Wining and Dining in Peru

One of the things I love most about international travel is the opportunity to experience and interact with different cultures.


Enjoying the local cuisine is a primo way to do this. While Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern from the Travel Channel don’t have to worry about their jobs, within reason, I will try the local delicacies when we’re abroad.

In Peru, that included cuy chactado – grilled guinea pig (once eaten by Incan royalty). And no, Virginia, it does NOT taste like chicken. What’s that saying? It’s an “acquired taste?” Well, I did not acquire it. Tasted sort of like what I imagine the bottom of my hiking shoes would taste like, only with quite a bit more grease.

Shrimp ceviche – ceviche is made with fresh fish, shrimp or other seafood marinated in lemon juice and chili peppers and served with boiled yucca, sometimes garnished with seaweed. (After several of the folks in our tour group decided not to listen to our tour guide’s suggested restaurants for dinner and ended up with a case of Montezumi’s revenge serious enough to require medical treatment (one of whom missed the hike through Machu Picchu – I felt terrible for him) – I decided that the only place I would try seafood caught from coastal waters was at our hotel in Lima at the end of the trip. That was a wise choice. It was quite delicious and I lived to tell the tale.

Chicken – was served everywhere and in a variety of ways. All tasty.

Some things I wasn’t brave enough to try – Inka Kola, a sweet, gold-colored, bubble gum flavored soft drink. I stuck with Coca Cola (heavier tasting than Coke in the U.S and in many places Diet Coke, my preference, was unavailable.)

No fresh fruits or vegetables – nothing washed in water. One travel mantra I stick to, no matter what.

Generally, I found Peruvian fare to be mildly spicy (I love really hot spices), and OK. I didn't starve, but I also didn't experience anything I'd really write home about.  We ate in "safe" restaurants -- maybe that was the problem. But I’m glad I had the chance to give new Peruvian things a try!

Cuzco: the center of the world

We traveled through Cuzco (the state and city of the same of name), which was the center of the Incan Empire.

The four ruins closest to Cuzco are Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Puca Pucara and Tambo Machay.  We visited each of these during our stay, before heading to Machu Picchu.

Sacsahuaman, which in Quecha means 'satisfied falcon' is an immense ruin in the immediate Cuzco area.  It's hard to imagine as you look at it, that what remains today is only 20% of the original structure.  Spaniards tore down the walls and used the blocks for their houses in Cuzco, leaving behind only the largest and most impressive rocks.

Here George treks through the Sacsayhuaman ruins.
The stone structures are just magnificant, overlooking Cuzco.

Tambo Machay, near the main road, is a beautiful, ceremonial stone bath, which channels spring water through fountains which still function today.

Just across the main road from Tambo Machay, is Puca Pucara.  In certain light, the rocks look pink and the name literally translated means "red fort."   It's believed to have been a hunting lodge, guard post or perhaps stopping point for travelers.

Did you know that despite the lasting legacy of the Incas, the Incan Empire only existed for nearly a century? From 1438-1532 the Incan Empire was as its peak.  It's astounding to view these ruins that have lasted for so long and imagine the work, with crude tools and implements, that went into creating them. Structures that have stood the test of time and now draw millions of people to walk amidst their splendor.

Machu Picchu Peru 2005

One of the most outstanding trips we've ever taken was to Machu Picchu in 2005. But I have to say, the trip didn't start out that way.

We arrived in Lima after a few flight delays at about 2 a.m. The discount tour company that I had booked through online was supposed to have someone meet us at the airport. No one was there. No problem, I thought. We'll snag a taxi and head to our hotel. It had been a long day and we were absolutely beat.

We flagged a taxi and I showed our Spanish-speaking driver the hotel address on my itinerary. After 20 minutes of driving-- the last 10 minutes or so of which seemed to be through slums, with drunks wandering the street--we arrived at the address. The hotel was closed. And I mean really closed. Some windows broken out, others boarded up. Tape across the entrance.

Our driver drove around the block, checking addresses as we circled and arrived back where we started. He looked back at us and in a tentative, questioning voice said, "closed." By this time, I'm thinking I've been had. I'm in a foreign country. The tour company has several thousand dollars of our hard earned cash. Is this one of those countries where Americans get kidnapped and their families have to pay exorbitant ransoms to get them back? I'm from a poor family, nobody's paying much to get me back. And my husband's family isn't a whole lot better off.

Horrible images start floating through my head. Am I ever going to get home?

The driver looked back at us again and said something like, "I know a place." Or at least that's what we thought he said.

He drove a few minutes and we arrived at a new hotel. Now, I'm really worried about the kidnapping scenario. Is the new "hotel" in on the scam? We get dropped here and can't get out?

My "Spanish for travelers" CD has left me woefully unprepared for this. What to do now???