Interview with Rhys & Elaine (Part 2)

Continuing from where we left off, we now go into the People and Pleasure parts of the interview with Rhys and Elaine!

People

Q. A huge part of visiting a new country is getting to know its people. What was it like interacting with the locals?

R: Due to linguistic barriers, we didn't really have an opportunity to interact much with the locals. Most were polite and kind to us. The people living near the Colca Canyon really stood out for me though - when we met them during our canyon trek, we would be greeted with a "buenos dias!" or a "hola!" about 80% of the time.

One peeve for me was the fact that many of the vendors we dealt with did not, or pretended not to, have change for "big notes". At times, they claim not to even have change for 10 soles notes! In many instances, these were attempts to get us to waive the change. This was a major cause of inconvenience for us because each time we withdrew soles from the ATM, they came in 100 soles denominations which we would have to very quickly break into smaller denominations in order to buy anything small in value!

Q: Traveling with other tourists can be either an enjoyable or trying experience. Will you be keeping in touch with anybody you met on the trip?

E: Absolutely!! Apart from Dan & Yilin :p, we also met other really wonderful people on the Inca Trail.

R: We really enjoyed the company of our fellow trekkers on the Inca trail. As one of them put it, it's too much to expect to get along with a bunch of strangers on a guided tour, much less actually liking these people enough to want to hang out! We were really blessed in this regard.

We of course met up with our old friend Yilin, and made a new friend in Dan. Always nice to meet Singaporeans overseas, even more so when they have been travelling extensively with many a good story to share!

I was extremely curious about meeting Dan for the first time because the impression I got from this blog is that he is one goofy and (ahem) licentious boy! My verdict after meeting him? Still goofy and licentious! He does however have a good head (his hair is another story) on his shoulders and is extremely protective and sweet towards his Missus, so I guess I will keep in touch with him!

Q. Any nasty encounters with fellow tourists to relate? (Skirmishes with other people always make for good reading!)

R: On the final day of our Inca trek, our group woke up extremely early (3.45am) so that we could be one of the first at the final checkpoint for the final 7km trek into Machu Picchu. The whole idea was that we wanted to be the first group that arrived at Machu Picchu for better pictures (without too many people in the background).

About a quarter way through the trek, this Australian couple appeared behind us, having overtaken a number of people from our group. E and I were in no mood to let anyone overtake us (not after we had woken up at 3.45am for a headstart in the queue!) and hence quickened our steps. As the path was rather narrow (one side's the mountain face and the other a cliff), it was not easy for them to overtake us unless we stopped, moved aside and let them.

After many a failed overtaking manoeuvre, the classy lady actually referred us as "These fuckers" to her boyfriend! Incredulous, E spun around and demanded "What did you say?!"

From their dumbfounded expressions and silence, they had obviously not realised that we understood English! They sank even lower in our esteem when we overheard them bragging about how they always take half the time their guides quoted for each section of the trek. This made us more determined than ever not to let them pass us and unknowingly, they provided us with the balm for our fatigued muscles from the exertions of the past 3 days.

View of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate

Machu Picchu

Q. DanYilin have been stuck with each other for every minute of the past 6 months. What was it like traveling as a couple 24/7 these past few weeks? Was it stressful? Got into any arguments?

E: It was never stressful. I think we complement each other. This might sound really icky but I think if we could, we would spend every minute together, 24/7 all the time! We've always travelled well together and couldn't imagine travelling alone with anyone else.

It definitely helps that we share similar interests (love for food and the outdoors - not necessarily in that order, but usually is...) and do generally agree on what appeals to each of us on a holiday - like what we want to see/do. Although we have sometimes disagreed - and this usually happens only when we are tired and cranky from a long day of travel - I don't think we actually got into a single argument on this trip. :)

R: I've always thought very highly of my wife but after this trip, her approval ratings have shot through the roof! I thought that she was going to struggle during the Inca Trek, not so much with the physical side of things but more with the camping, lack of amenities, not bathing etc. She did not however complain a single time during the trek, was a real trooper and more than held her own. I was amazed, and extremely proud.

Q: Do you think Dan and Yi Lin could do with more wonderful company from home? (better say yes!)

