Saturday, October 24, 2009
An andean bull and its owner
I have added more photos to my photostream at flickr - featuring the magical day out at the Pumawanca trout farm, a picnic in the countryside, musicians in Cusco, fiestas at Yucay, Calca, Pisac and San Salvador, a visit to Tunupa restaurant, various miscellaneous views, etc. From now on when I add more I will reorder them so that the later ones appear first. If you click on this photo it will take you to the photostream and you can then click on them one at a time. Alternatively visit www.flickr.com and look for photos with the tag Peru2009 where you can view them as a slideshow.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
A Quick Hello from Arequipa
Well I am now on my way back from my visit with Elva and Hugo in Ilo. I said goodbye to them at 12 noon today and set off on the first leg of the journey back. The journey was a monotonous vista of sand and rock and curving roads busy with lorries and buses - it is amazing that those roads are as stable as they are on such uncertain looking terrain. I remember on an early visit seeing the road buckled in places after an earthquake which hit Moquegua and Arequipa, with many of the houses destroyed in both towns.
The bus pulled into Arequipa at 4.30 pm where I was relieved to see Elva´s son Hugo awaiting me - especially so as the bus didn´t go to the main terminal but to its own terminal a couple of miles away. Fortunately Hugo had his friend with him, the taxi driver who drove us around in Arequipa last year, so in no time we were arriving at the terminal from where the bus leaves for Cusco (there are three main terminals in Arequipa as well as all the individual ones of the various bus companies!) I was especially glad to have Hugo to help me because I am lumbered with three heavy bags as well as my handbag. I left a load of my things in Ilo last year and it made sense to bring them back with me to Urubamba. In no time, I managed to stow two of them with the bus company I am travelling to Cusco with, to collect at 8 pm and then stow in the bus prior to travel, and Hugo found a small internet cafe here in the terminal where I am passing some of the time before going to have something to eat nearer the time of travel.
The next bus will take 10 hours to reach Cusco but hopefully I can sleep for part of it. Whilst in Ilo we went on a daytrip to Tacna, a duty free border town near Chile, and whilst there I bought a portable dvd player which is mains operated but also has a rechargeable battery like a mobile phone, so I charged it up last night and have a film in my bag to watch once dinner has been served and before I settle down to try and sleep. I also bought a beautiful watch with an aquamarine face - watches are cheap from street vendors there - but then lost it the next day whilst out walking the dog - obviously I could not have secured the catch properly. I was really sorry to lose it as it was so unusual and pretty. I would have bought two if I knew I would lose it that soon!
I enjoyed my week in Ilo with Elva and Hugo, even though I was ill for part of the time. I felt guilty arriving with a bad cough and cold, which got worse in the first few days of my visit, but fortunately is well on the mend now. I just hope neither of them catch it. Elva really mothered me while I was ill which was lovely. I got really partial to her hot limon drinks sweetened with honey, and will be keeping that going when I get back to Urubamba as limons are so cheap and plentiful there - only 20p for a dozen of them - they are different from our lemons or limes - to achieve the same taste back home I would have to use half a lemon and half a lime.
Although the weather in Ilo is normally hot and sunny, unfortunately the only sunshine I saw was the day of my arrival and today when I left! The days in between were grey and dismal and even slightly chilly which is unusual for this desert town which meets the sea, so no trips to the beach. I walked the dog several times a day though, as it was only two blocks walk down to the sea front, and yesterday whilst down there I took photos which will be uploaded in November.
On one evening we took a taxi high up a hillside to a series of lookout points, beautiful paved with ceramic tiles and seating areas, from where one could see the whole of Ilo lit up below. Even the boats moored in harbour and sea had lights on them and it looked really pretty. Another evening we went to El Tablon food centre for our tea, enjoying delicious lechon sandwiches (roast pork in crusty ciabatta style rolls with chopped onion, tomatoes and herbs, served with a series of dips. I enjoyed watching Elva cook and have posted some recipes on this blog - all her meals are really healthy and nutritious, using scarcely any oil - if anyone is trying to lose some weight the soup recipe is especially brilliant. I was amazed that I enjoyed it so much considering I only like one of the five vegetables that feature in it!
