Exploring a foreign city alone without the aide of any sort of navigational technology is both an anxiety-ridden and exhilarating experience. It took a good 30 minutes for me to relax and stop worrying about getting lost or being kidnapped. Once the jitters left me, I felt completely liberated from the trappings of following orders from Google Maps and the compromises that come with having a companion.

I found beauty in everything as I wandered aimlessly throughout the local street markets of Cusco - from the butcher’s calico cat lazily “guarding” slabs of meat to the souvenir shop owner sneaking in a quick nap in front of his stall before the busy hours of the day ahead.

Click here to read Part I of my Peru trip: “Ten Things I Discovered While Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.”
Click here to read Part II of my Peru trip: “By the Way I ate a Guinea Pig.”

Some photographs taken during my exploration of the San Pedro Market Building and the sprawling street markets in its vicinity:

Some photographs taken near the Main Square the night before I left for the Inca Trail hike:

While we’re on the topic of death and survival, I also wanted to say that much to the chagrin of my lovely friends, who were too hypochondriac to even drink anything in Peru that was served with ice cubes, I ate a number of questionable items during this trip without having to ride the porcelain bus more than usual or having to be airlifted to the nearest hospital.

My number one goal before even setting foot in Peru was to try cuy, otherwise known to us Americans as guinea pig. Their role in Peru as pet or food seemed easily interchangeable. Given how plump and cherubic they looked alive, I was taken aback by how little of it was edible and how rat-like it looked on a plate. And yes, it tastes like chicken, a very skinny chicken. 60 Soles / $24 USD for one whole guinea pig, guts included.

I also ate a humming bird. To my delight, they were much meatier than guinea pigs.Just kidding. We didn’t eat this little guy. We fussed over him before he made a timely escape from us.

Moving on to less morbid subject matters! Italian food! Apparently Peruvians love extra cheesy pastas and pizzas. Italian joints can be found peppered throughout Cusco.At some point during my hike to Machu Picchu, someone tells me about the infamous Peruvian frog juice, also known as jugo de rana. It’s a mixture of…well…blended frog and fruits. After returning to Cusco from Machu Picchu, I set off to find frog juice but was derailed by my lack of Spanish speaking skills. Instead, I settled for a bottle of Inca Cola and some mysterious black tea (2 Soles / $0.80 USD). I should probably count myself lucky, as even the locals wrinkled their noses at the thought of this strange concoction when I tried to ask them where I could buy myself a swig.A breakfast sandwich purchased on the street just outside of San Pedro Market. (2 Soles / $0.80 USD)Lamb and mashed potatoes for just 10 Soles / $3.90 USD at the stall called El Sabrosito inside San Pedro Market. The mashed potato and the sauce were heavenly. We had a very fancy meal at a restaurant called Uchu in Cusco. Everything I ordered there was amazing except for what I thought would be the crown jewel: alpaca meat. It was too chewy and gamey for my liking, and this is coming from someone who craves duck liver pate on a regular basis.Welcome to your worst bread nightmare, the Tanta Wawa! The locals tell me that it’s Peruvian tradition for little girls to receive a bread baby on All Saints Day (November 1st). For some reason, little boys receive a decidedly less creepy looking horse-shaped bread as gifts to celebrate the day. Ironically, this was the only food I bought that I just couldn’t bring myself to eat. I guess doll heads are creepier than guinea pig heads to me. (6 Soles / $2.30 USD)

Last but not least, my favorite Peruvian fast food: Pardo’s Chicken!!! Freshly grilled chicken on a spit over a fire. If only all fast food tasted this good! I had it every single time we passed through Lima airport, which was very very many times.

Here are 10 things I learned hiking the Inca Trail:

1. 15 minutes into our 4-day hike, I am told that there is a train that goes straight to Macchu Picchu from Cusco. It only takes 3 hours. FML.

2. Those Incas must have had quads of steel. They REALLY liked to build stairs. There were stairs for days. LITERALLY.

3. Tourists are weaklings. After seeing our porters each carry 50 pounds on their back, I felt like one of those obese amorphous human blobs in Wall-e. Some weren’t even wearing proper hiking shoes. Apparently a porter once completed the 30 mile trek in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

4. Chewing coca leaves with a ball of banana and quinoa ashes is supposed to help with altitude sickness and boost your energy level. It gave my tongue and cheeks a numb and tingling sensation. Don’t bring these home with you to the U.S. or else you’ll get arrested. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

5. Agua de Florida: A mysterious bottle of Peruvian liquid that smells like a mixture of mint & lemons with floral undertones. Pour generously on hands, rub, and inhale to clear up sinuses. Our tour guide calls it “condor piss,” it supposedly helps with indigestion, diarrhea, altitude sickness, and a whole scrumptious load of other aches, pains, and illnesses. I am not sure that I am a believer.

