Colca Canyon

Just got back from a three day trek through southern Peru's beautiful Colca Canyon. We met great people, saw the condors, tried alpaca for the first time (twice in one day), and the views were absolutely breathtaking. I could go on and on, but I think the pictures describe it best. Enjoy!

Colca Canyon, 4160 meters deep (more than twice the Grand Canyon)

condors!

Juan de Chu Chu, where we spent our first night in the canyon

our first taste of alpaca. not bad. I think it tastes a lot like pork.

us with our trek-mates at our first night´s lodging

view from our hut

Liz eating pacay, a delicious fruit that grows on trees throughout the canyon. Our friend Dionne from Lima taught us about them and we burned through loads of them!

success!!!

Granja Heidi (Cusco)

Thanks to Frommer's Peru 2006, we've discovered our new favorite restaurant in the world. It's called Granja Heidi. They ascribe to the slow food philosophy, but the food is well worth the wait. The restaurant was started by a German couple and the majority of their ingredients come from their farm just outside Cusco. Everything is organic and local, their homemade cheeses and yogurts are to die for! Believe it or not, we stayed an extra night in Cusco for the sole purpose of having every meal at this restaurant...

Each meal begins with a delicious amuse bouche, usually a small slice of freshly baked bread topped with some homemade cream cheese.

Delicious fresh squeezed juice (we prefer the banana-mango)

Crepes!

Amazing mixed salad with chicken (and our new friend Joanna!)

The tomato and indian spice milk of Granja's extensive milk menu (all from their own cows of course)

Stalker pic of Granja Heidi!

Foods of Lima

The population of Lima seems to take great pride in the vast array of foods they have available--from their fresh ceviches to what some claim to be the best Chinese food outside of China. We are on a mission to try as many foods as possible. On our first night we had cow heart, mazamorra with rice pudding, and many other desserts washed down with Pisco Sours and Inca Kola (more popular than Coca Cola in Peru).

Anticuchos aka cow heart (pretty disgusting, honestly)

Mazzamora, Inca Kola, something that translates to whisper of Lima, and some kindof fried donut-y thing.

Pisco sours (pisco, lemon juice, egg whites, simple syrup, bitters) at Santos in Barranco.

Amazing ceviche from Punto Azul, an adorable restaurant in a converted mansion, owned by Miguel´s friend Julio Cesar´s family.

Tiradito Tricolor, also raw fish, and so so good

We had Chifas, Peruvian Chinese food, for lunch yesterday with our new friends Emilio, Gustavo, Miguel, and Tara. Note the bright yellow Inca Kola on the table- they drink it with every meal...it´s kindof like bubblegum flavored soda, sick!