I will be glad to arrive back in Urubamba tomorrow after such a long journey back. Even when I arrive in Cusco it will take a further two hours to get home - what with a taxi, then the journey in a shared people carrier taxi, and finally a moto from the terminal there to Nohemy´s. I have kept in touch with her whilst I am here so they know more or less what time to expect me. Well that is all news for the moment and I will write again in a week or so with news of what I have been up to in Urubamba.
The bus pulled into Arequipa at 4.30 pm where I was relieved to see Elva´s son Hugo awaiting me - especially so as the bus didn´t go to the main terminal but to its own terminal a couple of miles away. Fortunately Hugo had his friend with him, the taxi driver who drove us around in Arequipa last year, so in no time we were arriving at the terminal from where the bus leaves for Cusco (there are three main terminals in Arequipa as well as all the individual ones of the various bus companies!) I was especially glad to have Hugo to help me because I am lumbered with three heavy bags as well as my handbag. I left a load of my things in Ilo last year and it made sense to bring them back with me to Urubamba. In no time, I managed to stow two of them with the bus company I am travelling to Cusco with, to collect at 8 pm and then stow in the bus prior to travel, and Hugo found a small internet cafe here in the terminal where I am passing some of the time before going to have something to eat nearer the time of travel.
The next bus will take 10 hours to reach Cusco but hopefully I can sleep for part of it. Whilst in Ilo we went on a daytrip to Tacna, a duty free border town near Chile, and whilst there I bought a portable dvd player which is mains operated but also has a rechargeable battery like a mobile phone, so I charged it up last night and have a film in my bag to watch once dinner has been served and before I settle down to try and sleep. I also bought a beautiful watch with an aquamarine face - watches are cheap from street vendors there - but then lost it the next day whilst out walking the dog - obviously I could not have secured the catch properly. I was really sorry to lose it as it was so unusual and pretty. I would have bought two if I knew I would lose it that soon!
I enjoyed my week in Ilo with Elva and Hugo, even though I was ill for part of the time. I felt guilty arriving with a bad cough and cold, which got worse in the first few days of my visit, but fortunately is well on the mend now. I just hope neither of them catch it. Elva really mothered me while I was ill which was lovely. I got really partial to her hot limon drinks sweetened with honey, and will be keeping that going when I get back to Urubamba as limons are so cheap and plentiful there - only 20p for a dozen of them - they are different from our lemons or limes - to achieve the same taste back home I would have to use half a lemon and half a lime.
Although the weather in Ilo is normally hot and sunny, unfortunately the only sunshine I saw was the day of my arrival and today when I left! The days in between were grey and dismal and even slightly chilly which is unusual for this desert town which meets the sea, so no trips to the beach. I walked the dog several times a day though, as it was only two blocks walk down to the sea front, and yesterday whilst down there I took photos which will be uploaded in November.
On one evening we took a taxi high up a hillside to a series of lookout points, beautiful paved with ceramic tiles and seating areas, from where one could see the whole of Ilo lit up below. Even the boats moored in harbour and sea had lights on them and it looked really pretty. Another evening we went to El Tablon food centre for our tea, enjoying delicious lechon sandwiches (roast pork in crusty ciabatta style rolls with chopped onion, tomatoes and herbs, served with a series of dips. I enjoyed watching Elva cook and have posted some recipes on this blog - all her meals are really healthy and nutritious, using scarcely any oil - if anyone is trying to lose some weight the soup recipe is especially brilliant. I was amazed that I enjoyed it so much considering I only like one of the five vegetables that feature in it!
I will be glad to arrive back in Urubamba tomorrow after such a long journey back. Even when I arrive in Cusco it will take a further two hours to get home - what with a taxi, then the journey in a shared people carrier taxi, and finally a moto from the terminal there to Nohemy´s. I have kept in touch with her whilst I am here so they know more or less what time to expect me. Well that is all news for the moment and I will write again in a week or so with news of what I have been up to in Urubamba.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Delicious Peruvian Recipes
This morning Elva had a marathon cooking session as each week on Monday mornings she sends an ice-box full of cooked meals to her son in Arequipa who misses her home cooking and he reciprocates at the end of the week by sending lots of delicacies for her and Hugo that are only available in Arequipa. Anyhow I watched and learned while she was cooking and set out below are the various recipes.
