Unexpected visitors (Visitantes inesperados)

lunes, 28 de marzo 2011 – viernes, 1 de abril, 2011

(Well, I wrote some of this in Spanish, but considering that I'm a bit behind, I felt that I would never be able to catch up if I was writing in English and Spanish.  Comments are always appreciated.)

The mornings of this week passed much the same as last.  I woke up at 6am for my new routine, ate breakfast at 7am and walked to class with Sarah and Michael at 7:30.  Since we hadn’t had eggs for breakfast since Thursday, I requested them again on Monday night and at school on Tuesday asked Jesus if I was being unreasonable to ask.  He told me it was more than ok and that he would talk to Ally and Danny as well.  The rest of the week, we had eggs for breakfast.  I know it sounds like a silly thing to care about, but when you have breakfast at 7:30 in the morning then go to class for four hours and don’t eat again until 1pm you get really hungry.

Las mañanas de esta semana pasan lo mismo que la anterior.  Me desperté a las 6 de la manana para mi nueva rutina, desayuné a las 7 y caminé a clases con Sarah y Michael a las siete y media.  Yo pedí huevos a Ally el lunes en la noche porque no los habíamos tenido desde el jueves.  En la escuela el martes le pedí a Jesus si seria ilógico pedir.  El me dijo que no había problema y que el hablaria con Ally y Danny tambien.  El resto de la semana, nosotros tuvimos huevos en el desayuno.  Yo sé que suena tonto y algo sin importancia pero cuando tienes desayuno a las 7:30 de la manana luego vas a clases por cuatro horas y no comes nada hasta la una tienes mucha hambre.

On Monday, I said goodbye to Ally’s nieces, somewhat relieved that the numbers in the house were dwindling.  Classes were mostly the same, same group of five, but this week we had Sandra as a teacher for the first two hours and another teacher, Jossie, for the second two.

El lunes, me despedí de las sobrinas de Ally, un tanto aliviada de que el numero de personas de la casa estuviera disminuyendo.  Las clases en su mayor parte era lo mismo, el mismo grupo de cinco, pero esa semana nosotros tuvimos como profesora a Sandra por las dos primeras horas y otra profesora, Jossie, por las dos ultimas horas.

The big difference this week was the amount of times I ate out of the house.  Mainly because there were unexpected visitors in Cusco.  Oddly enough, my mom emailed Judy Katzburg and Stuart Gabriel to invite them for dinner last week.  Judy wrote back saying that she and Stuart were going to Brazil and Peru.  Of course my parents responded saying that I’m living in Cusco and asking where they would be.  So, it turns out they were coming to Cusco from March 29 until April 2 and invited me to join them for their excursions.

La gran diferencia esta semana fue porcentaje de horas que yo comí fuera de la casa.  Principalmente porque hubo unos visitantes inesperados en Cusco.  Por extraño que parezca mi madre les envió a Judy Katzburg y Stuart Gabriel para invitarles a cenar la semena pasada.  Judy respondió diciendo que ella y Stuart iban a ir a Brazil y Peru.  Por supuesto mis padres respondieron que yo estoy viviendo en Cusco y les preguntaron donde estaria.  Así que resulto que ellos iban a venir a Cusco desde el 29 de marzo hasta el 2 de abril y me invitaron a unirme a ellos para sus excursiones.

After class on Monday, Sarah, Michael and I went to Jack’s for lunch.  I decided to try the burrito and had mint lemonade to drink.  It was funny to be eating there again since I’d just been there the day before, but the food is really tasty, especially compared to the house.  We walked uphill to Sacsaywaman, the Inca ruins closest to Cusco and decided to hire a guide for an hour.  She had a lot of knowledge about the site and spoke to us in both English and Spanish so that we could practice our español.  It started raining towards the end of our tour, so we skipped the other side of the ruins and returned to town.

Me, Sarah and Michael at Jack's

Sacsaywaman

Sacsaywaman

Sarah, Michael and me with a view of Cusco

We found a café and sat down, but it turned out they only served regular coffee or hot chocolate; we all ordered hot chocolate.  It was the perfect spot to do our Spanish homework, but sadly some guys started smoking downstairs and the smell became unbearable.  We started walking home, but Sarah really didn’t want to go back too early and we found a library to sit at.  By the time we walked home, the rain had basically stopped.  Dinner was a vegetable mixture with rice, same recipe we had last week.

Tuesday we came home for lunch, more meat and potatoes but a different kind than Sunday.  After lunch, we walked into town since Sarah and Michael needed to go to Llama Path to pay for their Salkantay trek.  I wandered off to find Judy and Stuart’s hotel since they were supposed to arrive at 2pm.  It was almost 3 and they hadn’t checked in, so I decided to wait in the lobby.  A few minutes later, in walked Judy and Stuart.  I waved, smiled and went over to give them a hug.  It was wonderful to see familiar faces but I didn’t want them to feel obligated to talk to me since they’d had a long day traveling.  Sadly, Stuart was feeling a bit sick.

When they went to their room, I chatted with their guide a bit in Spanish.  Eventually I told them I had to leave to meet Sarah and Michael and requested we meet at the museum shortly.  I hurried to Tortamundos and found them sitting outside in the Plaza waiting for me.  I apologized and we went to the museum.  I checked a few times to see if Judy and Stuart had arrived and then asked the front desk to tell them I was inside.  Judy popped in at 4:30 but the museum was closing at 5pm, so we agreed to meet at another museum instead.  Sarah and Michael joined me and the five of us strolled around the museum, which was having some local event for the upcoming election.

Sarah was not keen on going home for dinner, so when Judy and Stuart suggested I join them, Sarah and Michael said they’d like to come too.  We went to an organic restaurant called Greens that was recommended in the tour books.  The food was fantastic.  Judy, Stuart and I shared a trout and mango ceviche starter, then grilled trout, quinoa with vegetables, chickpea dish, and sweet potatoes.  I had a pisco sour to drink since I hadn’t yet tried one in Peru.  It was a fabulous evening and Judy and Stuart kindly picked up the tab.  The rain had started so we tried to find Judy and Stuart a taxi to their hotel without luck and walked them back instead before finding a taxi for ourselves.

