On the land of the Incas

I've made it back, more or less in one piece, and while I adore Peru, I'm quite happy to be home. Sleeping in my own bed. With my own memory foam pillow.

I have lofty fantasies about being a world traveler, but the truth is, 10 days abroad is about my limit. I can stretch it to 2 weeks if pressed. But after that, there's nothing I want more than the familiarity of my own home. Scurrying around in taxis, eating exotics foods and trekking over ancient ruins is great for a while, but at the breaking point, I just want to hop in my own car and drive to Taco Bell for a 7-layer burrito, which I eat parked in front of my own TV, watching reruns of the Big Bang Theory without subtitles.

Here's a quick rundown of our trip:

February 11:
Arrive in Lima at 5am, after approximately 2 hours poor sleep on the airplane; pry eyes open to get through immigration and find luggage. CP's dad and stepmom pick us up at the airport and I'm too exhausted to say more than "hola." Arrive at hotel to find that even though we were promised an early check-in, they're not ready for us. Finally get into a room and collapse on a bed, vaguely aware that there is no air conditioning, only to be awakened by booming salsa music at 8:30am. Prepare to murder whoever is necessary for some peace and quiet. Spend the morning in a stupor listening to hotel guests scream and slam doors. Attempt to open windows and find they are blocked by blinds, so there is literally no way to cool room. Still half-conscious, am dragged off to a party with CP's friends, which he promised would start at 6pm--"hora gringa," ie, on time. Dinner is finally served at 9:30pm. Am nearly hysterical because I am too tired to form a coherent sentence in Spanish, and CP's friends must think I'm a a deaf mute, or worse. Return to hotel to discover that decorative glass blocks on sides of stairs are actually shared with room below--when their light is on, it shines in our room. Get stylish piece of cardboard from hotel staff to block window. Vow never to believe TripAdvisor hotel reviews again.

February 12-13:
Various meals eaten with CP's family, talking about people I don't know and places I haven't been. Lots of delicious seafood and pisco sours. Stole souvenir glass from Pescados Capitales. Grossed out by brother-in-law ordering cuy (guinea pig).

February 14, Valentine's Day:
Arrive in Cuzco. Manage to eat 2 meals before getting food poisoning and spending next 24 hours in bed, watching dubbed reruns of The Simpsons and crying because I'm ruining our vacation.

February 16:
Finally well enough to leave the hotel without vomiting, spend the day visiting sites in the Andes, including the alpaca farm, where I bought this:

2 100g balls handspun laceweight baby alpaca - $12 each.

February 17 - 19:
Back in Lima in entirely different hotel with no weird lights or shrieking neighbors; additional meals and adventures with CP's family and friends, although with much less eating on my part. Numerous taxi rides that almost result in my death. Highly amused by multiple advertisements for a food brand called Kraps, which rivals Bimbo for the worst Latin brand name:

And that's about it! Check out the rest of my photos here.


All of this running around didn't leave me with much time for knitting, so now I'm trying to play catch-up on two sweaters I'm dying to wear before the weather warms up. I did manage to finish the baby sweater for my new niece, which I'll tell you about next time.

And in other news, I'm getting ready to start up another raffle benefiting the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, for their Baltimore Take Steps, Be Heard walk, which I first did in 2010. If you're interested in supporting Team Mary Kate by donating a prize for the raffle (yarn, fiber, pattern, tools, etc), which would be most appreciated, please shoot me an email at mediaperuana@gmail.com.