CHICKEN AND WINTER VEGETABLE SOUP
Half fill a pan of cold water and add one large chicken breast. Cover and leave to boil and then simmer until the chicken is cooked. Meanwhile prepare the vegetables.
One whole sweetcorn (called choclo here), 2 medium carrots, peeled and the centre removed and finely diced, a few sticks of celery sliced, half a turnip diced, a piece of pumpkin about 3 inches square, sliced and then diced. Add all this to the pan. When chicken is nearly cooked remove it and finely slice it and return to the pan. Add salt to taste, about 4 oz of broad beans with the outer shell removed, a little garlic. Simmer until all the vegetables are cooked through.
ARROZ CON POLLO (Chicken and Rice)
Liquidise a couple of bunches of coriander and set aside.
Add oil to pan and fry the onion (1 red onion finely diced), a little garlic and the liquidised coriander. A bit later add 4 oz fresh peas, the diced carrot, half a small red pepper diced, In a separate pan fry two chicken breasts each cut into 3 pieces. Meanwhile cook the rice separately using half the liquid from the pan with the coriander, supplemented with water.
At the end the rice is put into a dish and topped with the chicken pieces and the rest of the juice served separately.
PAPA RELLENO (Stuffed Potatoes)
Boil a pan of spuds and two hard boiled eggs.
In a separate pan fry 1 red onion diced, with half a pound of minced chicken (or even better a mix of minced chicken and pork). Add a little garlic, black pepper, salt to taste and quarter of a red pepper finely diced, plus a pinch of cummin.
In a separate dish chop up the hard boiled eggs
In another dish add a few black olives each cut into 4 or 5 pieces.
Mash the potato along with an egg (don´t add any milk or water. Knead well with hands.
In a separate dish mix some fine breadcrumbs with flour. You dip your hands in this first to stop the potato sticking to your hands.
Take some potato and spread it out in your hand - add some of the meat mix, some chopped egg and olive and work the potato around the filling so that it is fully enclosed. Roll in the breadcrumb mix and set aside. Continue until all the ingredients are used up. The stuffed potatoes are oval in shape. Meanwhile heat some oil in a pan until it is hot, add the potatoes a few at a time and fry until golden brown, turning once with care so they don´t break.
FREJOLES (White Beans)
Half a kilo of white beans, soaked in water overnight.
Boil these in fresh water for a good 5 minutes or so and then throw away the first lot of water. Add oil to the pan and fry 6 oz of bacon which has been diced up, something like streaky bacon called Tocino here. Add a little garlic. Dont let the bacon brown too much. Return the beans to the pan, add more water, bring to the boil and then simmer for about half an hour over low heat, adding salt to taste.
CROQUETAS
Crush a load of crispbreads until fine and add some fine breadcrumbs, so that the mix is two thirds crispbreads, one third crumbs. Mix well.
Fry about 12 oz minced chicken and pork with a little salt and black pepper, a little cummin and garlic. Mix with hands until well combined and form into balls, coating each one well with the crispy crumb mix. Fry in hot oil until cooked through. Then add a finely diced onion, a couple of tablespoons of tomato ketchup and enough mustard to give a spicy tang and a little water. Mix well and let the croquetas keep simmering.
FRIED GUINEA PIG (I dare you to try this one!)
1 guinea pig which they bought ready prepared, flattened and complete with head, hands and feet! and Maize flour to coat it.
This was then fried in a large pan, with a large pebble holding it down to keep its flattened shape and so that it would cook evenly.
CHICKEN AND WINTER VEGETABLE SOUP
Half fill a pan of cold water and add one large chicken breast. Cover and leave to boil and then simmer until the chicken is cooked. Meanwhile prepare the vegetables.
One whole sweetcorn (called choclo here), 2 medium carrots, peeled and the centre removed and finely diced, a few sticks of celery sliced, half a turnip diced, a piece of pumpkin about 3 inches square, sliced and then diced. Add all this to the pan. When chicken is nearly cooked remove it and finely slice it and return to the pan. Add salt to taste, about 4 oz of broad beans with the outer shell removed, a little garlic. Simmer until all the vegetables are cooked through.
