Guinea Pig, Weaving, and Lake Titicaca!

Monday night we met up with some new friends from our trek to Machu Picchu, and I had guinea pig! It was… well, different, to say the least. I just got half of one, because I didn´t think I would like it, but I wanted to try it. It came served on a plate withe corn and potato, and it was literally half a guinea pig. Fried. Laying on my plate, with its tongue sticking out, looking at me. Oh my. I tried a couple of bites, there isn´t really much meat on a guinea pig, but it tastes like duck. Greasy, rich, and sort of gamey. It most definitely did NOT taste like chicken! Ms. Mauch, who is a vegetarian, and Ms. Brown, were really grossed out by the whole thing. But it is part of the experience of traveling, to try new things and push your personal boundaries and comfort zone.

It was really nice to know some people in Cusco because of our trip. We had the guinea pig dinner with Kim and Alex, who are from New Zealand. And the next day, Tuesday, when we were wondering around town, we ran into Fabio and Joao from Brazil, and Jason and Sophia from Canada. Seeing a few friendly faces throughout the day was so great!

Tuesday we wandered around Cusco, taking it all in. We found a local artisian shop, and spent the afternoon with a Peruvian family learning how to weave! The man who was teaching us only spoke Quechuan, so the woman who owned the store translated his words into Spanish, which then had to be translated into English by her son, who only spoke a little English… It was crazy! But it was an amazing experience, and despite that language difficulties, we were able to weave a little strip of cloth, about the right size for a bookmark. As we sat weaving with the family, the younger brother came home from school and asked his older brother for help with his homework. It was one of those moments when you realize despite culture and language differences, we really are all the same.

This morning we left Cusco, caught the bus to Puno, Peru, which is on the shores of Lake Titicaca! It is beautiful here, and tomorrow we are taking a full day tour on the lake, visting the Floating Islands! These are islands that are completely made up of reeds. As the reeds on the bottom start to rot in the water, the people put down more reeds. All the houses are made of reeds, and they have even made boats out of reeds! We are looking forward to it!

We are starting to realize that our time in South America is coming to an end. We only have five days left. For me, it is such a bittersweet thing. I love to travel, and I always feel like every trip is too short. But at the same time, traveling is exhausting -  constantly struggling with the language and communication, and having to plan every trip or adventure. It is exhilarating, but tiring, too. I never want to leave, but I also miss my husband and dog, and the ease of life at home. It always makes me appreciate the time that I do have to travel, and to try to live in the moment.