Fiestas & Chicha

During my travels with Don Americo there was time to renew connections with old places and faces and to develop new ones. From Molino, Americo´s house near Paucartambo, we drove out towards the Manu Reserve, but took the lower road and came to Aguabamba, a place where 2 different mountains meet and create a vortex of energy. The mountains are full of cascading waters and of thick vegetation which still shelters pumas, though we didn´t see any. The flowers tended to the exotic and we were incredibly lucky to have clear blue skies and warm sunshine.

We met with an old woman, a friend of Americo´s, who lives in a shambling house with livestock in and around it. This Woman of the Vortex allowed us to take the track through her land down to the river some way below. Her fields were full -- corn, beans, almond trees and the inevitable papas (potatoes) with flowers of many colours. On the return journey we stopped to drink a cool beer in a sleepy little square with only the sound of plastic bunting flapping in the wind to disturb it´s dreams.

We spent a few says in Calca in the beautiful Sacred Valley a place which always expands my heart. I just love the mountains and the rich agricultural lands and the general pace of life. Calca itself can be a surprise. It´s very easy to miss it en route for the bigger tourist attractions of the Valley but behind the main road lies a sizeable town with 2 lovely squares, a large church and all amenities including a big and busy market. Whilst in Calca, we were invited to 2 fiestas -- a Graduation celebration and a birthday party. At these, I got my first taste of Chicha, an alcoholic drink made from corn and berries. I also managed to avoid eating cuy (guinea pig).

The fiestas both followed a similar pattern, first the family gathering with chicha served in large glasses. It´s a strange brew, a sort of cloudy reddish pink with a brown ´head´and a slightly sour taste. Definitely an aquired taste but a lot of it goes down with the locals! Next absolutely huge plates of food -- potatoes, stuffed hot peppers and cuy (in my case big chunks of chicken) At the graduation party I suspect I was eating a chicken that had recently been running around the house and yard with it´s own family. Assorted children ran about, and dogs vyed for scraps. After the food -- serious drinking!! Beer, wine, chicha and some sort of clear corn alcohol went the rounds in no particular order and all at the same time. Chicha tends to be served in individual glasses but for the other drinks there may be only 3 or 4 glasses between all the assembly and so the alcohol is quickly drunk and the glass passed on. Luckily as a foreigner, at both parties I was able to claim that I wasn´t used to alcohol and felt rather tired!

After so much meat, I volunteered to cook one evening and opted for a veggie meal. In the market I bought some wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables, including the one thing Americo will not eat -- broccoli! Luckily he discovered in time and I was able to exchange it for spinach -- a pity, the broccoli had looked wonderful. A good supper with bread straight from the ovens and a glass of vino tinto -- perfect!