Judy and Stuart! at Greens

Wednesday, I met Judy and Stuart after class in the Plaza and decided to have lunch with them (had to call home to let Ally know) and return to Sacsaywaman with their guide.  We ended up at Jack’s but the line was too long to wait.  However, once the waitress saw me, she directed us to the table in the back where Sarah and Michael were sitting.  She’d remembered me from Monday.  We rushed lunch to get back to the Plaza.  We visited Sacsaywaman with another family (from Colorado) who seemed very uninterested in the history of the place (or I guess the stories this particular guide shared).  I’d left my camera at home since I hadn’t planned to stay out but borrowed Judy’s a few times to get some shots.  We explored the other part of the ruins that I hadn’t visited on Monday; I even took my turn on the “slide”. 

Isaiah dropped us off near the Plaza, where we had a quick cup of local coffee before going into the museum.  The guide we decided to hire was very through and we were there for almost 1.5 hours before telling him it was enough.  After much debate about dinner, and a stop at El Encuentra (the vegetarian place I ate at on Saturday), we ate at The Muse, a very stylish restaurant where we lounged on couches.  Towards the end of the meal (I had the vegetarian lasagna), live music arrived, so we sat an enjoyed the atmosphere.

I skipped class on Thursday to meet Judy and Stuart at 7:30am at their hotel for a tour in the Sacred Valley.  We had a wonderful day; the weather cooperated too.  On the drive to Pisaq, we stopped at a few viewpoints with stunning landscapes of the valley.  Before visiting the ruins, we made a quick stop in town for the loo.  Isaiah gave us a bit of information about Pisaq before setting us off on our own.  We took another hour to walk around, making sure to stop at the sun temple, and hurried back to the car.  A very persistent local, selling flutes and CDs of his music, finally convinced Judy to make purchase.

Stuart, Judy and me in front of Sacsaywaman

Ruins in Pisaq

Pisaq

Pisaq

Back in the town of Pisaq, we wandered around the Thursday market.  I bought a few plates (which Judy and Stuart kindly brought back for me) while they purchased various gifts for loved ones back home.  We were almost finished when Judy decided to check out a shop with rugs.  After 45 minutes of looking and bargaining, we left the store with a unique rug which they will use as a wall hanging.  It was 1:15pm by the time we got on the road, and on the hour plus drive an unpleasant conversation about the guide for Machu Picchu ensued; it was pretty uncomfortable.  We skipped lunch in Urubamba to have a quick bite in Ollantaytambo at Heart’s Café (delicious tuna sandwich) arriving at the ruins at 3pm, leaving us very little time to explore.  Isaiah was busy parking (and getting over his anger) so he only guided us for about 20 minutes.  At 3:40 we hurried out to the parking lot so that Judy and Stuart could catch their train to Aguas Calientes.

Girls in Pisaq town

Lunch at Heart's Cafe

Ollantaytambo

Isaiah and I drove back speaking a bit of Spanish.  The drive was gorgeous – the sun shining highlighting the snow on mountain peaks and illuminating the green fields and lakes.  Having spent all my cash during the day, and literally having 2 soles to my name, I was desperate for an ATM, but when we got back to town, my card wasn’t working.  So I had Isaiah drop me at Don Estaban (where I almost ordered something until I remembered I couldn’t pay) and used their wi-fi to call NatWest.  Turned out my card had been switched off; they reset it but sadly I was still unable to get money.  I met Sarah and Michael for a cultural show included on our Boleta Turista.  The stage looked more like a high school theater but there were some ok dance and music numbers.  We walked back home around 8:30 (I was lugging all the purchases of the day since Judy and Stuart didn’t want to bring them to Machu Picchu), where a dinner of fried egg with bananas and rice was waiting.

Drive back to Cusco

Cultural show

What happened after class on Friday was a bit upsetting.  Since I couldn’t get cash last night, I walked with Sarah, Michael and Sarah’s father (Sandy, who arrived that morning) towards town.  When we got to the place to split up, I chatted with them a bit about their plans for the afternoon.  Michael eventually asked me what I was doing for lunch.  I told him I was going home and he kind of invited me with them to Jack’s.  However, Sarah was really standoffish and definitely didn’t make an effort to ask me to join.  I could tell she didn’t want me there, so instead of being a social idiot, I went home.  I know it was her first meal with her dad, but it was really hurtful after the fact that she’d made such a big deal about not liking the food at home (and then basically sending me home to eat it) and the fact that Judy and Stuart had paid for their entire meal at Greens the other night.  In addition, the ATM still didn’t seem to be working, so the fact that I had no cash was upsetting.  Luckily I found a place on the way home where I was able to withdraw a bit of cash.  Since I was passing by Don Estaban, I stood outside to use their wi-fi to call mom.

The rest of Friday was pretty dull.  Lunch was chicken with dried out yucca.  I had planned on doing some sightseeing in the afternoon but it started raining and I spent the time on my laptop making photo albums for facebook.  At some point, Ally and Danny’s grandchildren showed up and were making quite the racket downstairs.  I think I was hyper-irritated because of the day’s earlier events.  Michelle was online so we chatted on g-chat for a bit.  I hardly ever talk to my sister since she’s so busy.  Sarah, Michael and Sandy didn’t get home until almost 6 and then claimed they weren’t hungry for dinner.  So it was just Ally, Danny and me and the same food as lunch.  I went up to my room in a sour mood.  And that’s how this past school week passed.  Sad way to end the week, but overall it was fantastic and I’m meeting up with Judy and Stuart again tomorrow for some Cusco sightseeing.

fin de semana en cusco (weekend in Cusco)

sabado, 26 de marzo 2011 – domingo, 27 de marzo 2011

Ayer, yo disfruté mi primer dia libre en Cusco.  Yo dormí hasta las 9 de la mañana, fue un gran cambio a partir de las 6, y me duché antes de bajar a tomar desayuno.  Sarah y Michael fueron a Urabamba y Pisac por el fin de semana, así que era sólo yo y los chicos en la casa.  Aparentemente, ellos tuvieron una gran noche de viernes ya que no regresaron a casa hasta las 5 de la mañana.

Yesterday I fully enjoyed my first free day in Cusco.  I slept in until 9am, which was quite a change from 6, and showered before going downstairs to have a small breakfast.  Sarah and Michael went to Urabamba and Pisac for the weekend, so it was just me and the boys in the house.  Apparently they had a big night on Friday and didn’t get home until 5 in the morning.

Yo basicamente usé el internet toda la mañana para subir fotos y buscar algunas opciones para mi viaje a Machu Picchu en un par de semanas.  Los chicos, Ally, Danny y yo almorzamos alrededor de la 1, fue pescado frito (pescado por fin algo diferente!), papas y ensalada.  Ally me preguntó si me gusta el pescado, yo le respondí que si, pero cuando ella le preguntó a Simon el le dijo que no.  Yo me pregunté que iba a hacer ella con esa informacion ahora que el pescado estaba enfrente de él, en ese momento ella sacó el pescado y le dio huevos en vez de eso.  Yo me reí porque a Sarah le encanta el pescado y ella no estaba aqui para disfrutarlo.

