March 14 2009 - Joining the Cuy Club

I woke up feeling fairly hungover and very tired, looking forward to a morning off to recover. However due to other people having even bigger hangovers I given breakfast and then had to head out to canyoning. I was given some super cool Nike trainers and gear that made me look more like I was a Ghostbuster than a canyoner. We arrived at a beautiful waterfall in haze, trying to take in the instructors words as he showed us the basics.

The first waterfall we abseiled down with everybody enjoying themselves immediately, even if we weren’t all feeling top notch yet. The instructor tried to make me stand without holding the ropes….and unsurprisingly first time round I just fell over. Although I didn’t panic, got back up and did the deed right. We slid down the next couple of sections, posing for photos at points along the way.

The final waterfall was a beast. We abseiled down a few yards then had to lower ourselves off dry(ish) ground into the air and just slide down the rope. After initially being quite uncertain over the task, it turned into a beautiful experience. Rainbows glistened in the falling water as the sun beamed through the drops – it was just stunning. When walking away at the end under the waterfall there was a rainbow ring beneath my feet. Amazing.

After lunch we headed out for a bit of shopping, and a call home to Mum and Dad, before I read a bit more of the book in the afternoon. Then it was guinea pig time. We went to the lady in town who sells guinea pigs and watched them getting roasted, cleaved and chunked into pieces (5 cuy cost $26). We went home to eat them and many, but not all of the group, tired them. In the blip Josefine is tucking into one. They tasted like a saltier version of chicken – the tongue, brains and kidney were good too!

We had dinner at Café Hood (I had a lovely Arabic Lamb) with atmosphere provided by two Argentinean friends who were biking through town as they decided to play some very nice music. Dinner was fun – learning Danish, playing with chopsticks – and then Lousie St, Camilla and I went for some lovely ice cream. I was pretty tired and not really in the mood for a night out but Josefine and Sara convinced me out for a couple of drinks. But I only lasted two Padrinas’ (Whisky and Amaretto) before I called it a night. Rafting in the morning, exciting!