Well, it was nice meeting you, Peru and Bolivia. There have been highs and lows (altitude-wise), we shared warm moments, and you've given us goosebumps on countless unforgettable occasions.

There was one more cultural excursion we had to tick of our TO SEE list in Peru.
To visit the salt mines of Maras, and the Inca agricultural experiment that is Moray, we combined culture with action by using quads to go from one to the other. The landscape during quadding reminded us of Tuscany, with rolling green hills (well, after a bit of rain at least). Only difference were the high snow capped peaks in the distance.

Because of the specific architecture of the Moray terraces and position with respect to the surrounding landscape, the temperature difference between the lower and upper terraces could reach 15°. The Incas created this to study the environment in which crops would grow best, using it perhaps as a source of seeds for crop planting throughout their empire. At Maras, the water emerging from the mountain is saturated with the salt it passed through inside the mountain. The evaporation pools have existed since pre-Inca times and are still used today. Maras supposedly is one of the few places where you can extract the expensive 'pink' salt, of Himalayan fame.

On our final night in Cusco, we of course had to try one of the last typically Peruvian dishes we hadn't tried yet. Those of you that have cavia's at home, this week's update stops here for you. Thanks for reading!

So I tried guinea pig, or Cuy as it's called in Peru. Not the cute kind we have in Europe, but 3kg heavy critters. While the texture was very much like chicken, the taste was not. I read one review online saying it tastes like kerosene (needless to say this person did not enjoy their cuy experience). I feel though that there is some truth to that statement. A very subtle hint, maybe. It was definitely worth trying, but you can rest assured that your pet won't dissappear the next time I visit.

One domestic flight later, we were back in Lima, where we started 5 weeks ago. At the beginning of our trip, we stayed in the Miraflores neighborhood, and were a bit underwhelmed. For our last two nights, we stayed in a hostel in a renovated colonial building in the center, and discovered that Lima has beautiful architecture and a very pleasant central area, despite what many reviews say. It's supposedly famous for its wooden balconies on the building facades (so we were told by fellow traveler Jacob, who had done his homework better than we did), and they do add a certain charm. Lima 6/10. Lima with wooden balconies 7/10.

We finished our South American chapter the same way we started it: with pisco! Only this time, we learned about the history, the production process (complete distillation or interrupted: mosto verde), the different types of grapes that can be used (aromatico or non-aromatico), pisco puro and pisco abbrochado, and the resulting different types of pisco. Fun fact! Pisco is always clear and colorless, since it is processed in ceramic or cement vessels, contrary to rum or tequila, which are aged in wooden barrels that color the spirit over time.

O! Almost forgot. Caroline got an ear infection, which she found out about by the excruciating pain on the flight from Cusco to Lima. Seeing as we were flying to Europe two days later, on three separate flights, she wasn't all too happy about this situation. So we went to an open clinic, and happily used Jacob's translating services. From the information desk on the ground floor, we're sent to the top (8th) floor to ask for an 'adicional'. Sure, we don't know what that is but OK. On the 8th floor we get a piece of paper saying we can have an adicional, which we have to pay for on the ground floor. After paying for the adicional we get a new paper, to go and have the adicional upstairs on the 8th floor. By now we figured out that an adicional is an extra doctor's visit outside of the normal appointments. The doc takes a look at Caroline's ear, confirms that it is infected and prescribes some antibiotics and an ear cleansing. But have to pay for that first! Down to the ground floor, pay for the syringe and for the doc to perform the cleansing, and back upstairs we go. We can't say this was the most effective system, but it worked because the flights to Europe were painless.

We had a peculiar experience on those flights back to Europe: the cabin was sprayed with something, 'for our own health'. The stewardesses ran up and down the airplane while emptying a spraycan in each hand. Something zika-related? This did not happen on the way to South America, nor on our flights to Bali later. Weird! Three flights and 25 hours later, we arrived at our hotel in Amsterdam, for one night of European comfort, and to meet with our parents before leaving Europe behind until 2017.

This marks the end of one chapter of our trip! Two more to go: New Zealand is up first. But not before we take a breather in Bali! Paradise, here we come.

Geschreven door BigTrip