Jeff es muy caliente.

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Jeff gave his talk on research to the students this morning. (He gives the same talk slightly modified for the faculty tomorrow.) Once again, he ended up speaking in Spanish because the students (who supposedly speak and read English) claimed not to.

For lunch today we had Guiso de Calabaza, which is a rice and squash dish with yellow pepper sauce with it. It was quite good, but I don’t think it was anyone’s favorite.

I went to el Super (the supermarket) today to pick up some items.

• 46 ct. pack of Huggies s/42.00
  
• 6 bananas s/1.50
  
• chiramoya s/2/65
  
• cantaloupe s/2.57
  
• 2 mangoes s/1.69
  
• Small pkg laundry detergent s/3.80
  
• Ivory liquid handsoap s/8.90
  ( 2 tuna s/1.54
  

Chiramoya is a heart shaped artichoke like fruit that has a texture similar to a pear, but tastes like a cross between a banana and a pear. Tuna (cactus fruit), it somewhat similar, but also very different than a kiwi fruit. I liked both of them, but Jeff and the kids weren’t too keen on trying something new.

I’m constantly amazed at how expensive (for Peruvians) some items are. All their soaps and detergents are solid or powder, anything they can get liquid is very expensive (i.e. the ivory handsoap (the el cheapo $1.29 kind with no lotion or antibacterial) is the equivalent of $9 to them.) Proctor and Gamble products (Tide, etc.) are outrageously expensive even in powder/solid format. P&G should be ashamed of themselves with the prices they are charging - looks to be about double or more what I’d pay at home which means that is 6 times equivalently for Peruvians.

We’re all addicted to Inca Kola - el sabor de Peru (the flavor of Peru.) It is a yellow drink that looks like Mellow Yellow or Mountain Dew, but has a completely original Peruvian flavor. Apparently, Peru is the only county that Coca-Cola couldn’t dominate market share in because Inca Kola is so entrenched. So Coke bought Inca Kola out and then sold some portion of Coke rights in Peru to Inca Kola. Whatever they did, thank goodness they didn’t change el sabor de Peru.

For dinner we ate out at a restaurant named Pollo Real. It was wonderful. The chicken is cooked in a huge brick oven on the biggest chicken rotisserie I’ve ever seen. The flavor of the chicken may have been the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I’m not sure what spices they used, but I’m wondering if it had coca in it.  (Just kidding, mom!) Coca is the plant from which cocaine is made. The Peruvians regularly drink coca tea, which helps with headaches, stomach aches and altitude sickness. Jeff and I both drank some the 1st couple days we were here and it really worked. (Before anyone freaks out, it is the equivalent of taking decongestant … which in the States they turn into meth.) Just another example of people taking what God made well and improving it into something harmful.

Jeff managed to embarrass himself to Elizabeth today. The weather is gorgeous - 75 or so during the day but dropping into the mid 50’s at night. Today was particularly warm and Jeff told Elizabeth, “Estoy muy caliente” (I am very hot.) Turns out that Peruvians use caliente to mean hot like we use the word horny. Luckily, Alberto is an understanding kind of guy, so he didn’t kick Jeff’s butt.

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Comments

[Nana]

Stuck your foot in it big time Jefro!!!!!

[abby]

OOPs
Wish I could have been there to see someone turn red!! Is Jackson sticking his tongue out? Please don't tell me he is already starting that??? This is wonderful!! It is almost like being there with you. The pictures are great. The one of the sky in the airplane did look like the sky was smiling :) Thank you so much for sharing your trip