10+ Things I learned in Peru
Something I learned on day one is that I actually like the taste of coca tea. It’s light, slightly sweet and soothing. And coca leaves do ease the side effects of high altitude. Locals say it is also an effective treatment for depression. I don’t think that is the only reason I’ve been so content here!! Hmmm, but it does make one wonder.
When you really need it, a foreign language will come back to you (enough to get out of or into a jam 😂). It was fun trying to use my Spanish again. I wasn’t great but I could definitely converse and I liked the challenge.
There are three languages in Peru- Quechua, Spanish and Aymara.
There is a popular type of music (which our drivers seemed to LOVE) and it is a strange mix of something akin to Chinese and Tejano mashed together. Imagine the highest pitched shrill from a young teenaged girl and then magnify that screech. It isn’t my taste or anyone else’s in our group. Our drivers, however, felt it would grow on us if they cranked it to full volume! Um...no.
Willkamayu River in Quechua is known as the Sacred River- It is usually called the Urubamba River today. It follows the reflection of the Milky Way through the Inca Trail which is why the Quechua call it the Sacred River. It’s beautiful.
Foods: Cuy (guinea pig) is ok. The sight of it makes it less appealing in my opinion. But seriously if you’re a visitor in a foreign country, you should experience some of their most beloved foods. It is something similar to quail. Alpaca tastes like a combination of chicken and beef tenderloin to me. It’s easy, light but hearty enough and flavorful. Avocados here are so delicious and taste different than what we get in Austin. They are available like jalapeño peppers in Texas, in terms of how plentiful they are. Guacamole girl happy.
Drinks: Purple corn actually does taste good as a juice. It’s called Chicha Morada. To me, it’s something like a cross between blueberry juice and rice milk. That may sound weird but it’s oddly good. Pisco sour is made with raw egg white, simple syrup, lemon juice and Pisco. Pisco is an alcoholic beverage made from a specific type of grape. The egg white threw me but believe me when I say that after one or two you will not notice or care you’re drinking raw egg. Soft drinks - Inca Cola is similar to Mountain Dew with a splash of vanilla. That’s the best I can come up with to illustrate the taste and color. One sip will do ya! I’m still coming down from the sugar high of my test sip!!!
Floating villages on Lake Titicaca. It takes a year to build a floating island from reeds. And the root system on which the islands are built are very light and feel like dry dirt such as the kind you pull out of the bottom of the pot from the last house plant you killed. On the other hand, a small two person reed boat can be built in one week but they only last five or six months. They call them “taxi romanticos” or “float and flirt” boats because they are used to “cruise” the waterways and go on dates.
The Inca Trail is physically tough But the beauty is in the mental challenge. Plus it’s a great leg toner!
Note to self: Do NOT buy chocolate liqueur made from special organic cacao beans and then think you will be able to carry it on the plane. Even after explaining in my best (albeit mangled) Spanish—a single tear falling softly down one cheek—that it was for my dear abuela, it did not work. Clearly I have lost my touch.
⭐️I will return to Peru. There is so much to see and do and we barely scratched the surface. Hasta que nos encontremos de nuevo.