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Published: October 31st 2008
A Day in the Life of a Budget World Traveler...in Peru
Do your friends ever go on a trip around the world and tell you about all the cool things they saw and did but conveniently leave out all the sorted details about what day to day living is really like in the places they go? Well, we are ready to tell all. The good, the bad and occasionally the downright unexpected. So if you're interested in how a budget traveler lives day to day, then read on. If you're more interested in the places we've been and the things we've seen--or you have a weak stomach--you might want to read a different one.
ACCOMODATIONS Unlike some hardcore travelers and the concerns of our parents we are not camping, sleeping in rat-infested digs or bedding down on park benches. Most of the places we stay are actually pretty nice and downright affordable, sometimes as little as $6 a night for the two of us! In fact the most we have ever spent is $15.
Yet despite these incredible bargains, these aren't your parents hotel rooms or like anything we have in the States. Though we
Inka Kola
Peru's local way of keeping dentists employed. It's a soda like Coca Cola or 7-UP but it tastes like Bazooka gum. haven't yet had to sleep in a dorm with other people, sometimes we have rooms with several beds in them. Sometimes we have our own bathroom and sometimes we share a community bathroom with the entire floor. Sometimes we have a TV but not always. These places don't have huge staffs and are usually run by a single family. No telephones, key cards, minibars, or swimming pools. In fact not a single place we have stayed so far has even had heat or air conditioning—making things interesting on those 45° F nights in Cusco. Though some may consider the lack of such amenities uncivilized, we do alright.
Some things are interesting though. First off, mattresses are not always flat, in fact some are nearly parabolic—like sleeping in a hammock only less comfortable. This phenomenon is so frequent that we fondly refer the beds as our “taco”. Another quirky thing for some is the bathrooms. All over Peru, you always find the bathrooms missing something. Sometimes, it's something major like the light or worse for all women out there—the toilet seat. They almost never have the usual staples at home like paper towels, hot water, soap or even—Gasp!-- toilet paper.
Shower Head Water Heater
Instrument used for Peruvian water torture. It's worse than anything the Chinese or CIA could come up with! That's right kids, those tried and true bathroom accessories we all know and love are not universally expected in your average Peruvian restroom. Now believe us when we say that you only have to be lacking one of these items once or twice to appreciate how much we take their presence for granted. On the road you learn to adapt, we now carry soap and TP everywhere we go. Evolve or die right? Or at the very least discover how to live with drying your hands on your pants.
Now we in no way want to exaggerate this next part too much but you do gain a bit of wisdom traveling. We have discovered one of the major contributors to living a long and happy life. Gather close because this is a closely guarded secret few people know. Ready? We can't believe we're about to say this. Few things in life can bring the kind of exquisite and endless joy that can be derived from having a hot shower. Laugh if you will. If someone were to have told me this 3 months ago I would have laughed too. Yet spend 7 weeks in a place practically alien to
2 BR/1 BA MUD HUT, CABLE-READY
This guy has a satalite dish out in the middle of nowhere and we are still fighting with the antenna. Go figure. the concept of warm water and you'll see what we mean. Don't get us wrong, it's not that there is no hot water in all of Peru, quite the opposite. Only that being an incredibly difficult thing to produce it is never found in abundant quantities and is created in the most peculiar ways.
“Is that even safe?” That was our first reaction when we saw IT. The shower head water heater. Only an incredible inventive and not to mention brave group of people would think that bare electrical wires and running water were destined to be together. We'll admit, It's not a perfect relationship. First, there are the occasional and not all together unexpected electrical shocks. More annoying than truly dangerous (at least we continue to hope so!), they usual happen if you accidentally touch the device or the numerous exposed wires mid-scrub. Nevertheless, after the searing pain subsides you have no choice but to admit the sensation and the brief brush with death about quite refreshing and mildly invigorating.
What we are less enthusiastic about the temperature to water pressure ratio. Useful traveler's tip: When confronted with a shower head water heater make one critical decision
Plaza de Armas
Wherever you go, the Plazas are full of life. before preceding, do I want water warmer than your average mountain stream in January or do I want sufficient water pressure to prevent emerging from the shower wearing a thin film of soap? And no you can't have both. You see the way these brilliant devices work is that they heat the water as it passes through the spout but ingeniously it must be moving slowly enough to get warm before it comes out. So the key to using this diabolical device is the less you turn the water on, the warmer it gets. Not even Sophie had to make a choice this difficult (please understand I'm kidding...please). It's kind of like being peed on except not as warm, forceful or with as good water quality. On the bright side, it probably does wonders for water conservation efforts.