I basically used the internet the entire morning to upload photos and research some options for my trip to Machu Picchu in a couple weekends.  The boys, Ally, Danny and I had lunch around one, it was fried fish (fish for a change!), potatoes and salad.  Ally asked me if I liked fish, and I responded yes, but when she asked Simon he said no.  I wondered what she was going to do with that information now that the fish was sitting in front of him, but she took it away and gave him eggs instead.  I laughed to myself because Sarah loves fish and was missing the one day we had it.

Despues de unos minutos, a las 4 de la tarde yo tomé un taxi a la Plaza para encontrarme con Julia en Tortamundos para beber.  Debido a que no tenían expreso, yo pedí un chocolate caliente.  Nosotras pasamos mas de una hora poniendonos al dia del ultimo mes y luego volvimos a su hostal despues yo llamé a Ally para decirle que yo me quedaré en el centro para cenar.  Nosotras invitamos a otra chica, Rene, con quien Julia había viajado pocos dias antes, para que ella se uniera a nosotras para cenar.  Las tres buscamos un restaurant vegetariano para comer.  Todo estaba fresca, incluso nuestra guacamole tardo casi una hora para llegar.  Julia casi acababa de terminar su plato cuando llego mi plato.  El plato de tallarines con broccoli y queso fue demasiado grande para me y yo dejé casi la mitad del plato.  Nosotros acordamos encontrarnos en la mañana para ir a Pisac, entonces me despedí de ellas y tomé un taxi a casa.

Rene, yo y Julia en El Encuento para cenar

After a bit more hanging out, I took a taxi at 4pm to the Plaza to meet Julia at Tortamundos for a drink.  Since they didn’t have espresso, I ordered a hot chocolate.  We spent over an hour catching up on the past month and then went back to her hostel after I called Ally to tell her I’d be staying in town for dinner.  We invited another girl, Rene, who Julia had been travelling with for the past few days, to join us for dinner.  The three of us found a vegetarian restaurant to eat at.  Everything was made fresh, so our guacamole took almost an hour to arrive.  Julia was almost finished with her food by the time mine came.  The plate of spaghetti with broccoli and cheese was way too much food for me and I left almost half of it.  We all agreed to meet in the morning to go to Pisac, so I said goodnight and took a taxi home.

Hoy me desperté a las 7 de la mañana para desayunar a las 8:15 antes de encontrarme con Julia.  Por primera vez, posiblemente porque era domingo, nosotros tomamos chocolate caliente y queso con pan de cada dia.  Estaba lluvia torrencial pero yo había acordado encontrarme con Julia y no había recibido ningun email que me dijera lo contrario. Así que yo caminé, llevando pantalones impermeables y mi casaca a Don Estaban.  En el momento en que llegué, yo estaba muy mojada, y yo pedí un capuchino mientras yo le esperaba.  Julia me había enviado un email en donde me pedía que fueramos aunque estuviera lloviendo.  No estaba segura tampoco de esperarle para que llegara.  Nosotras chateamos un poco esperando que la lluvia pasara en algun momento.  Así que en vez, de tomar un taxi a mi casa, yo recogí mi laptop y regresamos a su hostel para relajarnos.

Today I woke up at 7am in order to have breakfast at 8:15am before walking to meet Julia.  For the first time, possibly because it was Sunday, we had hot chocolate and cheese to go with the normal bread.  It was pouring rain but I’d agreed to meet Julia and had not received an email telling me otherwise, so I walked, wearing waterproof pants and my jacket to Don Estaban.  By the time I arrived, I was pretty wet, and I ordered a cappuccino while I waited.  Julia had emailed me asking whether we should go at all given the rain.  I wasn’t sure either but waited for her to arrive.  We chatted for a bit watching the rain and determining that it wasn’t going to stop any time soon.  So instead, we took a taxi to my house, I picked up my netbook and we headed back to her hostel to chill.

Llovia disminuyo mientras estabamos sentadas escribiendo emails y trabajando en nuestras computadoras.  De hecho parecia que iba a despejarse cuando salimos a la 1 para almorzar en Jack’s.  (Rene fue con nostras pero no comió nada.)  Yo estaba emocionada por probar la comida ya que la ultima vez que yo fui no pude comer.  Yo pedí la hamburgesa que viene con una ensalad y papas fritas y una limonada con menta.  Todo estaba delicioso pero empezó a llover otra vez antes de que nosotras terminaramos.  No queriamos salir en lluvia, pedimos una torta de chocolate para compartir.  Julia y Rene habían considerado ir a Pisac pero cambiaron de idea despues que comenzó la lluvia.  Entonces, todas regresamos al hostal para usar el internet.

Yo, Julia y Rene en Jack's para almorzar

While we sat writing emails and working on our computers, the rain slowed.  It actually seemed like it had cleared up by the time we left the hostel at 1pm to go to Jack’s for lunch (Rene joined us but didn’t eat).  I was excited to try the food since the last time I was there I couldn’t eat.  I ordered the hamburger, which comes with a side salad and fries, and a mint lemonade.  Everything was delicious but it started to rain again before we finished.  Not wanting to go out in the rain, we ordered a chocolate cake to share.  Julia and Rene had considered going to Pisac but changed their minds after the rain started.  So we all headed back to the hostel to use the internet.

A las 5 de la tarde, yo decidí ir a casa, no queria ser grosera de perderme la cena, como ya había perdido el almuerzo hoy y la cena anoche.  Los chicos salieron esta mañana pero Sarah y Michael estaban de vuelta y las sobrinas todovia estaban aqui tambien, de manera que éramos ocho personas en la mesa.  Ally cocinó un tipo de carne (no estoy que carne era) con papas y ensalada de cebollas.  Cuando nosotros terminamos de cenar yo subí para conversar con Sarah y Michael y relajarme.  Mañana vamos a ir a la escuela y para Sarah y Michael es su ultima semana de clases.

At 5pm, I decided to go home, not wanting to be rude by missing dinner, as I’d already missed lunch today and dinner yesterday.  The boys left this morning but Sarah and Michael were back and the nieces were still around too, so there were eight of us at the table.  Ally cooked some type of meat (not sure what kind it was) with potatoes and an onion salad.  When we finished dinner I came upstairs to talk with Sarah and Michael and relax.  Tomorrow we go back to school for Sarah and Michael’s last week of class.

