Lima, Peru

Today we went to a festival in Haucho Peru, just outside of Lima. I was so excited to see some cute little guinea pigs! Little did i know, the guinea pigs were not only judged on best dressed almost like a dog show, but also on the tastiest! They eat guinea pigs here!!! See...

At first I was disgusted, but Gloria explained to me that it was a tradition. Everyone ate guinea pig and it's a good source of protein with the added bonus of being low in fat. I still couldn't believe they eat the same rodents we keep as pets back home. They cooked them in many different ways while the luckier bunch were shown off in tiny outfits. When Gloria finally convinced me to try some, i had to admit that it wasn't half bad! Tasted almost like chicken. But the thought of eating one of those furry little animals made me uneasy...*shudder*

That was just one of many celebrations, festivals, and holidays Peru has. The country is mainly catholic, so they celebrate christmas but some celebrations are based on the times before the spanish, with nature oriented festivals. Many of the holidays, the people dress in bright colors and sing and dance.

Later we visited the anciant Machu Picchu. WOW. It was so amazing! The view was beautiful in the Andes and the town was literally built into the mountainside. I even saw some llamas which was also pretty cool. The Martinez's told me all about the history of the Incan Empire that was later conquered by Franciso Pizzaro. The ruins are still here to this day in these beautiful mountain tops. I can't believe people made this city way back then. It's incredible.

This was my last day in peru. I can't believe I'm leaving already! I can't wait to get home and tell everyone all about Lima, peru. Although i'm really going to miss my "family" and Lima. I had so much fun here and I'm definitely going to bring my family here for a trip.

Carina