Peru, Food and Airplanes

Day 108 

After much deliberation, I am happy to say we have just booked two one-way airline tickets to Cuzco. It was a bit of a discussion as to how we were going to get into the highlands before doing a hike to Machu Picchu. The distance from here is about 2300km and most of it through harsh desert (and then a big ascent into the highlands). All in all, it would take us about 6-8 weeks – a big portion of time we feel we could use more wisely. 

So, what would have taken us weeks will now take about 4 hours!

So far Peru has been quite good. The beaches around Mancora are exceptionally beautiful and I am not sure if my standards have lowered, but the food has dramatically improved.

 

 

An interesting note about cycle touring that I hadn’t realized is how much of my journey is centered on food. We are always assessing our food situation – do we have enough snacks for our ride? Is there a place open early enough for breakfast? There are a lot of flies in this restaurant – maybe we should just have bananas for dinner?  We also splurge from time to time and eat pizza, salad, or most recently an all-American brunch – well, I had waffles with real butter and bacon, but you get the drift.

 

 

 

Maybe because I worked in the food industry for so long or perhaps I am homesick for food, but food is often the focus of my cycling thoughts – and with 6-8 hours a day on the saddle, there are a lot of thoughts. I asked Rob if he thinks about food whilst cycling and (shockingly) he said no. For those that know Rob, he likes food – probably more than me - so naturally, I was surprised. (He thinks about logistics, travelling and history which makes me think I should make better use my time.)

 

 

I also use it psychologically  - I know that is usually frowned upon, but desperate times call for desperate measures! Food gets me through the tough times. I think about at what intervals the four Oreo cookies nesting in my handle bar will be devoured. Usually I reward myself once I climb a hill or reach a certain landmark. I think about cold watermelon when it is hot, I think about lattes (I know not technically food) when it is cold. The waffle I ate a few days ago got about 20 minutes of my time through a rather difficult spot yesterday – head winds and blowing sand were involved.

I now know why cycling through Italy would be (for me) heaven – Ecuador is not known for its food;)

But food wise, Peru has been a bit of a surprise: perfectly prepared civiche (raw fish prepared in lime juice), papa a la huancaina (potato salad with spicy cheese sauce), fried rice with hot chilies, chicha (a black corn drink), and we haven’t into got into Inca territory where potatoes rule and quinoa! Apparently the Incas had something like 15 different types of potatoes and introduced them to the Spanish.

 

So, for now, my Oreos (along with the bikes) are packed and won’t be needed for a few weeks. As for the highland potatoes, I am thinking about them already - YUM!