La primera semana

lunes, 21 de marzo 2011 – viernes, 25 de mayo 2011

(I wrote this entire post in Spanish using the notes I jotted down in English.  My Spanish teacher helped me correct the grammar, which wasn't half bad.  I then had to translate back to English.)

Qorichancha

Plaza de Armas

Plaza de Armas

Esta semana yo comencé una rutina.  Por las primeros tres dias me desperté a las seis y media de la mañana y me vestí, cepillé mis dientes y mi pelo, y me lavé la cara.  Entonces yo me duché en la noche. Jueves y viernes me desperté a las seis porque yo quería ducharme en la mañana en lugar de la noche.  Sarah, Michael y yo desayunamos con Ally y Danny a las siete.  Nosotros caminamos a la escuela a las siete y media en la mañana.  Tardaramos trienta minutos para caminar a la escuela y la mayoría del camino es cuesta arriba.  Además que la ruta es la mas corta y no es tan bonita.  Y ella tiene muchos carros y humo.  Yo estaba sin aliento cuando nosotros llegamos.

This week I started a routine.  For the first three days, I woke up at 6:30am and got dressed, brushed my teeth and hair and washed my face.  So I showered at night.  Thursday and Friday I woke up at 6am because I wanted to shower in the morning instead of at night.  Sarah, Michael and I had breakfast with Ally and Danny at 7.  We walked to school at 7:30am.  It takes us 30 minutes to walk to school and the majority of the route is uphill.  Also, the way is the shortest and its not pretty.  And the route has a lot of cars and fumes.  I was out of breath when we arrived.

Nosotros tenemos clases desde las ocho hasta el mediodia.  La website dice las clases tienen cuatro personas maximo pero en mi clase hay cinco personas.  Michael y yo y una familia que vive en Nueva York.  Sin embargo la familia esta viviendo por seis meses en Cusco.  Ellos se llaman Kristen, Frank y Maddie.  Maddie tiene quince años y su hermana quien estudiaba en clases privadas tiene once años.  Hace cinco años ellos vivieron en Africa por quince meses.  Nuestra maestra se llama Sandra.  La proxima semaña nuestra clase es la mismo.

We have classes from 8 to noon.  The website says that classes have 4 people maximum but my class has five people.  Michael and me and a family who live in New York.  However, the family is living in Cusco for six months.  Their names are Kristen, Frank and Maddie.  Maddie is 15 years old and her sister, who was studying in private classes is 11.  Five years ago they lived in Africa for 15 months.  Our teacher's name is Sandra.  Next week our class will be the same.

Cada almuerzo empezabamos con una sopa.  El segundo normalmente tenía arroz o papas.  A veces la cena era la misma que el almuerzo.  Lunes, comimos arroz con verduras para almuerzo y cena.  Martes tuvimos una sorpresa para almuerzo.  Dos chicos que son de Denmarka llegaron por seis días.  Nancy, la empleada de hogar, cocinó tallarin con carne para el almuerzo y sin carne para la cena.  En la cena yo les pedí que me dieran huevos en el desayuno porque cada desayuno solamente habia pan para comer.  Los dos dias siguientes nosotros tuvimos huevos pero nada desde entonces.  El miercoles comimos ensalada con papas fritas y arroz. El jueves comimos pollo y arroz (mas que el resultado mas tarde).

Every lunch we started with soup.  The main dish normally had rice or potatoes.  Sometimes dinner was the same as lunch.  Monday, we ate rice with vegetables for lunch and dinner.  Tuesday we had a surprise at lunch. Two guys from Denmark arrived for six days.  Nancy, the housekeeper, cooked spaghetti with meat for lunch and without meat for dinner.  At dinner I asked them to give me eggs for breakfast because every morning we had only bread to eat.  The next two days we had eggs but nothing since.  Wednesday we ate salad with fries and rice.  Thursday we ate chicken with rice (more on the result of that later).

Despues del almuerzo, yo fui al centro todos los dias.  Lunes yo me senté en un café que se llamaba Don Estaban y tomé una capucino y usé su internet.  Fue mi primera ves para volver a casa a pie tenía miedo pero yo la encontré.  Martes, Sarah, Michael y yo caminamos al centro y bebimos (yo bebí un batido) en el restaurant que se llamaba bondiet.  Ellos querian caminar y yo queria llamar a mis padres.  Cuando yo terminé yo caminé a la Plaza con mi camara y tomé muchos fotos porque las luces eran muy bonitas, el cielo se veia oscuro con nubes grises y tambien había un arco iris. 

Every day after lunch I went downtown.  Monday I sat at a cafe called Don Estaban and drank a cappuccino and used their internet. The first time I walked home I was a bit scared but I found my way.  Tuesday, Sarah, Michael and I walked into town and drank (I had a milkshake) at a restaurant called bondiet.  They wanted to walk and I wanted to call my parents.  When I finished I walked to the Plaza with my camera and took lots of photos because the light was beautiful, the sky was dark with grey clouds and there was also a rainbow.

Miercoles, yo tuve un dia dificil en clase porque yo sentí que otras personas sabían mas que yo.  Después del almuerzo, yo caminé al centro con Sarah y Michael pero yo paré en Don Estaban minetras ellos continuaron.  Yo escribí 300 verbos en mi cuaderno.  Cuando ellos estaban caminando a casa ellos pararon en Don Estaban par ver si yo estaba ahí porque ya eran la siete.  Nosotros regresamos a casa juntos.    

Wednesday, I had a difficult day in class because I felt like that other people knew more than me.  After lunch, I walked downtown with Sarah and Michael but I stopped at Don Estaban while they continued.  I wrote down 300 verbs in my notebook.  When the walked back home they stopped in Don Estaban to see if I was still there because it was already 7pm.  We walked home together. 

