Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 24-7372, in Lima 01-976-0523;
www.teatroinka.com
; Teatro 391; s/d/tr incl break-
fast S66/98/119; )
An array of dark but decent doubles sit around an interior court-
yard. All rooms are good value, and the penthouse suite is well worth splashing out on.
Albergue Municipal $
( 25-2506; albergue@municusco.gob.pe; Kiskapata 240; dm/d S17/40; )
The
Cuzco answer to the YMCA, it's a good choice for the tight of budget, with plenty of
space, great views, kitchen access (breakfast only) and laundry facilities. All rooms have
shared bathrooms.
HOSTEL
Los Angeles B&B $$
( 26-1101;
www.losangelescusco.com
; Tecsecocha 474; s/d incl breakfast S117/140;
)
This old colonial sports worn rooms with gold bedspreads and dark, carved fur-
niture around a central courtyard.
HOTEL
Hostal Andrea $
( 23-6713; andreahostal@hotmail.com; Cuesta Santa Ana 514; s/d S40/45, s/d without
bathroom S10/20; )
Cuzco's cheapest, this place is practically falling apart, but the
kind, unassuming staff make it a reader favorite. Wi-fi is available only in the living room.
GUESTHOUSE
THE GUINEA PIG'S CULINARY RISE
Love it or loathe it,
cuy
, or guinea pig (or
Cavia porcellus
if you really must know), is an Andean favorite that's
been part of the local culinary repertoire since pre-Inca times. And before you dredge up childhood memories of
cuddly mascots in protest, know that these rascally rodents were gracing Andean dinner plates long before anyone
in the West considered them worthy pet material.
Pinpointing the gastronomic history of the
cuy
, a native of the New World, is harder than trying to catch one
with your bare hands. It's believed that
cuy
may have been domesticated as early as 7000 years ago in the moun-
tains of southern Peru, where wild populations of
cuy
still roam today. Direct evidence from Chavín de Huántar
shows that they were certainly cultivated across the Andes by 900 BC. Arrival of the Spanish in the 18th century
led to the European debut of
cuy
, where they rode a wave of popularity as the must-have exotic pet of the season
(Queen Elizabeth I of England supposedly kept one).
