More ruins, big market and guinea pig

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- FOOD: The best hot chocolate in the world in Jack's Cafe.
After a lovely crackling and alpaca starter in a posh restaurant, the Peruvian delicacy, guinea pig, was ordered. Luckily arrived not in it's usual form of legs sticking up and head attached. Strong meat, but picky and fatty. A once only experience.

- AREA: Big market selling lots of food and crafts. Easy to barter! Amazing Inca ruins through relatively unused routes, with so many terraces. Stonework better than Machu Picchu dare I say it.
Very impressive cathedral back in Cuzco - with NICE statues but a Tiger Lily type band playing haunting but funny sounding music!

- PEOPLE: Very nice and friendly. But lots dressed up traditionally, holding baby llamas to get soppy tourists like me to take photos of them - for money of course.


Sun 19th: I caught the local bus to Pisaq to go to the market there - had my regular line of conversation with the local woman sitting next to me. At least people chat on the buses over here! She proudly pointed out all the other Inca ruins we passed on the way.

I met up with Stephen and we had breakfast overlooking the market to suss out what we wanted to buy. There was some very nice stuff, a cool food bit with lots of coca leaves, potatoes and beans and all sorts of different cultures dressed in traditional dress. I was in bartering mode and did well!

We escaped the market after a while and decided to climb the Inca ruin that is here. I caved eventually to someone carrying a baby llama - there are many of them, all wanting money for photos of course. They sure know how to get it as well - the baby llamas are just SOOOO cute! I got to hold it - adorable.

We were aching from the day before but still decided to take the most difficult route where no-one else was going to get up the ruin. The route was very unused but we passed by little caves which were a good discovery. The city and fort ruins were so well built and the temple of the sun to me was even more impressive than Machu Picchu's temple. It seemed more sophisticated than M.P and there were stacks of terraces.

I had to have my obligatory Cathedral visit when we returned to Cuzco and what a cathedral it was too. Huge with massive paintings on the walls, lots of sections, very detailed wood carvings of figures, a horrible shiny silver altar and get this - NICE statues!!!
There was a small band playing haunting tunes but I nearly had hysterics as relaxing as it was, they sounded like the Tiger Lillies (Shock Headed Peter band for those who saw it). Basically, very high pitched voices!

I spent ages in there before meeting Stephen for an orgasmic hot chocolate in Jacks Cafe and then a posh restaurant where we tried Peru's national delicacy - guinea pig (sorry Laura, I know you'll be traumatised by this but it had to be done).
The starter almost filled me up - crackling and alpaca. I was so relieved that the guinea pig appeared in steak form as opposed to the whole thing burnt to a crisp with it's legs sticking up in the air which is how it's mainly served. Head and everything. It's a very strong meat but there's not much to it unsurprisingly and it's quite picky and fatty with lots of bones. Ok but only to be had once.

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