Julio or Julia .... too late to tell. We ate him/her

Last weekend in October ... Octoberfest ... why not cook a pig on a spit.  Seemed like a good idea.  No, we haven't done this before, but how hard can it be.  Instructions on the internet and Zac knew how to get a pig...

Friday night, and the pig was delivered.  

But Saturday dawned overcast - not ideal weather to spit roast a pig.  Although the forecast for the past week had been for rain which had not eventuated, today was destined to be different.  A cover would need to be erected for the BBQ.  So after a quick trip to the market to pick up some charcoal and fresh vegetables, all the boy scout skills were put to use to erect a canopy. 

  

Next, the pig, nicknamed Julio by this stage, had to be secured to the skewer, and hoisted above the hot coals.  %^*%$$  he's too long - we'll have to adjust his length

 

And right on cue, as Julio was lifted onto the spit, the rain came down - harder than anything we had seen so far.  Only one and a half hours later than the plan.....estimated cooking time, 6 hours - we were already way behind schedule.

Plan was to rotate him every 15 minutes.  Time to reconsider - 20 minutes and he was already turning black!!!  How high should he be above the coals?  Just when you need Google - the internet is OUT!!!!

Plan B - we'll have to keep him moving - rotating manually ... for 6 hours.....  Need to ring in some help - so everyone who arrived took a turn...

 Taste test .... after only 30 minutes.  Sure tastes good!!!!

 

 Lots of other yummy food arrived - salads, potatoes, chickens, lamb kebabs.....
And finally it was time - sooooo much pork!!  And I have to admit, it was delicious - so tender!! Rico!!!

 

And amazingly, after everyone had finished eating , the rain came down.... it HAILED!!!

The party continued for several hours ... in typical style - men in one room, women in another!!!  Great day in Cusco!!!  Thanks everyone.  As I write this I can hear 2 conversations downstairs,  female conversation totally in Spanish, and the male conversation predominately in English.  Goodnight!!

 

I want to go to the men's barber shop!!!

We've been here for 8 weeks - time for a haircut.  Milka took me to her hairdresser - really nice place close to home, and someone who cuts with confidence.  I love that.  Good haircut and efficient service.

But Lex's experience was so much more!  Zac had been promising to go to this new barber shop - with a bar and wifi!!!  So for S/10 he got a haircut, shampoo, massage, and a cup of tea!!  Zac included a maincure and a couple of rums.

It's called D'Pelos for Men Barber Shop - and since we will be here for a few more months, the boys will no doubt be back there sometime, and I'm guessing Lex might be off the tea by then, too.

Turned cold while we were out yesterday - after such a warm start to the day.  Just had to buy myself another alpaca chompa!  I could need it in Patagonia later - not sure what to expect of weather there.  Other than COLD!!!!

Another side of Cusco

This week we've seen yet another side of Cusco - one we definitely never expected.  Lex has spent the last 4 days in a Clinic or Private Hospital here. And now that he is back home, I am able to write about it. He had stomach pains, no appetite for the last couple of weeks and lost a considerable amount of weight.

Our experience in this clinic has been nothing short of amazing!!!!  Lex saw 2 specialists and a referring doctor who took personal care of each step - all in less than 3 hours.  Once the problem was identified (2 large duodenal ulcers), he was admitted to hospital where treatment could be started and his progress monitored.  Possibly wouldn't have happened so quickly back home in Clermont.

 

He was given hospital scrubs ..... nice look.  Patient or doctor...

All medication was administered via the IV - absolutely NIL by mouth for 2 days, then a repeat endoscopy to assess progress - but he needed to be taken to a different clinic for this procedure and biopsy - so all rugged up for the cold outside, Lex, with his translator, Zac headed off in an ambulance, along with a nurse the gastro specialist and the attending doctor.  

He has been visited several times by doctor and specialists each day.   The gastro specialist has been nicknamed 'Mrs Corneal' - by Zac.  People from home will recognise the name - one of Zac's primary school teachers. The Dr's name is Alisa Corr...... something, but similarities don't end there - she looks similar, but her speech and mannerisms are deliberate and precise, like Zac's teacher.  What a lovely lady - and a doctor who gives one the greatest sense of confidence.  She always spoke is Spanish - but was careful to ensure that Zac could translate for us - or when he wasn't around, that Lex could understand as much as possible.  Tremendous patient care.

 

On the third day, when improvement had been noted, he was told that food would gradually be introduced - first meal ...... cup of tea.  He did get to eat more gradually and I must admit it was good to see him eating again.

