Sunday, July 26, 2009

Peru Trip - Sunday Night

My family always has popcorn for dinner on Sunday night. They always have and I'm sure they always will. I don't usually follow this tradition on my own because I don't like popcorn that much (shhh, don't tell my family). But, if I'm ever with my dad or my sister, there will always be popcorn on Sunday night. My mom has a new popcorn maker, a Stir Crazy, that she insists makes the best popcorn (I guess its not that new - she's had it for several years). She says its the only way to make popcorn...that nothing else works. Although, I remember having popcorn every Sunday during my childhood, and we never had a Stir Crazy. So, I'm just saying...


Regardless of how the best popcorn is made, I had ice cream for dinner!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Peru Trip - Day 3 & 4

We're still in Peru...continuing our trip and having lots of fun. Our third day here was spent mostly at home. It was my dad's birthday so we had a tasty lunch of Aji de Gallina (another of my favorites) and birthday cake. I didn't take any pictures of lunch, but I took some video clips...after our trip is all over, I'll make a good video.

birthday cake

For dinner, we went downtown. We treated Bill to a a real specialty. We had Salchipapas, which is french fries, hot dogs, and scrambled eggs all mixed up and served with condiments. Its a very popular dish and it was delicious. Of course, we had Inca Kola to wash it all down! While we were downtown, we also listened to a local band playing in the main plaza. There are always a lot of people out and about in the evenings here in Huanuco. It was a fun evening.

salchipapas

The next day we took an outing. We wanted to show Bill some different parts of the surrounding area and the wonders of Peru so we headed to Tingo Maria. We drove further inland and up the mountains. After passing thru the tunnel, we arrived on the other side, in the jungle. We drove from the mountain region of Peru to the jungle region. It was very cloudy and even rainy so it made the trip interesting.

mountains on the way
we were above the clouds some of the time

We went to a hotel/park area that had wildlife and other attractions. We enjoyed our own picnic lunch, sitting on the patio by the pool. They had a bunch of animals there and Bill had a lot of fun taking pictures of them. One animal in particular really liked him - a deer! The deer followed Bill around for a long time and kept trying to get friendly with him...but Bill refused. Then the deer just got mad and started attacking Bill. It was kind of funny, but I was worried the deer would attack me next so I didn't get out my video camera. The deer actually reared up on his back legs flailing his hooves in Bill's face. Finally the animal guy arrived and the deer ran off, but not before Bill got all muddy. It was definitely the excitement of the day!!

picnic lunch
vicious, attacking deer

After lunch, and after Bill recovered, we headed up the bumpy road to the bat cave. Actually, its not a bat cave, its a cave of small nocturnal birds, but there are a lot of bats too. We hiked up to the cave and enjoyed the new walkway that kept us off the floor of bat/bird poop!

bat cave

It was late when we finally returned to Huanuco after a fun day in Tingo Maria. It was very nice to have dinner ready and waiting for us. Dinner was a special treat just for Bill. Something that I haven't had for a while and probably won't have ever again. We had Picante de Cuy. Bill knew what it was and ate several pieces. (I'm not sure if I should tell you what cuy is, some people are shocked to hear we eat it! Cuy is guinea pig.) It was actually very good. The sauce with the rice and potatoes was super yummy. A very tasty treat to end our fun day!

Picante de Cuy

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Peru Trip - Day 2

Our second day in Peru (really our third if you count the 30 minutes we were here on the first day...but I'm not counting them, so I'm saying second) we traveled. We left Lima, on the coast, and headed to Huanuco, in the Andes mountains, where my parents live. My dad drove and it usually takes about 7-8 hours. I'm not really sure how long it took this time because we stopped several times for pictures and food. But, it was a good trip - one I've made many, many times but will probably not make again (at least, not any time soon). Before we got out of town, we couldn't resist having some breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts. Well, maybe everyone else could resist, but I couldn't and I convinced them all! So, breakfast was not very Peruvian but very delicious just the same!

breakfast

After our nutritious breakfast, we headed up the hill...literally. Leaving from Lima towards Huanuco you climb very quickly from sea level on UP! We wound around in the mountains for several hours until we made it to Ticlio, the top. We always stop beside the tourist sign...it isn't really a tourist stop, but there is a sign. The claim to fame is that it is the highest standard-gage railroad in the world - a stop not included on very many tourist itineraries. We enjoyed the view and then went a little further for lunch. We stopped at El Tambo. Another one of my favorite restaurants in all of Peru. We've been stopping there for lunch between Lima and Huanuco for as long as I have been alive. I always get my favorite meal, Lomo Saltado and Inca Kola. El Tambo is a little restaurant on the side of the road that isn't very fancy, but it has some VERY good food and the prices are great.

lunch

Bill wanted to try something different so he picked things off the menu and asked for explanations. He finally settled on Escabeche de Pollo. He really enjoyed it and made some very dramatic comments about how great it was! My parents both had typical Peruvian soups: Caldo de Pollo and Sopa a la Criolla. I'd say everyone really enjoyed their meals, which is normal at El Tambo!

