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.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
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.
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