Cuzco, Day 8

I`m writing this in the computer at the bar, and since no one else is here I have supreme control of the music! Moving on from Mr. Jones (Counting Crows) to Bowie. It`s wonderful.

I met this crazy Polish girl here, Agnieszka. She`s like a mix of Agnes from work and my good friend Shanti, but sort of an extreme version. So hyper and high energy all the time! She`s got this long matted-but-not-quite-dreaded blonde hair, a kind of trendy hippy style going on, and one mile-a-minute mouth. She talks so much and so fast and laughs all the time and it takes some effort to get a word in sometimes. Although she`s loud about some opinions that should probably be kept quiet in public, I´m enjoying her company immensely and almost don`t care that she annoys other peoople -- she certainly doesn`t. She`s a lot of fun to be around.

I`ve had more brief chats with other people, and though I haven`t made any other friends here, everyone is very friend-ly and actually says hi when you go by, so it`s a welcome change from the previous hostel.

I can`t believe it`s October already! Now that I`m settled into this part of the traveller`s lifestyle the time is going by quickly.

Today my job is to get my bag together for the hike tomorrow. My group had our briefing last night and took home the duffel bags in which the porters will carry our stuff. I`m limited to 7 kilos, sleeping bag included, so I have to pack wisely. Most people in my group seem nice; it consists of 3 couples, a family with 2 pre-teens daughters, and me, so hopefully the dynamics of the group are alright. One couple seemed pretty clingy, but everyone else seemed pretty down-to-earth, so I should have a good time.

In the plaza I`ve learned to wear sandals to ward off shoe-shine boys. The kids here are pretty desperate and will ask for money even if they aren`t selling anything. Yesterday one kid responded rudely to my ¨no gracias¨. I`m sure it`s hard being turned down by tourists to frequently...but I don`t need sweets, or little finger puppets, or a shoe shine.

I´ve been writing down the last few dishes I`ve tried in order to whet Henry`s appetite for new food ideas. Here goes:

A couple nights ago I went to an Israeli restaurant with Jen on the recommendation of one of the Israeli guys at the last hostel. It was really good, though heavy and not something you`d want to eat everyday. We had -

Entrada (starter)
Crema de esparragos (asparagus soup) -- not too thick and very nice taste; I probably don`t need to describe it since I´m sure you can get it in Canada
(another choice: warmed flat buns with humus)

Segundo (main dish)
Fatut con queso (fatut with cheese) - this is a plate of little doughy bits mixed with cheese and egg; served warm, a little greasy and heavy, too much to eat but very delicious; dips on the side include some spicy green stuff (sorry I don`t know what was in it), a white garlicy sauce, or blended tomato and water with some spice

Postre (dessert)
Panqueques con chocolate (or honey or manjar, like drizzled condensed milk) - this was like a dessert crepe with chocolate on top, very light and so so tasty

A typical Peruvian dish that Jen only described to me cuz I refuse to eat it is this -

Cerviche - it`s fish of any kind (Jen preferred the squid) chopped up in small bits, served raw, soaked in lemon juice and with a kind of peppery taste; served with dried maize and salad

Last night I went to a cheap, typical Peruvian restaurant at which I was the only tourist -

Entrada (starter)
Papa ala huancayna - two slices of boiled potato covered in a yellowish sauce made from carrots and spices (sorry I`m not good with the spices), a bit spicy
with
Sopa cazuela de verduras (translates as vegetable casserole soup...) - soup with chicken broth, veggies like carrots, onions, peas, barley, some simple spices, and a bit of chicken which is really just bone and skin for flavour...I´ve ordered this twice and only once got a bit of meat

Segundo (main dish)
Seca de pollo (dry chicken) - with this dish they give you a piece of chicken (whether it be breast, leg, thigh is a surprise; it was leg this time) and a boiled potato served with a green, pesto-like sauce on top, mild flavour; the chicken is very tender, always served with rice

Ok I need to get organized now! I`ll be back online either Thursday night or Friday. ¡Adios!