Jueves fue un día largo.  Después del almuerzo, nosotros regresamos a la escuela para el tour a pie en lugares locales.  No fue un tour de sólo caminar, mucho tiempo en taxis.  Todos los estudiantes (Sarah, Michael, Kristen, Frank, Maddie, Isabel, Ana y yo) fuimos en el tour.  El tour fue muy interesante.  Nosotros fuimos a una escuela, una chicheria y un lugar donde hacen ladrillos de adobe. Cuando el tour terminó en el mercado San Pedro, yo fui al hotel donde los chicos de Tucan se habían quedado.  Yo necesité esperar dos horas hasta que ellos estaban listos.  Sin embargo, cuando yo les estaba esperando mi cabeza comenzó a dolerme.  Solamente Kym, Dave, Tomas, Marie-Ann y yo fuimos a cenar.  Cuando nosotros nos sentamos en Jack’s y pedimos yo estaba mal.  Yo fui al baño cuarto veces porque yo pensé que necesitaba vomitar pero no tuve suerte, nada pasó.  No comí y cuando ellos terminaron yo tomé un taxi a casa.  Mientras yo trataba de abrir la puerta, yo vomité en las flores.  Danny salió afuera y me frotó la espalda.  Despues, yo hablé con Michael y Sarah.  Yo estaba agradecida porque ellos estaban ahí ya que ellos son medicos.  Yo pensé que fue por causa del almuerzo.

Ana, me y Frank at the chicheia

Adobe brick making place

Mercado San Pedro

Thursday was a long day.  After lunch, we returned to school for a walking tour of local places.  We didn't only walk, a lot of time was in taxis.  All the students (Sarah, Michael, Kristen, Frank, Maddie, Isabel, Ana and me) went on the tour.  The tour was very interesting.  We went to a school, a chicheria and a place where they make adobe bricks.  When the tour ended in San Pedro market, I went to the hotel where the people on the Tucan tour were staying.  I needed to wait two hours until they were ready.  However, as I was waiting my head started to hurt.  Only Kym, Dave, Tomas, Marie-Ann and I went for dinner.  When we were seated and had ordered I felt bad.  I went to the bathroom four times because I thought I needed to throw-up but I had no luck, nothing happened.  I didn't eat and when they finished I took a taxi home.  While I was trying to open the door, I vomited in the flowers.  Danny came outside and rubbed my back.  After, I talked to Michael and Sarah.  I was grateful that they were there because they are doctors.  I think the cause was lunch.

Ayer, viernes, yo estaba mejor pero no 100%.  Despues de clases yo regresé a casa para almorzar.  Afortunadamente Nancy había cocinado frijoles y arroz.  Yo comí un poco.  Yo estaba cansada y tomé un siesta antes de ir al centro.  Yo me econtré con la familia para cenar en una pizzeria y yo pude comer.  Nosotros fuimos a South American Explorers para una perorata sobre el descubrimiento de Machu Picchu.  El orador era de Estados Unidos, fue muy interestante pero el tenía muchas ideas y la perorata fue un poco dificil de seguir.  Yo regresé a casa despues de eso.

Yesterday, Friday, I was feeling better but not 100%.  After class I went home for lunch.  Fortunately, Nancy had cooked beans and rice.  I ate a bit.  I was tired so I took a nap before going downtown.  I met the family for dinner at a pizza place and was able to eat.  We went to South American Explorers for a lecture about the discovery of Mach Picchu.  The lecturer was American and was very interesting but he had lots of ideas and the lecture was a bit difficult to follow.  I went home after that.

Ahora hay cinco estudiantes en la casa.  Y, el martes tambien, dos sobrinas de Ally llegaron.  En total hay diez personas en la casa.  Muchas personas por dos baños pero funciona bien.  En Cusco, el agua se cierra a las nueve de la noche y no sólo el caño.  No es posible ni tirar de la cadena del inodoro.  El jueves fue bueno que yo vomitara afuera de otro forma yo no hubiera podido tirar de la cadena del inodoro.  Esto hace un poco dificiles las cosas por la noche especialmente cuando regreso tarde a casa y necesito alistarme para acostarme.  Mas tarde hoy, voy a encontrarme con Julia para tomar un café.  Ella es una amiga que conocí en Colombia.  Yo estoy emocionada por verla.

Now there are five students in the house.  And, on Tuesday also, two of Ally's nieces arrived.  In total there are 10 people in the house.  A lot of people for two bathrooms but it works well.  In Cusco, the water is turned off at 9pm and not just the taps.  It is not possible to flush the toilet either.  On Thursday it was good that I vomited outside otherwise I wouldn't have been able to flush the toilet.  It is a bit difficult to do things at night especially when I get home late and need to get ready for bed.  Later today I will meet Julia for coffee.  She is a friend who I met in Colombia.  I'm excited to see her.

Una nueva rutina (a new routine)

domingo, 20 de marzo 2011

(Note: I started writing this in English and then translated it to Spanish with the help of my teacher.  However, most of this entry was written primarily in Spanish which I translated back to English for the reader.  Therefore, the English version is less informative than normal, more basic and appears after the Spanish.)

We arrived in Cusco around 6am but the driver had trouble finding the station, apparently the new Cruz del Sur station opened today.  As I disembarked, I saw Franklin waiting for me with a sign (although through the window I thought it was Danny).  While I waited for my backpack, I turned to Steven and Andrea to share my nervous excitement. 

Nosotros llegamos a Cusco a las 6 de la manaña pero el conductor de bus tuvo dificultad para encontrar el terminal de bus porque la nueva estacion abria hoy.  Cuando yo bajé, yo vi a Franklin esperandome con un letrero (aunque yo pensé que era Danny).  Mientras yo esperaba mi maleta, yo hablaba con Steven y Andrea.

When I finally collected my bag from the hold it was partially wet from sitting in a pool of smelly water the entire ten hours.  Sadly my waterproof cover had moved slightly and not protected the entire bag so one side of the bag was soaked.  I thought we’d be getting into a car, but Franklin hailed a taxi and negotiated the price.

Cuando yo finalmente recogí mi maleta estaba parcialmente mojada porque estaba sentada en agua que olía mal en total diez horas.  Tristemente mi protector impermeable se había movido un poco y no había protegido toda mi maleta y uno de los lados estaba húmeda. Yo pensé que nosotros íbamos a ir en carro, pero Franklin hizo para un taxi y negoció el precio.

My first impression of the house was that it is much larger than I expected.  The downstairs has a kitchen, dining room, large living room and bathroom.  The wall decorations are an assortment of wooden carved objects and drawings/souvenirs from around the world (clearly brought by students).   Franklin showed me to my room on the second floor (after we walked by an open plan office with a computer and internet).  Along with the sign on my door “Erica welcome to house” I couldn’t help but notice another adjacent and one on the door across the hall.  Hmm… so there are other people in the house, I wondered.

