Peru – Innards, Pre-Incas & Pisco Sours

The Short Bit

Day: 11 March/12 March.

Activities:  Market, tour of 5000 year old Caral.

Highlight: The snake (see below) and the Pisco Sours.

Panpipe song of the day: What a wonderful world – Louis Amstrong

Mood: Relaxed – the weekend has landed.

Learning: Stick to the ‘1 pisco sour rule’

Hashtag: #whatawonderfulworld

 

The Long Bit

Friday started out with a trip to the market.  While shopping for 46 fish (which the man gutted, skinned and filleted in front of us in super quick time), we turned a corner to find a man selling hand cream.  In order to demonstrate the ‘100% natural’ properties of his cream, he kindly brought along the key ingredient – a full length snake sliced down the middle.

Displaying the innards of their produce (especially chicken), is the norm here and today we were also lucky enough to be treated to a guinea pig pile-up (look they are waving at us).

After a quick lunch, a group of us headed off on a four hour drive to Caral stopping half way for an overnight in a mock Castle.  We arrived at 5:30pm to find that everything (including restaurants and the swimming pool we had all been dreaming about) closed at 6pm, so had to beg them to let us eat something, which surprise-surprise was to be chicken.  Don’t get me wrong, I love chicken but when you’ve eaten it at least once a day for the last 7 days, we were all looking forward to something a bit different.  However, the view and pisco-sours more than made up for  it.

the drive to Caral

 

the Castille

Chicken, Pisco Sours & Inca Cola

Wowsers

Unfortunately, one member of our group received a full on Peruvian welcome during the night, and spent most of it in the toilet.  I’m hoping Peru doesn’t want to welcome me that way, although it has said hi to most people at the home-base so far so I’m sure my turn will come.  All part of the experience….

Saturday we arrived in Caral, a 5000 year old working archaeological site pre-dating the Egyptian Pyramids and Inca civilisations.  Really amazing place surrounded by desert, green pastures and the Andean Mountains.  My photos really don’t do it justice.

(Side note: not sticking to the ‘1 pisco rule’ the night before could have been a mistake given the 2 and half hour walking tour in 35 degree heat!!).

After a 4 hour ride home, my room-mate and I (the oldies) were moved out of the home-base to a hotel as 19 more volunteers arrived and there weren’t enough beds!  Bit of a shame as we are now a 15 minute walk away but on the plus side we only have to share a shower between the two of us, there’s wifi and we can see the mountains from our window.

Ciao for now guys and keep posting comments.  I’m enjoying reading them and you’re keeping me company xx