When people ask if you'd like to meet someone, you say yes

Around 3:30 yesterday afternoon, Indira invited me to join her to go have "lunch" (dinner... this is Peruvian time) with Jill, an ex-patriot writer and part-time botany professor in Seattle, who owns a house in somewhere in the Santa Rosa district of Cusco. She's leaving in a few days and the way it was phrased was that it would be a small get together. We took one of the crazy Cusco buses to get there, walked down a street that's so torn up it's not a street at the moment, and then around a corner, only to find a million stone steps leading up a mountain. When we finally got to the top, we were greeted at the door by a guy with a guitar and lead into the court yard.



Inside we found a group of 7 musicians that were happily singing and playing traditional music on guitars, a ukulele, pipes, flutes, maracas, and a few drums. There were 2 Americans other than me, one Australian, a bunch of Cuscuenans, and Jill, the owner of the house. In the kitchen, a gigantic Peruvian feast was being assembled, and the house was very similar to the one I am living in (ie. bigger than it seems and beautiful, though it doesn't look like much on the outside). It was decorated with a combination of Peruvian textiles, regional musical instruments, and (Pacific) Northwest Coast Indian paintings. I had forgotten how beautiful Northwest Coastal art is in person, and it was a surprise to find, but also just seemed to fit. Jill told me it was because she needed a bit of home around her, even though Cusco is like a second home to her.

The musicians played for a while while food was made ready, then they played a song for Jill's mother over skype, then they played some more, and only then was the food served. Muy Rico! There was a counter of cooked cold salads-- a Quinoia and carrot in sauce, a sugar snap pea with bacon, pineapple, red onion, and tomatoes, orzo, cheese, tomatoes, and some kind of local onion-- and sauces/dips--black olive, guacamole, something with tuna-- deviled eggs, cheese, more olives, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. This was all to go with the roasted potatoes and amazingly seasoned chicken and stuffed spicy rocoto peppers. After dinner, it is traditional to drink shots of local vodka, for digestions of course! I ended up talking to the Americans and the Australian for a while after dinner, and they were telling me about places in Peru I should visit.


We finally left around seven, and took one of the crazy Peruvian buses back to Ave. Sol. The thing about the evening buses is they are so packed there's barely standing room. Indira had to get off before I did, so she told me my stop and left me on the bus! At some point I managed to get a seat, and a very nice Peruvian lady was asking me questions (the usual) and I managed not to embarrass myself. I got where I was going without trouble, and was happy to discover it was already half way to my house, so I walked it instead of trying to find a taxi in the dark. Ave sol is a big street, and at 7:30 it is still well lit and highly trafficked, so I was not worried.


I got home and had a glass of wine and read for a bit (I had abandoned my computer at the CTTC, not wanting to lug in on the bus all the way to Santa Rosa and back). Adrienne got home around 8:20. She moved some more stuff in, made herself a snack, and then we decided we would like to salsa, so off we went.