ARROZ CON POLLO (Chicken and Rice)
Liquidise a couple of bunches of coriander and set aside.
Add oil to pan and fry the onion (1 red onion finely diced), a little garlic and the liquidised coriander. A bit later add 4 oz fresh peas, the diced carrot, half a small red pepper diced, In a separate pan fry two chicken breasts each cut into 3 pieces. Meanwhile cook the rice separately using half the liquid from the pan with the coriander, supplemented with water.
At the end the rice is put into a dish and topped with the chicken pieces and the rest of the juice served separately.
PAPA RELLENO (Stuffed Potatoes)
Boil a pan of spuds and two hard boiled eggs.
In a separate pan fry 1 red onion diced, with half a pound of minced chicken (or even better a mix of minced chicken and pork). Add a little garlic, black pepper, salt to taste and quarter of a red pepper finely diced, plus a pinch of cummin.
In a separate dish chop up the hard boiled eggs
In another dish add a few black olives each cut into 4 or 5 pieces.
Mash the potato along with an egg (don´t add any milk or water. Knead well with hands.
In a separate dish mix some fine breadcrumbs with flour. You dip your hands in this first to stop the potato sticking to your hands.
Take some potato and spread it out in your hand - add some of the meat mix, some chopped egg and olive and work the potato around the filling so that it is fully enclosed. Roll in the breadcrumb mix and set aside. Continue until all the ingredients are used up. The stuffed potatoes are oval in shape. Meanwhile heat some oil in a pan until it is hot, add the potatoes a few at a time and fry until golden brown, turning once with care so they don´t break.
FREJOLES (White Beans)
Half a kilo of white beans, soaked in water overnight.
Boil these in fresh water for a good 5 minutes or so and then throw away the first lot of water. Add oil to the pan and fry 6 oz of bacon which has been diced up, something like streaky bacon called Tocino here. Add a little garlic. Dont let the bacon brown too much. Return the beans to the pan, add more water, bring to the boil and then simmer for about half an hour over low heat, adding salt to taste.
CROQUETAS
Crush a load of crispbreads until fine and add some fine breadcrumbs, so that the mix is two thirds crispbreads, one third crumbs. Mix well.
Fry about 12 oz minced chicken and pork with a little salt and black pepper, a little cummin and garlic. Mix with hands until well combined and form into balls, coating each one well with the crispy crumb mix. Fry in hot oil until cooked through. Then add a finely diced onion, a couple of tablespoons of tomato ketchup and enough mustard to give a spicy tang and a little water. Mix well and let the croquetas keep simmering.
FRIED GUINEA PIG (I dare you to try this one!)
1 guinea pig which they bought ready prepared, flattened and complete with head, hands and feet! and Maize flour to coat it.
This was then fried in a large pan, with a large pebble holding it down to keep its flattened shape and so that it would cook evenly.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
A Visit to Ilo, in Southern Peru
After three months living in Urubamba I decided to go on a trip and visit my friends Hugo and Elva in Ilo. This involved a two bus journey, first to Arequipa and then another bus for the last leg to Ilo. The day before starting this journey I went to Cusco with Nohemy and Alfredo and spent a very pleasant couple of days there with them, and they accompanied me to the bus terminal in the evening, which is situated in a dangerous part of town. Finally at 7.30 pm I was able to board the bus and they stayed with me until the very last moment to make sure everything was okay.
Boarding the bus involved each passenger being video´d with a camcorder and placing a fingerprint against each name on the passenger manifesto. On board I was relieved to sink into my seat. I had paid extra to travel ´bus cama´ on the ground floor of the bus where there are only nine seats, six of them in pairs and three singles, all of which recline almost horizontal into beds and mine was the front seat of the singles. With a 10-hour journey ahead of me to Arequipa I had hoped to be able to sleep part of the journey.
The bus left on time and shortly afterwards we were all served dinner, although I was unable to eat mine having not long ago tucked into ´Chicken a la Brasa´ with Nohemy and Alfedo but I did enjoy the pudding, a purple maize flavoured jelly sprinkled with cinnamon and the Mate de Coca (coca leaf tea) served afterwards.