Mi primera impression de la casa fue que era mas grande de lo que esperaba.  El primer piso tiene una cocina, un comedor, una sala de estar y un baño.  Los adornos de la pared son variados de madera tallada objetos y pinturas/artesanias de todo el mundo (claramente traidos por estudiantes).  Franklin me mostró mi habitacion en el Segundo piso (despues que nosotros caminamos por una oficina abierta con una computador e internet).  Había un letrero en mi puerta que decía “Erica bienvenida a casa”. Yo vi otro letrero a lado y otro en la puerta detrás del hall.  Hmmm… entonces la casa tiene otras personas, yo me pregunté.

My room consists of a twin bed, dresser and nightstand with a balcony.  It is located on the back side of the house overlooking the small backyard, which contains a large patio with clotheslines. At 7am I drank a cup of mate in hopes of lessening the effects of the altitude.  Then, I unpacked, separated my wet stuff and organized my things.  I was very tired from my all night bus journey, so I took a nap at 11am.

Mi habatación tiene una cama pequeña, una comoda y un mesa de noche con un balcón.  Esta en la parte de atras de la casa con vista a pequeño patio, el cual tiene cordeles para la ropa.  Eran las siete de la manaña cuando tomé una taza de mate de coca en espera de reducir los efectos de la altitud.  Luego, yo desempaqué, separé las cosas mojadas, y las organicé.  A las once de la manaña yo tomé una pequeña siesta porque estaba muy cansada por mi viaje de nohe en coche.

Al mediodía bajé al comedor para almorzar.  Yo conocí a Ally y Danny, nuestros padres.  Ellos durmieron muy tarde porque la noche anterior ellos habían ido a un quinciañera (una fiesta cuando una chica cumple quince años). Yo me senté a la mesa.  Luego dos personas llegaron y se sentaron. Yo estaba un poco sorprendida.  Ellos se llamaban Sarah y Michael y ellos estan estudiando en Cusco por tres semanas en total antes de ir a caminar a Salkantay.  Ellos viven en San Francisco y son medico residentes en el hospital que se llama San Francisco General.  Yo les dije, mi padre tambien trabajaba en el mismo lugar.  Sarah fue a la Universidad en Boston que se llama Tufts.  Tambien, mi mejor amiga estudió en Tufts.  Michael había crecido en San Diego pero fue a la Universidad de Berkeley.  Yo conozco a muchas personas que fueron a Berkeley pero Michael terminó de estudiar antes que ellos.

At noon I went downstairs for lunch.  I met Ally and Danny, my new parents.  They slept late because last night they had gone to a quinciañera (a party when a girl is 15 years old).  I sat at the table.  Then two people arrived and sat down.  I was a bit surprised. Their names are Sarah and Michael and they are studying in Cusco for three weeks in total before they walk the Salkantay trail.  They live in San Francisco and are medical residents at San Francisco General.  I told them my dad also worked at the same place.  Sarah went to college in Boston at Tufts.  My best friend also studied at Tufts.  Michael had grown up in San Diego but went to Berkeley for college.  I know lots of people who went to Berkeley but Michael graduated before them.

Nosotros almorzamos una sopa y pollo con papas.  Después del almuerzo, Sarah, Michael y yo caminamos juntos al centro.  Ellos parecen amables.  Luego de trienta minutos yo me encontré con un amigo en su hostal que se llama Erez a quien yo conocí en Israel cuando yo viajé con Birthright.  Nosotros hablamos por algunas horas juntos.

For lunch we ate soup and chicken with potatoes.  After lunch, Sarah, Michael and I walked together to town.  I met my friend Erez who I’d met in Israel when I went of Birthright at his hostel.  We chatted for a few hours together.

Antes de tomar un taxi a casa, yo caminé a la Plaza de Armas.  La Plaza es muy muy bonita pero no llevé mi camara.  Me gustó mucho y cuando yo la ví yo sentí que había elegido el lugar correcto para estudiar español.  Para cenar, nostoros comimos el mismo plato que del almuerzo.  Me acosté muy temprano y estaba un poco nerviosa con la escuela al día siguiente.

Before I took a taxi home, I walked to the Plaza de Armas.  The Plaza is very very beautiful.  I like it a lot and when I saw it I felt that I had chosen the correct place to study Spanish.  For dinner we ate the same dish as lunch.  I went to bed early a bit nervous about school the next day.

Relaxing before the big move

Saturday, March 19, 2011

(This has basically been written since March 19 but I thought I would have time to expand once I got to Cusco.  That clearly hasn't been the case, so I'm getting this posted so that I can start writing about Cusco.)

• Relaxing morning in Arequipa, slept in and didn't bother with breakfast
• Walked around town for a bit down some new streets at to a of couple churches
• Wandered through a museum, really random collection including pictures of earthquakes in Arequipa
• Bought a notebook for Spanish class in Cusco, as well as a book of Spanish-English stories and some chocolates for my host family
• Lunch at a cheap pizza place since I figure I won't be eating pizza at the house
• Back to Los Andes where BBC is on, France have targeted sites in Libya
• Call my parents and hour later and find out the US is now involved as well
• Watch the news as I upload photos to shutterfly
• Taxi to bus station for my ten hour bus ride to Cusco, at least I have the front-row single-seat on the top
• Check-in for Cruz del Sur is like an airport - they take your luggage and have a fancy waiting room, unlike anything I've seen so far
• After paying my departure tax, I sat in the lounge waiting to board the bus at 8pm
• Sit next to a couple, Steven and Andrea, from Chicago. He's at Northwestern for his MBA and she just matched in NY for OB/GYN having studied in Texas
• Bus played really loud music as we departed then started a bingo game at 9pm
• Apparently bedtime is around 10pm because at that point they turned off the lights and music and put on a strange movie about a baby who grows wings.  I wasn't watching but every now and then I'd pull off my eyemask to have a look.
• Once I arrive in Cusco, I'll be picked up by my family who I'll be living with for four weeks.  I'm excited but a little nervous.  Have no idea what its going to be like.  Guess I'll find out soon.

(Internet is way too slow right now for pictures but they are on shutterfly.)

Colca Valley and condors in the canyon

Thursday, March 17, 2011 – Friday, March 18, 2011

(This isn't really finished, but now that I'm a couple weeks behind, I wanted to post something about Colca Canyon.) 

Amazing couple days in Colca Valley and Colca Canyon which started with a horrible night sleep in Arequipa, with my stomach not feeling great. Woke up at 2, 4 and 6 in the morning. I joined Tucan for their Colca Canyon excursion and was supposed to be picked up at 7:15am. At 7:45 the van showed up because the driver forgot about me. Thanks.  We had a clear morning leaving the city with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. There are over 60 volcanoes near Arequipa.

