Peru Freedom, Food and Ancient Wisdom, Day 5
Day One: http://drrimatruthreports.com/?p=25555
Day Two: http://drrimatruthreports.com/?p=25600
Day Three: http://drrimatruthreports.com/?p=25617
Day Four: http://drrimatruthreports.com/?p=25641
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Today, Sunday, General Bert and I took the train back from Aguas Caliente, the gateway to Machu Picchu this morning at 9 AM. We ambled back to the town where Peru Rail picks up Machu Picchu-ers in Vista Dome trains.
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On the way to Aguas Caliente, the train roars along, stopping for nothing. Tourists are frantically trying to capture every Kodak moment as the train speeds along and vegitation suddenly appears to blur that perfect spot of glacier or gorge or rapids or whatever.
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But on the way back, the train pulls off at every siding while the MP-bound train roars away.
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Funny to note that although these same tourists took huge numbers of photos going out, on the way back virtually no one else in our car was taking pictures except me! They were sleeping, playing video games ont heir phones or chatting. Mostly sleeping.
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When we got to the station, Jaimie, our driver was there. Hubert was having a well-deserved day of rest, but there was Jaimie wearing a huge smile for us.
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As we drive back to Cusco, Jaimie, a retired kindergarten and primary school teacher, musician and general all around sweetheart, answered my question: “Why are all those people holding up small cooked animals on skewers and smiling at us to come eat them.
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He said that these are a beloved Peruvian delicaty, Peruvian guinea pig and that they were highly valued and delicious.
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Are they good?, I asked? WONDERFUL, he said. Is it safe to eat them here?, I asked, Absolutely, he said.
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So we stopped and entered was was, for all practical purposes, someon’s garden with a firepit facing the street and tables set up down the length of the garden.
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The guinea pig arrived on a plate with a heap of delicous spaghetti, a stuffed pepper with beggies in it, boiled potatoes and a bowl of enormous, but gigantic, kernels of corn plus a small dish of some green Peruvian sauce for dipping the corn into.
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Tuck in time: I have never tasted as succulent or sweet a meat in my life. No wonder it is a delicacy reserved for your birthday and then the entire family comes together for these creatures of gustatory delight.
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We finished our meal and came back to Cusco.
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General Bert and I checked in again at the first hotel we stayed in before we went to MP.
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Warm, friendly, gentle, eager to acommodate.
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Now, I cannot say that is the National style of Peru. After all, we are tourists providing income and jobs so we get treated in special ways.
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But that is how it feels now.
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Gen. Bert and I wandered around the artsy area of Cusco for a while and he bought me a lovely birthday present for my 72nd birthday next week made of baby alpaca
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Then we decided to drop it off at the hotel and find a restaurant for dinner.
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And did we ever find one!
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It is called Cafe Morena Peruvian Kitchen and it was about .4 miles from us so we walked over.
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Food? On a 1-10 scale, 10.
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Ambiance? 8 )1 point off because the music was too loud and one point off because there was nothing in the otherwise perfect decoration to absorb sound so the music and the chatter of the full restaurant quickly became deafening, making conversation at the table impossible.
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Service? 10 out of 10
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Everything else combined? 10 or maybe 75.
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And here is the take away: I will never go to another Peruvian Resaurant in Chile again! ALthough we thought they were really good in CHile, now that we have eaten in Peru, there is no point to eating in a Peruvian restaurant there since they do not taste like Peruvian restaurants here!
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Tomorrow we re-connect wth Hubert and will be going out into the countryside. More to folow.
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Yours in health and freedom,
Dr. Rima
