quirks of peru

We were sitting around our kitchen table discussing some of the odder aspects of Peruvian life. I've included a few below for your enjoyment!

• Peruvian time: runs about 30-60minutes later than normal time; for our day to day life, we are told to depart at '9am Peruvian time' or at '9am real time' - makes a difference.

• Double carbs: lunch and dinner are always served with a double dose of carbs, almost always rice and usually a fried root vegetable like yuka, plantain or fries.

• Talking in films: whilst most people accept the fact that talking in films is not OK, Peruvians seem to think talking is ace. In fact, they seem to enjoy answering their cell phones, having full on conversations and then discussing said conversation with their neighbours. Awesome.

• Housing: Oddly, none of the houses here are finished. We have been told there are two reasons for this: one, they like to add a top layer to the house when they can afford it, and two, there is a huge house tax once homes are complete. This means that Trujillo is full of houses without roofs and with concrete re-enforcement bars sticking out.

• Driving: There is way to much to say about Peruvian driving, from the constant horns, the formula one style manoeuvres through the streets, the fact that lane use is always optional and seat belts are slung over the shoulder but never clicked in are just a few of my favourites.

• Guinea pig: called 'cuy', this really is pretty ubiquitous throughout Peru, in Huaraz, we saw both live and skinned/gutted guinea pigs ready to be sold. Yum.?

It is worth mentioning that in addition to the above, you aren't allowed to put loo roll in the toilet (it goes in the waste bin) and we've already had both water failure (two days) and a power cut. All par of the course here and thus far seems to only add to our experience!