Cuy no más

This little bone must be the anvil of the cuy's ear. To be a true connoisseur of guinea pigs
It is incumbent upon the consumer to be able to find the little bone that Peruvians call the zorro(the fox).
I found them from both ears!

Mercado Andahualino

Andahuaylina fruit

Andahuaylas

Ruda, for luck!

Flamboyance

Tamales

Balloons

Patient squash

We can’t believe another week has flown by. Rich left early Monday morning for Andahuaylas and returned Wednesday afternoon. Julie stayed in Cusco and worked. 

The trip to Andahuaylas is rugged. We have to leave in the morning early and go over windy roads for four hours. They take you down through the Apurimac River gorge. Apu Rimaq, in Quechua means “The Voice of God” but to paraphrase Mae West, “There is nothing divine about that road.” It winds back up over the next pass and down into the Abancay valley. these roads have no comparison in North America. Once in Abancay, Rich walks to the bus station to get his land legs and catch the bus to Andayhualas, three more hours. He is usually totally wiped out.

On his last trip to Andahuaylas, the brethren there had suggested they take him to eat cuy (guinea pig) on his next trip. Never having made pets of rodents really, we have never suffered the guilt some of our North American friends have at consuming these little critters. Rich actually likes them. Anyway, along with the invitation came the inevitable, “Ours is the best guinea pig in Peru,” affirmation. This phrase is uttered by someone from every place we have visited in Peru. So, we ooh and aah and go along and pretty much, it is all the same, fried, roasted or stewed, a guinea pig is pretty much a guinea pig… until Andahuaylas. Indeed, the owners of the Huallpa restaurant have perfected the guinea pig. Never mind that Huallpa means chicken, it is the family name of the owners and a bit like Smith in Quechua speaking regions. These little guys were crispy, golden morsels of the most tender rodent on the planet, no joke! Rich was duly impressed.

He went with them to the church afterwards for interviews and meetings late into the night, all suffering from too much guinea pig and struggling to stay awake. The next day, he was drowsy from feasting and slept much of the way home to Cusco.

We had an incredible rainstorm Saturday afternoon/night. The rainy season is upon us. We enjoyed another Sunday in Cusco, we’re getting spoiled staying at home on the weekends! That ends next week though.

We love our mission and love serving here.