Pisco to Ayacucho (day 4)

Our next stop is Ayacucho, a small city in the central highlands which was, in the 80's and early 90's, the nerve center for Guzman's terrorist group, the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path). Guzman was a professor at a university in the Ayacucho region, and it was here that he recruited his first followers. Ayacucho grew in size during the period that the Sendero Luminoso was active, as people from outlying villages fled to the city for safety. However, the tourist industry has only returned recently, so we have the city to ourselves.

Getting here involved a somewhat grueling 9 hour bus ride through mountain passes reaching as high as 4800 meters, some of it above the snow line. We were picked up by the bus in a small town outside Pisco. Due to Pisco's small size, very few buses actually stop there. Most pick up passengers at El Cruce, the point at which the road to Pisco intersects the Pan-American Highway. Our bus was basically filled with a high school girls' soccer team from Ica. They were more than happy to ask many questions of their new gringo companions late into the night. To our surprise the bus didn't have a bathroom, forcing us to find new ways of stretching our bladders. Every few hours the driver would stop and yell out, "Chicas, baño!" which roughly translates into "get out and squat behind that shack at the side of the road". We wished the best of luck to the team, Ica Corazón, in their upcoming match with Ayacucho.

Plaza de Armas, Ayacucho:

Much of Wednesday was spent catching up on sleep, but we did go for a great lunch at Urpicha, a restaurant serving typical food of the region. Thor enjoyed the pork chop "with much juice", basically a rich meaty stew with boiled maize, leeks, and interesting spices. I went for the Puca Picante, which is potatoes in a red suace containing peanuts and other spices, usually served with chicharron (small pieces of fried meat) or cuy (guinea pig). Both dishes were excellent, and we had a complimentary glass of chicha to finish off the meal.

After an afternoon nap we wandered the streets and had a tasty rotisserie chicken at Wallpa Sua, a family restaurant. We found that 1/2 chicken is too much for us, but we have yet to figure out how to order a 1/4 chicken with dark meat only. We're afraid to ask for the chicken "bottom" in Spanish for fear of saying something like "Give me half a chicken ass, please."

Our hotel, Santa Maria, is great but a little pricey at s/80. The room is spacious though decorated with Pottery Barn style furnishsings, and they have a roof deck, complete with pool table, small swimming area (currently without water) and a "make-out grotto" with stone walls and accent lighting. Yeeeah baby!

Overall opinions:
Ormeño bus Pisco to Ayacuhco: 2 (you've got to have a strong stomach and a bladder of steel).
Wallpa Sua restaurant: 8 (excellent pollo a la brasa in a friendly setting)
Urpicha restaurant: 9 (nice setting with a small garden and great comida tipica)
Hotel Santa Maria: 10 (newly constructed, spotlessly clean, great service and a generous continental breakfast)