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Published: January 12th 2007
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Bald Cuy
At home we call these pets, here in Peru they call it Dinner. We present, the humble Guniea Pig, stripped bare The second flight on our route brought us to Lima. We arrived very late Thursday evening and our host Leonor was so kind to pick us up from the airport. That was a blessing indeed, as soon as we left the customs a hall full of shouting peruvians opend in front of us. A square in the middle was fenced off for the arriving passengers, giving them some space to find their pick up. They all waved signs with names on, some were shouting random things and there were whistles, balloons and noises. We now know how it feels for the monkeys in the zoo, and we can now appreciate why they like to bang on the window and fling poo. Trying to find Leonor in the crowds was therefore extremely difficult. Of course there were many people who were more than happy to help us and who were warning us not to leave the airport as it is dangerous outside. "You need hotel" or "Taxi Taxi" they all said in a sinister whisper. Finally our mobile phone saved us and we could direct Leonor to our spot.
We received a very warm welcome from the always smiling Leonor and
Soltero de queso con pulpo
Salad of veggies and octopus. Healthy and good for the liver, so we are told her family, and we were very lucky indeed to recieve our own room with en-suite bathroom!!!!! The freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast the next day was simply delicious. Leonor took us for a tour of Lima, taking in Miraflores, and the beaches along the sea front. There were plenty of surfers to be seen in the water along the coast in Lima, and apparently Peru has some of the best surfing around. What surprised us even more was the state of the water which was frankly shocking. There was a brown foam over the top of it which stretched a long way across the beach and out to sea. The surfers here must be extremely brave/stupid to venture in the water as it looked really nasty. When we came back a four course original peruvian lunch was awaiting us. HOW GOOD IS THAT?!?!? We tried so many things that we unfortunatelly can't remember the names of: a salad of vegetables, with potato and octopus, a simple but delicous chicken soup, a rice dish with beans and a spicey chilli-pepper sauce, and some other things which we cannot remember. The peruvian diet was a welcomed change to the tons of
Chicha Morada
An extremely tasty drink made with red corn, ginger, honey and some other bits meat in Argentina. Don't get us wrong, the meat in Argentina is awesome, I don't think we will be able to eat a steak in Europe ever again, but somehow after a while we were missing the greens and spices that we were so used to in UK. Peruvian food though has a lot of vegetables and spices, Josie particuraly likes the simple corn on the cob that somehow tastes amazing here and it comes with a piece of white cheese. Juices are also made from corn here "Chicha de maiz marado" and others are made of barley and lin-seeds. Both taste amazing and it was great to discover those new tastes. Of course we also tried the Pisco Sour, THE drink of Peru (not Chile). It is prepared with Pisco, lemon, sugar, bitters and egg white and you have to be very careful drinking it as it goes down very easily. This was followed by dancing at a bar close by which took us into the early hours.
The following day Leonor's dad took us to an organic food market and we were pleasantly suprised to see such a big demand for orgainic ingredients, fruit and vegetables. After
The cooked Cuy
The finished dish, the meat is in a peanut sauce, a bit like Satay. Served with a bean stew and rice. Very tasty that we paid Miraflores a visit, the touristic centre of Lima, and walked through the colourful display of great paintings with peruvian motives. Andy nearly bought one but the one he liked most was simply too big to post home :'(. Even though we do not understand a lot about art, the paintings with the vibrant colours were very eye catching and simply beautiful.
That day we were honored with a "Cuy" for lunch, the famous peruvian Guinnea pig (see pictures for full details of the beast) , and loads of delicatecies from Cusco as Leonor's dad is from there. For the evening Leonor received from her patient (she is a dentist/ orthodontist) a few free passes to a peruvian show so we (Leonor, Misha, two other Hospitalityclub members from France Pascale and Isa) went to see that. Peruvian costumes are very colorful and the girls with their long and plated dark hair looked stunning. It has to be said, that we left from here early, as it wasn't really our thing (being under 40) but it was nice to get a glimpse of their culture all the same.
On Sunday we went back to Miraflores to hang
Rocoto
Looks like a tomato from the outside, but inside it is clearly a pepper, with black seeds to boot. It is a type of chilli pepper, quite spicey, somewhere between a green chilli and a red chilli
Very typical in Peruvian Cuisine out a bit, eat, walkaround etc.... In the evening Lucio (Leonor's brother) and his girlfriend Misha showed us the real centre of Lima. The buidlings looked breathtaking, all lit up in the eveining and the squares full of people. Unfortunately these places are not very safe for tourists or locals so we were glad to be there with Lucio who also told us a lot about the city. As we initally only went out to get some cash we didn't have our camera with us, aaaaahhhh!!! It is a real shame that the dangers put both tourists and locals alike, off coming to the center of Lima as it has a real charm and history that Miraflores simply doesn't have.
Lucio was also a great help in organising our stay in Peru. We think he has missed his calling in life and should be a tour guide as he is extremely good at it. That being said it probably doesn't pay as well as a dentist/surgeon. He helped us to decide where to go and for how long so that we left Lima with a rough plan for the next few weeks.
Our first taste of Peru was
Shaved Ice Desert
Shaved ice with mango and strawberry syrup. Simple but very tasty a really great one, and we have found the people to be extremely generous and warm hearted towards us. Sorry Argentina and Brazil, we really liked you, but Peru has you beaten so far. This is mainly due to food, but then they do say "The way to a (wo)man's heart is through (her) his stomach".
Our next stop Paracas, a small village next to Pisco, which has some interesting wildlife to see.
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Sheila
non-member comment
Lima
Brrrrrr guinea pig looks cold without his coat, Miraflores looks fab. You both look good. Will e-mail you soon.. Big Hugs