This, for now, will be my last post on this site. It isn't my last last posting, but this chapter is now over and the next one is already unfolding.
I'm home from Peru. For good. Certain factors, including 2 months of being sick with Salmonella (and other maladies), the constant feeling of being cold and the realization that I was no longer in Peru for myself prompted me to buy a plane ticket and leave.
Without airing dirty laundry here, I'll tell you that my relationship with Hum was a beautiful one. He taught me a lot about myself, including what I will and will not accept from a partner. We weren't meant to be together anymore -- and truthfully, I found myself staying there more and more just for him. That could never work for me. So, we parted ways with love and fond memories.
The restaurant is now completely in his capable hands. He's going to do some wonderful stuff there, so be sure to stop by if you're ever traveling through Cusco!
And as for my career, it was time to really get back to what I live and breathe for: Massage. I hadn't been able to practice the way I wanted to in Peru -- there were so few people to learn from and with the restaurant keeping me so busy I barely had time to see clients. So, that had to change, too. But that was a part of the bigger change that had to happen. It was time to leave.
And so I did. A few weeks ago, I packed my bags (well, Jess, Maria and Niki packed my bags -- I'm a horrible packer) and shipped out. I landed in Miami, spent a week there with my family, took care of some medical issues and flew back to Connecticut with my mom when she and her boyfriend got back from their cruise. New England has always been my home -- even after 15 years of living in DC -- and it's good to finally know I'll be living there. I'd missed my mom and knew that it was time to live closer to her, so change is now underway!
And so here's the plan (for now): I'll be living in New Haven, CT, for now and will be setting up my massage practice there as well. I will be making frequent trips/visits to DC to see my clients (and dogs) there and hopefully start teaching again.
My next visit down to DC will be the last weekend in October (I'll send out an announcement to all clients when I have studio space secured to start taking appointments).
So, in a nutshell, that was Peru. But you know as well as I do that this past year will never be "just Peru." My life has changed beyond words and I have grown into someone I completely love. And everyone who has helped me get there -- both in Peru and back here in the states, you have my extreme gratitude and undying love. You are all rockstars.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Robberies, Birthdays, Abcesses and Still Standing
I was going to start this post with "What a friggin' week," but decided that I think that waaaay too often and just need to accept that the roller coaster that is my life is par for the course when you live here in Cusco. I'm not quick to accept this, as I've been blogging for almost an entire year now and, when I look back and read some earlier posts, I wonder if my life here will ever just be normal.
Yes, I've been here for almost a year. June 21st will mark the anniversary and well, if you've been reading along, you'll know that a lot has changed. I came here with the plan to teach English as a backup if I couldn't set up a massage practice. The latter turned out to be easier than I thought, so teaching got ruled out the first week I was here. I separated and later divorced my wonderful husband, freeing us both in a way that has allowed us to enjoy our lives so much more (he was just here for a visit). And I met and am still dating a man who challenges me to think differently about myself every day we are together (this is a good thing for me -- I spent too many years stuck in the same thoughts). We traveled all through Peru together -- all the way into Ecuador -- then moved into our own house and opened a restaurant. I feel like I've lived 5 lifetimes since last June and I know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. We'll see what the next year brings!
And now back to the week from hell that we gratefully survived. To start things off, the restaurant got robbed. It was early last Saturday morning -- they broke all of our locks (there were 3) and stole our microwave, blender and tank of gas. They didn't seem to be very smart thieves, as they left a lot of alcohol and a stereo behind, but the sheer violation of the act was enough to put me on guard (and pretty much suspect everyone who walked into the restaurant that day). Thankfully, Amy was working with me and made sure our patrons were well taken care of, as I wasn't in the mood to talk. We replaced everything that was stolen within a couple of hours and opened in time for lunch that day, but by the time we closed that night, I was thankful that we were closed the following two days.
And the following day (Sunday), Hum left for Sicuani to vote. It's mandatory in Peru to vote (or you get fined), but I asked him to try to return that night, if possible. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible (all the cars back to Cusco were full) and he went to play soccer instead. And he was sick.
I don't understand men and soccer here. They will pretty much drag themselves off their deathbeds to play soccer if they receive an invitation to play. Hum knew he was sick and he went to play anyway. And then he got sicker. And an abscessed tooth. He went back to the hospital twice before finally making it back to Cusco, where I had been unable to sleep for those few nights, thinking every little sound outside was a robber. And then you add in 12-hour days at the restaurant while he was too sick to move and you can bet that my nerves were shot. I was a frazzled, sleepless mess.
And in the middle of all this I had a birthday. Hum -- with his swollen face and all -- got up at 7am on my birthday, went down to Mercado San Pedro and brought me back 3 beautiful red roses. We slept some more, and I went down to the restaurant to prep for lunch, where a bunch of my friends stopped by with instruments, chocolate, flowers and a "mamacha" hat (basically a white top hat with a purple silk ribbon) and sang "Happy Birthday" as loud as possible. It was super sweet and completely unexpected.
I closed after lunch, got a massage from an excellent therapist (those are almost impossible to find here) and then got kicked out of my house as Hum and his sister, Yen, were cooking up something in the kitchen. After about an hour of killing time at a local restaurant, Hum came to meet me and escort me back to the house where a gaggle of people were waiting to surprise me. Hum had cooked up a storm and we had a beautiful night of good food and even better company.
And then Hum's abscess got worse. He went to the doctor the next day where, to reduce the swelling and infection, the doc drained the puss and blood from the inside of his cheek. An injection and a full bag of antibiotics later, he was laid up for the next couple of days while I took care of the restaurant and started losing my mind again due to all work and no play.
Thankfully, our friends/assistants in the restaurant took notice and kicked us out of the place on Saturday night and made us go on a date. It was long overdue and we were both grateful for the opportunity to get away -- even if just for a couple of hours. We came back in time to close up and scurried home to crash into bed and remember that while the week was complete shit, we still had each other.
We spent Sunday at the pool and spa in Pisac with friends and I took a full load of clients on Monday while Hum shopped for the restaurant. We opened again on Tuesday with a fresh outlook -- the week before a distant memory.
Yes, I've been here for almost a year. June 21st will mark the anniversary and well, if you've been reading along, you'll know that a lot has changed. I came here with the plan to teach English as a backup if I couldn't set up a massage practice. The latter turned out to be easier than I thought, so teaching got ruled out the first week I was here. I separated and later divorced my wonderful husband, freeing us both in a way that has allowed us to enjoy our lives so much more (he was just here for a visit). And I met and am still dating a man who challenges me to think differently about myself every day we are together (this is a good thing for me -- I spent too many years stuck in the same thoughts). We traveled all through Peru together -- all the way into Ecuador -- then moved into our own house and opened a restaurant. I feel like I've lived 5 lifetimes since last June and I know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. We'll see what the next year brings!
And now back to the week from hell that we gratefully survived. To start things off, the restaurant got robbed. It was early last Saturday morning -- they broke all of our locks (there were 3) and stole our microwave, blender and tank of gas. They didn't seem to be very smart thieves, as they left a lot of alcohol and a stereo behind, but the sheer violation of the act was enough to put me on guard (and pretty much suspect everyone who walked into the restaurant that day). Thankfully, Amy was working with me and made sure our patrons were well taken care of, as I wasn't in the mood to talk. We replaced everything that was stolen within a couple of hours and opened in time for lunch that day, but by the time we closed that night, I was thankful that we were closed the following two days.
And the following day (Sunday), Hum left for Sicuani to vote. It's mandatory in Peru to vote (or you get fined), but I asked him to try to return that night, if possible. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible (all the cars back to Cusco were full) and he went to play soccer instead. And he was sick.
I don't understand men and soccer here. They will pretty much drag themselves off their deathbeds to play soccer if they receive an invitation to play. Hum knew he was sick and he went to play anyway. And then he got sicker. And an abscessed tooth. He went back to the hospital twice before finally making it back to Cusco, where I had been unable to sleep for those few nights, thinking every little sound outside was a robber. And then you add in 12-hour days at the restaurant while he was too sick to move and you can bet that my nerves were shot. I was a frazzled, sleepless mess.
And in the middle of all this I had a birthday. Hum -- with his swollen face and all -- got up at 7am on my birthday, went down to Mercado San Pedro and brought me back 3 beautiful red roses. We slept some more, and I went down to the restaurant to prep for lunch, where a bunch of my friends stopped by with instruments, chocolate, flowers and a "mamacha" hat (basically a white top hat with a purple silk ribbon) and sang "Happy Birthday" as loud as possible. It was super sweet and completely unexpected.
I closed after lunch, got a massage from an excellent therapist (those are almost impossible to find here) and then got kicked out of my house as Hum and his sister, Yen, were cooking up something in the kitchen. After about an hour of killing time at a local restaurant, Hum came to meet me and escort me back to the house where a gaggle of people were waiting to surprise me. Hum had cooked up a storm and we had a beautiful night of good food and even better company.
And then Hum's abscess got worse. He went to the doctor the next day where, to reduce the swelling and infection, the doc drained the puss and blood from the inside of his cheek. An injection and a full bag of antibiotics later, he was laid up for the next couple of days while I took care of the restaurant and started losing my mind again due to all work and no play.
Thankfully, our friends/assistants in the restaurant took notice and kicked us out of the place on Saturday night and made us go on a date. It was long overdue and we were both grateful for the opportunity to get away -- even if just for a couple of hours. We came back in time to close up and scurried home to crash into bed and remember that while the week was complete shit, we still had each other.
We spent Sunday at the pool and spa in Pisac with friends and I took a full load of clients on Monday while Hum shopped for the restaurant. We opened again on Tuesday with a fresh outlook -- the week before a distant memory.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
PastaMama Is Open for Business
Whew. I really don't know if there are words to describe the past few weeks, but I'll give it a shot. Whirlwind. Complete insanity. Beautiful. Pure joy. Not enough sleep.
PastaMama opened quietly a little less than three weeks ago and thanks to the quality of our food, the cuteness of the space (that's quite important here, since so many restaurants in Cusco are just butt ugly), the competency and friendliness of our staff and the amazing generosity of all of our friends here in town who've patronized the restaurant and spread the word we have been busier than we ever imagined.