Unfortunately even with the superb comfort of my reclining seat (even blanket and pillow was provided) I was unable to sleep all night. The day before I had caught a bad cough and that night I probably kept everyone else awake as well as I could not stop coughing all night long. I watched the telly for a while but eventually settled down with my iPod and listened to music the rest of the trip.
The bus actually pulled into the bus terminal at Arequipa almost an hour early, at just after 5 am. I knew Elva´s son Hugo would be coming at 6 am and luckily things open much earlier in Peru and I was able to go and get a cup of coffee to help pass the time until Hugo arrived. That was when I learned there are three bus terminals in Arequipa, two alongside each other and the third out near the airport. This could be quite confusing for some foreign visitors travelling independently!
Hugo arrived just before 6 o´clock and we went to the terminal alongside to buy my ticket for the next leg of the journey. There was a bus leaving for Ilo at 7 am and I bought a seat on that one. Hugo stayed with me until it was time to board, even stowing my bag above my seat, and promised to meet me again on the return leg of the journey a week later. Whilst with him I also bought my return ticket back to Cusco, again securing the first of the single seats on the ground floor of the bus. Hopefully by then I will be over this bad cough and able to sleep part of the journey.
I did manage to doze off fitfully between coughs on this last leg of the journey. There was nothing much to see outside as being in the desert there was nothing to see but sand, sand and more sand, sometimes mountainous dunes of it, plus the odd desert hick town. Finally at 12 noon we were descending the hill into Ilo itself and it was great to see all the fishing boats moored in the harbour, the beach on the sea front etc. About ten minutes later we arrived and Hugo senior was there awaiting me and it was great to see him. We got a taxi to the house where I was greeted warmly by Elva and their cute little dog called Duque (pronounced Dookay). We immediately sat down to lunch, a delicous chicken and vegetable soup, which she is going to make again so I can watch and learn the preparation, followed by huge pork chops served with cooked whole apples, and one of Elva´s delicious salads consisting of about ten different things very finely diced and then tossed in lime juice and a little salt.
I felt slightly embarassed to be arriving with such a bad cough but it was lovely being ´mothered´ by Elva who kept making me warm drinks to help, my favourite being the juice of two limes added to boiling water and sweetened. And before bed she boiled up a concoction of eucalyptus leaves and other herbs which I inhaled under a towel until most of the heat had gone. The combination of hot drinks and inhalation really helped me sleep that night and the next when I never thought I would.
Yesterday and today were spent quite quietly - visiting the market both days and it was gratifying that the people there remembered me from my previous visits. I bought some Yacon, a salad vegetable that comes from the rainforest, and is really delicious and not available in Urubamba. You peel it and grate it and add it to salads and I just love it. I also bought a load of purple olives for Nohemy and Alfredo as the ones produced in Ilo are the best in Peru. The weather yesterday was hot and sunny and I relaxed in the courtyard reading for part of the day, plus I took the dog for a walk down to the sea front which is only two blocks from the house. I intend to do that walk again without the dog soon so that I can take some photos down there. The plan today was to go to the beach in the afternoon but unfortunately today was overcast so it wasnt worth it. All being well we will go there tomorrow afternoon. I remember a sandy beach with rocks we went to by taxi in previous visits called Énglish Bay´ funnily enough. I will be here another four days after today so will write again nearer the end of my visit and will hopefully upload photos of Ilo near the beginning of November. More Cusco and Urubamba photos will be added to my photostream before the end of October.
Boarding the bus involved each passenger being video´d with a camcorder and placing a fingerprint against each name on the passenger manifesto. On board I was relieved to sink into my seat. I had paid extra to travel ´bus cama´ on the ground floor of the bus where there are only nine seats, six of them in pairs and three singles, all of which recline almost horizontal into beds and mine was the front seat of the singles. With a 10-hour journey ahead of me to Arequipa I had hoped to be able to sleep part of the journey.
The bus left on time and shortly afterwards we were all served dinner, although I was unable to eat mine having not long ago tucked into ´Chicken a la Brasa´ with Nohemy and Alfedo but I did enjoy the pudding, a purple maize flavoured jelly sprinkled with cinnamon and the Mate de Coca (coca leaf tea) served afterwards.
