The Life of Cuy

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And so our time in Peru had to draw to a close. But after a good nights sleep, there was still one traditional tourist activity to tick off - it was time to eat some guinea pig, or cuy as its known here.

We'd been tipped off that there was a place called Tipon just outside Cusco which was the best place to try the local delicacy, so myself, Beth, Rob, other Beth, Sam, Vincent and Bernhard found ourselves a bus out there. Upon arriving in Tipon we weren't disappointed. We were met at the bus stop by a Cuyeria propietor, and one glance down the street showed that every second building was a restaurant selling guinea pig. We went with the woman that met us off the bus, being as she'd put the effort in.

Naturally, we all ordered the cuy, and waited in anticipation for the treat for the tastebuds that it was sure to be. After a while, the owner called us over, and we got to see the guinea pigs in the oven. I thought mine looked particularly tasty at this point. Five minutes later, we were all served with huge platefuls, consiting of the guinea pig, jacket potatoes, stuffed pepper and spaghetti. I'm very pleased to say I did it justice, but I really couldn't describe the taste, except to say I really enjoyed it. The skin was particularly good.

After the meal, we asked to see the live ones, and we were led out back to the run, but only one was left alive, the rest were all waiting for the next load of gringos to come along. On reflection however, it possibly was a bit sadistic asking to see live guinea pigs just after eating them, but hey, it seemed a good idea at the time.

Apart from the cuy, the remainder of our time in Cusco was just spent sorting ourselves out after the trek, and preparing for our journey to Bolivia. The same night as we had guinea pig, we went for a meal and some drinks with our trekking group, and had the pleasure of seeing a rather dodgy Peruvian covers band doing their versions of various rock classics. I don't think they'll be getting signed anytime soon.

On our final day, I went for a bit of a wander up the hill past the ruins of Sacsayhuaman to try and find the next one up, but I failed, so it just turned into a bit of a wander in the Andean countryside. Which was quite pleasant actually before it started raining. But that kind of shows the sparcity of material I've got to work with to try and make an entertaining entry from the last couple of days in Cusco, so I better end this here.

My next missive will be from Bolivia,

Stewart

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Photos

Alive and kicking
but not for long

Fresh from the oven
Our meal awaits

One happy diner
But will he finish it all?

The end
Of course he will