LIFE ON THE STREETS Peruvian cities come in all shapes and sizes. Lima for instance is a huge metropolis of 8 million plus people—roughly the same amount as New York City. Like NYC, it has nice neighborhoods and ones you wouldn't walk in on a dare. The difference is in the bad neighborhoods in Lima, there is no running
Peruvain Lawnmower
You don't have to pay for gas but you still have to pull start it. water or electricity and people are living in makeshift tents and metal sheds. In Pisco, where a devastating earthquake hit a year ago, all the locals are living in tents because they can't afford the $800 it costs to build a new house.
In small town Peru, like Cabanaconde or the Islands in Lake Titicaca most everyone lives in a house made of mud bricks or reeds. Yet despite the humble building materials, they usually have most of the modern conveniences—running water (but not indoor plumbing, we still don't know how they shower), electricity and even internet!
One thing every city in Peru has in common is each one has a main square called the Plaza de Armas. Every Plaza de Armas is the meeting place for the town it is in and every one is beautiful and unique. Though they usually in front of a stately cathedral and have a fountain and benches and beautiful plants. These are truly the heart and soul of any Peruvian community. This is a city feature we have grown to love. We could go to any city in Peru and get a taxi to the Plaza de Armas and instantly have
Watch Out!
One wrong step on the streets of Peu and you suddenly became a budget traveler in China!. everything we needed nearby. Plazas are sorely missing from American life. One slightly unusual thing though is how they mow the grass. No riding lawnmowers or even push mowers. In Peru they keep the grass in check by letting alpacas and llamas loose in the parks to eat their fill. So when the menu says “grass-fed alpaca steak” they aren't kidding.
However we admit, there are some less enticing features to Peruvian city life. We love walking around the cities we travel to but hazards abound everywhere you go. We were prepared for pickpockets and muggings (of which we have been woefully disappointed that no one seems even remotely interested in us!) but what we weren't prepared for was the average street dangers. It's easy when to get to a new place to be awed by the new surroundings, looking around at everything, but doing so in Peru can be downright deadly. First off, both of us have almost been laid low by the irregularities in the sidewalks. You name it, anything from cracks and loose cobblestones to gaping holes! In Peru there must be a shortage of manhole covers because many holes for utility purposes are exposed just
Like Me, They Follow Him Everywhere
Kevin must be the Pied Piper of dogs! They follow us into bus stations and grocery stores. These two tried to jump in our cab! waiting to catch some unsuspecting tourist off guard.
The next hazard is the roaming packs of wild dogs. We're not kidding. In every town we went to, the stray dog population rivals the human population. Individually the dogs are cute and even a little sad. In fact, Kevin must be the dog whisperer because everywhere we go the dogs follow him. In Pisco, one dog would sleep outside our hotel and follow us to breakfast and wait outside the restaurant for us to come out. He followed us everyday we were there. We were worried once when he followed us across a busy street that he would get hit by a car. The scary thing though is when they organize. Every once in a while you'll see a motley crew of 5 or 10 dogs roaming the street terrorizing kids on bikes, peeing on everything in sight and barking at any provocation. They are like the canine version of James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, “What are you barking about?” and the dog sneers back “What do you got?” I guess the furry four-legged street gangs are still preferable to the two-legged gun-toting ones back home. At least
U.S. School Bus Reborn
Though the inside looks like a bad junior high flashback, the outside looks like a Jackson Pollack painting. the dogs wouldn't actually hurt anyone. Just watch out for the poo on your shoe.
The next hazard is a cause for great debate between the two of us. You see traffic laws in Peru are either very flexible or completely non-existent. Imagine a world without stop signs or traffic lights. From what we can tell your average Peruvian has never seen either of these things. With no signs or lights, cars just go whenever they think they can get away with it. Another fascinating thing about Peruvian rules of the road is that there is no such thing as a turning lane. If you want to make a right-hand turn from the far left lane and you have the guts to do so, then go for it! If a woman with a baby carriage helping a blind old woman across the street gets in your way, that's their problem. If God had meant people to cross the street, He would not have put them in the path of your front tires. This makes crossing the street interesting to say the least. Kevin is firmly of the opinion that, given the choice, they would run us down and not
Holy Tiny Taxi Batman!