Unfortunately even with the superb comfort of my reclining seat (even blanket and pillow was provided) I was unable to sleep all night. The day before I had caught a bad cough and that night I probably kept everyone else awake as well as I could not stop coughing all night long. I watched the telly for a while but eventually settled down with my iPod and listened to music the rest of the trip.
The bus actually pulled into the bus terminal at Arequipa almost an hour early, at just after 5 am. I knew Elva´s son Hugo would be coming at 6 am and luckily things open much earlier in Peru and I was able to go and get a cup of coffee to help pass the time until Hugo arrived. That was when I learned there are three bus terminals in Arequipa, two alongside each other and the third out near the airport. This could be quite confusing for some foreign visitors travelling independently!
Hugo arrived just before 6 o´clock and we went to the terminal alongside to buy my ticket for the next leg of the journey. There was a bus leaving for Ilo at 7 am and I bought a seat on that one. Hugo stayed with me until it was time to board, even stowing my bag above my seat, and promised to meet me again on the return leg of the journey a week later. Whilst with him I also bought my return ticket back to Cusco, again securing the first of the single seats on the ground floor of the bus. Hopefully by then I will be over this bad cough and able to sleep part of the journey.
I did manage to doze off fitfully between coughs on this last leg of the journey. There was nothing much to see outside as being in the desert there was nothing to see but sand, sand and more sand, sometimes mountainous dunes of it, plus the odd desert hick town. Finally at 12 noon we were descending the hill into Ilo itself and it was great to see all the fishing boats moored in the harbour, the beach on the sea front etc. About ten minutes later we arrived and Hugo senior was there awaiting me and it was great to see him. We got a taxi to the house where I was greeted warmly by Elva and their cute little dog called Duque (pronounced Dookay). We immediately sat down to lunch, a delicous chicken and vegetable soup, which she is going to make again so I can watch and learn the preparation, followed by huge pork chops served with cooked whole apples, and one of Elva´s delicious salads consisting of about ten different things very finely diced and then tossed in lime juice and a little salt.
I felt slightly embarassed to be arriving with such a bad cough but it was lovely being ´mothered´ by Elva who kept making me warm drinks to help, my favourite being the juice of two limes added to boiling water and sweetened. And before bed she boiled up a concoction of eucalyptus leaves and other herbs which I inhaled under a towel until most of the heat had gone. The combination of hot drinks and inhalation really helped me sleep that night and the next when I never thought I would.
Yesterday and today were spent quite quietly - visiting the market both days and it was gratifying that the people there remembered me from my previous visits. I bought some Yacon, a salad vegetable that comes from the rainforest, and is really delicious and not available in Urubamba. You peel it and grate it and add it to salads and I just love it. I also bought a load of purple olives for Nohemy and Alfredo as the ones produced in Ilo are the best in Peru. The weather yesterday was hot and sunny and I relaxed in the courtyard reading for part of the day, plus I took the dog for a walk down to the sea front which is only two blocks from the house. I intend to do that walk again without the dog soon so that I can take some photos down there. The plan today was to go to the beach in the afternoon but unfortunately today was overcast so it wasnt worth it. All being well we will go there tomorrow afternoon. I remember a sandy beach with rocks we went to by taxi in previous visits called Énglish Bay´ funnily enough. I will be here another four days after today so will write again nearer the end of my visit and will hopefully upload photos of Ilo near the beginning of November. More Cusco and Urubamba photos will be added to my photostream before the end of October.
Visit to Pumawanca trout farm, live music in Urubamba
About a week ago Rosalio and his wife and children called for me and we got a couple of motos to the taxi stand and then negotiated the cost of a taxi to take us high into the hills to a trout farm called Pumawanka. This involved a delightful drive through lush countryside, the road winding ever higher and higher with splendid views down to the cultivated plains below, against the backdrop of mountains, through pretty hamlets until we reached the trout farm. At first we were the only ones there and it was a beautiful setting with ducks and chickens roaming, two friendly dogs, and the trout ponds. We then had fun catching our trout with nets and the two kids aged six and one loved playing in the water of the troughs with running water that led into the ponds.