One of the images I'll remember for a long time is somewhat of a role reversal - doctors talking over Lex to Zac ... the kid.  Even the doctor who would speak to us in English would give more in-depth explanations to Zac if he was there - and leave the translation up to him.   Most times with other specialists and nurses - it was all Spanish. Really appreciated Zac's help throughout!! Our 2 weeks of Spanish lessons didn't prepare us for this.

"These are the foods he should eat.... chicken, rice, potatoes..... and avoid coffee, alcohol, cigarettes.......

Doctor will visit here at home on Monday to check on the patient and hopefully provide biopsy results...  and there'll be follow up tests - but it's been a whirlwind experience.  Good to have him home!

Thanks to all doctors, nurses and staff at Clinica Paredes for the very special care and attention.

Some 'man' time

Our extended visit here in Peru affords Lex and Zac some time together to work on stuff ... and there were quite a items on Zac's list - most of them to do with his brewing processes.

One of them was to create a housing for one of his pumps - to keep it out of water, as well as make it more secure.  So a plastic tool box has been sacrificed for the cause.  Holes have been drilled for the pipes, leads and power outlet.  Pump has been secured to pieces of timber in the bottom of the box, and hooks for the power cord secured to the outside.  

  

Time to test it out.....

Perfect!!  Water is pumped from the boiler, and back into the boiler ... perfect test run..

Next project - secure the motor in the vortex contraption - not sure of the proper name for this - but works something like this:  motor on, spins a magnet in the bottle of liquid, creating a whirlpool. (creative use of a plastic container)

 

Don't remember seeing many of these creative talents as Zac was growing up - looks like he saved them all up for now!

Certainly was a better way to fill in Sunday than to watch a rerun of the Aussie rugby defeat.  And Zac was really happy with their achievements....

  

An eventful day .... with unexpected surprise!

We set off this morning, on foot as usual with 2 tasks ahead of us -
1) deliver a package for Zac
2) try to find some bias binding, thread etc to fix a hen on some slacks I was letting down for Milka.

Sewing (even mending) is not a difficult task, at home.  But here, without a machine, I was looking to do it by hand ... or find someone with a machine (had seen such stalls in markets previously) and try to explain what I wanted done.   Well, pleased to say I managed the job ....  the lady sewed matching bias binding on with her machine, and then also did the hand sewing .... 15-20 mins and only S/5.   Bargain!!

 

The other task took a little longer.  Delivery wasn't a problem ... had to deliver a package to Two Nations restaurant, run by Australian, Matt and his wife.  No problem - been there before.  Matt is selling Zac's beer - so we stayed for lunch and enjoyed a few drinks!!!  Two Nations is well known for their 'Aussie burger', but today I enjoyed an entree of wontons filled with alpaca and ham - really delicious.  Best alpaca I've tasted (sorry Jeff and Jill), I'll be going back for one of their other alpaca dishes.

Where to next????  There are lots of huge churches in Cusco - and we've been into several, but we hadn't been into the San Francisco Museo .... until today.  WOW - what a place.  We were ther just as they opened - so no other tourists - just Lex and I and a small, elderly guide, giving us the tour ... in Spanish!!

The place is massive - huge buildings around a central courtyard - lots of huge religious artworks around the hallways.  We were led, up, down and around ... and shown some amazing sights - and sounds.  In one dome ceiling area - were 4 large statues, each carved from a single piece of cedar - but it was the acoustics here that was amazing.  Lex stood facing into one corner, and I stood in the diagonally opposite corner.  When either of us spoke softly, the sound could be heard as if it was right behind us...  Amazing.

We went into the choir area - massive seats all carved out of cedar.  Have seen similar areas (Santa Rosa church in Lima, I think) and usually you aren't able to touch anything - but here, we sat in the seats!!

Possibly the grandest feature is a massive 15 x 9 m painting showing 683 members of the Franciscan order... and above it an impressive ceiling - all painted panels.

At the end of the tour, our guide said quite a bit and held out his hand .... we thought 'tip', but by this time we'd picked up on the words 'donation' and 'restoration' - so we twigged that he was asking for a donation for ongoing restoration.  We'd thoroughly enjoyed our hour long tour ... so Lex handed him S/10.  He looked up at us and said 'Mas'  (more).  He may have even mentioned the word for twenty ... so I found S/20, thinking I would swap the S/10 for a S/20 ... He took both notes and simply said, 'Gracias'.