We actually RAN OUT OF FOOD our first Saturday night. Unbelievable.
The process leading up to the opening was stressful, but Hum and I survived with only a few scratches. We argued over stupid things, made waaaay too many trips to Plasticos 2000 (where you can buy everything under the sun -- except food), and patiently waited for our carpenter to deliver what he promised. And he did -- just a few weeks late.
And then we got down to cooking. Hum is making the sauces while I'm doing all of the desserts and a special of the day (could be a soup or possibly something from the oven). Our pasta comes from Abancay, a town in the Cusco region about 4 hours away and it is ABSOLUTELY delicious. It cooks quickly and the texture and flavor are unlike any other pasta you can find here in Cusquenian restaurants (most use store-bought, cheap stuff). Our food is good and inexpensive (about s./10 a plate -- that's about $3) and word is spreading, thanks to our good friends here. We were so tired our first week that we literally fell into bed every night. We're getting more accustomed to it now, and so it's been a little easier. And it's been a lot of fun!
I love that I have my own restaurant and can cook whatever I want. We have 6 sauces that stay the same every day, but I can change everything else. And I do. Depending on what I find in the market, I will make anything from a mushroom and barley soup to a polenta lasagna. Creativity is key (as well as intuition when it comes to cooking. We've had no complaints yet and quite a few return customers, so I think we're on the right track -- even if some of them are only returning for the peppermint patty pie.
Some photos of our tiny little restaurant...
Exhaustion is something I figured would happen but there was just no way to prepare for it. Owning and operating a restaurant -- even a tiny one like ours -- is EXHAUSTING. We are working hard to make this a place people want to go to, and it hasn't been easy -- but it's definitely been rewarding. I just need to catch up on my sleep!
And, to top it off, I have been blessed with "in-laws" that I absolutely love. Hum's mom and sister have visited a few times since we've opened and have been saviors. They clean our house, do laundry and anything else they can to help. I'm their "Maricita" and it's refreshing and wonderful to have family that shows so much love for me without asking or expecting anything in return. This is a first for me and I'm almost overwhelmed with emotion when I think of how amazing they've been.
I will be doing my best to post a little more regularly, but, well, you know. I own a restaurant now.
PastaMama opened quietly a little less than three weeks ago and thanks to the quality of our food, the cuteness of the space (that's quite important here, since so many restaurants in Cusco are just butt ugly), the competency and friendliness of our staff and the amazing generosity of all of our friends here in town who've patronized the restaurant and spread the word we have been busier than we ever imagined.
We actually RAN OUT OF FOOD our first Saturday night. Unbelievable.
The process leading up to the opening was stressful, but Hum and I survived with only a few scratches. We argued over stupid things, made waaaay too many trips to Plasticos 2000 (where you can buy everything under the sun -- except food), and patiently waited for our carpenter to deliver what he promised. And he did -- just a few weeks late.
And then we got down to cooking. Hum is making the sauces while I'm doing all of the desserts and a special of the day (could be a soup or possibly something from the oven). Our pasta comes from Abancay, a town in the Cusco region about 4 hours away and it is ABSOLUTELY delicious. It cooks quickly and the texture and flavor are unlike any other pasta you can find here in Cusquenian restaurants (most use store-bought, cheap stuff). Our food is good and inexpensive (about s./10 a plate -- that's about $3) and word is spreading, thanks to our good friends here. We were so tired our first week that we literally fell into bed every night. We're getting more accustomed to it now, and so it's been a little easier. And it's been a lot of fun!
I love that I have my own restaurant and can cook whatever I want. We have 6 sauces that stay the same every day, but I can change everything else. And I do. Depending on what I find in the market, I will make anything from a mushroom and barley soup to a polenta lasagna. Creativity is key (as well as intuition when it comes to cooking. We've had no complaints yet and quite a few return customers, so I think we're on the right track -- even if some of them are only returning for the peppermint patty pie.
Some photos of our tiny little restaurant...
Exhaustion is something I figured would happen but there was just no way to prepare for it. Owning and operating a restaurant -- even a tiny one like ours -- is EXHAUSTING. We are working hard to make this a place people want to go to, and it hasn't been easy -- but it's definitely been rewarding. I just need to catch up on my sleep!
And, to top it off, I have been blessed with "in-laws" that I absolutely love. Hum's mom and sister have visited a few times since we've opened and have been saviors. They clean our house, do laundry and anything else they can to help. I'm their "Maricita" and it's refreshing and wonderful to have family that shows so much love for me without asking or expecting anything in return. This is a first for me and I'm almost overwhelmed with emotion when I think of how amazing they've been.
I will be doing my best to post a little more regularly, but, well, you know. I own a restaurant now.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Una Pausa
I've spent the past week back in the U.S. with just a few more days to go. It's been great. The first leg was in DC, where I got to spend time with Mike and the dogs, visit with friends and clients and get lots of massages. Like 3 of them. My body doesn't like stress and when it feels particularly under the gun (like when you're opening a restaurant) it manifests into physical pain. I was (literally) aching for my therapists at home and, fortunately for me, they were all available for sessions when I arrived.
Whew. With my body under control (and soft and mushy), I spent the rest of the time cuddling Sam and Stella, lunching and dinnering with good friends and shopping. I've got a restaurant to buy for (and a weight limit to adhere to with the airline), so shopping was slow and selective. I cleaned out a lot of stuff from my DC kitchen as well (Mike never used the pasta machine anyway) and am almost ready to schlep it all back to Cusco.
And then I headed up to Connecticut to be with my mom. It's been a fun trip -- I tried out some new recipes in her awesome kitchen, watched a fair amount of TV and just slept. I had fully intended to make it to NYC for a day or two but am so relaxed and comfortable here in CT that I just don't think I have the energy to make it there. Next time.
Being back in the U.S. gets less and less strange each visit. I felt like a fish out of water the last time and couldn't wait to get back to Cusco. And while I'm still eager to get back to Peru on this trip, too, I'm a little more accustomed to being here again. I like having endless minutes on my cell phone and a Starbucks or Target just a few blocks away -- at least for a little while. And while I love my friends down in Peru, there's something to say about being around the people who've known you as long as my stateside friends have.
And then there was Gabs! She lives in Maryland and we got to spend an entire afternoon together last week (and for good measure, we ran into each other again by accident a few days later -- of course). It was wonderful. Lunch, shopping, walking around and catching up. I needed that. Big Time. I knew I was missing her, but I just couldn't believe how much until I saw her. If only I could get her to come back to Peru...
Being back in Connecticut has also got me doing something I never thought I'd do: consider moving back here. I love Peru but I know I'm not going to live there forever. I've got at least another year there -- and if the restaurant goes well, maybe longer -- but I think I will eventually feel the urge to live stateside again. And while I also love DC, it might be good to start fresh somewhere -- and be close to my mom, NYC and (close enough to) the dogs in DC. New Haven might be just the place...
Heading off to my last massage of the trip! If anyone needs an AMAZING therapist up here in Connecticut, shoot me an email -- this woman is fantastic -- and I'll give you her info.
Whew. With my body under control (and soft and mushy), I spent the rest of the time cuddling Sam and Stella, lunching and dinnering with good friends and shopping. I've got a restaurant to buy for (and a weight limit to adhere to with the airline), so shopping was slow and selective. I cleaned out a lot of stuff from my DC kitchen as well (Mike never used the pasta machine anyway) and am almost ready to schlep it all back to Cusco.
And then I headed up to Connecticut to be with my mom. It's been a fun trip -- I tried out some new recipes in her awesome kitchen, watched a fair amount of TV and just slept. I had fully intended to make it to NYC for a day or two but am so relaxed and comfortable here in CT that I just don't think I have the energy to make it there. Next time.
Being back in the U.S. gets less and less strange each visit. I felt like a fish out of water the last time and couldn't wait to get back to Cusco. And while I'm still eager to get back to Peru on this trip, too, I'm a little more accustomed to being here again. I like having endless minutes on my cell phone and a Starbucks or Target just a few blocks away -- at least for a little while. And while I love my friends down in Peru, there's something to say about being around the people who've known you as long as my stateside friends have.
And then there was Gabs! She lives in Maryland and we got to spend an entire afternoon together last week (and for good measure, we ran into each other again by accident a few days later -- of course). It was wonderful. Lunch, shopping, walking around and catching up. I needed that. Big Time. I knew I was missing her, but I just couldn't believe how much until I saw her. If only I could get her to come back to Peru...
Being back in Connecticut has also got me doing something I never thought I'd do: consider moving back here. I love Peru but I know I'm not going to live there forever. I've got at least another year there -- and if the restaurant goes well, maybe longer -- but I think I will eventually feel the urge to live stateside again. And while I also love DC, it might be good to start fresh somewhere -- and be close to my mom, NYC and (close enough to) the dogs in DC. New Haven might be just the place...
Heading off to my last massage of the trip! If anyone needs an AMAZING therapist up here in Connecticut, shoot me an email -- this woman is fantastic -- and I'll give you her info.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Sending Wiskey Off in Lima (and a Few Days to Kill Afterwards)
We arrived in Lima on Wednesday afternoon with enough time to meet with the representative Whitney had hired to help ship Whiskey to the U.S. He was a nice guy, checked our paperwork and determined that we needed to do more work. Oy.
The paperwork process to ship a dog to the U.S. is a pain in the ass. Starting at the vet in Cusco, we paid s./100 (about $30) for him to give us health certificates and other official documents. I don't recall Whiskey ever getting a check-up (other than shots), but somehow he got every bit of paperwork he needed to go to the United States with just a wad of money placed in his hand. Who'd have thought you could grease the palms of vets??
But then we had to deal with SENASA. It's the bureaucratic portion of the process. They're the ones who "approve" all of the (fake) paperwork to let Whiskey go to the U.S. And, of course, you have to pay them, too. It's a more official process though. You have to go to the bank and deposit another s./100 in their account and bring back the document stating that the money's there. And then they claim to want to see the dog before the flight to make sure he's healthy (although they barely glanced at him when we brought him there) and give us more paperwork and send us on our way.
