Travel with us!
Beyond Voyage
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Destinations
  • Gallery
  • Pack
  • Tunes
  • About

Chris' Corner of Culinary Delights- Episode 1: Cuy

5/22/2013

3 Comments

 
Part of the fun of travel is experiencing the way people live in other parts of the world.  One of the most important aspects of this is, of course, the food!  Peru and Colombia are no exception, and boast some pretty unique feasts for the senses.  So with the first stage of our travels drawing to a close, it's time to look back on some of the more interesting delicacies we've sampled in this part of the world.

#1 Cuy

As a friend of ours recently commented, cuy must be some sort of running joke Peruvians play on tourists.  Why would anyone want to eat guinea pig?  Nonetheless, there are entire Peruvian towns dedicated to the cultivation and expert preparation of these furry critters.  Clearly, this was something that could not go unsampled.

Part of the fun of being an active participant in the cuy industry is looking at the many interesting signs above local cuy joints.  Take this variety for example:
Picture
Picture
Something about these seems a little wrong, but they still invoke a good chuckle.

Another typical example will advertise the cuy and include a picture like this:
Picture
I find this one interesting from a marketing perspective.  For example, it's interesting to think that there's some segment of the population that sees it and gets hungrier.

However, the most common examples feature a photo of the cooked cuy prepared in the traditional fashion - something along these lines:
Picture
This type I find sort of intriguing.  I actually find the tomato hat to be a nice touch, adding a bit of playfulness to an already weird meal.  I knew it was only a matter of time before my own dish of cuy arrived, and eagerly awaited this masterful presentation.

Alas, however, when I finally did place my cuy order, it showed up like this:
Picture
Midway through my Cuy meal at Inka Grill in Cusco
Unfortunately, we waited until our last night in Peru to sample the cuy, and were running low on Peruvian cash.  Turns out the #1 local cuy joint in Cusco does not take credit cards, so we had to resort to the touristy spot.  To my dismay, this also meant no tomato hat.  Still, I was also a bit relieved, as I had absolutely no idea how to butcher a whole cuy.

This particular cuy happened to be classed up a bit with some rosemary seasoning, and was then charcoal roasted while brushed with sort of a sweet and sour sauce, adding a nice crisp char to the surfaces.  I am told there is only one way to eat cuy, and that is chicken wing style.  No fork or knife required.  Turns out it was good advice, as eating cuy is a pretty time consuming process.

So how does guinea pig taste?  Ironically, a lot like pork.  Actually, it's an incredibly tasty dish.  The flavor sort of reminded me of the Asian style baby back pork ribs authored by my dad and savored by anyone who's attended one of our BC tailgates.  Would I have it again?  Without a doubt.

Up next:  alpaca, chicharones, Inca Kola and a variety of tropical fruits
3 Comments

Day 10: Lightning Horse & The Sacred Valley

5/19/2013

5 Comments

 
Our train to Machu Picchu  left at 4:30pm train from a small town called Ollantaytambo which is about a 2 hour bus ride from Cusco.  We decided to take advantage of the day tour the Sacred Valley on the way there. 

Friends on the bus
We embarked on our journey to the Sacred Valley in a small bus mostly full of Peruvians save another American, a couple from South Africa, and a few folks from France.  We sat right behind the American girl who is originally from Iran but has lived in the US since she was 12.  She was young - maybe 20 -and had graduated college early and was about to start medical school this summer. She  was in Peru with a medical volunteer program in Cusco for about a month where she worked at a local clinic.  She said the most common ailments in the area were water-borne parasites like tapeworm (especially in children) and, sadly, injuries from domestic violence, which is apparently common and largely ignored.  She was recently engaged and picked out a ring for her fiance at the sliver shop we visited en route!  She told us that Peru was very similar to Iran - both in terms of its landscape and people.  She said that while people in Iran are more conservative, they are very friendly and willing to help visitors, like the Peruvians. She also drew similarities between the significant religious presence in each country - Catholicism in Peru and Islam in Iran.  It was very interesting to hear the perspective of a young dual citizen of the USA and Iran. 