These taxis look like a Mexican wrestler's mask stretched over a golf cart. even glance back at the stain we left on the road. I tend to believe that they wouldn't actually hit us because we might dent their bumper but taking their foot off the gas peddle doesn't give us the proper incentive to cross the street in a timely manner. Therefore to my thinking, they would likely stop--if they absolutely had to--and would merely satisfy themselves with honking us to death for the inconvenience. It's our version of “Is the glass half full or half empty?” question.
TRANSPORTATION When people ask us how we get around, we reply “By any means necessary.” This means planes, trains and automobiles, but in reality, it's mostly turns out to be any gas powered thing that they can get to move, and sometimes, the gas-powered part is optional.
Our most common mode of locomotion within cities is taxi, though we take buses and collectivos as well. The taxi drivers are all male—our Spanish teacher explained that they don't like their women folk driving much. Taxi drivers also almost universally possess skills and nerves that NASCAR racers can only dream to possess. Another interesting set of personality traits common to most taxi
The Mob Was Angry That Day
These are our follow passengers on the bus that nearly crashed debating whether or not to lynch the bus drivers. Apparently nearly killing people can adversely effect your popularity. drivers, is a lively competitive spirit and a surprising capacity for violence. Many times when two taxi drivers were vying for our business the loser would inevitably congratulate the winner by punching, kicking or even attempting to choke him to death. This is all in a spirit of fun and camaraderie—at least we think so. The first time this happened we thought the poor guy was being mugged! Now as seasoned Peruvian travelers, we recognize that all the very successful taxi drivers have two black eyes and a concussion.
The less hostile, yet occasionally more fragrant option, are collectivos. Collectivos are a South American mode of conveyance in which you find as many people as humanly possible going to the same place and shove them into a station wagon. Kind of an updated version of seeing how many people you can get in a phone booth. (For all the kids born after 1985: A phone booth was a place you used to go to make a phone call in the dark ages before cell phones. There wasn't much to do when your parents were kids so they used to fill their days figuring out how many of their friends
Ammi and Her Granadilla
Sluurrpp! Looks tasty, doesn't it? they could get inside the booth before they all suffocated).
The city buses are basically just bigger versions of the collectivos except some poor dude has to hang on for dear life, while leaning out the side door, screaming the bus' destination in the face of anyone unfortunate enough to walk by. The best description we can give is that they're like the bus in the beginning of the third Harry Potter movie except not as safe. They do have a familiar look to them though. Have you ever sat up at night wondering what happens to old school buses no one in the U.S. loves anymore? We found out! They get a knew Technicolor paint job and then are put into service on the streets of Peru.
Yet, Peru is a poor country, and not everyone can afford to buy a car to use as a taxi. No problem. This is where moto-taxis and even bike-taxi come in. Moto-taxis are basically pimped out motorcycles with a built-in passenger compartment. They work great as long as your destination isn't uphill when they sound like a supped up lawnmower about to run out of gas. Bike-taxis as the name
Kevin Taking His Dog For a Walk
A hotdog wrapped in a waffle--what a concept! Street food is sometimes surprising and almost always delicious. implies are the same concept only on a bicycle, but you'll regret every double mocha cappuccino you've ever had as the poor guy huffs and puffs his way to your hotel.