The SENASA employee I brought all the paperwork to had 3 days to do the work to get Whiskey ready before we brought him in for his final "inspection." When we brought him in the day before we left, she was messing around on her computer, the paperwork NOT ready. Humberto just shrugs his shoulders as if that's just the way it is. I usually do the same, but this time had had enough. So, politely but sternly I asked this woman (in Spanish) why the documents weren't ready since she'd had 3 days to prepare them.
This woman was clearly not prepared for a question like this. Laziness is the norm here (unfortunately) and so she just assumed we'd tolerate this and quietly wait for her to do her job. That was not going to be the case this time. She made a bunch of excuses, blaming other co-workers, but I wasn't buying it. So, I followed her around for the next hour, and made sure everything was in order. She didn't like that very much.
But we got all the paperwork and were on our way. But when Pablo, Whitney's rep in Lima, checked it, he said that the photocopy of the health certificate wasn't sufficient and we needed the original. SENASA had kept the original, telling us that all we needed was the copy. But since they were in Cusco, we had no way of retrieving it. Soooo, off we went to find another vet to give Whiskey a "check up" (read: look at him, take our money and give us another certificate). With that in hand by the end of the day, we crashed in our hotel early that night (with Whiskey), awoke the next morning and headed back to the airport (the cargo section), met with Pablo and handed Whiskey over to him.
We stopped in one of Lima's parks along the coast on our way back from the vet to the hotel
Hum was rather torn up over it. He'd grown quite attached to Whiskey over the past couple of weeks and it was hard for him to put the pup in his crate and walk away, listening to him cry. That night, he dreamed that they were playing catch and running together. We got a call from Whitney the next day with the news that Whiskey had arrived safely in Detroit and was sound asleep on her lap on the way back to Troy. Everyone was relieved and happy.
Hum & Whiskey's last morning together
Sending him off
And then we headed out into Lima to buy stuff for the restaurant. We shipped back barstools, potholders, cool dishes, etc. on the bus and Hum picked them up when he got back to Cusco the next day. We parted ways Saturday morning at the airport, when he took his 1-hour flight back home to Cusco and I set out on my all-day journey back to the U.S.
The paperwork process to ship a dog to the U.S. is a pain in the ass. Starting at the vet in Cusco, we paid s./100 (about $30) for him to give us health certificates and other official documents. I don't recall Whiskey ever getting a check-up (other than shots), but somehow he got every bit of paperwork he needed to go to the United States with just a wad of money placed in his hand. Who'd have thought you could grease the palms of vets??
But then we had to deal with SENASA. It's the bureaucratic portion of the process. They're the ones who "approve" all of the (fake) paperwork to let Whiskey go to the U.S. And, of course, you have to pay them, too. It's a more official process though. You have to go to the bank and deposit another s./100 in their account and bring back the document stating that the money's there. And then they claim to want to see the dog before the flight to make sure he's healthy (although they barely glanced at him when we brought him there) and give us more paperwork and send us on our way.
The SENASA employee I brought all the paperwork to had 3 days to do the work to get Whiskey ready before we brought him in for his final "inspection." When we brought him in the day before we left, she was messing around on her computer, the paperwork NOT ready. Humberto just shrugs his shoulders as if that's just the way it is. I usually do the same, but this time had had enough. So, politely but sternly I asked this woman (in Spanish) why the documents weren't ready since she'd had 3 days to prepare them.
This woman was clearly not prepared for a question like this. Laziness is the norm here (unfortunately) and so she just assumed we'd tolerate this and quietly wait for her to do her job. That was not going to be the case this time. She made a bunch of excuses, blaming other co-workers, but I wasn't buying it. So, I followed her around for the next hour, and made sure everything was in order. She didn't like that very much.
But we got all the paperwork and were on our way. But when Pablo, Whitney's rep in Lima, checked it, he said that the photocopy of the health certificate wasn't sufficient and we needed the original. SENASA had kept the original, telling us that all we needed was the copy. But since they were in Cusco, we had no way of retrieving it. Soooo, off we went to find another vet to give Whiskey a "check up" (read: look at him, take our money and give us another certificate). With that in hand by the end of the day, we crashed in our hotel early that night (with Whiskey), awoke the next morning and headed back to the airport (the cargo section), met with Pablo and handed Whiskey over to him.
We stopped in one of Lima's parks along the coast on our way back from the vet to the hotel
Hum was rather torn up over it. He'd grown quite attached to Whiskey over the past couple of weeks and it was hard for him to put the pup in his crate and walk away, listening to him cry. That night, he dreamed that they were playing catch and running together. We got a call from Whitney the next day with the news that Whiskey had arrived safely in Detroit and was sound asleep on her lap on the way back to Troy. Everyone was relieved and happy.
Hum & Whiskey's last morning together
Sending him off
And then we headed out into Lima to buy stuff for the restaurant. We shipped back barstools, potholders, cool dishes, etc. on the bus and Hum picked them up when he got back to Cusco the next day. We parted ways Saturday morning at the airport, when he took his 1-hour flight back home to Cusco and I set out on my all-day journey back to the U.S.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
After Two Weeks of Whiskey I Need a Drink.
We've had a houseguest over the past couple of weeks: Whiskey, my friend Whitney's dog. Whitney went back to the U.S. a little over a month ago and couldn't bring the dog with her at the time, so he stayed behind for the time being. His living situation wasn't the best, though, so she asked me to take him for a little while and help her get him to the states. So, here he is. In my house. Right here.
He's a cute puppy. He's a big guy for 10 months and he's an absolute lovebug. He wants to be on your lap or licking your face every second of the day, which is cute at first. At first.
And then, when you've had enough of the kissing and need to get on with things, he eats your shoes in retaliation for leaving him. Or your welcome mat. Or the butter in the kitchen.
But for a puppy, he's one smart little guy. He's very trainable (hint, hint, Whit) and eventually listens to us when we command him. I'm just not really in the mood to do a lot of training (and for those of you who know my dogs at home also know that I'm not very good at training -- but Sam and Stella are not the easiest dogs to train!)
Hum and Whiskey
So tomorrow Hum and I take Whiskey to Lima (by plane) and ship him off to Whitney in Detroit. Poor Whiskey has no idea what's in store for him the next couple of days and I feel horrible about it. He's finally into a routine here, eating his food regularly, happy, etc. I'm glad to send him off (I just don't want a dog here) and I get solace knowing that however traumatic this trip will be for him, when he gets to Detroit his mommy will be there waiting for him. He will lose his shit. Probably literally (enjoy cleaning that up, Whit!).
And after we spend a couple of days in Lima buying some furniture for the restaurant, Hum will go back to Cusco to continue working on the business and I will head to the U.S. for 10 days. This wasn't a planned trip until this weekend when, after a huge fight with Hum, I realized that I needed to get away for a little R and R and gain a little perspective. I'm homesick at the moment and my body is achy. I need massages BADLY and a little Sam and Stella time. And I need to see my mom. And after that, I'll be OK and ready to jump back into Cusco!
Aaaaaand I'm also pleased to announce another new addition to the house. And I think I love it more than my blender. It's our new water tank, which means we have water ALL DAY. I'm so spoiled.
The new love of my life
Photo taken at 2pm! We have water at 2pm!!
He's a cute puppy. He's a big guy for 10 months and he's an absolute lovebug. He wants to be on your lap or licking your face every second of the day, which is cute at first. At first.
And then, when you've had enough of the kissing and need to get on with things, he eats your shoes in retaliation for leaving him. Or your welcome mat. Or the butter in the kitchen.
But for a puppy, he's one smart little guy. He's very trainable (hint, hint, Whit) and eventually listens to us when we command him. I'm just not really in the mood to do a lot of training (and for those of you who know my dogs at home also know that I'm not very good at training -- but Sam and Stella are not the easiest dogs to train!)
Hum and Whiskey
So tomorrow Hum and I take Whiskey to Lima (by plane) and ship him off to Whitney in Detroit. Poor Whiskey has no idea what's in store for him the next couple of days and I feel horrible about it. He's finally into a routine here, eating his food regularly, happy, etc. I'm glad to send him off (I just don't want a dog here) and I get solace knowing that however traumatic this trip will be for him, when he gets to Detroit his mommy will be there waiting for him. He will lose his shit. Probably literally (enjoy cleaning that up, Whit!).
And after we spend a couple of days in Lima buying some furniture for the restaurant, Hum will go back to Cusco to continue working on the business and I will head to the U.S. for 10 days. This wasn't a planned trip until this weekend when, after a huge fight with Hum, I realized that I needed to get away for a little R and R and gain a little perspective. I'm homesick at the moment and my body is achy. I need massages BADLY and a little Sam and Stella time. And I need to see my mom. And after that, I'll be OK and ready to jump back into Cusco!
Aaaaaand I'm also pleased to announce another new addition to the house. And I think I love it more than my blender. It's our new water tank, which means we have water ALL DAY. I'm so spoiled.
The new love of my life
Photo taken at 2pm! We have water at 2pm!!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Luxury Hotel Tours, New Recipes and Lost Jobs
I know I say this a lot, but boy, do things change here quickly. Yes, we're still working on the restaurant -- that's still gonna happen. At least, it is right now.
I kid, I kid. It's gonna happen. I think. It's not that I'm a pessimist, it's just that once you've experienced the bureacracy that is setting up a business in Peru (and I imagine it's worse in the U.S. to some degree), you just can't count on it until it's done. It's truly an amazing process -- and I don't mean that in a good way. Lawyers who don't keep their appointment, notaries who lose paperwork, bank associates who don't give a shit and therefore make you come back three or four times with different information/money, etc. It's enough to make you give up. Fortunately, Humberto and his colleague Wauldir expect this and have had more patience than I could ever have for this process. So, they're handling that. Whew.
So, we're plugging along. The lights are all in and they look gorgeous. Our bar/kitchen is supposed to be ready this coming week (our carpenter confirmed this -- we shall see) and we found the exact chairs we want to have made -- just need to find someone to make them (and the tables, too). I've also completed the Website, and will send you all the link when I'm ready to annouce (probably in another week or so, but if you're absolutely desperate to see it, send me an email and I'll send you the link).
Some older shots of the "work in progress." We're a little further along now...