Bus Music: Oxygen Radio 
The bus driver tuned into Radio Oxigeno (GREAT name for a radio station in the Andes) which played the most random mix of music of all time. Every time I travel to Latin America, the radio stations manage to find the most obscure tunes from the last 30 years and play them alongside classics, local hits and global pop songs.  Puerto Rico is particularly excels in this area. At one point Radio Oxigeno played Take That's Back For Good right after a pan flute song from a Peruvian band Alborada call Relampago Caballo, or Lightning Horse in English. If you watch the music video, fast forward to 1:30 but be careful - Relampago Caballo is a catchy tune.  Chris and I find ourselves singing  Re-lam-pa-go Ca-ba-llo - la-la-la-la-la-la-la all the time. 

Sacred Valley Stops: Pisac & Ollantaytambo 
Our first stop was Pisac, one of the most important Inca cities. In Pisac, we saw familiar Inca design - terraced hills, Inca crosses and stone structures. The landscape was stunning! 
Picture
Pisac
Picture
Pisac
Picture
Pisac
We  learned a little more about their spiritual beliefs and why they built terraced lands.  According to our guide, the Incas believed that reincarnation applied to important members of their society. They beleived that these people cycled between the difference worlds (Heavens, Earth, Underworld as outlined in my sun route post). After earth, the next stop would be heaven, then the underworld and then back to earth. When important members of society died, they prepared them for heaven by mummifying the bodies. They would remove all the organs and fill the bodies with scented leaves & herbs. Then they would put the mummies in the fetal position because they believed they would be born again in the next world. Before burying the mummies they would have many ceremonies with the mummies present. Then they would place the mummies in their final resting place - a hole in the side of the cliff facing east. Why bury them in the cliffs? Because they must go back into the earth where they came from. Why facing east? Because that is the direction where the sun rises, bringing forth a new day.  They would bury clothes, food, and other items with the mummies to prepare them for the next world (sounds very familiar, doesn't it?). 
Picture
Those holes in the cliff are Inca graves.
Our guide also gave us some more insight into the terraced system the Incas used to farm. Not only did terraces give them more area to farm on these large mountains, but they also allowed them to cultivate a large variety of crops.  First of all, the climate at the top of the mountain was much cooler and drier than at the bottom which was warmer and more humid. They also changed the soil on each level to control drainage, so the top levels were drier making it good land for grains like quinoa, while the bottom levels were more moist allowing them to grow things like coca, and the middle was larger and perfect for their 2 most important crops - potatoes and maize.  
Picture
Terraces at Pisac
In Pisac, the nobles, priests and scholars lived at the highest points of the village - mainly for protection and to be closer to the heavens (in the case of the priest). They had quite the view!
Picture
Picture
Peruvian cowboy enjoying the view at Pisac
After Pisac, we stopped for lunch (which included a ridiculously good dessert selection).  Then we went to Ollantaytambo to see the ruins before catching our train. Ollaytatambo is a really amazing little town. Most of the buildings in use in town are original Incan structures. The only things on the exterior that have changed are the tops of the walls and the roofs. It's supposedly the village that most closely represents what a tradtional Incan town would have looked like. 
Picture
Ollantaytambo
In order to catch our train to Aguas Calientes, we had to cut our tour short. However the train ride was fantastic! I'll write more about that and Machu Picchu in the next post. 
5 Comments

Day 9: dancing over cusco

5/18/2013

0 Comments

 
Cusco is easily my favorite city in Peru. Its winding cobble stone streets, terra cotta roofs and surrounding mountains make this city incredibly charming.  We stayed in a really cute hotel called Rumi Wasi right off the Plaza de Armas. The building is from the late 16th century and is comprised of 4 levels overlooking a courtyard. Our room had a rooftop terrace with a spectacular view of the city! This is where we ate breakfast. 
Picture
Our private terrace in Cusco, overlooking the Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas.
Picture
Our room at the Rumi Wasi - the building is originally from the late 16th century.
Picture
Rumi Wasi Hotel
The other great thing about this hotel is that they bring you alpaca covered hot water bottles for your bed because it gets chilly at night. 