Lastly, the granddaddy of all modes of white-knuckle transportation is the long-haul bus. Long-haul buses are the primary way we get from town to town. Most long-haul buses have two floors and are larger than the average trailer home but with fewer amenities. Anyone out there ever been on a 12 hour bus ride without a bathroom? Not fun. After many near brushes with death we have realized that, either these things are the most difficult vehicles to maneuver in the history of mankind or the guys who didn't have the reflexes needed to drive a taxi had to settle for driving what is essentially a 18-wheeler with human cargo. On one trip from Cuzco to Arequipa we foolishly thought it would be cool to ride in the front row. The front row is like the front seat of your own car minus the gas and brake peddles and the steering wheel. All the view of impending doom with none of the pesky ability to prevent it. Now
Deep Fried Rodent--Before
It's good. Just don't picture it as a cute, furry animal. in the same competitive spirit of the taxi drivers, our bus and another bus must have decided that whomever got to Arequipa last was a rotten egg. We assumed this because, when the two buses ended up side-by-side on a two-lane highway, our bus driver decided that even if the other bus got into a head-on collision with on-coming traffic there was just no way he was going to let him in. The other driver foreseeing the fiery crash to come and determined not to be the overripe huevo, decided that side-swiping our bus was a reasonable alternative. Our driver having lost the high-stakes game of chicken was forced off the road and into a guardrail. Thankfully, the bus was not as top-heavy as it looks and didn't roll over. We can't tell you how glad we were to have a front row seat for the whole spectacle instead of being blissfully ignorant of the entire situation in one of the middle rows! From then we decided to sit in the middle of the bus and if people started screaming just to go limp. At least, that time it wasn't just the lack of bathroom that was responsible for the
Deep Fried Rodent--After
Yum, that was good. Sorry little guy, if God didn't want us to eat you He wouldn't have made you out of meat. pee on our trousers.
FOOD For the most part we have really loved the food in Peru. A single plate of food in a restaurant, generally consisted of meat accompanied by rice and either french fries or mashed potatoes. Dr. Atkins would have a heart attack...oh wait, Oops, nevermind. The best thing we discovered was the menú del dia, or menú for short, Basically, a menú is a 2-4 course meal with a drink for $1-5. Usually the courses were soup or salad, an appetizer, a main course and dessert. Often it was so much food that we had to order one and split it because it was too much for one person to eat. The only thing about a menú is that it's kind of like eating at your parents' house instead of at a restaurant. They predetermine all the choices and you eat whatever is offered. Some restaurants only have one thing that they are cooking for the day and that's it. In fact, if you ever find yourself traveling in Peru memorize this phrase in Spanish, “I'm eating whatever you are cooking.” It saves time and embarrassment when you ask to see a menu and
Cerveza de Coca
You really can make beer out of anything and it makes your drug screen so much more interesting. they just give you strange looks and bring you a fish with it's head still attached staring up at you. Just remember it you say it, make you really mean it. Occasionally when dining out in Peru, your meal can became an anatomy lesson.
Warning: If you are reading this while eating, STOP NOW. You've been warned. So we promised to tell all, so here goes. We try to eat where the locals do as a general rule. In fact, if a restaurant even accepts credit cards we usually pass and find somewhere else. We do this because you generally get a more authentic experience at a locals' place and of course it's always cheaper than eating at ultra-touristy places anyway. Besides, there is only so much spaghetti a person can eat! Moreover, since we have already paid our dues by getting Incas' revenge (like Montezuma's revenge only with more violence, more running and more screaming), we can eat practically anything now, so why suffer through a cooked salad at some tourist restaurant. Yet, eating at locals' places does, once in a while, yield surprises--good and bad. We have discovered a number of local dishes we love and want
to learn to make. Chayro, which is a potato casserole, Quinqua soup, and Salteñas, which are spicy meat and potato turnovers are all delicious. We even had a chimichanga at this Mexican restaurant that was amazing and although untraditional, rivaled anything we could get at home. We also enjoyed the strange tropical fruits and juices you could get at the market. We loved eating a tuna slushy—before you get grossed out, tuna in Spanish is a prickly pear not a fish. The tastiness of these frozen confections will haunt our dreams for years to come. Another fruit is a pepino, which is like a strange cross between a tomato and a cantaloupe. Trust us, it tastes better than it sounds. Last and my personal favorite is the granadilla. A granadilla is about the size of racquetball with a light orange, hard outside. You break though the hard casing and inside is a white spongy material covering what looks like little green bugs encased in a booger. Don't let it's looks fool you though, this thing is a taste sensation. The best way I can describe eating this is that it has the texture of a pomegranate and the flavor of
Nectar of the Gods
We think Peru has some of the best wine we have ever tasted. a passion fruit, pineapple and kiwi combined. Yummy! Watching someone eat it though is kinda rough—it has to be slurped.