And I'm no longer working at the travel agency. It's a shame, really, because I was really liking the work and my co-workers. We went on a tour of the 4- and 5-star hotels of Cusco the other week, which was really cool. I ate breakfast at Hotel Monasterio, the most expensive property in the city and saw, from a distance, the royal suite where Richard Gere stayed with his family the other week. Beautiful hotel.
Some shots of Monasterio
And then I went to Machu Picchu with a group of them as well -- again to check out the high-end properties that we'd be sending our clients to (and that I'd be writing about). We took the "ejecutivo" train there and back (more comfortable than the Vistadome train but not as expensive as the Hiram Bingham train -- think $700 a pop for the latter) and stayed (and ate) at the Sumaq Hotel, a 4-star property right next to the roaring Urubamba river. It was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to get to know my co-workers a little better. I also got a massage out of it. Too bad it wasn't up to snuff -- especially for a 4-star hotel. I just don't get it. Why are there no good therapists here in Peru??
The problem (or as I see it), is that the "therapists" here receive very little training -- no more than 6 months -- and consider it nothing more than a job. They don't love what they do and in a profession such as massage therapy, the client can feel that. Or at least I can. Their work is routine. They don't take their time to "feel" the bodies they're working on -- they don't care. It's just a job. And that pains me. I would love to be proved wrong JUST ONCE here in Peru to restore a little faith in the therapists here...
A few pictures of the best hotel in MP, Machu Picchu Pueblo. We didn't get to see Sanctuary Lodge (owned by Orient Express, the same company that owns Monasterio) because they didn't have time for us, so I can't give you my take on it -- but I've heard it's just OK.
Unfortunately just a few days after returning from Machu Picchu my boss decided that my services were no longer needed -- after I spent the past 3 weeks rewriting her company's Website. She paid me for 4 weeks (something I'm still kind of confused about -- I mean, if you're gonna pay me for 4 weeks why not use me for 4 weeks? I still had more to write) and sent me on my way. I keep thinking I did something wrong, but all I did was what they asked of me (even though it seemed like the right hand never really knew what the left hand was doing over there -- but that's no different than most offices, eh?). Communication in just about everything you do here is mediocre at best, so I probably wasn't doing what they wanted me to do, yet no one told me otherwise and so I just kept writing and writing. Meh.
I'm gonna miss those fun travel perks though. And having a schedule. It was good for me to have someplace to be every day. Without it, I get caught up in one project (say, trying new recipes or running errands for the restaurant) and then my day is gone. It's definitely going to be a lot easier to have just two jobs (the restaurant and massages), so I shouldn't really complain.
And speaking of trying new recipes, I've been on a roll lately! We want to serve breakfast in the restaurant since we're already going to be there prepping for lunch and dinner, but we don't want to cook anything -- just coffee/tea, fruit salad/juices and baked goods. So I've been working on the baked items and have a couple of good recipes ready to go. The first is the house favorite (read: Humberto can't stop eating it) and it's a banana, chocolate, yogurt cake. It's delicious and we'll be serving it by the slice. I'm going to refrain from posting anymore recipes here because I'm going to have a blog for the restaurant, too -- so you'll have to go there to get them!
Banana Chocolate Yogurt Cake
The second is a chocolate avocado brownie. I have also make it more cake-like, too, for breakfast. You really can't taste the avocado, but it adds a denseness to the texture, which is really great. High-altitude baking is kicking my ass, but I'm figuring out ways to make it work.
More to come this week. I promise (but I live in Peru, so promises are, well, you know...)
I kid, I kid. It's gonna happen. I think. It's not that I'm a pessimist, it's just that once you've experienced the bureacracy that is setting up a business in Peru (and I imagine it's worse in the U.S. to some degree), you just can't count on it until it's done. It's truly an amazing process -- and I don't mean that in a good way. Lawyers who don't keep their appointment, notaries who lose paperwork, bank associates who don't give a shit and therefore make you come back three or four times with different information/money, etc. It's enough to make you give up. Fortunately, Humberto and his colleague Wauldir expect this and have had more patience than I could ever have for this process. So, they're handling that. Whew.
So, we're plugging along. The lights are all in and they look gorgeous. Our bar/kitchen is supposed to be ready this coming week (our carpenter confirmed this -- we shall see) and we found the exact chairs we want to have made -- just need to find someone to make them (and the tables, too). I've also completed the Website, and will send you all the link when I'm ready to annouce (probably in another week or so, but if you're absolutely desperate to see it, send me an email and I'll send you the link).
Some older shots of the "work in progress." We're a little further along now...
And I'm no longer working at the travel agency. It's a shame, really, because I was really liking the work and my co-workers. We went on a tour of the 4- and 5-star hotels of Cusco the other week, which was really cool. I ate breakfast at Hotel Monasterio, the most expensive property in the city and saw, from a distance, the royal suite where Richard Gere stayed with his family the other week. Beautiful hotel.
Some shots of Monasterio
And then I went to Machu Picchu with a group of them as well -- again to check out the high-end properties that we'd be sending our clients to (and that I'd be writing about). We took the "ejecutivo" train there and back (more comfortable than the Vistadome train but not as expensive as the Hiram Bingham train -- think $700 a pop for the latter) and stayed (and ate) at the Sumaq Hotel, a 4-star property right next to the roaring Urubamba river. It was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to get to know my co-workers a little better. I also got a massage out of it. Too bad it wasn't up to snuff -- especially for a 4-star hotel. I just don't get it. Why are there no good therapists here in Peru??
The problem (or as I see it), is that the "therapists" here receive very little training -- no more than 6 months -- and consider it nothing more than a job. They don't love what they do and in a profession such as massage therapy, the client can feel that. Or at least I can. Their work is routine. They don't take their time to "feel" the bodies they're working on -- they don't care. It's just a job. And that pains me. I would love to be proved wrong JUST ONCE here in Peru to restore a little faith in the therapists here...
A few pictures of the best hotel in MP, Machu Picchu Pueblo. We didn't get to see Sanctuary Lodge (owned by Orient Express, the same company that owns Monasterio) because they didn't have time for us, so I can't give you my take on it -- but I've heard it's just OK.
Unfortunately just a few days after returning from Machu Picchu my boss decided that my services were no longer needed -- after I spent the past 3 weeks rewriting her company's Website. She paid me for 4 weeks (something I'm still kind of confused about -- I mean, if you're gonna pay me for 4 weeks why not use me for 4 weeks? I still had more to write) and sent me on my way. I keep thinking I did something wrong, but all I did was what they asked of me (even though it seemed like the right hand never really knew what the left hand was doing over there -- but that's no different than most offices, eh?). Communication in just about everything you do here is mediocre at best, so I probably wasn't doing what they wanted me to do, yet no one told me otherwise and so I just kept writing and writing. Meh.
I'm gonna miss those fun travel perks though. And having a schedule. It was good for me to have someplace to be every day. Without it, I get caught up in one project (say, trying new recipes or running errands for the restaurant) and then my day is gone. It's definitely going to be a lot easier to have just two jobs (the restaurant and massages), so I shouldn't really complain.
And speaking of trying new recipes, I've been on a roll lately! We want to serve breakfast in the restaurant since we're already going to be there prepping for lunch and dinner, but we don't want to cook anything -- just coffee/tea, fruit salad/juices and baked goods. So I've been working on the baked items and have a couple of good recipes ready to go. The first is the house favorite (read: Humberto can't stop eating it) and it's a banana, chocolate, yogurt cake. It's delicious and we'll be serving it by the slice. I'm going to refrain from posting anymore recipes here because I'm going to have a blog for the restaurant, too -- so you'll have to go there to get them!
Banana Chocolate Yogurt Cake
The second is a chocolate avocado brownie. I have also make it more cake-like, too, for breakfast. You really can't taste the avocado, but it adds a denseness to the texture, which is really great. High-altitude baking is kicking my ass, but I'm figuring out ways to make it work.
More to come this week. I promise (but I live in Peru, so promises are, well, you know...)
Saturday, March 19, 2011
First Week on the Job, Cultural Differences, Cooking Up a Storm
Last week was my first full week at my new job. I was hired as a travel writer for a local travel agency that specializes in customized, mostly luxury trips to Peru (and Ecuador/Bolivia). It was exhausting! I'm using my brain in such a different way when I write professionally and it took me the whole week to really get back into the swing of it. I think I'm there now, but my brain hurts.
Office life is kind of boring. I mean, it's nice to be able to do what I'm doing -- I love writing -- but sitting at a desk 4 hours a day and just writing is very different from the rest of my life. I won't deny that the structure is good for me, it's just that I haven't sat at a desk and worked on someone else's schedule for a very loooong time. It takes getting used to again.
But I like it. A lot. The descriptive writing I'm doing is very interesting and a lot of fun. I spent the first half of the week researching a bunch of other luxury travel Websites and have to admit that I salivated more than once at the trips available out there for bottomless wallets. I never had one of those, but at one point it was definitely deeper than it is now. Oh, the memories...
This has also been a growing week for me in terms of my relationship with Hum. I came to the realization that I'm much less independent than I once thought and need to come to terms with that and figure out how to change it. I'm not good at trusting people and it only took a couple of fights to make me doubt the stability of our relationship. The fights were complete miscommunications and cultural misperceptions that lead to arguments and it is nothing short of frustrating. I just wrote about this to a friend explaining how much more difficult it is for me to explain my life to Hum in my broken Spanish than it is to just write it or discuss it with another English speaker. The extent of my high-school Spanish this time last year was "Hola, como estas?" so naturally for the writer/communicator in me to just easier to talk in English. I'm getting better at expressing myself in Spanish, but exasperation is a sentiment I feel quite regularly. My patience is growing, but sometimes I think it doesn't grow fast enough.
And this doesn't just apply to Hum. It's the every day things here in Peru that can exasperate me. Take, for example, a visit to the pharmacy or one of the stores here. At the pharmacy, I have to go to the counter, tell one of the pharmacists what I need and they go in the back and get it. But they don't give it to me. First, I have to take the ticket they've written up and bring it to the cashier. I wait in line to pay the cashier and then take my stamped ticket to another window where I wait in line again to get my item. It's a pain in the ass.
