Loco food

We started the morning with a walk to the Mercado Central de San Pedro, the largest and oldest market in Cusco. Although the market opens around 6am, we didn’t expect that about half the stalls had not yet opened. There were plenty of clothes and tchotchkes, but we came to check out the food stalls. Near the back we saw several rows of women cooking breakfast. Seems that a large bowl of chicken noodle soup is a popular breakfast option - a bit like pho but made with chicken. We might have tried a bowl if we didn’t have a large gringo breakfast in our hotel.

Past the food stalls, we saw a sign saying menudo. Amy was sure Greg misread the sign, but soon enough, we saw many kinds of tripe. The pungent smell from the offal was pretty overwhelming. (Dear reader, we will not post our pictures of tripe). We turned to a less-intimidating aisle of vegetables, where we saw many kinds of raw potatoes, confirming Amy’s research that Peruvians cultivate far more varieties than what we get at home. Next, we passed several stands pressing butter into large wheels. The butter looked amazing but we can’t use that while traveling.

There were more stalls outside, where we saw several barbers and a few shops selling textiles for making clothes. We passed several carts making fresh churros; Greg bought a cup with one that was filled with chocolate and another filled with dulce de leche (a type of caramel). They were not as good as we hoped. And Greg did not buy churros for everyone.

In the lobby of our hotel, there is a small table in the lobby where you can make a cup of their four homemade teas: muña (a local mint), chamomile, lemongrass and coca tea. Amy tried the coca tea, which was so strong that she threw it out after just a few sips. Greg exercised better judgment. The other teas were delicious.

In fact, these teas are made from herbs that they grow in the garden in the courtyard of the hotel. When we returned from visiting the market, we got a tour of the garden, where a staffer from the hotel restaurant showed us the herbs and plants that they grow. We recognized many like thyme, rosemary, and peppermint, while others like muña are local to Peru. As we were touring, the resident baby alpaca walked over to nibble on the plants; Greg rushed over to take a picture but the alpaca got scared and walked away.

We chatted with a mother-daughter pair from England who were also on the tour. The daughter, age 16, may have seen more of the world than we have! She just finished visiting China, and will visit Brazil next after Peru. They joined us on a walk back to Qantu Market, where we bought chocolate and plantain chips (crisps) again for lunch. Amy was so engrossed in conversation with the mother that she had almost no time for the chips, which Greg was busy devouring.

Finally, we walked the several blocks to our new hotel, where our tour starts. We were spoiled at the JW Marriott El Convento, and Greg had such low expectations for the new hotel that he was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be perfectly comfortable. In the mid-afternoon, we met our tour leaders for orientation on the tours. Yes, we said tours: Amy and Greg will be taking separate tours, with Greg doing more hiking and Amy visiting more sites. More about that later. Due to the terrain, we will have limited internet service, so updates will be irregular. Stay tuned!

Finally, today’s title is not a typo. Specifically, on a trip years ago to Costa Rica, an American we knew wanted to get restaurant recommendations. He asked for “local food”, but due to the language gap, the person heard it as “loco [crazy] food” and became very confused by the question.