru for a long time, but my point was that the trip left me physically and emotionally kaput. After three months of rest with my family in California I finally feel like a human being again.
Right now I'm in London and to make up for lost time I'll be posting pictures of my good eats all week. Follow me on instagram at feedmenewyork! Be prepared for fish and chips abound.
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