After going through this at the pharmacy today we also went to the tupperware store. It's basically a store that sells all items plastic (plus glasses, cookware and other household items). You have to hunt down a "helper" who writes down everything you want, gives you a ticket, which you then bring to the cashier and, after paying, bring the stamped ticket to another person who then fulfills the order. Our "helper" forgot to write down one of the items and so I had to wait in line again at the cashier, pay again and then wait in line again at the fulfillment counter. I wanted to shoot myself. But, alas, TIP (This Is Peru).
I just don't get it. Why can't I just take the item off the shelf, bring it to a cashier, pay for it and leave?? Why???
Ok, enough complaining. This is just how it is.
The ridiculousness that is one of these stores...
I've been cooking up a storm at the house in the mornings while we have water. I've now perfected the Pomodoro sauce we want to serve in the restaurant and have modified it to accommodate the Mexican-themed taco meals Humberto is now obsessed with eating. He's created a mighty-tasty guacamole to accompany our taco meals, so I've been enjoying every bite.
I've also made a few baked items with avocado (think avocado chocolate chip muffins) and yogurt (vanilla yogurt cake). I'll be posting the recipes as soon as I can take pictures of the end results -- they just get eaten way too fast to photograph!
We had a few friends over for dinner the other night and while the intention was to cook stuff from the restaurant for everyone to try, we ended up making enchiladas and tacos -- foods sorely missing from the Peruvian diet as well as the menus of most restaurants. And when they are offered, hoo boy, do they suck. Ours did not. I bought some Pyrex-type cookware and went to town. Dinner was lovely and it was nice finally having a little party at the house.
Dinner at our house
Jacob trying to open a bottle of wine with a hammer and nail -- don't ask.
Dessert: A Yogurt Cake with fruit and a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake (I'll post the recipes soon)
The restaurant is also moving along. Our carpinter is buying the wood this weekend and the bar should be ready no later than April 5. That gives us 3 weeks to put together the rest of the restaurant to be ready to open no later than April 15. The menu has been written and almost all of the recipes tested. A few more need perfecting, but it'll happen this week. I'm still working out a good mac and cheese with the ingredients I have to work with down here. My cheese options are kind of limited, so trial and error seems to be the name of the game. I'll get it down soon though, and when I do, stand back...
Office life is kind of boring. I mean, it's nice to be able to do what I'm doing -- I love writing -- but sitting at a desk 4 hours a day and just writing is very different from the rest of my life. I won't deny that the structure is good for me, it's just that I haven't sat at a desk and worked on someone else's schedule for a very loooong time. It takes getting used to again.
But I like it. A lot. The descriptive writing I'm doing is very interesting and a lot of fun. I spent the first half of the week researching a bunch of other luxury travel Websites and have to admit that I salivated more than once at the trips available out there for bottomless wallets. I never had one of those, but at one point it was definitely deeper than it is now. Oh, the memories...
This has also been a growing week for me in terms of my relationship with Hum. I came to the realization that I'm much less independent than I once thought and need to come to terms with that and figure out how to change it. I'm not good at trusting people and it only took a couple of fights to make me doubt the stability of our relationship. The fights were complete miscommunications and cultural misperceptions that lead to arguments and it is nothing short of frustrating. I just wrote about this to a friend explaining how much more difficult it is for me to explain my life to Hum in my broken Spanish than it is to just write it or discuss it with another English speaker. The extent of my high-school Spanish this time last year was "Hola, como estas?" so naturally for the writer/communicator in me to just easier to talk in English. I'm getting better at expressing myself in Spanish, but exasperation is a sentiment I feel quite regularly. My patience is growing, but sometimes I think it doesn't grow fast enough.
And this doesn't just apply to Hum. It's the every day things here in Peru that can exasperate me. Take, for example, a visit to the pharmacy or one of the stores here. At the pharmacy, I have to go to the counter, tell one of the pharmacists what I need and they go in the back and get it. But they don't give it to me. First, I have to take the ticket they've written up and bring it to the cashier. I wait in line to pay the cashier and then take my stamped ticket to another window where I wait in line again to get my item. It's a pain in the ass.
After going through this at the pharmacy today we also went to the tupperware store. It's basically a store that sells all items plastic (plus glasses, cookware and other household items). You have to hunt down a "helper" who writes down everything you want, gives you a ticket, which you then bring to the cashier and, after paying, bring the stamped ticket to another person who then fulfills the order. Our "helper" forgot to write down one of the items and so I had to wait in line again at the cashier, pay again and then wait in line again at the fulfillment counter. I wanted to shoot myself. But, alas, TIP (This Is Peru).
I just don't get it. Why can't I just take the item off the shelf, bring it to a cashier, pay for it and leave?? Why???
Ok, enough complaining. This is just how it is.
The ridiculousness that is one of these stores...
I've been cooking up a storm at the house in the mornings while we have water. I've now perfected the Pomodoro sauce we want to serve in the restaurant and have modified it to accommodate the Mexican-themed taco meals Humberto is now obsessed with eating. He's created a mighty-tasty guacamole to accompany our taco meals, so I've been enjoying every bite.
I've also made a few baked items with avocado (think avocado chocolate chip muffins) and yogurt (vanilla yogurt cake). I'll be posting the recipes as soon as I can take pictures of the end results -- they just get eaten way too fast to photograph!
We had a few friends over for dinner the other night and while the intention was to cook stuff from the restaurant for everyone to try, we ended up making enchiladas and tacos -- foods sorely missing from the Peruvian diet as well as the menus of most restaurants. And when they are offered, hoo boy, do they suck. Ours did not. I bought some Pyrex-type cookware and went to town. Dinner was lovely and it was nice finally having a little party at the house.
Dinner at our house
Jacob trying to open a bottle of wine with a hammer and nail -- don't ask.
Dessert: A Yogurt Cake with fruit and a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake (I'll post the recipes soon)
The restaurant is also moving along. Our carpinter is buying the wood this weekend and the bar should be ready no later than April 5. That gives us 3 weeks to put together the rest of the restaurant to be ready to open no later than April 15. The menu has been written and almost all of the recipes tested. A few more need perfecting, but it'll happen this week. I'm still working out a good mac and cheese with the ingredients I have to work with down here. My cheese options are kind of limited, so trial and error seems to be the name of the game. I'll get it down soon though, and when I do, stand back...
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Carnavale Madness and All the Technical Difficulties in Between
Oy, Carnavale. It's almost over, thank goodness. I remembered it from my time in Cusco last year, when the main square and all the little squares in between are laden with juveniles throwing water, foam and silly string at each other and the unsuspecting tourist. It was not my intention to venture out today because of this and the fact that despite my newly acquired tan from my recent travels I'm still a few shades lighter than your average Cusquenian and sadly still fall into the latter category of "tourist." At least I'm not unsuspecting. I know what you sneaky, water-gun toting little bastards are up to.
My DVD player broke. Sigh. The timing couldn't have been worse, as Humberto went to visit his family for a couple of days and I was finally going to catch up on the shows/movies that I know he has no interest in watching (namely the entire miniseries "Pillars of the Earth"). Damn, damn, damn. So I took my little machine to El Paraiso, another one-stop shopping locale with a couple of electronics technicians in the back. It's an easy walk, but I'd have to pass through the Plaza de Armas (main square) to get there. And the thought of further damaging my electronics due to water inundation is not in my budget at the moment.
So I hopped into a taxi and placed my DVD player into the (hopefully) capable hands of a couple of high-school-aged boys at Paraiso. It should be ready tomorrow. Cross your fingers.
And since my Internet in the house sucks, I brought my laptop along with me to find a wifi spot on the way home. It's just another one of those frustrating things I have to deal with, which means I have to leave the house every time I want to do more than check my email (I can usually get enough bars to check email, but that's about it). On the brighter side, it gets me out of the house, but unfortunately means I have to cough up money for a cup of coffee. Another "not in the budget" item for me right now.
So, yes, I'm trying to watch my budget a little more because of the restaurant. We're not blowing hundreds and hundred of dollars, but that's where all of our efforts are being placed at the moment and managing money is not my strong suit. I never had to worry about the financials of life before now (thanks, Mike) and so it worries me a little. I've had a few sleepless nights because of it, but I'm confident everything will work out. I just need to spend less time on the Internet and fixing broken DVD players.
So my wifi perch today is a swanky tourist-filled spot close to the main square. It has outside sofa seating and it's generally protected from the Carnavale madness but it also gives you a birdseye view of the frivolities. Not bad, for a 7-sole cappuccino. I'm gonna stay until the battery dies on my computer to make the most of it.
The conversations around me are interesting. I don't usually hang out at places like these and so I've perked my ears to enjoy the spoken (English) word -- mainly beacuse I forgot my headphones. I'm sitting behind a pair of tourists (the only people who would pay 7 soles for a cappuccino) and am listening to them share their world views with each other (it sounds like they met here and are kind of on a "first date") while interspersing commentary about the passersby. I don't have those kinds of conversations anymore because I'm usually so immersed in trying to live a normal life here in Cusco. The people hanging out at cafes like this are just visiting, and their conversations reveal that. But I do live here, and listening to them is a nice reminder of that.
Work has picked up a lot. I've been taking clients regularly which is wonderful, as it serves as therapy for me, too, and I started my new job as a travel writer for a luxury travel agency. I'll eventually link you to their site (after I've rewritten it) so you can see what I've been up to. I went in yesterday for a few hours and will be there every weekday from 9-1 and then on Saturdays from 9-12. The office has a great energy -- the employees seem generally happy and dedicated to their work. Good stuff. Plus, this job is giving me some structure to my life -- finally!
It's also letting me use a different part of my brain. When I write here on the blog, it's free flowing. I don't have to think about it too much. It's just my life in words. Writing for someone else requires a lot of thought and I haven't done that in a loooong time. I also forgot how tiring it can be to think out of the box, but I also get a different kind of satisfaction from this type of work.
The restaurant is coming along. The guy we hired to paint the place also does electrical and plumbing stuff so the wiring for all the lighting and the piping for the sink is now in place. I'm a little worried about our carpenter though. He's a little overstretched in terms of work right now and I don't know if he'll be able to complete our job in the timeframe we want. And the problem is, he's not going to tell us that. Hum went to meet with him yesterday and found him drunk as a skunk, taking advantage of his day off, I guess. After a couple of beers, Hum realized that a productive conversation about the restaurant wasn't going to happen (yes, it took the consumption of 3 beers to conclude that) and left it for another day. We shall see. Cross your fingers for that, too.