Sometimes however, there are local dishes that shock and revile our weak American stomaches. One such dish that strikes fear in the heart of every traveler is Caldo de Gallina. The first time we were ever served this dish was in Pisco and we were with another couple from the States. We all ordered the menú and the waiter brought us each a bowl of what sounded and looked like chicken soup. “Yhay!” we thought “We love chicken soup!” We each dipped in our spoon and came up with a different body part or internal organ, I got a claw. Kevin was less lucky, he got the butthole. Yuk. None of us ended up eating much of it after that. In fact, this experience may have turned Kevin off chicken altogether. Sadly, this would not be our only run in with the dish we affectionately call “Guess What? Chicken Butt! Soup”.
Now that we are intestinally bulletproof, we have learned to love street food. It's fast, cheap and for the most part edible. Who couldn't love a hot
Now That's a Cocktail
Don't worry. We'll make you all some pisco sours when we get home. dog wrapped in a waffle or a skewer of mystery meat (it turned out to be cow heart but it was delicious—tasted like grilled mushrooms)? Sometimes you do get burned. Kevin was still hungry one night after dinner and we passed by a lady frying up meat and potatoes in a huge skillet. We asked what kind of meat it was and she replied, “Vaca”. Great, we love beef, sign us up. She put a heaping portion in a plastic bag and when we got back to the hotel we opened it up, “It smells kinda funny!' We now refer to this dish as “stir-fried guts and taters”. Important travel tip: Never order anything with the name of an animal in it instead the name of a kind of meat. For instance, gallina instead of pollo or vaca instead of res. If you do you will get a plate with enough parts to actually reconstruct whatever animal the dish alluded to in the title.
We did partake of one local specialty that may shock most of you and make some pet owners cry. It's called Cuy and it's a delicacy in the Andes. Cuy is basically a whole guinea
Medical Works' Strike
These are not the people to piss off. After the strike started we decided to stay very healthy and look both ways when crossing the street. pig skinned and fried to a golden brown. Despite the fact that you are eating a cute furry animal, it was really quite good. It was kind of like peppery chicken. Just watch out for the claws and teeth.
Now we hope we aren't on some Homeland Security watch list or that the DEA isn't monitoring our blog but we have to confessed we have indulged in quite a bit of coca—the leaves not the nose-candy. Coca leaves are a local remedy for just about everything from upset stomach to altitude sickness to fatigue. In Peru they put it in everything, tea, candy, cookies, liquor, they even make coca beer. We even chewed the leaves straight which was quite an experience. The leaves are tough like chewing on bark and they taste like lawn-clippings. After chewing them for 45 minutes you are left with a mass of foul-tasting green goop. Coca does work though, it will settle an upset stomach and it wakes you up better than an energy drink without the buzz or the crash. Sorry Rockstar, I still love you. Too bad they don't make it in an easier to use variety, maybe ground up and snorted
Who You Gonna Call?
Ambulance workers on strike. through your nose perhaps. On second thought, if you don't want to end up like Whitney Houston, stick with the tea.
As for booze, Peru has some great stuff. First off, this is wine country and because of the climate the grapes here are some of the sweetest in the world. If you like sweet wine—which we do--the wine made from these grapes is fantastic. It's so sweet it almost tastes like dried fruit and roasted almonds dipped in honey. Also because the grapes have such a high sugar content it is easy to produce the local brandy called pisco. Pisco is like Everclear only better tasting and with twice the kick. You can drink it straight—if you have a death wish—but we prefer it in a pisco sour. Pisco sours are a concoction of pisco, lemon juice, powdered sugar and egg white and come out a buttery yellow color with a thick head of white foam. They are a great way to relax after a terrifying bus trip or a dinner of animal bits.
PEOPLE Peruvians are a energetic, joyful and incredibly kind people. Peruvians never let anything and especially not hardship or poverty ever
There Are No Sore Losers in Peru
This parade was to celebrate LOSING the war with Chile. Wish I could be this enthusiasic about losing at chess. get in their way. They always find a reason to celebrate no matter what happens. Furthermore, they are the first to lend a hand whenever you need them.
Getting off the plane from Florida, the contrast between the economic situation in the U.S. and the one in Peru is stark and astounding. Beyond just outward appearances, many Peruvians live in a way most Americans would find downright intolerable. For instance, most homes don't have heat or even warm water to wash dishes. Outside of the cities, modern conveniences like cell phones or grocery stores even electricity and flushing toilets don't exist. Yet somehow people live with a simply elegance that has all but disappeared in some first world countries.