Escabeche de Pollo
Lomo Saltado
Caldo de Pollo
Sopa a la Criolla

We arrived in Huanuco after a long day on the road...but it was a good day. We had delicious food (again) and we stopped to take even more pictures. Bill got some great shots of the llamas and he will post those later, when he gets time to work on them. For dinner, we had Arroz con Pollo, but we were too distracted by the good food (again) and tired from the trip that we forgot to take pictures. You'll just have to trust me that it was super yummy!

Peru Trip - Day 1

We've been in Peru for 3 days now and time is flying. We're having lots of fun and we're not spending much time on the computer...which is why you haven't heard from me. But, I wanted to get some pictures posted and write an update before I forget all the exciting things and delicious meals we are enjoying! Most of our trip was scheduled around the meals that we plan to eat. There is a lot of good food to enjoy in Peru and I wanted Bill to experience as much as possible. So, my mom and I devised a schedule where we eat three meals a day (at least) and eat as many of the wonderful things available as possible. So far, we've eaten a LOT...but it has been very tasty. We have a lot more eating to do before we can leave Peru!

Our first full day in Peru we spent in Lima. We ate a relaxing breakfast at home before heading out to see the town. We didn't really see much because we had to take care of some business first. After that, it was time for lunch!

breakfast

For lunch, we wanted to have ceviche. We drove around looking for a restaurant that my brother recommended, but we couldn't find it. Instead, we found Punta Sal, overlooking the ocean. It was a very nice restaurant and we had some good food. Bill had his ceviche, which he really enjoyed, and he shared some jalea with my mom. I was more happy eating the cooked fish - I'm simple like that! It was a tasty meal!

Bill's ceviche
my fish
jalea

After lunch, we drove to the Quechua Markets (that's what we call the artisan souvenir place). They have all kinds of Peruvian stuff. We are planning to go back at the end of our trip, so this was just a preliminary visit. But, we managed to buy several good things and Bill took a lot of pictures. After our shopping, we went to dinner. Although none of us were very hungry, we had to eat dinner because we have a lot of meals to eat during our short time in Peru so we can't afford to skip any! For dinner, we went to Pardo's Chicken. One of my favorite restaurants in the whole country. We were so excited when the food came, that we forgot to take pictures. But, Bill had Pollo a la Brasa and I had Chicharron de Pollo. It was very good!

Pardo's Chicken menu

Our first day was a good one. We relaxed and ate...doesn't get much better than that. When Bill gets his pictures posted, you can see more of what we did, but for now I will just share the food pictures because everything is so yummy. I wish you were all here to enjoy the flavors with us!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Siena Pictures

For the 4th of July, we took our last trip in Italy. Actually, we left on the 3rd of July because it was a holiday for us and we went up to Siena. I've been in Italy for 3 years and I had never been to Siena. A lot of people talk about Siena and some say it is their very favorite town so I decided we had to go before leaving for good. We took the train up on Friday afternoon and found our cute hotel. On the way up, we passed a million fields filled with sunflowers and I thought of my mom. There were tons of them...yellow as far as the eye could see. I tried to get a picture of them but the train was a little too quick for my camera.

In Siena, we arrived the day after their big annual horse race. Its called Il Palio and all the neighborhoods compete in a horse race around the main square. Its a big deal and the locals take it very seriously. We weren't there for the race, but we were there when the winning team paraded all around town with their flags and drums and neighbors to brag about their victory. The winners of the race win a banner that a local artist paints each year (called a palio). We were able to see the winning team parading all around town in several different locations and Bill got a lot of great pictures. The next day we slept in and ate some food and just hung out. It was a very relaxing vacation and a fitting end to our wonderful time in Italy. (Although, I'm not sure I would say Siena is my favorite town...I have other favorites.)

Bill posted his pictures for this short trip rather quickly. You can see them here. Enjoy!

my attempt at a picture of sunflowers

Bill in the main square of Siena

Our time in Italy is rapidly coming to an end. I had hoped to blog about a few more things that I will miss from Rome, but I just don't have the time. I have the pictures and the ideas in mind, but I can't find the time to sit down and write about them properly. I guess I'll have to write about them after I'm gone and I'm reminiscing. I hope you can wait until then!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Bellagio Pictures

Just a quick update. In case you don't already know, Bill has finished editing our pictures from Bellagio and Lake Como. We celebrated our 1st Anniversary in Bellagio. It was a beautiful setting and the pictures are great. Enjoy them here!