So after a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad bus ride, we arrived back at our hotel in Cuzco at about 10am. I thought we'd have breakfast included, but since we got there just as they stopped serving, I had to rely on my snack provisions. I shared a room with Jenny and tried to get settled a bit since we were finally going to be in the same town for a few days in a row. Once I'd unpacked, I used the internet at the hotel (which was extremely unreliable), then headed out to call my dad at about 1pm. I got caught up with him a bit, then went shopping at the smaller artisanal mall. I remembered liking their selection of photo albums better, so I finally got my big present to myself for 43 soles (about 15 bucks). I got a handful of cheap bracelets for myself as well.
I left the mall in search of lunch and saw the masses of people gathered on the streets for Corpus Christi. The celebration, meaning "Body of Christ," honors the transubstantiation of wine and bread into Christ. The main celebration of this holiday takes place in Cuzco, where fifteen saints and virgins, organized in several processions, arrive from different places to the Cathedral to greet the body of Christ.
So, due to the crazy herds of people that made it almost impossible to find a comfortable place to eat, I walked around a bit until I found tons of food booths by Plaza San Francisco. There, tons of different locals were serving a dish called chiriuchu. I saw guinea pigs, chicken and more being served on heaping plates for 18 soles. I figured it was definitely worth trying, so I picked a booth and got my food. The place was packed, so I sat next to a Peruvian family and talked a bit with them about what I was eating and my travels in Peru. Chiriuchu is a traditional meal served at this time and is always eaten cold. It consists of a piece of corn bread, roasted guinea pig, chicken, pork, sausage, water weeds, fish roe, a slice of cheese, pepper slices, and cancha (traditional roasted corn... we've had this in Peru a lot, and while it's tasty, it's so dry that I can barely eat one without feeling the need to chug a glass of water. I hadn't bought a drink yet so I couldn't eat it). It was my first time trying guinea pig; there was barely any meat on the portion I was served, mostly just the insides, and it was somewhat green and salty and just not what I had envisioned. I couldn't eat more than one bite without wanting to gag... as far as the rest of it, the chicken had no flavor, the pork and sausage was really tasty, the cheese was typical Peruvian cheese, I thought the peppers were sweet and made a terrible mistake of taking a big bite of one, I surprisingly liked the fish roe, and the corn bread was delicious. Either way, I'm glad that I tried the dish because when in Peru, do as the Peruvians do.
Walking back to the hotel, I saw people on the streets selling cotton candy, ice cream, chica morada, and even a Barney selling Barney-shaped bubble wands. I bought a candy-coated apple and three types of incense (vanilla, cinnamon and lavender). Right by the hotel, I found a big slice of chocolate cake for 2 soles and bought that as well. I was finally able to take a much-needed nap, which was especially necessary since it's Kaitlyn's birthday and I'll be turning 22 at midnight.
Once I woke up around 7pm and got ready for the night, I walked downstairs in search of my friends. I heard some of them talking in one of the rooms on the first floor and walked in to find Andres, Tomas, Vinny and others hanging out with some whiskey and tunes. I joined them and the crowd expanded in time. Kaitlyn eventually joined us and we, of course, wished her a happy birthday. She and a handful of others left to go out to dinner followed by a discoteca. At that point, I decided to go out with Andres, Tomas, Syeda, Leslie and a few others... none of us were really in the mood for the discoteca (especially since they're too crowded and just not as fun as the ones in Lima), so we headed to Norton's Pub. Some of my classmates had been to the place before and liked it; it was a really relaxing place to have a beer and play some darts or pool. I'd never really played darts before and, while I wanted to play, I ended up waiting my turn until my chance was over. Still, I was in good company and enjoyed the laidback atmosphere of the place. By midnight, a few people had left to join the others at the discoteca. Andres bought me a shot of tequila, and we all took one once I officially turned 22 (I never drink tequila usually, but something about Peru has kind of changed that).
