The Other Di Vinci Code

With apologies to Kimy, Jill and other rodent-loving readers in this, The Year of the Rat, I present here my inevitable cuy post. In the past when I had cuy in the Andes it was pretty disgusting. It was usually either boiled or baked and was gray, greasy and disgusting. But this time is was perfectly grilled, and I had rib meat that tasted more like quail. I could actually grow fond of it.

I've never seen the signature photo above of the Last Supper with cuy, but I'd love to see it in the flesh some day.

However, as we were having dinner at the super groovy Las Palmeras just up the hill from Otavalo, on the second glass of wine, several of us leaned back to see the hilarious effigy of Our Lady of the Cuy towering above us, shown below. It also helped that after dinner I had a nearly orgasmic massage by a nerdy looking dude who had incredibly strong, Andean hands and a technique like none I'd had before. I tipped generously.

The Prodigal Ladrón Returns

Eight days. Seven beds. Several thousand kilometers. Undocumented numbers of cuys and llamas. No diarrhea. Many memories. Details to follow. A preview is offered for now.

Junk Thief´s Last Live Andean Post

Hola, Amigachos. So much to write. I am happily back in Quito for my last night in the southern hemisphere until my next visit. After a week in the campo, city life is a bit odd. It is wonderful to be back in the San Francisco like weather of Quito after a day in the Chota Valley. Our driver Francisco had near heat stroke, and fortunately we had a wilderness first responder to attend to him and all is well. It was a week of many adventures --from health clinics to farmer field schools to a condor rescue reserve. I was especially fond of the snow owls and harpy hawk.

Details (and 600 plus photos and three hours of video) to follow once I fly home EARLY Thursday via Miami.