Tuesday July 10

How could I have forgotten the guinea pigs? We went to an authentic Inca house where they live with their guinea pigs ( which they eat). There were about 30 of them scampering around on the floor, squealing to beat the band. Today, we went to a market in a small town with a local chef, tasting all kinds of unusual produce and seeing all different kinds of potatoes. Then we went back to his restaurant where he made us chicken salad in avocados, a vegetarian cerviche with mushrooms and asparagus and lomo saltado (marinated tenderloin, onions, peppers) served over potatoes - what else? dessert was a castle apple mousse. This afternoon we went to an Inca ruin where they did a lot of agricultural research, a weaving and dying operation, and a salt mine. Tomorrow Machu Pichu.