The Dogs. Oh Man, the Dogs. Also, The Food.

So here in Cusco, there is a small problem, and that problem is affectionately referred to as "los perros." That's all anybody need say. The dogs. See, these dogs don't like to stay inside their little yards. In fact, most of them don't have little yards - because they don't have owners. There are oodles of cute little puppies roaming the streets all by their lonesomes and lemme tell you, it takes a lot of effort for me to keep from scooping them all up and bringing them home. Only the potential wrath of my host mother prevents my "ooooo, puppies!" side from taking over.

Still, each morning as I leave my house and stroll down the street to my school, I always have one or two canine companions for at least part of the trip. I've heard rumors about these dogs being a bit loco but, if personal experience is any indication, most of them are pretty harmless, even sweet.

On the food front, this is country after my own heart - dark coffee, dark beer, and potatoes with nearly every meal. The cup of coffee I had on my morning flight from Lima to Cusco was easily better than any cup of American coffee I've had up until now (we'll ignore the Italian coffee that I drank by the gallon, because that's in a category of its own). I had asparagus soup with french fries in it for lunch yesterday. Sound gross? You should have seen it. A bowl full of weird green stuff, with yellow strips floating in it, but oh man was it good. In fact, I've yet to eat anything here that I don't like, knock on wood.

And hey Mom, I ate lentils with my lunch today - and I LIKED them!