• Drive to Chivay with lots of stops on the way, first taste of coca leaves as we ascend to almost 5,000 meters above sea level (as soon as my cheek starts going numb I spit them out) and another stop for coca tea
• Buffet lunch at the Tucan hotel
• Hour walk in the Colca valley, stunning views, pre-Inca terraces
• Brief stop at my hotel Pozo del Cielo (since there is no room at the Tucan hotel) to check-in and change into my bathing suit
• Hot springs near Chivay, 39 Celsius, after an hour I am way too hot
• Back to hotel, dinner on my own, just soup again to keep it light
• Shower, skype, in bed passed out at 9:30pm 

Friday, March 18, 2011

• Wake up at 6am, breakfast at 6:30
• The guide, Alex, and the rest of the group pick me up at Pozo del Cielo
• Drive into Colca Canyon to Cruz del Condor, few photo stops on the way
• Gorgeous area, so green, tons of wildflowers and fields, terraces
• Arrive at Cruz del Condor at 9am with an hour to Condor watch, Kym and I spot one then go to the higher viewpoint and see a couple soaring above
• About to walk back to the van when we see two condors near the canyon edge, amazing birds
• Hour group walk along the canyon edge, see another condor up close
• Drive back to Chivay for buffet lunch and enjoy a very quick walk in town
• Three hour drive back to Arequipa, Kym and I spend part of it singing Glee songs, the group takes turns playing music
• Bit of time to relax at my hotel in Arequipa before dinner with Tucan group at Patio del Ekeko (again), ordering was a bit of a mess as we waited for Thomas who was taking forever, didn’t finish dinner until 10:30pm at which point I returned to Los Andes B&B

The White City

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 – Wednesday, March 16, 2011

I’m currently in Peru’s second largest city, Arequipa (population less than 1 million), also known as the “White City” because of the many buildings constructed using sillar, a pearly white volcanic material.  Yesterday morning I woke up in Lima at 8 to prepare for the airport.  I’d packed the night before but wanted to give myself plenty of time before my flight.  I enjoyed a fabulous bowl of fruit with yogurt, paid my bill and hailed a cab.  When we arrived at the airport 45 minutes later, there was a bit of traffic but we took the coastal road for a bit, the cop at the gate asked to see the driver’s license.  He was missing some type of paperwork and was in trouble, but I requested that they settle things later because I was dying for the loo.  So he dropped me off, I strapped on my backpack and hurried inside.

I found the Peruvian airlines counter and was checking in for my flight when I noticed the attendant had put a yellow luggage tag on my bag.  A couple guys came to put my luggage on the belt and I said to the attendant, “Arequipa?”, because I’d noticed that the tags in the basket for Arequipa were blue.  His response, “Oh, oops.”  By that point my bag had already gone to wherever it goes behind the check-in desks.  He radioed someone to locate my bag and handed a different person the blue luggage tag.  I leaned against the counter shaking my head.  I couldn’t fathom the idea of my bag not showing up in Arequipa due to the error of the desk attendant.  Unable to express all my frustration in Spanish, an English-speaking woman approached me to inform me that the luggage tag had been changed.  I insisted on seeing my bag, but of course, it wasn’t possible.  So I asked her if she was 100% sure and she called again to reconfirm.  All I could do was go to the gate and hope for the best.

Given the eateries in the Lima airport, one would think they were in the States – Starbucks, McDonalds, Papa Johns, Dunkin Donuts and Subway.  I ended up getting a personal pizza at Papa Johns and going through security.  I had more than an hour to spare before my midday flight and sat down to eat my pizza and wait.  As we took off I glanced down at the Pacific realizing that the next time I would see that ocean would be when I returned to California in three months.  It was a clear day, so I looked out the window hoping to get a glimpse of the Nazca lines but just saw the dry desert-like landscape.  There was very little life on the ground until we approached Arequipa.

At the luggage carousel, I stood around hoping that I’d see my bag.  In the third batch of bags, my bag appeared.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief and left the small terminal to find my airport transfer for Los Andes B&B, both which Miriam (my tour guide in Ecuador) had kindly arranged for me.  For the second largest city in Peru, the airport was quite close to town and I was at my hotel in less than 15 minutes.  Still feeling a bit sick, I took a two hour nap on the double bed in my spacious room.

It was a quarter to five by the time I ventured outside in the cold to look around.  I checked out the Plaza de Armas, less than a block from my hostel with a massive Cathedral (founded in 1612 and rebuilt in the 19^th century), La Compañia (a church with an amazing façade of the florid Andean mestizo style), a pleasant courtyard from the 1600s that I stumbled upon and San Agustin church (which I’d gotten a glimpse of on the drive into town).  I was quite keen to see Santa Catalina Convent and decided that I’d visit in the evening since the Convent is only open Tuesday and Thursday nights.  With this in mind, I returned to my hotel to warm up.

Plaza de Armas

Courtyard

San Agustin

At 6:45 I bundled up, it had really cooled off now that the sun had set, and strolled to the convent.  Santa Catalina Convent was opened in 1970 after four centuries of mystery having been founded in 1580 by a wealthy widow who chose her nuns from the richest Spanish families.  A complete miniature walled colonial town, about 450 nuns lived there in total seclusion with their women servants.  I entered the convent on my own at 7pm.  It was solely lit by torches, candles and fireplaces.  Luckily there was an English tour (a mission group from a hospital in Colorado in Peru for two weeks) which I was able to join otherwise I would have been lost in the maze of narrow cobbled streets.  The nun’s apartments were surprisingly large with a bedroom, kitchen and servant room.  The seemed to be living in luxury, part of the reason there was such curiosity surrounding the place.  Even in the dim light, I could see the brightly colored buildings (mostly orange, red and blue) and numerous flowers which decorated the streets and plazas (a few nuns still live there).

Cathedral in Plaza de Armas 

Santa Catalina Convent

When the tour finished at 8pm I was craving a hot bowl of chicken soup (the cure for the common cold) and went to a restaurant on the plaza recommended at my B&B.  On the menu was chicken soup, score!  I didn’t know exactly what I’d be getting but it turned out to be chicken noodle soup, just like that I’d get back home.  It hit the spot (that expression always makes me laugh mom and Shell).  As soon as I finished my soup I retreated to the hotel for a warm shower and my bed.

