Devorame

David, my white water rafting guide in Costa Rica, told me that there is a song about me. When I asked him about it he said it is a song called ¨Devorame Otra Vez¨. Devorar is Spanish for ¨devour¨ so devorame translates to ¨devour me.¨ How appropriate, given my love for devouring things, especially food.

Except ever since I arrived in Cuzco, I´ve had absolutely zero appetite. I read somewhere that this is a symptom of altitude sickness but still, it is a completely foreign feeling for me to not want food, or even more strange, to have to force delicious food into my mouth (need to keep up my nutrition) and absolutely not want to eat any more than a bite or two. How sad to not get any enjoyment from food, one of life´s greatest pleasures! And a shame since there is such good food to be had here. So I figure, if I can´t enjoy eating food at the moment, I can at least blog about it.

So here are my travel recommendations so far:

Antigua:
***La Fonda de la Calle Real (several locations on upper Quinta Avenida, near the arch): all the travel guides recommend it and for good reason. They serve up the most excellent Guatemalan food - hearty stews cooked for hours, freshly made corn tortillas, tamales, grilled meats, Guatemalan fondue, excellent licuados. It definitely went over my frugal backpacker budget of $2-3 per meal (a complete meal with a beverage will cost $10 -15) but it was totally worth it.

***Kabuki (on the corner of Quinta Avenida and Cuarto Calle): delicious and authentic Japanese fare at incredibly reasonable prices. The agedashi tofu and katsu don are especially good.

*Bagel Barn (right around the corner from El Parque Central, I think on Quinta Calle): sometimes you just want a good hearty American style sandwich. Bagel Barn makes authentic bagels daily and their filling sandwiches are perfect para llevar for the trek up Volcan de Pacaya.

*Cafe Sky (on Primera Avenida): it´s a complete gringo watering hole but I wholeheartedly recommend it anyway for the spectacular views of Antigua and its surrounding mountains and volcanos, as well as the generous portions of food and delicious licuados. Best place to watch sunset.

***Vendors in front of La Merced on the weekends: I recommend any and all of them. I generally go to the ones that have the most locals crowded around the grill. Tortilla con lomo or carne asada is my favorite (two or three thick corn tortillas with a big piece of grilled meat, a spoonful of guacamole, a tiny bit of radish or cabbage salad and a bit of picante).

Accommodations:
*Hotel Las Camelias Inn: very good value in my opinion. I chose this place after checking out about 15 hotels after I decided I couldn´t stay in my homestay one day longer. $40/night includes free internet access and full breakfast. The rooms are tiny but clean and Elio and his buddies at the front desk are super friendly and helpful. The showers are lukewarm at best, but at this price range you´re not going to find a hot shower.

***Porta Hotel: Muy bueno! El Hombre and I spent a blissful weekend here - it is a total oasis from the dust, noise and crowds of Antigua. Once you enter the coral walls of the hotel, it´s hard to imagine that just outside the beautiful and luxurious fortress with a full buffet breakfast, lovely pool and beautiful decor is second-world Antigua. I loved Antigua, but after living in the second-world for a week, it was total bliss to go to a four-star hotel and take a scalding hot shower with excellent water pressure.

*Hotel Convento Santo Domingo: I didn´t stay here but I did visit the museum on-site (which I believe is free for guests). The grounds are very beautiful and I think it´s touted as the nicest hotel in Antigua.

Malpaís:
**Falafel: one of the most delicious chicken gyro sandwiches I have ever had, ever (being famished from surfing might have contributed a bit). The hummus is authentic.

*The Pizzeria: wood-baked thin-crust pizzas right on the beach in Playa del Carmen. The gorgonzola and pesto pizzas are especially good.

**Artemis Cafe: the antipasti platter was fabulous, especially the caprese salad and the grilled eggplant.

*Camaleon: one of several Japanese places in Malpaís. Although the presentation was pretty, I thought they skimped on the fish in my chirashi dish. Atmosphere was nice though.

*Las Piedras: has a reputation for cute waiters. I guess if you´re into the tall tan surfer type :P. Do not order the ceviche here as it is inedible. But do order the sopa de mariscos which is fantastically delicious - like a spicy brothy clam chowder with all kinds of seafood.

**El Lugar Para Vos: the restaurant inside Hotel The Place, where we had roughly half our meals. The chef changes the menu daily but pretty much everything we had was fantastic. My favorite was a buttery grilled fish on a bed of Israeli couscous inside some kind of fabulous fried shell.

**The Bar at Hotel The Place: ask Mairol to prepare you a capirinha, which may have replaced the margarita as my favorite drink.

Cuzco (Qosq´o):
**Don Esteban & Don Pancho Cafe: overlooking the quiet Plaza Recocijo, this place serves real fresh-brewed coffee which is surprisingly uncommon in Cuzco (most places serve instant Nescafe or a concentrated brew that looks like soy sauce and needs to be diluted with water or milk). Also has lots of fresh-baked goods including croissants filled with manjar blanco (milk caramel, like dulce de leche) and alfajores, the national cookie of Peru - two round buttery shortcake cookies filled with manjar blanco.

*Victor Victoria: a popular backpacker haunt - menu is full of traditional Peruvian and Andean dishes and their portions are gigantic while their prices are reasonably low. I had about two bites of the Quinoa Andina (a casserole type dish made with quinoa, cream, cheese, chicken, vegetables) which was absolutely rich and delicious. Too bad it was my first night in Cuzco where my appetite was not just zero, but negative, and my body was repulsed anytime I tried to put food in it.

*Los Sabores del Inka: I stumbled across this place because I absolutely had to use a bathroom after walking around for 5 hours and I felt obligated to buy something after I used theirs. I had the Sopa de Quinoa - a clear chicken broth with leafy greens, green beans, tiny cubes of a squeaky but delicious Peruvian cheese and quinoa, the ubiquitous grain of the Andes. It was light and yummy.

*A Mi Manera: recommended by Frommers for novoandina cuisine. I figured I should go to a well-reputed place for ceviche since I would really like to avoid getting any more ill than I already am. The kingfish ceviche was prepared spicy with lots of thin slices of onion, accompanied by a roasted sweet potato and roasted salted corn kernels which taste a bit like corn nuts. Very yummy but the tartness of the lime juice had me wincing with every bite...also did not sit well in my already upset stomach. Damn altitude sickness, it´s getting in the way of my enjoyment of food!

Accommodations:
***Niños Hotel (www.ninoshotel.com): I wholeheartedly recommend this place for the value, comfort, cleanliness and good karma. The hotel was started by a Dutch woman who uses the proceeds to help orphans. She´s adopted something like 30 Peruvian orphans already and the proceeds continue to be used to help Peruvian children and families. Goodwill aside, this place is spotlessly clean, the beds are firm and comfortable with thick wool blankets and the showers have scalding hot water with excellent water pressure 24 hours a day. A single with shared bathroom is only $18/night.