Andre’s in Peru!

These were some of my favorite moments from last week's climbing trip to the enchanted rock forest of Hatun Machay: Our furry friend, mix of Sheppard and Terrier, who we dubbed Carl, later Carlito. His name originated when Jeff heard Keaton say "Carol" instead of "perro" for the first dog that came to check us out. And since Carl was a macho, obviously he would get the boy version of that name. He faithfully followed us around from crag to crag and patiently curled up to nap while we climbed. Not only was he adorable, but also amenable to cuddling. Our only disagreement was over the salami he snagged from the outdoor table whilst we dealt with a leaky bathroom in the cold dark (he did apologetically drop said salami when I came back to the table). Our Colombian friends who were stewarding the climbing refuge while we were there (otherwise, no other climbers to be found!). We showed them the ropes on our last day, which is always fun because climbing is da best...

Last Sunday, with fanny-pack snugly aorund my waist, we ran a few miles from our neighborhood to the Inca Market in Miraflores to look for tapestries and other decorations. Met a delightfully spunky, and loquacious, older Venezuelan woman who almost charmed us into buying a whole lotta patterned cloth (in the end, we decided to be patient and look around some more). She spoke quickly and in bursts, but she just happened to be one of those people who for whatever reason I don’t have much trouble understanding. My comprehension can be pretty hit-or-miss depending on the person. She entertained us with stories of the origin of her indigenous name, and about the disapproving looks she gets from Peruvians when she does her thing on the dance floor (apparently older Peruvians dance more conservatively than other South Americans). We then made our way to a nearby food market where there are a few cheap ‘menu’ restaurants in an alleyway. For 3 bucks, we got huge plates holding mountains of foo...