Ecuador/Peru

Recently I made my first foray into South America. I was looking for costume jewelry and crafts for our business of 25 years in New Hope, PA. Though I have driven to Mexico many times, it is far too dangerous now to be tooling around with money and/or merchandise. So I looked for a new route. My brother-in-law (concunado) and I arrived to Quito on Halloween and were immediately aware of the altitude. The next day we got Diamox which helped. And we tried the coca leaf tea which is supposed to help. We checked out a few markets and shops and found a costume jewelry line made out of tagua. It is the seed of a spiny palm tree (making it a renewable source) and looks like plastic. Our grandmothers probably sewed on buttons made of tagua. Lately they are dying it and turning it into earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, etc. The tree itself is used for flooring and is not endangered in the least. From Quito we headed to Otavalo 2 hours to the north. I had to improvise some transportation as the whole town was vacating for the long day of the dead vacation. Otavalo had more tagua, at a better price and some beautiful vistas. Back in Quito, we headed south to Banos and then Cuenca, both lovely towns. We investigated flying to Lima but flights across national lines were much more expensive than national flights. So we boarded the Pullman Sucre (which we eventually called the Pullman sucker) bus that left at night. We got to the Ecuadoran/Peruvian border around 1 am and had to check out of Ecuador (one hour) and into Peru (another hour). This trip was like going by the dark side of the moon. With some hair raising moments we made it to Piura, Peru and beelined for the airport. A ticket to Lima was under 100 dollars and just 40 or so more than the 20 hour bus. We flew. Lima was like Paris (especially after Piura). As cosmopolitan as it gets. We stayed in Miraflores but also visited Barranco which I liked better. But Miraflores was nicely situated to get downtown where I found the costume jewelry and artesania center. One can also see the bones of Pizarro in the cathedral. From Lima we flew to Cusco (just 40 dollars more than the 20 hour bus) and of course "did" Machu Picchu, where we were spirtually lifted, of about 175 dollars. Not robbed mind you, at least not in the conventional sense. But this sacred cow of Peru is being milked for every drop. I told anyone who would listen that the Taj Mahal only cost 25 dollars, and it is not a ruin. Anyway, from Cusco we bussed down to Puno on Lake Titicaca (about 8 hours). Puno is a typical border town (read dirty and dusty), but a good place to buy alpaca wool as most of the herds are in the south. We climbed (crawled) up Condor hill where I was as high as I have ever been, 4107 meters or about 2 and a half miles. There was a great view of the lake from up there. From Puno we bussed it to Arequipa (another 6 hours) which dazzles with the sillar volcanic rock that makes up most of its buildings. This town is truly a gem and well worth the visit. Overall the hustle and bustle in Peru proved the point of the Wall Street Journal article found on this blog. The country is not in crisis or recession. From Arequipa we flew back to Lima (avoiding another 20 hour bus ride) for about 60 bucks. I did some last minute buying and we ended up in Barranco right by the bridge of sighs to eat the famous ceviche, jalea (fried fish dish) and cuy (guinea pig). I had the former while Mike ate the cuy (which I tried, tasted like rabbit). One other highlight culinary wise was alpaca. Surprisingly tasty. Overall, a pleasant 18 days.

Chip