I set my alarm for 8am this morning because I was supposed to meet Tucan group that I travelled with in Ecuador around 9.  Let’s just say things didn’t work out exactly as I’d expected.  I woke up naturally but when I checked my email Dave had written to tell me he thought it’d be more like 9:30.  I accepted this, and started downloading the latest episode of Glee while I got ready.  I was waiting in the lobby at 9:30 and got an email at 9:45 to tell me they wouldn’t be arriving until 10:30.  So I went to get a coffee at Cusco Coffee Company then went back upstairs to my room to watch the episode of Glee.  At 10:40 just before I was headed downstairs, I got a phone call from Miriam telling me they would be at least another 30 minutes.  In the end, they didn’t show up until noon; a bit annoying considering I’d been waiting for about three hours and could have done more with my morning if I’d known they would have been so late.

In addition to Dave, Lyle and Marie-Ann, there were three more travelers, Wesley (31, Lyle and Marie-Ann’s son), Thomas (29, Warsaw), Kym (32, Melbourne).  The age of the tour has greatly decreased in Peru.  Miriam told us about the Museo Sanctuarios Andinos and I talked to her about my options for Colca Canyon before she took us to a restaurant for lunch.  Marie-Ann was feeling ill, so she and Miriam returned to the hotel while the rest of us had lunch.  The service at the restaurant was a bit slow, so we ended up there for two hours and it was 3pm by the time we left. 

Lunch: Thomas, Dave, Lyle, Wes, me and Kym

Dave, Wes and I returned to the Museo Sanctuarios Andinos, famous for ‘Juanita, the Ice Princess,’ a frozen Inca maiden sacrificed on the summit of Ampato over 500 years ago (who sadly is not on display from January through April).  A different child (one of 18 in total found on mountain peaks in the Inca territory) was on display and after a 20 minute movie about the discovery of Juanita, a guide showed us around the museum.  Fascinating to learn about an aspect of the Inca culture which is not well-known.

After leaving the museum, the three of us went for a drink at On the Top with views overlooking the Plaza de Armas and city.  The restaurant provided ponchos to keep us warm and I ordered a hot chocolate since I couldn’t fathom drinking something cold.  Unfortunately it was one of the bitterest hot chocolates I have ever tried; I required a lot of sugar before I was able to drink the liquid.  We sat enjoying the plaza and chatting for almost an hour and a half before splitting.  I returned to the hotel to relax and was told they’d be by at 7:30 for dinner.  Wanting to be on time I was sitting in the lobby at 7:30 but they didn’t turn up until 8pm.  I should have known better.

View of the Plaza de Armas from On the Top

The group ate at Patio del Ekeko, but Lyle and Marie-Ann were absent.  The restaurant had a wide variety of meat (including alpaca) but since I wasn’t that hungry I simply ordered a beef skewer.  I had a great time getting to know Kym, the young woman on the trip, and she mentioned she was thrilled I was joining their Colca Canyon trip.  We didn’t finish at the restaurant until 10:30pm at which point I was more than ready to go back to the hotel.  I just had a shower and video skyped with my parents and am ready for bed.  Early start tomorrow for Colca Canyon.  

Dinner: Dave, Kym, Miriam, me, Thomas and Wes

Pescado in the Capital: Lima

Sunday, March 13, 2011 – Monday, March 14, 2011

Another new country!  After six hours in the Guayaquil airport, including a fifteen minute chair massage, my flight left for Lima.  We arrived around 9:30pm and I waited 30 minutes plus in the huge line at passport control.  There was a mission trip from the States going to Iquitos (the Amazon in Northern Peru) for a few weeks.  Seem to be a lot of mission trips in Peru.  Once I retrieved my backpack and cleared customs, my drive was waiting to take me to Pariwana hostel in Miraflores.

I finally arrived at the hostel around 10:30pm ready to get to bed after a quick call home, but I ended up chatting with two girls from Colorado in my dorm for about an hour.  After a warm shower, I curled into bed hoping my stuffy nose wouldn’t prevent me from sleeping.

The majority of today was spent in the hostel.  I woke up around 10am and had a great omelet for breakfast (the hostel has bread and jam for breakfast but there are lots of other options available for purchase).  Needing to sort out a few logistics, I used the hostel agent to book a bus ticket from Arequipa to Cusco and, after finding out that my flight reservation from Lima to Arequipa had been canceled, bought a plane ticket for tomorrow.  Wanting to pay by credit card since the most I’ve been able to withdraw at the ATM is 700 soles (worth $250) or $200 at a time (each one subject to bank fees), I had to go with the agent to her other office.

By this point it was already past 1pm and I was anxious to see some part of Lima.  The hostel is near a busy intersection with McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Burger King and Starbucks, but there is a green park in the middle of them.  Miraflores is a modern part of this city of 9 million.  Given my extreme fatigue, I decided I’d rather go for a nice lunch then explore the old city of Lima (a 30 minute cab ride away).  A short, cheap taxi journey took me to Pescados Capitales, a restaurant recommended in my Food and Travel Magazine article on Lima, noting that the menu is based on the cardinal sins and is the source of the latest gossip.

The modern restaurant with high bamboo ceilings and long bar was packed.  Luckily they had English menus so that I could understand the information, since the menu was much more than a list of available dishes.  I asked for a recommendation from my waiter and he suggested the typical sole ceviche (the famous Peruvian dish).  My mouth is still salivating from the delicious infusion of lime, onion and a touch of spice on the raw fish which came with the traditional sides of corn and some type of orange-colored ginger-flavored mashed potato.  I ate slowly, savoring each bite and cooling the heat with diet Coke.  When the women at the table next to me ordered a purple drink I enquired about it.  My friendly waiter brought me half a glass of the chicha morado, a juice prepared from purple corn, sweet and unfermented.  As I finished my meal, I requested a copy of the menu in Spanish, since the article made such a big deal about the hidden messages inside and I figured it would be fun to read once I learned a bit more Spanish.  I thanked my helpful waiter and left Pescados Capitales thoroughly satisfied with my experience.

Feeling the exhaustion of my cold and early mornings on the ship, I headed back to the hostel for the remained of the afternoon.  I made a quick stop at Starbucks, having not seen one since Viña del Mar, for a latte before returning to the dorm.  I’ve been sitting here relaxing and writing.  Turns out it was a good time that my flight reservation was cancelled because now I leave at noon rather than 6:30am.  Can’t say too much about my impressions of Peru at the moment since I haven’t really seen much.  Am looking forward to getting to the smaller cities as Lima seems overwhelming, tons of people, cars and pollution.