Char

At the Opera: Carmen

Char is very studious at school

Around Cuzco and Machu Pichu

Seafood

Joanne and I went to Eten. My biggest reason for going was to eat more mariscos and pescado (seafood). Neither of us had been there before, so Joanne asked some drunk guy for a restaurant, and, consequently, the food wasn't great. But it sure was pretty.

Mi Parihuela: Pescado, Pulpo, y alguna mas

This is Puerto Eten; it's the beach where all the seafood comes from.


It was really windy.

Inca Dogs

Peruvians are really proud of their country, as they should be. But one of their points of national pride is a race of hairless dog that originates from the time of the Incas.

But, honestly, how could anyone be proud of this...?

Alessa

I was feeling really bad because I wasn't home to see Sophie when she was born, so it is really nice that Stephanie lets me hold her baby all the time.

Dallas, Alessa, and Stephanie (Alessa's mom) Alessa is adorable. She has thick black hair.

Dallas, Joanne, and Alessa

Joanne looking annoyed

Cuy

Take a close look at these little cuy quarters. Cuy is a traditional dish in peru, and the locals tout cuy as the healthiest of all meats, which I find funny because the only form of preparation is deep fried.



Nadia, Luisa, and I went looking for a good restaurant that served cuy. We tried a couple of restaurants before we ended up at El Huaralino, which turned out to be really fancy. I thought I was early to a wedding party; everything was white; there were fresh flowers on every table, and the service couldn't have been better.

Cuy, by the way, is guinea pig: and if you look really close, you can see its little toe nails

This is the Mercado Modelo where cuy are sold.

Monsefu and Wichu

All of my life, it has been my dream to run around in the jungle like an aborigany, swinging in the trees and playing with monkeys. But apparently, the jungle is dangerous. You can't run around without clothes or play with monkeys; therefore, what's the point of going?

Naturally, I was very disappointed, but Nadia's grandmother in Monsefu has a pet monkey, and because of this I have been looking forward to visiting her for a long time. What I didn't know was that her monkey is racist; he hated me. Everyone in that house, including those who were visiting for the first time, got close to the monkey, and he repeatedly jumped in their arms, everyone, of course, except me. Whenever I approached, the monkey would bark at me like a dog and run to anyone else for safety. The only chance I got to touch him is when he was latched on to a cat; otherwise, he would push my hands away.

I decided to try again another day because everyone had a theory as to why the monkey didn't like me. The second time I went, the monkey did get closer, but only so he could bite me. In all seriousness, afterwords, I was sad and disappointed. But then Nadia's mom took us to eat camerones sudados, and they were oh so delicious. I think they are up there with lomo saltado and pollo a la brasa in my list of favorites. This is a good example of how my date with me monkey went. The monkey is in Nadia's hands. I am trying to put my hands under Nadia's, hoping the monkey will grow accustomed to my hands, or that perhaps he simply won't notice whose hands are holding him; the monkey, however, is peering at me with fear in his eyes and pushing as hard as he can to get away.

The monkey looking for fleas in Nadia's hair

The monkey eating Nadia's hair

Nadia acting like the monkey

Sudados de Camerones: Los mas ricos mariscos en el mundo

Skipper should be very jealous.