Considering how much I love to travel, it was a bit jarring to realize that the last time I spent a birthday on the road was 2006 in Australia. Now here I am, halfway around the world in Cusco. And I have to say that so far, 37 beats 26, hands down.
Breakfast with a view
I woke up this morning to all of your messages, emails and Facebook greetings. Thanks, everyone. It’s a really great feeling when you’re so far away to know that you’re thinking of me. I appreciate it so much!
I had a headache when I woke up, but no other serious altitude symptoms. We headed up to the rooftop terrace for breakfast. It was sunny and beautiful this morning, with that lovely crisp cool air that makes me into a very happy person. I don’t think I’ve ever ushered in a birthday with such a nice view. A cup of coca leaf tea and some food helped my head feel a little better.
A feast for all senses
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After breakfast, we headed out into the city, walking through the courtyard of the school that shares a building with this hotel. It was fun seeing all the classes in session; one of the physical education classes seemed to be a lesson in Peruvian traditional dance.
We ran a couple of quick errands (laundry, ATM, etc.) and then made our way to Plaza San Francisco and the San Pedro Market.
The large farmer’s market is similar to those in many parts of the world, with everything for sale in market stalls: Meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables, handicrafts, flowers, and plenty of weird and wonderful local specialties. The market was a feast for our eyes, stomachs and cameras. I have to say, I love visiting markets when I travel. We bought some nuts and dried fruits to take to Machu Picchu with us, some bread and cheese to snack on, and a few other assorted things.
For lunch, Vanessa and I both opted to copy the locals and get some chicken noodle soup from the market stalls. The soup lady ladelled it out right in front of us, adding boiled chicken, carrots, noodles, and some lime. It reminded me of street pho in Hanoi, or ramen bars in Tokyo. It definitely hit the spot.
We headed over to the park to eat some of the bread and cheese we’d purchased, which we shared with an Australian family sitting nearby. Their daughter was fascinated by the local women with baby alpacas who are everywhere in Cusco, looking for tourists to pay them to take photos. I have to admit it was pretty cute watching her reaction to them.
A very chocolate birthday
Our next stop should surprise nobody at all who knows me even a little bit: We headed over to the ChocoMuseo, where we’d signed up for a Bean to Bar workshop. Yes, Sari got to spend her birthday making chocolate.
I mean, c’mon. Did you really expect anything different from me? Actually, Marie-Andree just informed me that my birthday is also National Chocolate Truffle Day. Which explains a lot, really.
The workshop was actually a really fun time. We were seven people taking the class, and by total coincidence, six of us were quebecois. (Okay, one was technically from New Brunswick, but still.) The lone American was a good sport about our frequent chatter in franglais, and we all laughed when we had to mix a chocolate drink while singing songs, and everyone started singing French nursery rhymes.
During the class, we learned about the history and provenance of cocoa beans — much of which I already knew, but a refresher is always nice. We got to make three different chocolate drinks, including tea from cocoa bean shells, Mayan-style 100% cocoa drink with chili powder, and a cinnamon hot chocolate with cloves that was absolutely delicious.
The actual chocolate making involved a few of the steps of the process (the whole end-to-end process would be impossible in the time frame) including grinding, roasting and pressing the beans into a paste. Then we each got to take some pre-prepared chocolate and pour it into moulds, mixing it with various additions including cocoa nibs, coffee beans, quinoa, fleur de sel, or various flavourings including coca powder. They put them into the fridge to set, and we swung by an hour later and got to take our chocolate home with us. A truly edu-nom-nom-nom-a-cational experience.
Taking care of business
We had a few things to take care of today, since we’re leaving for the Sacred Valley tomorrow. We swung by the tourist office to pick up our “tourist ticket”, which provides admission to ten sites in the area. I bought my bus ticket up to Lake Titicaca for this weekend. We picked up the laundry and bought some more water. And of course we browsed in more shops, well, because.
By that point we had been on our feet all day, and we were exhausted. You get tired really quickly at altitude. So we went back to the hotel for a short rest.
Pizza y cerveza
The girls told me that dinner was my choice tonight, since it’s my birthday and all. I’m not exactly the fancy food type, so I decided that I was in the mood for pizza and beer.
We went to a restaurant just down the street from the hotel, which came recommended by some friends before the trip. It was a lively, if touristy, spot. No authentic Peruvian food on this menu. But the craft beer selection was awesome. Still wary of the altitude, we ordered only two beers to share between the three of us. Yeah, altitude turns you into a really cheap drunk.
All in all, though, it’s been an absolutely fabulous day. If you gotta get older, this is definitely the way to do it.