The night we arrived we went to a great restauarant called Cicciolina. It was located a few blocks off the Plaza de Armas on the second floor of an old colonial building. We sat at the bar and had a few tapas including shrimp encrusted in quinoa and a yummy cheese platter. The ambiance was great and the food very good!
Picture
Cicciolina - very charming!
In the morning we had to arrange our travel to Machu Picchu which is slightly complicated. First, you must buy your ticket to Machu Picchu from an official cultural center which was about a 15 min walk from our hotel.  It was a little difficult to find, but after asking about 5 people where it was we finally found it! On our way back, we often volunteered directions to other tourists likely looking fo the place (there would be no other reason for tourists to be in this neighborhood).  After we finally got our tickets, we were able to book our train ticket to Aguas Calientes. 

Happy to be done with travel arrangements, we spent the rest of the day walking around the city. First we hiked up to the Saqsayhuaman ruins and over to see the Cristo Blanco that overlooks the city.  It was a clear day and the view was stunning! 
Picture
View from the Cristo Blanco
Picture
View from the other side. Those terraces are part of the Incan ruins called Saqsayhuaman.
Picture
Chris over Cusco
Picture
Cristo Blanco watches over the city
While we were at the Cristo Blanco a bride and groom arrived to take pictures.  The light was gorgeous and the couple was elated.  There was a local musician playing for tourists at the Cristo. He played a song for the couple and they danced over Cusco. It was a very special moment and I'm so happy I caught it on video. Check it out:
Picture
Felicidades!!
Picture
The bride & groom's car:)
After congratulating the couple we hiked back down the hill toward the city. We then went to  San Blas to see the different markets, church and plaza. They were having a typical festival when we arrived so we sat in the plaza with a couple delicious baked goods and watched the local women dance while the band played (there was a lot of pan flute!!).  

Afterwards we walked throughout the city stopping at many old churches, ruins and shops. We went back to our hotel to watch the sunset from our terrace.  It was such a nice and relaxing day that was much needed, especially because our long journey to Machu Picchu began the very next day. 



Here are few more pictures from Cusco:
Picture
Chris taking a break in front of the Cathedral.
Picture
Plaza de Armas
Picture
Typical side street in Cusco. Lots of hills!
Picture
Enjoying the view as the sun begins to set.
0 Comments
    Picture

    Author

    Eva has been traveling for 15+ years, including an 8 month journey around the world.  

    Archives

    October 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Amalfi Coast
    Amazon Rainforest
    Amsterdam
    Argentina
    Art
    Aruba
    Asia
    Austin
    Australia
    Austria
    Award
    Baby
    Bali
    Barcelona
    Beijing
    Belize
    Berlin
    Bogota
    Boston
    Brazil
    BVI
    California
    Cambodia
    Cambridge
    Canada
    Cape Town
    Caribbean
    Cartagena
    Central America
    China
    Colombia
    Connecticut
    Costa Rica
    Cuba
    Culinary Delights
    Cusco
    Europe
    Family
    Family Travel
    Flights
    Florence
    Florida
    Food
    France
    Germany
    Hawaii
    Hong Kong
    Hotels/resorts
    Iceland
    Indonesia
    Ireland
    Italy
    Itineraries
    Lake Titicaca
    Live Like A Local
    Luxury
    Machu Picchu
    Maine
    Malaysia
    Massachusetts
    Mexico
    Nantucket
    New England
    New York
    New Zealand
    North Carolina
    Pacific Northwest
    Pack
    Paris
    Peru
    Pisa
    Planning
    Prague
    Provence
    Puerto Rico
    Puno
    Rhode Island
    Rincon
    Rome
    Rtw Trip
    Safar
    Safari
    Shanghai
    Sharks
    South Africa
    South America
    Spain
    Switzerland
    Thailand
    Travel Education
    Travel Tips
    Tunes
    Turkey
    Usa
    Vermont
    Washington
    Where To Stay

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.