6. A cake complete with frosting can somehow be baked in the wilderness. We were also served 3 course meals throughout the hike. I don’t know how those porters did it, I’m just happy I wasn’t depending solely on Clif Bars and Beef Jerky for sustenance.

7. Kiwis (New Zealanders) are a funny breed. I met three on this trip. They like to wear matching outfits, and they like to say things like “Gee Whiz.” When we asked them what their favorite place in California was while they were road-tripping along the West Coast, their consensus was Safeway: “It’s SO BIG.”

8. In Peru, jokes in expense of Chileans are encouraged. I won’t post any here, but I’ll share some of my favorite sayings from our Peruvian tour guide:

9. Posing creatively with llamas can be a real challenge, but rocking a hat made out of llama fur poses zero challenges.10. If they ask you if you want to climb Wayna Picchu at the end of your 4-day hike, say no. The view is perfectly fine without hauling your butt up another crazy mountain. I’m just going to lay here now thank you very much.

2. They don’t sell Candy Corn at Target, but they do sell Candy Corn Oreos. What’s up with that? Oh, and news flash: They taste horrible. Surprise!

3. Corgi hot dogs never get old.

4. Hipster Disney is a thing now.

5. Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas aren’t the only holidays that make me think, “GAWD, I REALLY NEED A BOYFRIEND.” Halloween just did it to me too. Yeah, it took zombies chasing after me with chainsaws in a haunted maze for me to come to this realization yet again. If you ever need any clothing stretched out, bring a girl to the Swank Farms corn maze and mystery ranch in Hollister, CA next Halloween. I’m pretty sure my friend Eric’s jacket was a size bigger after all my nervous tugging and yanking throughout the night. Sadly, I didn’t get any good pictures of the really scary guys roaming the farm because I was too busy screaming and scurrying around in circles like a dog chasing it’s tail.

4th grade field trip meets glutton’s heaven!

That’s the 2012 Foodbuzz Blogger Festival Saturday Dinner Gala in seven words. San Franciscans, if you’ve never dropped by The California Academy of Science Nightlife then you should. Saying hi to Claude the albino crocodile or watching star fish cuddle each other can become pretty exciting stuff with a glass of wine in hand. Dinner at the museum is unfortunately only available for private events. For more info on what I call cultured and educational drinking on Thursday nights, check out the museum + aquarium’s website here.

This year’s Foodbuzz “Treat Yo Self” Blogger Festival kicked off at the Starlight Room on Friday, followed by dinner at a restaurant in San Francisco of our own choice (we were each given a $50 stipend for dinner). Our group of fab bloggers landed at Jardiniere, a French restaurant located in the Hayes Valley neighborhood. I highly recommend the diver scallops, risotto and pasta dishes there. The service there is also excellent. I loved our waiters! Sadly, the fish and meat dishes they served were overcooked and left much to be desired.

Saturday was a blur of continuous eating, starting off with a factory tour at the Tcho Chocolate Factory in the morning. After consuming copious amounts of chocolate and feeling a bit intoxicated breathing in cocoa fumes for two hours, I pushed on at the Taste Pavilion where samples of food ranging from Three Brothers Ice Cream to Alaskan crab cakes were given out. After each gaining 20 pounds over the course of two days, we closed out the eating spree with the dinner gala at the California Academy of Science.

Oh, and the price for all of this? Grand whopping total of $30! Thanks DailybuzzFood.com!

Starlight Room: Roasted Beet Salad with Red Beet Paint, Roasted Piquillo Pepper, Marinated Cucumbers, Oranges, Carrot Ribbons, Micro Cilantro, Lemon Oil, Chopped Chives, and Sea Salt.

Starlight Room: Braised Wagyu Short Rib Stuffed Mushroom with Pickled Red Onion, and Ricotta Salata.

Jardiniere: Local White Sea Bass with Tomatoes and Shelling Bean Stew

Jardiniere: Braised Short Rib with Marrow Gremolata, and Consomme

Jardiniere: Duck Breast and Duck Confit with Turnips and Smoked Apple Puree

Click here to read the entire post and see more pictures from the weekend!