We shared beers at rustic tables under a thatched roof and took delightful pictures, all of us enjoying the peaceful ambience. When we had caught enough trout the farm personnel went off to cook it and when it arrived it was absolutely delicious, lovely white fish instead of the pink ones you get in Urubamba, deliciously served with potatoes, rice, and a varied salad sprinkled with lime juice and relishes. A bit later two policemen arrived, parked their car below and had loud music blaring and asked if we minded and we said, turn up the volume! And they did and they were on the next table and we had a lot of fun with them, sharing beers, and they took pix of us too. We were there about 5 hours altogether and such a fun day out together did us all good and we all felt better for it.
There were no taxis back so we walked for about 45 minutes, enjoying the scent from the eucalyptus trees, picking wild flowers, taking the odd extra pic in trees etc until we reached the first village where we had to move aside as two bulls were led past us by an old andean man and woman, and then we were able to catch a couple of motos the rest of the way back, which would have taken a further half hour or more had we continued walking.
A couple of hours later Rosalio called for me again and we then met up with Socrates and Jose Luis and we walked down to the local football pitch, that night transformed into an enormous ballroom with stage and beer tents, where three live bands would be playing. The football pitch was packed with thousands - all ages, young and old, and beer and soft drinks were on sale. My favourite of the bands was the second one - a group from Ayacucho fronted by a singer called Milder Ore - I did not know his music until arriving here but I have bought two CDs since my arrival and that night I bought their latest one too. The first band was fronted by a singer called Rosita Bocangel who I wasn’t too impressed with, who was singing mostly huayno music, and the main band were Los Puntos del Amor, a cumbia band from Juliaca which is another form of music very popular here – not my favourite although it is very lively and good to dance to and I did a lot of dancing that night, with the guys accompanying me as well as others who joined up with us throughout the evening. We were there six hours altogether from arriving around 9 pm until the show finished at 3 am, by which time we were pretty tired. I was dreading leaving in case someone laid in wait to ambush us, me being the only foreigner among thousands. We left while the band were still doing their encores to get a headstart on the crowd, and much to my relief there was a row of motos outside awaiting passengers and we were able to make a swift getaway.
The only downside that day was being bitten to death around my ankles by mosquitos at the trout farm! All this time no sign of any mosquitos so I stopped taking my tablets and I was therefore unprotected and the next day I managed to find the tablets and get started on them again as it takes a week to be fully protected and any time there is rain there is more of a risk of mosquitos. Not only that, sometime in November the rainy season will start.
Also recently we went to the baby shower organized by Jose Luis and his wife whose baby is due in about 3 weeks time. Jose, the proud Dad is a lovely man and his wife is gorgeous too. Of all the women she is definitely my favourite. I bought a lovely pale green knitted outfit (cardigan, leggings, bonnet, bootees and toy duck for a baby bath) plus a soft fleecy pale green wrap with a hood for the head with a teddy bear design on it,and two lovely pairs of baby socks. The baby shower was held in a small community centre in Yucay - we arrived at 4.30 in the afternoon and were given dinner - it actually started at 6 o clock but we got the time wrong, but it didn´t matter. I had no idea then that we would be there over 12 hours!!!!
The other guests arrived and it was a truly fun evening - in addition to snacks being brought round all evening, there was a clown who got everyone involved in funny things to break the ice and then later on the gift exchanging etc and the proud parents had bought crate after crate of Cusquena beer and there was lots of dancing, live music including various musicians getting up and either playing flutes or panpipes or singing, guitarists, favourite music on CD etc. Until 3.30 am it was fantastic but then the beer ran out and the guys decided to club together to buy another crate! They bought a crate of Cristal litre bottles which I never thought they would finish. I was falling asleep on my chair and all the women were calmly waiting for their men to finish the crate of beer. It was a long walk home with no transport so no choice but to wait. Loads of kids were asleep on chairs and there were no taxis so we faced the prospect of a long walk, the men carrying the sleeping children.
As it happened the crate was finally finished off at 5 am and we were then able to get a minibus and we all piled in and got dropped off at the garage on the main road in Urubamba, from where we could all get motos home. I slept well for 4 hours and felt no ill effects from such a short night´s sleep.
