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Published: November 13th 2008
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Hola dearest amigos! It has been a week since my last entry, and now I am in a new país, Peru! The past few days have been travel filled, because we Drew, Nate (see mitad del mundo, Nate riding the elephant entry) decided to cross into Peru at the most remote crossing (Zumba).
Nate and Drew arrived in Cuenca on Friday night, and we left for Loja a town 7 hours south monday morning. The weekend was pretty mellow in Cuenca except for the Saturday when we went Cuy hunting. Cuy or guinea pig is a highland delicacy served in Ecuador, Peru, and I bet Bolivia. Pre-colombian peoples, the incans, to everybody living in the highlands today eats cuy--it´s kind of like turkey to us, people eat in at holidays. Luis, the dueño of the hostel we stayed at took us to a bustling saturday market in downtown Cuenca where we watched him pick and prod the little cuys (they get their name from the sound they make when frightened...cuy, cuy, cuy) while bargaining with the woman vendors. He didn´t find a good priced cuy so we hopped on a bus to a town close by called Baños (not the
Baños previously mentioned but does have hot baths). He knew a woman cuy farmer there. She showed us her cuy stock, first the cuys who had been fattening up for 3 months, and then the ones for 6 months. I think I will spare some of the details for all your sakes (and maybe my own...I have lots of pictures though, and am willing to share some of the more gruesome details if you so desire...). Basically we watched our cuy get killed, de-furred, gutted, and then brushed with some savory sauce. Later, after soaking in beer for an hour or so, Luis stuck it on a stick and we roasted him over hot coals for over an hour. A really long time I thought, but it´s not ready until it makes a hollow sound when hit. Cuy tastes a lot like duck or some other game I can´t think of. The skin is thick and crusty. Served with potatoes and mote (rice and eggs, I couldn´t enjoy of course), and Pilsener...of course. Just about every part is eaten. I knawed on the little hands (apparently people really love them), had a kidney, a liver, parts of the head--not the
Gettin´the Cuy nice
M´boy Luis throws some beer onto the cuy to spice it up. Or is he pouring himself a glass? He was really a great guy. If you go to Cuenca stay at his place 10-33 Toral and Gran Colombia. brain, we left that to Luis.
We left for Loja the next morning and spent the night there. The next morning we rose at 5 ish and took a bus to Zumba the closest town of any significance to the Peruvian border. From Zumba we took an open sided bus down a dirt road (two hours) to a bridge and our entry into Peru. We crossed the bridge (by foot) and hopped on a taxi colectivo to San Ignacio (two hours). The next morning we woke up early (again) and got on the first mini-bus (complete with no leg room and some Peruvians carrying their chickens to work? I donno where but with chickens none the less) to Bagua Grande, where we caught a quick rickshaw ride to the local bus station. From there we took another taxi to what we hoped would be Chachapollas. Chachapollas is a small town in the highlands just before the land drops into the amazon. It´s a region with a bunch of sweet ruins from pre-colombian times. The chachapollans were a substancial indigenous group from 400-1500 when they were finally conquered by the Incans. We had hoped to reach Chachapollas by early afternoon
Roast that cuy Drew
Cuy on the stick...roasting away over our little coals. so we could get to Keuláp, the most famous Chachapollan ruins a big castle like structure built on rock on top of a mountain. But...we were unaware that the road leading up to Chachas (abbr.) is closed everyday from 8-430 for road construction. So, we waited at this road block in this tiny tiny little town by a river and waited for 4 hours. I went for a swim in the river and had chicken stomach (I think), I couldn´t eat it whatever it was, the texture made me gag. Finally we cruised up to Chachas on a dirt pot hole filled road--every road in Peru is like this. Our taxi driver took curves fast, the tires screeched on just about everyone. I left my f---ing cubs hat in his car. Dammit.
This morning we took another taxi to the Kueláp ruins. It´s a pretty amazing place. The structure is ontop of the ridge of a mountain (10,000 feetish). Most of the limestone walls are still intact and are visible from across the valley on the drive up. I guess it was built between 400 and 1000 AD, added to several times. The Chachapollans used it as their main
Ride to the border
Shot from a combi or opensided truck--on our way to the Ecuador-Peru border. headquarters to avoid conquest by the Incans. When they finally were conquered in 1400ish or 1500ish, I think 1400ish, the Incan empire split them up, sent them all over the empire because they were rebellious and great warriors. The fortress wasn´t used again by the Chachas or Incans--although some historians possit that if the Incans would have used it perhaps they could have defeated the Spanish. I can see why they say that. It would be a brutal walk up, through thick folliage and those pointy cactuses they make tequila from. Then they (attackers) would have to scale the 10 to 20m high wall built on this ridge or attack through one of two entrances only wide enough for one man or llama to fit. Unfortunately for the Incans they never got a chance to use it. Atahualpa was captured by Pizarro in stunning fashion in Cajamarca (hopefully we´ll be there tomorrow) and the Chachas, as well as other conquered groups were resistant or down right rebellious to the Incans and instead joined the Spanish (who they ended up rebelling against too, of course). Kueláp wasn´t "discovered" again until 1824 when some farmer cruising around the area noticed rock covered
Cross the border now...
Drew crossing into Peru. Is that legal? by the folliage. The Peruvian tourism industry is trying to make it as popular as Macchu Picchu. It´s kind the kind of history to do it but it´s not super accesible. Only 3000 tourists visited last year--I think Macchu Picchu gets those kind of numbers in a week, or a day. It´s really worth the trip though. There are great views of the mountains and valleys from the top, and llamas and women knitting sweaters hang around the base of the fortress. We ate lomo saltado (steak stir fry) on the way down (I´m off the domestic pets for a few days). Tomorrow we´re off to Cajamarca a huge gold and silver mining town just beyond this canyon that we apparently drive through that is bigger than the Grand in Arizona. Cajamarca is where Pizarro and 120 spaniards surprise attacked Atahualpa and some 7000 incan soldiers (not really dressed for combat. Atahualpa thought there was no way he could be harmed or captured, he brought all the men more as a show of power). Pizarro lured Atahualpa into this plaza and then opened fire on Atahualpa and his Incans (after Atahualpa threw the bible on the ground, rejecting the prosteltizing
Fortress Keuláp
The great fortress of the Chachapollas. of some friar). The Incans had never seen guns, or horses, or canons, or armor. They ran, stumbled on each other, didn´t fight very much. Books say the spaniards didn´t lose one man (Pizarro was slightly injured trying to capture Atahualpa), and they killed thousands of Incans. Similar to Cortez in Mexico, Pizarro´s bold, or really stupid but lucky move, totally changed the course of history. I´ll let you know what the town is like. After that it´s onto Lima to meet up with a certain friend of mine who will not be named. All I ask is that he brings me a new baseball cap, some cheddar cheese, and a box of finn crisps (with caraway).
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