Well, you know you've arrived somewhere awesome when you come across a hat like this, especially on such a lil' fella. We've since seen it all over town. It's like the closer we get to Mexico, the more we start to see 10 gallon hats. It's fantastic... partly because it means there's sun outside again. No wonder the Incas worshipped the sun.
And, you know you're not at home anymore when you see guinea pig for sale on the street. It's both fascinating and revolting for me. I want to be respectful of varied tastes; I just don't want any kids to be scared of their auntie who eats childhood pets. Something about the furry lil' critters just seems wrong to me; I'm sure I'd feel differently if I was raised around guinea pigs as food rather than pets.
Mark tried 1/2 a fried cuey (I'm simultaneously ashamed and proud of myself for trying a bite). It tastes like tender, greasy chicken. There's not a lot of meat on the bones.
I instead opted for a boiled mixed salad, asparagous soup, and cedron tea. I go back and forth with trying salads. Technically, the bacteria from the water (if your salad gets washed) can cause stomach bugs.... so can the poor hand-washing. I've gotten both on this trip. Sometimes I'm willing to risk it, and other times, I stick to the cheap deep fried meat on a bed of rice. Lastnight, I wasn't too worried because I'm already on a regimin of cipro for an existing stomach bug. I've been sick on this trip more than any other trip (4 times: elevation sickness in Bolivia, a head cold in Machu Picchu, a 1/2 day lost to the bano in La Paz, and most recently, a stomach bug I picked up somewhere around Lima). Most trips, I get one bug and call it good. I'm not sure why this trip is special. I use hand sanitizer and wash my hands. I don't lick my fingers. It's just one of those things, the price of admission to visit cool places, I guess.
We enjoyed Cajamarca as it is less touristy than other towns, partly because it's off the beaten trail. We enjoyed the hot spring baths, and the Combes Mayo (pre-Incan canals carved into rocks) were cool, but we'll be leaving Cajamarca tonight. We'll board an 11pm Flores overnight bus bound for Chiclayo, on our way to Piura, the border town for Ecuador. We're making our way toward Lajo, en route to Quito. We've heard some border crossing horror stories, so we chose the route that sounded the least problematic, but we always appreciate prayers for safe crossing. We're also still in negotiations about whether or not we'll stay in South America for another semester. I'm not thrilled about the uncertainty of it all, so I'm looking forward to Quito where we're going to feel out the opportunities for volunteering and see if it's a city we'd like to stay in for a few months. As a reminder, due to travel, we may not have access to wifi for a couple of days, so it may be a few days before I'm able to post another blog. In the meantime, feel free to email or Facebook or post a comment. I always enjoy getting mail.
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