Cajamarca

So, the Cajamarca segment of the trip only lasts 2 and a half days, but for the sake of not getting behind Ill quickly make a note about it.
The guidebook that the Canadian girl gave me calls Cajamarca {a hidden gem, like Cuzco before the tourists came,} and I think thats about right. There are tourists, actually, but most of them are from Lima. Apparently, Cajamarca is like Perus jealously guarded secret, the place where all the capitaleños go to see the highlands for a weekend without having to put up with all the gringos.
Oops, too bad. Im here too...haha
So anyway, Cajamarca falls behind its southern cousin in the sense that theres not much to see in terms of tourist attractions. Yesterday, I got the see the Cuarto de Rescate, a room that Atahualpa filled up with gold for a ransom, but the Spanish naturally ripped him off, taking his gold and killing him anyway. Also, there is a site called Cumbemayo, with some really beautiful water canals that are naturally attributed to religious practice. A couple of smallish museums too. Once Id sort of wrapped up these activities, I went shopping for some gifts for the fam.
What Cajamarca lacks in tourist attractions, though, it definitely makes up for with charm and good cooking. Cajamarca has a lovely plaza, my favorite after the one in Arequipa, and a beautiful, verdant mountain setting. Streets are lined in Cobblestone, colonial style architecture is the order of the day, and the balconies so ubiquitous in Peru here find their best incarnation. Cajamarca is also the dairy capital of Peru, which is so lovely... today my cafe con leche was so very fresh (though Im wondering whether it was ever pasteurized?) and the cheese that went with the bread divine. There are also Humitas, tamales made of super sweet corn. On the night that I arrived, I went to dinner at a charming Italian restuarant called om gri, with a staff of two, a dinner setting of only three tables, and what may be the best ravioli that Ive ever eaten. The owner, Tito, talked to me the entire time that he was cooking. What a character! He told me all about his life studying cooking throughout Europe, his illegitimate children, and praised me for liking Lima (many visitors dont) and for eating at Astrid y Gaston, which he said was an investment. He did this whole number about how food is an expression of the pueblo and how even international cooking has a place in Peruvian culture... what a guy!
Getting to Cajamarca was yet another adventure. The bus left at 4 am, at which time I discovered that I was feeling very, very ill. I spent the first six hours of the bus ride about as sick as I had been in Chiclayo, and, at one point, was forced to use an outhouse (a decidedly unforgettable experience). A little boy sat by me on the bus eating peanuts and throwing the shells onto the ground...cute for about five minutes until he started spitting up. As if that wasnt enough, a typical highlander lady got on the bus cuddling her baby llama in her arms and sat right across from me. All the while, my heads burning up and my stomach is doing hurdles. Oh, what a ride!
Anyhow, there are a few things going on that have nothing to do with my trip, but which are interesting nonetheless. It looks like my older brother might be getting married. At least, my dad told me so yesterday on the phone. Yesterday he turned 30. Apparently, he planned to ask his girlfriend to marry him on the same day. Anyway, I wonder how it turned out. That he had intentions to get married is all news to me...I guess I shouldve talked to him more while I was actually in San Antonio, because this story is pretty much coming out of nowhere. But if he did ask her to marry him, I hope that she said yes, because all of this time I have thought my brother wasnt really a big one for commitment so this would be a huge step for him. Plus, Ive been thinking lately that it would be fun to go to a wedding.
Also, I think I have an idea for a writing project when I get home. Its sort of an elaboration of the play that I wrote last year when I was in Buenos Aires. Right now, I wish I had a means to sit down and just write, because I really cant say whether Ill have the same kind of enthusiasm once Im back in the US. Anyway, I suppose Ill just have to wait and see.
Huaraz tomorrow. My last stop before I go back to Lima, and then (I cant really believe Im saying it) Im headed back home.