My DVD player broke. Sigh. The timing couldn't have been worse, as Humberto went to visit his family for a couple of days and I was finally going to catch up on the shows/movies that I know he has no interest in watching (namely the entire miniseries "Pillars of the Earth"). Damn, damn, damn. So I took my little machine to El Paraiso, another one-stop shopping locale with a couple of electronics technicians in the back. It's an easy walk, but I'd have to pass through the Plaza de Armas (main square) to get there. And the thought of further damaging my electronics due to water inundation is not in my budget at the moment.
So I hopped into a taxi and placed my DVD player into the (hopefully) capable hands of a couple of high-school-aged boys at Paraiso. It should be ready tomorrow. Cross your fingers.
And since my Internet in the house sucks, I brought my laptop along with me to find a wifi spot on the way home. It's just another one of those frustrating things I have to deal with, which means I have to leave the house every time I want to do more than check my email (I can usually get enough bars to check email, but that's about it). On the brighter side, it gets me out of the house, but unfortunately means I have to cough up money for a cup of coffee. Another "not in the budget" item for me right now.
So, yes, I'm trying to watch my budget a little more because of the restaurant. We're not blowing hundreds and hundred of dollars, but that's where all of our efforts are being placed at the moment and managing money is not my strong suit. I never had to worry about the financials of life before now (thanks, Mike) and so it worries me a little. I've had a few sleepless nights because of it, but I'm confident everything will work out. I just need to spend less time on the Internet and fixing broken DVD players.
So my wifi perch today is a swanky tourist-filled spot close to the main square. It has outside sofa seating and it's generally protected from the Carnavale madness but it also gives you a birdseye view of the frivolities. Not bad, for a 7-sole cappuccino. I'm gonna stay until the battery dies on my computer to make the most of it.
The conversations around me are interesting. I don't usually hang out at places like these and so I've perked my ears to enjoy the spoken (English) word -- mainly beacuse I forgot my headphones. I'm sitting behind a pair of tourists (the only people who would pay 7 soles for a cappuccino) and am listening to them share their world views with each other (it sounds like they met here and are kind of on a "first date") while interspersing commentary about the passersby. I don't have those kinds of conversations anymore because I'm usually so immersed in trying to live a normal life here in Cusco. The people hanging out at cafes like this are just visiting, and their conversations reveal that. But I do live here, and listening to them is a nice reminder of that.
Work has picked up a lot. I've been taking clients regularly which is wonderful, as it serves as therapy for me, too, and I started my new job as a travel writer for a luxury travel agency. I'll eventually link you to their site (after I've rewritten it) so you can see what I've been up to. I went in yesterday for a few hours and will be there every weekday from 9-1 and then on Saturdays from 9-12. The office has a great energy -- the employees seem generally happy and dedicated to their work. Good stuff. Plus, this job is giving me some structure to my life -- finally!
It's also letting me use a different part of my brain. When I write here on the blog, it's free flowing. I don't have to think about it too much. It's just my life in words. Writing for someone else requires a lot of thought and I haven't done that in a loooong time. I also forgot how tiring it can be to think out of the box, but I also get a different kind of satisfaction from this type of work.
The restaurant is coming along. The guy we hired to paint the place also does electrical and plumbing stuff so the wiring for all the lighting and the piping for the sink is now in place. I'm a little worried about our carpenter though. He's a little overstretched in terms of work right now and I don't know if he'll be able to complete our job in the timeframe we want. And the problem is, he's not going to tell us that. Hum went to meet with him yesterday and found him drunk as a skunk, taking advantage of his day off, I guess. After a couple of beers, Hum realized that a productive conversation about the restaurant wasn't going to happen (yes, it took the consumption of 3 beers to conclude that) and left it for another day. We shall see. Cross your fingers for that, too.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
3 Hours of Water a Day, an Introduction to Different Foods, and a New Job (Because I Didn't Already Have Enough on My Plate)
So apparently there's something going on with the water pipes up here in San Blas. They're doing work on them -- or so I've been told -- and we've only been getting water in the mornings here at the new house. This is a bit of a pain in my ass. I feel so compelled to take full advantage of the few hours of running water that I've intuitively been waking up at 6am to shower and do anything/everything in the kitchen for the entire day before it runs out. This has made me super productive, but I think Hum's about ready to kill me.
Yesterday's big cooking event at 6:30am was Apple Oatmeal Muffins. They're going to be a staple for breakfast in the restaurant. The recipe:
1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup sugar
4 apples
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/8 cup vegetable oil
Peel and slice the apples and place them in a pot of water (with the water just covering the apples). Bring to a boil and let simmer until the apples are nice and mushy.
Mix flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves together. In separate bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, sugar and veg oil. Add to the dry mixture and stir gently. Add apples (you can also sprinkle some sugar on your apples before adding them to the mixture if they're too tart for your taste).
Pour mixture into muffin tins and bake for about 15-20 minutes. I live at uber-high altitude now (and am still cooking in an easy-bake oven), so my cooking times will vary from yours. Just use your judgment and check the muffins as often as you deem necessary.
They came out lovely and delicious. I'm already eating my second one today. I'm going to try to include more recipes in here as the restaurant progresses so you can play at home with me while I'm putting together/changing the menu for the restaurant. And...if any of you have recipes to suggest, I'm all ears.
So I think it's time to tell you a little more about the restaurant. It's going to be a pasta place, as there's nothing like that here in Cusco. The menu will be small -- 6 sauces -- plus desserts (2 a day) and a salad of the day. There will also be one oven-baked pasta per day (lasagna, mac and cheese, etc.). The big thing here are "menus," which is a prix fixe menu (the actual paper menu is called "la carta") for lunch and/or dinner. They can be as cheap as 2.5 soles and it includes a soup and entree and there's usually enough rice or potatoes on the plate to feed an entire family. Most of these cheap menus aren't very good. They're sufficient if you're cheap/poor/hungry, but if you value the quality of your food, you're not usually going to eat a 3-sole menu (though I do know of a few 4-sole menus worth consuming).
Our lunch menu will be around 8 soles. It will include garlic bread, salad and your choice of 2 sauces (a veg and a meat). If you want a different sauce, you can order a la carte. The dinner menu will cost more but include dessert and a glass of wine in addition to the other items. I imagine that many of our ideas will morph as we move towards opening the restaurant, but the general theme will stay the same. And the name of the place is awesome (you'll have to wait a little longer before I reveal that publicly).
So, back to everyday life. Last week I introduced Hum to tacos. Well, he'd already eaten some good ones with me in Arequipa a few months ago, but he didn't realize just how easy it is to throw a bunch of stuff into a tortilla and call it a taco. The previous night he had made a beautifully delicious guacamole-type salsa and we had a lot left over. So I boiled some rice, cooked up some ground beef, cracked open a can of black beans and mixed it all together. I smeared the guac mixture on the bottom of some heated tortillas, poured the rice mixture on top of that and added some chopped tomatoes and shredded cheese. He was in heaven.
I also introduced him to meatloaf and mashed potatoes, which were a big hit. Yeah, sure, Peruvians occasionally eat potatoe puree here, but mashed potatoes are seldom on the menus here. And certainly not MY mashed potatoes. These are by no means healthy, but they are damn good (boiled potatoes, butter, evaporated milk and a hard shredded cheese). I just need to find a better potato masher next time. And Gruyere cheese would be nice, but I know I'm pushing my luck there.
New Job!!
So, I have a new job! Yes, I'm still opening a restaurant and yes, I'm still a massage therapist taking clients (that will NEVER stop), but I applied, interviewed and was offered a position as a travel writer for a local travel agency. It'll be 4 hours a day and I'll be reworking a lot of the copy on their Website, updating their social media connections on Facebook and Twitter (note to self: need to learn how to use Twitter) and eventually help them write a blog, which I have ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE doing. Should be a blast!
That, of course, leaves Hum in charge of the restaurant, which is exactly how I want it. I don't want to be the boss -- I just want to cook and schmooze with the diners. He can deal with the complicated stuff (and he does it much better than me and in a nicer tone of voice). So, if you're looking for a job, ask Humberto. I'm just there to smile and look pretty.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Moving Day (Week)
Oy, what a week. We got back from our travels less than 2 weeks ago and are already in a new house. Ok, let me start from the beginning…
On our way over the border, there was a lot of rain. A LOT. A deluge. Like streets becoming rivers. It didn’t seem to be a big deal to us on the bus – we figured we’d get there nice and dry and be fine. I should’ve known better. Upon exiting Ecuador, the Peruvian border guards told us that since there were only 5 people left on the bus (there were about 50 of us squished in an hour earlier), our vehicle could go no further. Instead, they put all of us into one little taxi with all of our luggage. That’s 6 people (including the taxi driver) and 5 suitcases/backpacks. Oh, and did I mention that it was pouring?
Somehow we all fit (although the trunk didn’t close all the way and all of our stuff got soaked) and made it to Peru’s immigration control about 20 minutes away. Since I was the only non-Peruvian, I was the only one who had to get out of the taxi and go into the building. And immigration was flooded (not with people).
So, I had to WADE my way through immigration and put on my less-annoyed face to ask for another 6 months on my visa. Fortunately they were in a generous mood for being inundated with water and gave it to me with little more than a glance. Whew.
Immigration...
Yes, those are his flip flops floating next to him...
I crammed myself back into the taxi and we headed to Tumbes, another 30 minutes away. About halfway there, our taxi broke down. Of course. Hum and the driver got out to fix it and I took the opportunity to call Niki back home in Cusco to share my adventures with someone in English and confirm that we were going to have to vacate our house soon (she sent me an e-mail a couple of days earlier with the news). Nothing had changed – we had to be out of the house by the end of March, as the landlady was finally planning to sell (she’d been threatening for quite a while).
This wasn’t too hard a pill to swallow. While I love that house, I was ready to start looking for a new one. After years of being my own landlord, following someone else’s rules was getting old – especially when one of the rules changed that wasn't really conducive to the way I wanted to live. The other rules weren’t too hard to follow but rules are rules – and when you’re not the one making them, well, you know…
We spent a morning walking around Tumbes and this was what we found...
