The good and the bad

Traveling hasn't been all glamour, of course. Here are a couple of the not so wonderful things so far:

• The cheapest meals in Peru are usually the fixed lunch or dinner, ¨El Menu¨ (runs between 2-4 USD). Although I've had some great dishes so far, like alpaca in rosemary sauce (mmmm...), ¨El Menu¨ usually consists of a watery soup for a starter and an entrée composed mainly of starch. A huge portion of very dry white rice served with some soggy french fries still glistening in oil, with a tiny portion of beef or chicken. I think I'm about done with ¨El Menu¨...
• This next one is bit more complicated than soggy french fries - traveling in places like Cusco and Lake Titicaca it seems hard to avoid the kind of tourism that is a cheap commercialization of the culture. Mass produced souvenirs are sold everywhere. In Cusco some of the local people put on traditional dress mostly as a show for tourists and to ask for money when they are photographed. Even our tour of the islands seemed like a bit of an intrusion into the lives of those traditional people. Seems a bit tricky to appreciate the local culture, stimulate the economies with tourism, and yet not take away some of it's authenticity as well.
• Stray Dogs! More dangerous than you think...Jeff had an unfortunate encounter with one and was bitten while walking the streets in Puno (yes, a bit off the beaten track...). The next day he started the 7 day series of rabies shots, which at least are all free. Aiaiai...
• The most recent development has been a salmonella infection. I'm pretty sure I can trace it back to the last dinner I had in Peru. Yesterday afternoon and evening were a bit rough, with fever and stomach issues (I'll spare you the details). Thankfully, I'm now staying with a wonderful bolivian family in La Paz, and the father is a doctor. After starting antibiotics I'm feeling almost 100% again this morning. Ah, small joys of travel. ; )