Definitely. Being away from home and from family and friends for so long, it always helps to have a familiar face come along.


Pleasures

Q. Did you indulge in any culinary pleasures in Peru?

E: We went to 2 nice restaurants in Lima - Astrid y Gaston and La Rosa Nautica. Astrid y Gaston is owned by celebrity chef Gaston Acurio, and serves up interesting modern/fusion Peruvian fare. La Rosa Nautica is a seafood restaurant situated right over the Pacific ocean, on a pier along the beach in the Miraflores neighbourhood, you can hear (and feel!) the waves lapping against the stilts on which the dining room is laid out... lovely!

Q: Ate anything interesting?

E: We tried cuy chactao (fried guinea pig) and alpaca.

Cuy tastes like a gamier version of rabbit. It's not awful, but I don't think I would have it again. The presentation of head, tail, and paws (complete with claws) just did not make for a very appetising experience. That said, the taste was ok.

Alpaca has the taste of pork liver, with the texture of beef. Most of the alpaca we tried was rather dry and tough, but Ukuku's in Puno served a very good alpaca steak in wine sauce and mashed apples which was really tender, juicy and tasty. You've tried it too and can vouch for it! :)

Ceviche is another typical Peruvian dish, but it's not really too earth-shattering an experience since we are all used to Japanese sushi/sashimi.

We also loved chicha morada (purple corn drink) and quinoa soup.

Grilled alpaca steak

Q: Any dishes or restaurants to recommend?

R: Definitely try Astrid y Gaston. They have an excellent tasting menu for only approximately US$50. Its modern Peruvian, with subtle asian-fusion touches. My favourites were the Tiradito, a peruvian sashimi of tuna and grouper in a tangy, spicy asian-inspired dressing, and Asado de Tira, thin flank steak stewed in red wine and purple corn.

Tiradito

E: In Cusco, T'oqokachi!!! Ok so maybe it's not entirely fair that it was the ONLY restaurant we dined at when we were there, but the food was honestly tasty and the set menus very reasonably priced. Dan + Yilin took us there the night before we left for the Inca Trail and we loved the cosy atmosphere and the warm and friendly service. We headed back there on the night we returned to Cusco from the Trail, eager to tuck into another bowl of their yummy, comforting, quinoa soup and it didn't disappoint. We bumped into two of our trek mates from the Inca Trail, who were also satisfied, repeat customers - so you should definitely try it!

R: For typical local food, we loved rocoto relleno - it's a red/green pepper stuffed with minced beef, onions and cheese. It tastes a little Mediterranean and rather similar to something we had in Greece, except much more spicy (at least the authentic local version).

Chupe de camarones, a hearty red shrimp soup that's very tasty and comes with a poached egg, assorted grains and and highland cheese. The soup was a meal in itself. And how can we forget quinoa soup!

Chupe de camarones

E: Our best meals were also the ones served on our Inca Trail, lovingly prepared by our cook, Jesus. Not sure the dishes can be replicated elsewhere, but he makes really yummy chicken pies, comforting soups and hearty chicken and fish dishes. We were served dessert too, like apple crumble and rice pudding with purple corn compote. Made the camping almost luxurious! It's luck of the draw, but if your cook on the Peru Treks trip is Jesus, you'll definitely be well taken care of ;)

Jesus putting on the finishing touches

Avocado Salad on the Inca Trail

Q: Dan and Yi Lin passed you a tube of Forever Living Heat Rub when your own supply of heat rub spilled. Did you get a chance to use it? Liked it?

E: Back in Singapore, we usually use a light gel/emulsion of essential oils, going by the name Perskindol, which we brought along for the trek. When that spilled, we were eternally grateful for the Forever Living Heat Rub passed to us. We did not use it during the trek, as it was rather gross to be rubbing our own grime around, but we used it liberally after returning from the trek. Forever Living Heat Rub was creamy and much more moisturising, which I liked - it was very suitable for the dry climate. It also came in really useful when R tripped on a step (not on the trek! but on Rodeo Dr! tsk...) and strained his bad ankle.

Q: What was your most memorable experience during this trip?

Both: Definitely the Inca trek!