Cajamarca and All That Jazz

This weekend, we went to the city where the Inca empire ended! We took a six and a half hour bus ride which landed us 9,000 feet above sea level in Cajamarca, Perú.

Upon arrival, we went straight to the "Incan Baths" at 5 AM and enjoyed some relaxing, warm, natural water.

Then, we found our hotel where we paid less than $20US per night and got a spectacular view of the sun rising.

Then, we went on a tour of a city called Granja Porcón that is 10,500 feet above sea level. There, they make fresh dulce de leche, yogurt, cheese, and other foods. It was nice to get away from the smog of Trujillo for a little while. Especially when llamas are involved.

We returned to Cajamarca two hours late and went to have a nice lunch around 3 o'clock. I promptly got very sick but managed to roll out of bed, climb a mountain, shop, and snap a picture of the sunset.

The next day, after nine hours of a coma-like sleep, we climbed higher up on the same mountain and enjoyed the city from above for an hour or so.

While I did come home with a sunburn and some great pictures, I didn't manage to snap a picture of their main delicacy, cuy. I think I'm doing you all a favor by not posting a picture, anyway. Imagine your sweet, gentle, cooing guinea pig from when you were a child. Do you have that image in mind? Good. Now, imagine it twice as big, dead, and on the side of the road being sold for food. Still on my list of foods to try, but it may have to wait a while as my stomach adjusts. PTL for having 6 months left to complete my Perú To-Do list!