We shared beers at rustic tables under a thatched roof and took delightful pictures, all of us enjoying the peaceful ambience. When we had caught enough trout the farm personnel went off to cook it and when it arrived it was absolutely delicious, lovely white fish instead of the pink ones you get in Urubamba, deliciously served with potatoes, rice, and a varied salad sprinkled with lime juice and relishes. A bit later two policemen arrived, parked their car below and had loud music blaring and asked if we minded and we said, turn up the volume! And they did and they were on the next table and we had a lot of fun with them, sharing beers, and they took pix of us too. We were there about 5 hours altogether and such a fun day out together did us all good and we all felt better for it.
There were no taxis back so we walked for about 45 minutes, enjoying the scent from the eucalyptus trees, picking wild flowers, taking the odd extra pic in trees etc until we reached the first village where we had to move aside as two bulls were led past us by an old andean man and woman, and then we were able to catch a couple of motos the rest of the way back, which would have taken a further half hour or more had we continued walking.
A couple of hours later Rosalio called for me again and we then met up with Socrates and Jose Luis and we walked down to the local football pitch, that night transformed into an enormous ballroom with stage and beer tents, where three live bands would be playing. The football pitch was packed with thousands - all ages, young and old, and beer and soft drinks were on sale. My favourite of the bands was the second one - a group from Ayacucho fronted by a singer called Milder Ore - I did not know his music until arriving here but I have bought two CDs since my arrival and that night I bought their latest one too. The first band was fronted by a singer called Rosita Bocangel who I wasn’t too impressed with, who was singing mostly huayno music, and the main band were Los Puntos del Amor, a cumbia band from Juliaca which is another form of music very popular here – not my favourite although it is very lively and good to dance to and I did a lot of dancing that night, with the guys accompanying me as well as others who joined up with us throughout the evening. We were there six hours altogether from arriving around 9 pm until the show finished at 3 am, by which time we were pretty tired. I was dreading leaving in case someone laid in wait to ambush us, me being the only foreigner among thousands. We left while the band were still doing their encores to get a headstart on the crowd, and much to my relief there was a row of motos outside awaiting passengers and we were able to make a swift getaway.
The only downside that day was being bitten to death around my ankles by mosquitos at the trout farm! All this time no sign of any mosquitos so I stopped taking my tablets and I was therefore unprotected and the next day I managed to find the tablets and get started on them again as it takes a week to be fully protected and any time there is rain there is more of a risk of mosquitos. Not only that, sometime in November the rainy season will start.
Also recently we went to the baby shower organized by Jose Luis and his wife whose baby is due in about 3 weeks time. Jose, the proud Dad is a lovely man and his wife is gorgeous too. Of all the women she is definitely my favourite. I bought a lovely pale green knitted outfit (cardigan, leggings, bonnet, bootees and toy duck for a baby bath) plus a soft fleecy pale green wrap with a hood for the head with a teddy bear design on it,and two lovely pairs of baby socks. The baby shower was held in a small community centre in Yucay - we arrived at 4.30 in the afternoon and were given dinner - it actually started at 6 o clock but we got the time wrong, but it didn´t matter. I had no idea then that we would be there over 12 hours!!!!
The other guests arrived and it was a truly fun evening - in addition to snacks being brought round all evening, there was a clown who got everyone involved in funny things to break the ice and then later on the gift exchanging etc and the proud parents had bought crate after crate of Cusquena beer and there was lots of dancing, live music including various musicians getting up and either playing flutes or panpipes or singing, guitarists, favourite music on CD etc. Until 3.30 am it was fantastic but then the beer ran out and the guys decided to club together to buy another crate! They bought a crate of Cristal litre bottles which I never thought they would finish. I was falling asleep on my chair and all the women were calmly waiting for their men to finish the crate of beer. It was a long walk home with no transport so no choice but to wait. Loads of kids were asleep on chairs and there were no taxis so we faced the prospect of a long walk, the men carrying the sleeping children.
As it happened the crate was finally finished off at 5 am and we were then able to get a minibus and we all piled in and got dropped off at the garage on the main road in Urubamba, from where we could all get motos home. I slept well for 4 hours and felt no ill effects from such a short night´s sleep.
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