So after 3 days of bus travel from Ecuador, we finally got back to Cusco unshowered, smelly and ready to collapse. I don’t recommend 3 days on a bus to anyone. A day here and there is fine (like how we got to Ecuador), but trying to get home in one fell swoop was more than I could take. I did catch up on a lot of movies (albeit with English subtitles – and only because I asked the driver’s assistant to turn them on), but sleeping well was out of the question. When we got back to Cusco we crashed for an entire day.
And then we went out and bought a Rueda, the Cusquenian newspaper devoted entirely to classifieds. We knew we wanted to stay in San Blas, our neighborhood, but there were only 2 listings that fit the bill. The first one was $250 and right down the stairs from our house. It was an absolute DUMP. $250 is a lot of money for rent here and landlords think they can get away with it in San Blas because it’s the neighborhood everyone wants to live in. But the only thing worth paying for in that apartment was the view. Nada mas.
The second property was a small private house about 3 blocks from where we were living. The house was adorable – there was a real kitchen! – and the landlady was incredibly sweet. The energy of the house was calm and inviting. We fell in love with it immediately and took it that day.
Hum then left for Sicuani (his hometown about 2 hours away) for the weekend to see his family and get some TLC from his mother, as he was nursing a bad cold and only a Peruvian mother can coddle her sick son the way he needs coddling. I was planning on meeting him there in a few days to see the family and check up on Flor, the puppy we gave them for Christmas. Unfortunately I never made it there as it rained all weekend and Whitney ended up spending more time at my house trying to finish her TEFL certification (she completed the course 8 months ago but still hadn’t turned in her paperwork – neither have I – for shame!) and would be leaving Cusco the following week.
Hum returned on Monday evening (still sick), but anxious to sign the lease on the new house. We met the landlady the next day, signed everything, handed over money and got the keys. And then we began the move. For the record, I warned (and apologized to) Hum in advance that I was an OCD mover. I’m one of those people who has to unpack as soon as the movers drop the boxes. And since WE were the movers and the house was only a few blocks away, the process took an entire week. We bought new furniture, including a fridge (there was a real kitchen but it lacked appliances), and woke up early (on my insistence) to organize as much as humanly possibly throughout each day.
Now you have to remember, I’m working with Peruvians here. Peruvians have a very different sense of urgency than Americans. In other words, urgency is not in their vocabulary and their favorite word is “mañana” (tomorrow). And then when you switch me on into hyperactive overdrive for something like a move, stand back, I might blow a gasket.
But, low and behold, I’ve changed quite a lot since I first got here. While the old me would lose patience quickly and be a terror to work with, the slightly newer me was rather calm and composed during the move. And persuasiveness is completely underrated.
Hum was great. He’s a perfectionist though, which can get on my nerves at times when I just want things DONE. But to his credit, the house looks good because he took his time to arrange things just so. We’re waiting on one more piece of furniture (which will be ready in about a week) and, gulp, a TV.
A few things I learned during this move:
1. A refrigerator will fit in a taxi (station wagon).
2. For about $10, you can get someone to help you move just about anything.
3. Having running water all day in your house is overrated.
4. Hot showers, however, are not (our new shower is GREAT).
5. When drying dresser drawers (that were annoyingly wet when you bought the dresser), remember that dried wood expands and may not fit back in the dresser – without a hammer.
6. You don’t realize how much you missed having a fridge until you have one again.
7. New vocabulary words arise, like clavos (nails), arreglar (to fix), jala (pull), callete (shut up – ok, I already knew that one, but it came in handy a few times this week).
The only times the move was a real challenge was when we brought things in a taxi. The street we now live on is the only road that leads into San Blas. And it’s one way and narrow, which means we perform a Chinese fire drill every time we pull up to our front gate. We jump out of the car, run around to the back, pull everything out and pile it on the sidewalk while all of the taxis behind us honk their horns. This was especially fun with the fridge and the sofa (separate trips).
All in all, it was a long week but we’re nice and snug in our new abode. It’s a 30-secomd walk to our new restaurant (which we start working on this week), I can finally cook in a real kitchen, we have a beautiful patio (that I plan to use more AFTER the rainy season) and I even have space for massage (and already have new clients!). There’s also a spare bedroom that we furnished with two beds and an armoire. We’re planning on renting it out for $10/day or exchange for work in the restaurant (but you need to know your way around a kitchen for us to consider that option). You’re all invited to visit and I promise to cook for you, too!
On our way over the border, there was a lot of rain. A LOT. A deluge. Like streets becoming rivers. It didn’t seem to be a big deal to us on the bus – we figured we’d get there nice and dry and be fine. I should’ve known better. Upon exiting Ecuador, the Peruvian border guards told us that since there were only 5 people left on the bus (there were about 50 of us squished in an hour earlier), our vehicle could go no further. Instead, they put all of us into one little taxi with all of our luggage. That’s 6 people (including the taxi driver) and 5 suitcases/backpacks. Oh, and did I mention that it was pouring?
Somehow we all fit (although the trunk didn’t close all the way and all of our stuff got soaked) and made it to Peru’s immigration control about 20 minutes away. Since I was the only non-Peruvian, I was the only one who had to get out of the taxi and go into the building. And immigration was flooded (not with people).
So, I had to WADE my way through immigration and put on my less-annoyed face to ask for another 6 months on my visa. Fortunately they were in a generous mood for being inundated with water and gave it to me with little more than a glance. Whew.
Immigration...
Yes, those are his flip flops floating next to him...
I crammed myself back into the taxi and we headed to Tumbes, another 30 minutes away. About halfway there, our taxi broke down. Of course. Hum and the driver got out to fix it and I took the opportunity to call Niki back home in Cusco to share my adventures with someone in English and confirm that we were going to have to vacate our house soon (she sent me an e-mail a couple of days earlier with the news). Nothing had changed – we had to be out of the house by the end of March, as the landlady was finally planning to sell (she’d been threatening for quite a while).
This wasn’t too hard a pill to swallow. While I love that house, I was ready to start looking for a new one. After years of being my own landlord, following someone else’s rules was getting old – especially when one of the rules changed that wasn't really conducive to the way I wanted to live. The other rules weren’t too hard to follow but rules are rules – and when you’re not the one making them, well, you know…
We spent a morning walking around Tumbes and this was what we found...
So after 3 days of bus travel from Ecuador, we finally got back to Cusco unshowered, smelly and ready to collapse. I don’t recommend 3 days on a bus to anyone. A day here and there is fine (like how we got to Ecuador), but trying to get home in one fell swoop was more than I could take. I did catch up on a lot of movies (albeit with English subtitles – and only because I asked the driver’s assistant to turn them on), but sleeping well was out of the question. When we got back to Cusco we crashed for an entire day.
And then we went out and bought a Rueda, the Cusquenian newspaper devoted entirely to classifieds. We knew we wanted to stay in San Blas, our neighborhood, but there were only 2 listings that fit the bill. The first one was $250 and right down the stairs from our house. It was an absolute DUMP. $250 is a lot of money for rent here and landlords think they can get away with it in San Blas because it’s the neighborhood everyone wants to live in. But the only thing worth paying for in that apartment was the view. Nada mas.
The second property was a small private house about 3 blocks from where we were living. The house was adorable – there was a real kitchen! – and the landlady was incredibly sweet. The energy of the house was calm and inviting. We fell in love with it immediately and took it that day.
Hum then left for Sicuani (his hometown about 2 hours away) for the weekend to see his family and get some TLC from his mother, as he was nursing a bad cold and only a Peruvian mother can coddle her sick son the way he needs coddling. I was planning on meeting him there in a few days to see the family and check up on Flor, the puppy we gave them for Christmas. Unfortunately I never made it there as it rained all weekend and Whitney ended up spending more time at my house trying to finish her TEFL certification (she completed the course 8 months ago but still hadn’t turned in her paperwork – neither have I – for shame!) and would be leaving Cusco the following week.
Hum returned on Monday evening (still sick), but anxious to sign the lease on the new house. We met the landlady the next day, signed everything, handed over money and got the keys. And then we began the move. For the record, I warned (and apologized to) Hum in advance that I was an OCD mover. I’m one of those people who has to unpack as soon as the movers drop the boxes. And since WE were the movers and the house was only a few blocks away, the process took an entire week. We bought new furniture, including a fridge (there was a real kitchen but it lacked appliances), and woke up early (on my insistence) to organize as much as humanly possibly throughout each day.
Now you have to remember, I’m working with Peruvians here. Peruvians have a very different sense of urgency than Americans. In other words, urgency is not in their vocabulary and their favorite word is “mañana” (tomorrow). And then when you switch me on into hyperactive overdrive for something like a move, stand back, I might blow a gasket.
But, low and behold, I’ve changed quite a lot since I first got here. While the old me would lose patience quickly and be a terror to work with, the slightly newer me was rather calm and composed during the move. And persuasiveness is completely underrated.
Hum was great. He’s a perfectionist though, which can get on my nerves at times when I just want things DONE. But to his credit, the house looks good because he took his time to arrange things just so. We’re waiting on one more piece of furniture (which will be ready in about a week) and, gulp, a TV.
A few things I learned during this move:
1. A refrigerator will fit in a taxi (station wagon).
2. For about $10, you can get someone to help you move just about anything.
3. Having running water all day in your house is overrated.
4. Hot showers, however, are not (our new shower is GREAT).
5. When drying dresser drawers (that were annoyingly wet when you bought the dresser), remember that dried wood expands and may not fit back in the dresser – without a hammer.
6. You don’t realize how much you missed having a fridge until you have one again.
7. New vocabulary words arise, like clavos (nails), arreglar (to fix), jala (pull), callete (shut up – ok, I already knew that one, but it came in handy a few times this week).
The only times the move was a real challenge was when we brought things in a taxi. The street we now live on is the only road that leads into San Blas. And it’s one way and narrow, which means we perform a Chinese fire drill every time we pull up to our front gate. We jump out of the car, run around to the back, pull everything out and pile it on the sidewalk while all of the taxis behind us honk their horns. This was especially fun with the fridge and the sofa (separate trips).