At the end of the day - we didn't feel the least bit ripped off.  We'd had a fabulous tour of an amazing place - a place which from the outside really doesn't grab your attention.  S/10 entry and our S/30 donation - same price as entry to the Pre-Columbian art gallery.  Vale la pena  (worth it) We had a great afternoon - and a good story to tell.

Weekend in the Sacred Valley

Things just happen ... well I'm sure that's NOT the way it is really but it seems that way to me.  Zac and Milka obviously do a lot of planning and organising .... and communicating .. to make things happen, and I just love that!!!

They found us a fabulous hotel in the Sacred Valley - about an hour's drive from Cusco.  All sounds so easy - but we don't have a car and to be honest, I don't really want to drive here.  So it's a bus (which would stop frequently along the way) or a taxi, or a 'collectivo' - which could be a taxi or a small people mover type vehicle.  So a 'collectivo' it was - Milka does all the communicating - rejecting some offers and finding us a decent vehicle (taxi which could carry 4 and we were a group of 4) to take us without much delay. 

Trip up out of Cusco over mountains and down into the Sacred Valley was spectacular - the hour passed by very quickly.

Our hotel, Monasterio do la Recoleta was built in C17 and renovated in 2007 - it was beautiful and retained so many original features.  Nestled between Urubamba River and mountains on either side, views were spectacular.  It was like stepping back in time (the timber log beams in our room were tied together with leather strips) - but with all the mod-cons.  

 

 

Late in the afternoon, we set off in moto-taxis for S/1.50 (negotiated by Milka .... and she's a tough negotiator, rejecting the S/2 fare demanded by some drivers) .... destination - Seminario Ceramics  - workshop, gallery and shop.  Quiet suburban area - looked nothing like a shop or gallery.  Don't think we would have found this place on our own .... nor would we have thought to just ring the bell - high right of the door.  Even though it was after 5pm, we were greeted and welcomed inside - and it was AMAZING!!!!  Such a beautiful courtyard, filled with fabulous ceramic pieces and surrounded by several buildings.  What a dream place.  

 

We were shown into a really well set up video room - watched a short video of the history of the artist and his craft, and then taken on a tour of the place, where people were still working - on the wheel and decorating pieces.  Our guide spoke very good English and was so accommodating.  He left us at the gallery and sales area - 5 rooms!!!

So many beautiful pieces  - some inlaid with silver.  Haven't seen anything like these pieces before - it really is a 'gem' of a place!!!

Should have mentioned - this weekend was a belated anniversary weekend away for Zac and Milka - we're very privileged to be invited along - YES we were invited...  So we gave them some time alone....

Trip home was via Pisac .... markets and more spectacular mountain scenery.  Another fabulous weekend, and experiences which we would struggle to achieve on our own.  Really must try harder to use the little Spanish I have learnt!!!

Gardening - Cusco style

The house Zac and Milka live in now has back and front enclosed courtyards.  The front one has lawn, plants and a garden bed.  Some of the jobs saved up for Lex (just because he loves it) - pruning, mowing (cutting the grass - not really mowing) and replanting the garden bed. 

Over the past 2 weekends things have been happening.  The small tree was pruned - straggling branches cut out of guttering and away from overhead TV cables - using a borrowed 'ladder'.  Not really safety certified - but Zac was holding on and it's not as if Lex hasn't dangled precariously from ladders before.  And of course pruning was done as per instructions - uneven levels and high enough to act as a deterant to anyone thinking of climbing over the wall.

 

Zac bought a plastic pot for a plant for S/15 from the nearby Mega (supermarket) - and later that day we bought a decorated ceramic larger pot at the local Tupac street market for S/12 - locally produced items are much cheaper than things that have to be brought in.

At these street markets we also bought plants, seedlings - and dirt.  Alpaca poo, along with other mulch and natural fertilisers also available.  You can buy a plant from one lady, pot from another then go to the 'dirt' lady and she'll pot it for you. 

Last weekend we returned to get another pot - S/15 for decorated ceramic pot, wire stand and ceramic drip tray.  The drip tray was brown - not reddish tones of the pot so Zac asked for an 'otra' (other).  The lady promtly pulled out a small plastic bag from her pocket - and out of that came a sponge saturated in reddish dye of some sort.  She wiped in and around the tray and handed it to us .... RED.  We could only smile. 

 

 Last week Lex 'cut the grass' - with a pair of large shears - sadly I missed the photo opportunity of Lex down on his knees snipping away!!!

Garden now has potted herbs as well as lettuce, spring onions, carrots and raddishes coming up and 2 tomato plants - that's going to be interesting because they don't look like tomato plants - we'll have to wait and see.