Most teachers would strongly oppose the use of Wikipedia for research. As a student of travel, I totally recommend it. Wikitravel is great place to research things to do, what to eat and where to stay when visiting a new city. At the very least, it is an easy starting point before you buy a guide book or venture into the TripAdvisor forums.
This August I stayed for two nights in Ollantaytambo, Peru in the Sacred Valley. This is a small town that visitors either stay at before or after their visit to Machu Picchu. Many travelers start their overnight guided treks on the Inca Trail here.
While researching activities, which include the ruins on two hills that overlook the town, I stumbled across the Ollantaytambo entry in Wikitravel. It is a gem. The most intriguing section of the article suggested drinking the locally-made corn beer called Chicha de jora. You can find a Chicha joint by looking for red plastic bags that are tied around posts outside of doorways. These locations aren’t typical restaurants and, honestly, that’s part of the adventure. My friend Carly and I found ourselves in what we would call a shack with an elderly woman who served me one extra-large glass of Chicha de jora. Despite Carly being an above-average Spanish speaker, we could barely communicate with the woman. Typically Chicha would cost two soles but I gave her five because she had no change. For less than two dollars USD, I didn’t feel overcharged.
The Chicha tasted like … nothing I’ve ever had before. It was tangy and sweet. Almost sickly sweet if I’m honest. Some information about Chicha de jora claims that the corn is chewed prior to the fermentation process to bring out the starch. I will never know if I shared spit with a local but it certainly makes my story much cooler.
As Carly and I sat in the cool shack, the woman watched her soaps on a TV set and a kitten came out of another room to play with us. That was one of my final experiences before buying some Peruvian Pepto Bismol and taking a taxi to the airport. I couldn’t finish the whole glass of Chicha de jora but I enjoyed every minute of the experience. Thank you, Wikitravel.
Happy travels,
Lauryl
*Photo credit: Carly Raska of Dorothy’s Walkabout