Quinua - Andendorf with charm

On Good Friday, we decided to take a detour to the beautiful mountain village of Quinua (at 3300) from Ayacucho. This day trip is offered by many tour companies, but we decided to visit Quinua on our own and try Peruvian travel with public transportation. So we got on a colectivo (minibus the size of a VW bus) with 17 other Peruvians and a parrot in a box who expressed his dissatisfaction with the trip by screeching loudly. All kinds of luggage were temporarily strapped to the roof. An hour and a half later, we arrived safely in Quinua and got off at a local market. Here, everything edible and non-edible was sold: various potatoes, corn, onions, fruits (known and unknown, of course we tasted them again), fresh bread, flowers and herbs, as well as drinks such as various herbal teas or nispero juice. Additionally, sizzling was happening on every corner and this was the first time we came in contact with cuy. In the highlands, cuy (guinea pig) is a delicacy and is served especially on birthdays. Peruvians love cuy and many families in the highlands simply keep a group of guinea pigs on their tiled kitchen floor.

But first, we strolled towards the small main square. The village had a special charm with its cute alleyways and has preserved some originality. Quinua is well known for its craftsmanship, especially its pottery, so you will find colorful shops and small workshops on every corner selling their art. From creative dining scenes to agricultural scenes, everything was there.

After leaving the main part of the village behind, we were suddenly overwhelmed by a large crowd of people and street stalls with kitschy souvenirs. Here, the tourist buses were unloaded on their stop in Quinua, who usually don't get to see the actual village, but only run up a hill to a bulky monument. We were glad we had made the trip on our own.

Unfortunately, it started raining and so we found a small restaurant with a pretty courtyard lower down in the town. Since we had fearlessly tasted everything new so far and the Peruvian cuisine had not disappointed us, we wanted to try cuy now as well. So we ordered a portion and as a backup, we also ordered chicharron (fried pork belly). The biggest challenge for a spoiled European was that the cuy arrived on the plate roasted whole, with legs and head. It took some courage to even try it, but we soon found out that it tasted similar to chicken, but with not a lot of meat on it. It was quite an experience, but we decided that we prefer alpaca.