However, an entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Peru. In the face of staggering unemployment, Peruvians find some way to make ends meet. Whether it's driving a bike-taxi, selling street food or even telling jokes on the bus for spare change these spunky people don't just wait around for someone to give them a handout. It is truly humbling coming from the U.S. where there is so much opportunity, and paradoxically so much discontent, to see people with a willingness to do whatever it takes make an honest living and to do so with an inspiring amount of enthusiasm and dignity.
In Peru, it seems like everyday is a cause for celebration. In every town, we would see a parade and hear music and fireworks. Many times these celebrations where to commemorate a religious holiday or historical event. Yet it is easy to take this constant celebratory attitude for granted. Once when we were struggling to make way through the crowd in what seemed like an endless series of Cusqueñan parades, Kevin remarked “What's this one celebrating, the president getting a haircut?” We saw another one celebrating Peru losing the War of the Pacific to Chile. It was quite an affair with dancing, costumes and music going on for hours in the rain. I've personally never been that enthusiastic about losing anything.
Some of the “parades” though are actually strikes. We where in Ica for the first day of the medical workers' strike. Nurses, doctors and ambulance personal took to the street to demand better working conditions and wages. Sound familiar? Maybe the Peruvians have the right idea. The difference is most medical workers are employed by the government in public hospitals not by private companies. The downside of the strike was that it went on and on—we left Peru so it maybe going on still—and people all over Peru were dying in hospitals without proper care. Thankfully Kevin was out of the hospital before the strike happened. Though I sympathized with their plight, we worried everyday that we would get sick or hurt and have nowhere to turn. I guess it's a good public policy to take care of the people that take care of you.
What we are truly grateful for are the acts of incredible kindness shown to us by the Peruvian people. We both got very sick in Huacachina. When Kevin got worse and needed to go to the hospital in Ica the staff at our hostal in Huacachina did everything they could do to help. When I asked where I could find a doctor the woman selling tours in the lobby went and found the manager of the restaurant who spoke English to talk to me and help figure out what to do. The owner of the hostal drove us all over Ica to find an English speaking doctor. The doctor checked on Kevin every hour we were at the hospital and one of the hospital staff sat with us and kept us company the whole first night there. They even let me stay in the other hospital bed in Kevin's room so I wouldn't have to leave his side. We were both very, very grateful.
In Peru people don't even wait to be asked for help they just help. When I left my money belt (the thing that holds my passport and credit cards) back at the hostal in Puno in our rush to catch the bus to Bolivia, the owner caught a taxi and rushed across town to bring it to us. We can only aspire to be as thoughtful and unselfish in helping others as these people have been in helping us.
So far in our travels we have seen awe-inspiring sights and done incredible things, but most important of all is the tremendous amount we have learned. In no way to diminish the amazing sights and activities, we must say that it is experiencing a different way of life first hand that has the greatest impact.
The difference between a tourist and a traveler is that while on vacation--for the most part--everything is prearranged and easy, and things go according to plan. You see what you intend to see, do what you want to do and spend whatever you feel like. There are no bad days on vacation! For us it is different. Some days, we are exhilarated by trying something new. Some days, we are taken by surprise when our deeply held ways of thinking about the world are contradicted. Some days, we are frustrated when things don't go the way we think they should. Some days, we are humbled to discover some endearing quality we just didn't think that people possessed. Don't get us wrong, everyone needs a holiday. But for us--life on the road is the journey. Please, just don't call it a vacation.
As always, you can leave comments. We love hearing from you guys! Chao!
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Sydney
non-member comment
Uhhhh, yeah, yuck!
Good news!!! I think I have found the source of your stomach ailments...fried guinea pig and raw egg whites in your pisco sours. Reading all this has made me overjoyed to be a vegetarian now. My problem in Israel is that the meat is too damn healthy and doesn't taste good. I think you guys might have the opposite dilemma. Go easy on your guts, they are really very important. It's good to know that there are drivers out there that are more aggressive than Israelis. I swear to G-d, yesterday must have been national "drive like an asshole day." Maybe they have something like that in Peru, with an appropriate parade to commemorate it. Ask around, I'm sure it exists. I love you guys! Be safe.