cuy ew-wee!

I will leave the delicacy of cuy (that's guinea pig to you and me) to these Andean mountain folk. The dish alone cost me more than all meals combined since I've been in Cusco. I took a picture to help me explain what it looked like. It was very thin, fried with the skin and sort of battered in polenta. I couldn't find the meat. It was combined with some gelatinous fatty substance and the skin. It's hard to think about. But I did order a pisco sour, Peru's national drink--very tasty. I also had alpaca skewers for lunch. They were seasoned with Andean herbs, quite good.
Sidenote: I am in a shoebox of a convenience store squeezed in corner typing this. I just looked down to find a stray dog in here sitting beside me. Whatever.
I have been searching for an establishment to serve me chicha that won't make me sick. I'm running out of time...
I'm meeting with my trek guide in about 25 mintues. He's going to brief me about the Inca Trail hike that begins tomorrow. I'm excited and apprehensive about this hairbrained idea. I don't know what I've gotten myself into....I'm praying for endurance and safety.
Another sidenote: things are dirt cheap here. Last night I bought to bottles of water and a roll of toilet paper that cost me less than $1. An hour on the Internet cost less than $1, too. I decided to take a cab back to my hostel this afternoon. The walk would have taken me about 40 minutes. The ride, $1. Peru's nickname should be Everything's A Dollar!
The best and longest conversations I've had have been with child street vendors. They're only trying to sell me junk, but I humored them and helped them practice their English.
I walked the very narrow cobblestone streets today. It was easy to get winded on the hills, and there are a lot of hills. The Spanish invaded in the 1500s. They destroyed yet another civilization but they were smart enough to know good construction when they saw it. Although many things were destroyed, the original Inca wall remains. No morter, stones shaped so well they've stood the test of time and earthquakes.
Happy trails!!!