Eventually, we decided to join the rest of the group at Inca Team. As soon as Andres and Tomas walked in the door, they decided to head home. The place was packed beyond packed. I decided to go in since it was officially my birthday and I wanted to celebrate with everybody... I bought another shot and tried to dance with my friends, but it was just ridiculously crowded inside. I could barely even move my arms up. I ended up taking a cab back a little after 1:30 and went to sleep for another big, big day.
I left the mall in search of lunch and saw the masses of people gathered on the streets for Corpus Christi. The celebration, meaning "Body of Christ," honors the transubstantiation of wine and bread into Christ. The main celebration of this holiday takes place in Cuzco, where fifteen saints and virgins, organized in several processions, arrive from different places to the Cathedral to greet the body of Christ.
So, due to the crazy herds of people that made it almost impossible to find a comfortable place to eat, I walked around a bit until I found tons of food booths by Plaza San Francisco. There, tons of different locals were serving a dish called chiriuchu. I saw guinea pigs, chicken and more being served on heaping plates for 18 soles. I figured it was definitely worth trying, so I picked a booth and got my food. The place was packed, so I sat next to a Peruvian family and talked a bit with them about what I was eating and my travels in Peru. Chiriuchu is a traditional meal served at this time and is always eaten cold. It consists of a piece of corn bread, roasted guinea pig, chicken, pork, sausage, water weeds, fish roe, a slice of cheese, pepper slices, and cancha (traditional roasted corn... we've had this in Peru a lot, and while it's tasty, it's so dry that I can barely eat one without feeling the need to chug a glass of water. I hadn't bought a drink yet so I couldn't eat it). It was my first time trying guinea pig; there was barely any meat on the portion I was served, mostly just the insides, and it was somewhat green and salty and just not what I had envisioned. I couldn't eat more than one bite without wanting to gag... as far as the rest of it, the chicken had no flavor, the pork and sausage was really tasty, the cheese was typical Peruvian cheese, I thought the peppers were sweet and made a terrible mistake of taking a big bite of one, I surprisingly liked the fish roe, and the corn bread was delicious. Either way, I'm glad that I tried the dish because when in Peru, do as the Peruvians do.
Walking back to the hotel, I saw people on the streets selling cotton candy, ice cream, chica morada, and even a Barney selling Barney-shaped bubble wands. I bought a candy-coated apple and three types of incense (vanilla, cinnamon and lavender). Right by the hotel, I found a big slice of chocolate cake for 2 soles and bought that as well. I was finally able to take a much-needed nap, which was especially necessary since it's Kaitlyn's birthday and I'll be turning 22 at midnight.
Once I woke up around 7pm and got ready for the night, I walked downstairs in search of my friends. I heard some of them talking in one of the rooms on the first floor and walked in to find Andres, Tomas, Vinny and others hanging out with some whiskey and tunes. I joined them and the crowd expanded in time. Kaitlyn eventually joined us and we, of course, wished her a happy birthday. She and a handful of others left to go out to dinner followed by a discoteca. At that point, I decided to go out with Andres, Tomas, Syeda, Leslie and a few others... none of us were really in the mood for the discoteca (especially since they're too crowded and just not as fun as the ones in Lima), so we headed to Norton's Pub. Some of my classmates had been to the place before and liked it; it was a really relaxing place to have a beer and play some darts or pool. I'd never really played darts before and, while I wanted to play, I ended up waiting my turn until my chance was over. Still, I was in good company and enjoyed the laidback atmosphere of the place. By midnight, a few people had left to join the others at the discoteca. Andres bought me a shot of tequila, and we all took one once I officially turned 22 (I never drink tequila usually, but something about Peru has kind of changed that).
Eventually, we decided to join the rest of the group at Inca Team. As soon as Andres and Tomas walked in the door, they decided to head home. The place was packed beyond packed. I decided to go in since it was officially my birthday and I wanted to celebrate with everybody... I bought another shot and tried to dance with my friends, but it was just ridiculously crowded inside. I could barely even move my arms up. I ended up taking a cab back a little after 1:30 and went to sleep for another big, big day.
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