All in all, it was a long week but we’re nice and snug in our new abode. It’s a 30-secomd walk to our new restaurant (which we start working on this week), I can finally cook in a real kitchen, we have a beautiful patio (that I plan to use more AFTER the rainy season) and I even have space for massage (and already have new clients!). There’s also a spare bedroom that we furnished with two beds and an armoire. We’re planning on renting it out for $10/day or exchange for work in the restaurant (but you need to know your way around a kitchen for us to consider that option). You’re all invited to visit and I promise to cook for you, too!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
and then...Galapagos
As I'm sure it is for some of you, visiting the Galapagos Islands has been on my "list" for years. It always seemed just a little out of reach for me though, which is kind of strange since I've been around the world. In hindsight, I think it just wasn't my time to visit yet. And I'm glad I waited until now.
Ok, so the lowdown on getting to the Galapagos for any of you thinking about a trip there in the future. We took a bus from Mancora to Guayaquil, Ecuador, one of the only two cities you can fly to the Galapagos from (the other is Quito, but the flights are cheaper in Guayaquil). While in Mancora, we went online and found a hostel that seemed reasonably priced ($30/night for a room w/AC and breakfast) and also had a travel agency connected to it. The place was OK, but honestly not great enough to recommend -- it was sufficient for our time there. We booked our last-minute 4-day cruise through this agency as well as our flights (which are always the same price -- you'll never get a deal there). The cruise was $650/pp, including the guide and all meals on a Tourist Superior boat.
The cute little pigmy monkeys at our hotel (they're part of a conservation project)
Here's what we should've done: Since we were winging it anyway, we should've just gotten into Guayaquil and headed straight to the airport, booked our flights to Galapagos for (hopefully) that day and gone straight there. Once there, we should've looked for LAST-last-minutes cruises (like the day of or the following day). But even if we couldn't find one we'd still get to see a lot. You don't have to take a cruise when you're there -- there are tons of day trips to various islands as well as hotels on some of them (cheap ones, too), so staying over and spending time there is all up to you. I'm really glad we did the cruise and would have definitely done it all over again -- I just would've looked for a slightly better deal (people on our boat got some last-minute cabins for $430/pp).
So, we decided to fly to Galapagos the day before our cruise, as Guayaquil was NOT impressive (but the iguana park was cool -- iguanas just roam freely here).
Apparently, iguanas like to hang out in trees
We flew into Santa Cruz island, found a hotel for $25/night and set out to explore. The travel agency at our hostel in Guayaquil recommended a few places to visit on this island, including Las Grietas, supposedly one of the most unique swimming holes in the world. It's a bit of a hike over some trecherous lava rocks to get there, but we thought it would be fun. About halfway there, we ran into a couple coming back, warning us that there were some pretty viscious bugs along the way and that they were suffering from a few bites. We thanked them for the warning and continued on our way.
Now here's where I think my inability to communicate IN SPECIFICS bites me in the ass. Literally. We got to the site the couple had warned us about (still about 10 minutes from Las Grietas) and were bombarded by Kamikaze wasps. Seriously. It was so bad that Humberto yelled "Retirada! Retirada!" (Retreat! Retreat!) and we turned around and ran back over wobbly lava rocks and up the steep trail. There were a few wasps stuck in my hair buzzing near my ear and I'm sure my actions to remove them looked like a cross between Elaine dancing on Seinfeld and having a seizure.
One of Hum's stings (his lips aren't normally that big)
When we had a chance to take note of our stings, I found four (including one on my butt) and Hum had five. We were in serious pain and no amount of ice was helping. We ended up going to a pharmacy to get anti-inflammatory pills and painkillers and took a nap around 5pm. We woke up around 9:30 starving, set out to find some food, made it back by 10:30 and slept some more. Ah, drugs.
We were meeting our boat at noon the next day and set out after a late breakfast to wait for them at the docks. Sea lions and iguanas roam freely here, so there was plenty to amuse us while we waited, including one very sleepy sea lion on a bench at the end of the dock. I don't think it was as amused as we were.
We met our guide and the rest of our group at noon and took a dinghy to our boat, where we made ourselves comfortable in our little cabin and then headed to the dining room for lunch. All the food served on the boat was delicious. Fortunately, siesta time was part of the itinerary so we had an hour to nap/settle in before heading off to find giant tortoises and a hike through the lava tunnels on Santa Cruz.
Our boat, the Guantanamera
Waiting for lunch
Tortoises!
Heading into the lava tunnels
The next few days were spent sailing from one island to another, snorkeling (at least twice a day) and hanging out with our fellow travelers -- all of whom were great. Our guide, Johann, was also wonderful. He had an answer for every question and was enjoyable to be around. On our snorkeling trips we spotted hammerhead sharks (an entire school of them swam right past me), sting rays, colorful fish galore and boobies. Lots and lots of boobies (both blue and red footed).
Nights on the boat were also amazing. The sky was so clear that star gazing was almost mandatory. And falling asleep to the sway of the boat was like being in my hammock back home in Cusco. I slept like a baby every night.
I know you're more interested in seeing pics than reading my babble, so I'll shut up for a while and just post pics. Enjoy!
And there you have it. We got back to the airport early on the last day, flew back to Guayaquil and made our way to the bus station to begin our 3-day bus journey back home. Guayaquil to Tumbes, Peru, (about 12 hours), Tumbes to Lima (22 hours), and finally Lima to Cusco (23 hours). Except for those last 3 days the trip was amazing. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Now on to a new house and a restaurant to open in Cusco! Stay tuned!!
Ok, so the lowdown on getting to the Galapagos for any of you thinking about a trip there in the future. We took a bus from Mancora to Guayaquil, Ecuador, one of the only two cities you can fly to the Galapagos from (the other is Quito, but the flights are cheaper in Guayaquil). While in Mancora, we went online and found a hostel that seemed reasonably priced ($30/night for a room w/AC and breakfast) and also had a travel agency connected to it. The place was OK, but honestly not great enough to recommend -- it was sufficient for our time there. We booked our last-minute 4-day cruise through this agency as well as our flights (which are always the same price -- you'll never get a deal there). The cruise was $650/pp, including the guide and all meals on a Tourist Superior boat.
The cute little pigmy monkeys at our hotel (they're part of a conservation project)
Here's what we should've done: Since we were winging it anyway, we should've just gotten into Guayaquil and headed straight to the airport, booked our flights to Galapagos for (hopefully) that day and gone straight there. Once there, we should've looked for LAST-last-minutes cruises (like the day of or the following day). But even if we couldn't find one we'd still get to see a lot. You don't have to take a cruise when you're there -- there are tons of day trips to various islands as well as hotels on some of them (cheap ones, too), so staying over and spending time there is all up to you. I'm really glad we did the cruise and would have definitely done it all over again -- I just would've looked for a slightly better deal (people on our boat got some last-minute cabins for $430/pp).
So, we decided to fly to Galapagos the day before our cruise, as Guayaquil was NOT impressive (but the iguana park was cool -- iguanas just roam freely here).
Apparently, iguanas like to hang out in trees
We flew into Santa Cruz island, found a hotel for $25/night and set out to explore. The travel agency at our hostel in Guayaquil recommended a few places to visit on this island, including Las Grietas, supposedly one of the most unique swimming holes in the world. It's a bit of a hike over some trecherous lava rocks to get there, but we thought it would be fun. About halfway there, we ran into a couple coming back, warning us that there were some pretty viscious bugs along the way and that they were suffering from a few bites. We thanked them for the warning and continued on our way.
Now here's where I think my inability to communicate IN SPECIFICS bites me in the ass. Literally. We got to the site the couple had warned us about (still about 10 minutes from Las Grietas) and were bombarded by Kamikaze wasps. Seriously. It was so bad that Humberto yelled "Retirada! Retirada!" (Retreat! Retreat!) and we turned around and ran back over wobbly lava rocks and up the steep trail. There were a few wasps stuck in my hair buzzing near my ear and I'm sure my actions to remove them looked like a cross between Elaine dancing on Seinfeld and having a seizure.
One of Hum's stings (his lips aren't normally that big)
When we had a chance to take note of our stings, I found four (including one on my butt) and Hum had five. We were in serious pain and no amount of ice was helping. We ended up going to a pharmacy to get anti-inflammatory pills and painkillers and took a nap around 5pm. We woke up around 9:30 starving, set out to find some food, made it back by 10:30 and slept some more. Ah, drugs.
We were meeting our boat at noon the next day and set out after a late breakfast to wait for them at the docks. Sea lions and iguanas roam freely here, so there was plenty to amuse us while we waited, including one very sleepy sea lion on a bench at the end of the dock. I don't think it was as amused as we were.
We met our guide and the rest of our group at noon and took a dinghy to our boat, where we made ourselves comfortable in our little cabin and then headed to the dining room for lunch. All the food served on the boat was delicious. Fortunately, siesta time was part of the itinerary so we had an hour to nap/settle in before heading off to find giant tortoises and a hike through the lava tunnels on Santa Cruz.
Our boat, the Guantanamera
Waiting for lunch
Tortoises!
Heading into the lava tunnels
The next few days were spent sailing from one island to another, snorkeling (at least twice a day) and hanging out with our fellow travelers -- all of whom were great. Our guide, Johann, was also wonderful. He had an answer for every question and was enjoyable to be around. On our snorkeling trips we spotted hammerhead sharks (an entire school of them swam right past me), sting rays, colorful fish galore and boobies. Lots and lots of boobies (both blue and red footed).
Nights on the boat were also amazing. The sky was so clear that star gazing was almost mandatory. And falling asleep to the sway of the boat was like being in my hammock back home in Cusco. I slept like a baby every night.
I know you're more interested in seeing pics than reading my babble, so I'll shut up for a while and just post pics. Enjoy!
And there you have it. We got back to the airport early on the last day, flew back to Guayaquil and made our way to the bus station to begin our 3-day bus journey back home. Guayaquil to Tumbes, Peru, (about 12 hours), Tumbes to Lima (22 hours), and finally Lima to Cusco (23 hours). Except for those last 3 days the trip was amazing. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Now on to a new house and a restaurant to open in Cusco! Stay tuned!!
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