We started at Saqsahuaman, pronounced "Sexy woman," for some more Inca ruin viewing. After that, we visited the Sun Temple that was overtaken by the Spanish in the 1500s that is part Inca/part Spanish. The contrast reminded me of the juxtaposition of the Moorish architecture seen in Morocco after the Spanish conquest of northern Africa. We ended our Peruvian tour with Felix at the Cathedral in Cusco, viewing gold flaked chapels and a very interesting painting of the Last Supper featuring a woman (presumably Mary Magdalene a la Dan Brown) and a main dish of guinea pig rather than what is typically represented in the work.
Before sending the boys off, we needed one last Cusqueño meal to end Peru properly. Trey had been dying to try the Chicha, a fermented corn beverage that quite frankly, sounds to me like Moonshine. Apparently, you cannot order this local drink at nice restaurants without a little bit of a twist to help the flavor. Even so, after two sips of his drink at a restaurant also named after the drink (Chi Cha), he had had his fill.
The other delight we were encouraged by so many Peruvians to try was cuy, which in fact is guinea pig. I know that it's the same thing we have as a pet back home because I saw their little cages in a market right before they were to be grilled a few days ago in Ollantaytambo. They served the guinea pig with purple corn crepes and a tamarind sauce, but based on the expression on my face after bravely trying this adorable creature, nothing can make you feel better about eating a guinea pig. They serve guinea pig at special occasions and on holidays typically in Peru, according to everyone we spoke to. The price tag verifies this, as 1 kg of meat costs about $80! The price tag should be more of a warnig, however, than an invitation in my opinion, in contrast to other fine meats (like yummy lobster) that ring in around the same price.
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