Last day / The culinary highlight

The last day in Peru still had something very special. Dining in South America's best and the world 4th best restaurant.

 

There are only the following well known restaurantslisted better in 2015; El Celler De Can Rocca,

Noma and Osteria Francescana. Central was the "Highest Climber" on the list both in 2014 and 2015. 

 

The restaurant takes diners on a vertical journey across Peru’s landscape, serving native ingredients sourced at various altitudes. The mountains, sea, desert and jungle are all represented as Central’s tasting menu travels from 25 metres below to 4,200 metres above sea level.

 

 

The chef Virgilio Martínez Véliz  born 1977 like me is considered one of the new generation of Peruvian chefs promoting the spread of Peruvian cuisine. He is known for his use of applying modern cooking techniques to indigenous Peruvian ingredients. Marie Claire magazine calls him "the new star of Lima's gastro sky."

I was trying the 12 course mater ecosytems degustations menu as follows:

 Spiders on a rock (-5m) / (Sargassum, Limpet, Crab)

 Valley of a tree (230m) / (Avocado/Panca Chili Pepper, Paico)

High altitude rainforest (860m) /(Yacon, Baston, Bark)
and
River scales (180m)/ (River Snails, Gamitana/ Sangre die Grado)

 Andean Plateau (3900m) / (Tunta, Annato, Coca)

 Marine Soil (-20m) /(Clams, Sweet Cucumber, Lime)

 Close fishing (-10m) / (Octopus, Coral, Barquillo)

 Lake Floor (2900m) / (Chicken, Moraya,Cushuro)

 Low Andes Mountains (1800m) /(Quinoas, Beef,Ayrampo)

 Green Highlands (1050m) /(Lucuma, Cacao, Chacco Clay)

Valley between the Andes (2190m) /(Tuber,Sanki,Sancha Inchi)
and
Solar Mucilage (200m) / (Water-Theobromas)

 

 

 The bill.....

 After hours visit to the kitchen...

Unlike European restaurants, the tasting time is shorter, sometimes leaving almost no time to enjoy the courses. For the 12 courses there are 90-120 mins foreseen. This very precise timing of serving courses, felt for my taste a bit pushy. On the other hand maybe it is prefered like that by guests from the USA or South America.
I have also to admit that the presentation, the ingredients and all the ideas around are extraordinarry, still the tastes are nothing exceptional. Compared to other restaurants in Europe and Asia I ve been to, the composition of tastes is rather carefull and defensive. They do not dare to take any risks appareantly. All in all in was a nice experience and a last evening of this trip of mine in Peru and Bolivia.

For more about the restaurant
http://www.theworlds50best.com/list/1-50-winners/Central
For more pics
https://picasaweb.google.com/109547197400653381375/PeruBolivia#

14th day / Wine regions around Ica

After 2 weeks of starvation and misery in Peru and Bolivia it was to time to have some fun and indulgence.

 

2 hours drive from Nazca, there is a 500000 village Ica, which is famous from its oasis and the wine regions. Beside red and white wines, they make pisco out of the grape, which is considered as the national spirit of Peru.

 In the morning I started with a walk between the dunes around the oasis. Dunes are more 100m high and are used for sand boarding by tourists.

 

Later on during the they I visited 4 different estates and got drunk.....

 

For more pics

https://picasaweb.google.com/109547197400653381375/PeruBolivia#

12-13 th day / Transfer over Lima to Nazca

After the sad accident happened to Tamas, he returned to Budapest from Lima. He had his lucky day, still surviving the death road. I was grieving him in the sunset over Lima.

I was looking for even more adventure and decided to visit the aliens in Nazca. I took the night bus from Lima to the village in the southern part of Peru. It is a desert landscape, famous about its dubious lines made by the local indians some 1500-2000 years ago.

The myth that the figures can not be seen from ground, therefore the creators had to be able to fly is is not true. Some conspiracy theories say, that aliens helped the indians to create the figures is probably not true. The size of the figures is varying between 20-80 meters.

 

I took a small cesna to look at the sight. Because of the hot air above it was a bumpy flight 2 out of the 4 passengers got sea sick and throwing up in the small cabin, which made the 30 min. flight quite exciting. 

 

11th day / Riding the death road

Overnight we came back from the 3 days Jeep adventure to La Paz and today went to ride the famous death road close to the city.

You could see several documentaries about this road going from 4800m down to 1000m in a valley. In the past 50 years more than 2000 people died on this 40 km long dirt road.

 

A few years ago a new connection was made using an other route and eversince only tourists use the road.

 We survived without serious accidents...

For more pictures
https://picasaweb.google.com/109547197400653381375/PeruBolivia

10th day /Going hot...

It was our 3rd day of the Jeep tour in Bolivia.

Early morning we reached some geysers at almost 5000m. Although it was not warm I felt like I have to make this photos.

 Only some miles driving on we visited some hot springs.

 Shortly after reached the Chilean border connecting to San Pedro de Atacama.

 On the way back to Uyuni our guide did show us some hidden valleys.

For more photos

https://picasaweb.google.com/109547197400653381375/PeruBolivia#