But apparently USPS doesn’t.

The International Customs Declaration form that USPS makes you fill out renders mailing any kind of surprise package abroad difficult. Not only are you forced to declare what’s inside the package, the form is also taped to the top of your box, revealing whatever mischievous contents you so neatly wrapped up to your mailman and to the rest of the world. I was pretty determined not to let the evil customs form ruin all the fun though. Instead of “fortune cookies,” I labeled my package as “a box of crackers.” Yeah, I really patted myself on the back for that one. To my delight, my slight distortion of the truth not only tricked USPS and customs, I had managed to trick my friend as well. According to him, his first reaction after seeing the package with the attached customs form was,”Why the hell did Cat mail me a box of crackers?” Teeheehee, oh I am a wily one!

If you don’t live in San Francisco, you can order custom fortune cookies on the following websites. Warning: I have not purchased anything from any of these websites, so please order at your own risk.

1. http://www.kcfortunecookiefactory.com/shop-now/custom/custom-fortune-cookies-easy-online-ordering – Personalize up to 15 messages at $0.07-$0.39 each depending on the quantity of the order (minimum order of 50 cookies).
2. http://www.fancyfortunecookies.com/Personalized_Vanilla_Fortune_Cookies_p/van1020.htm – Personalize each message for $0.55 per cookie (minimum order of 50 cookies).
3. http://www.orientaltrading.com/create-your-own-fortune-cookies-kit-a2-_K2142-12-1.fltr?Ntt=custom+fortune+cookie – A fortune cookie kit so you can make your own cookies from scratch in the comfort of your own home.

If you live in the super awesome city of San Francisco and want to explore and order “hand-made” fortune cookies in person at what I consider one of the city’s most fascinating hidden gems, the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, then follow these instructions!

1. Click here to download the fortune cookie message template.
2. Fill out the Word document template with your personalized messages. Need some inspiration? I filled mine with inside jokes, hilarious quotes from movies that I watched with my friend, and ridiculous online conversations that we’ve had in the past.
3. Cut the messages into individual slips along the dotted lines.
4. Bring your slips to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory at 56 Ross Alley. It’s in a hidden alley in China Town.
5. Watch the lady make your custom fortune cookies on the spot in front of you! 52 cookies took about 30 minutes and cost $17. I asked for my fortune cookies to be individually wrapped, which was an extra $2. I didn’t mind standing there watching the lady work the machine at all and was offered freshly made cookies to nibble on while I waited. Note that if you want to take pictures during your visit, you’ll need to pay them another 50 cents.
6. Buy a cute cake box for your fortune cookies. My box was approximately 12x12x6 inches and fit all 52 cookies snugly. You should be able to buy one online for less than $3 here or in person at your local Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store.
7. Buy twine to secure the gift box. You should be able to buy a spool online for less than $4 here or in person at your local Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store.

And you’re done!

Check out some of the cool photos that I took during my little adventure to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory!Passing through the famous China Town Dragon Gate on Grant Avenue at Bush Street.

 Entering Ross Alley.

The unassuming store front of the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory.

A long and narrow space. I felt like I was in a steam punk fanatic’s dream with all these vintage looking machines!

I am pretty much fascinated by the whole process. The machine pumps out warm and flat cookies. The lady then quickly shapes the cookie with her hands and the assistance of a metal rod before it cools down and hardens.

I am given quite a few flat fortune cookies to taste while I wait for my cookies to be made.

My cookies are collected from the pan and cooled on a tray.

They are then individually wrapped by hand!

I’m definitely adding this to the SF tour I give my friends when they come in town to visit! It’s so fun!

Click here for the full post and my easy step-by-step Photoshop tutorial, including the PSD files and the font I used, to create your very own blogger business cards!

Total Time Needed: Approximately 30 mins if you’re laid-back to 1 hour if you’re a perfectionist.
Cost: $23 for 250 cards at www.vistaprint.com (color on both sides & free shipping).

Bourbon and corn flakes are the two ingredients that go into this delicious blend. My only bone to pick is that they should definitely add more cornflakes to the mix. The crunchier the better! I’m not usually a proponent of mixing dairy with alcohol, especially for those afflicted with a mild case of lactose intolerance and Asian glow like me. Their red wine ice cream called Jesus Juice sounds as questionable as rapture believers, but one lick of Secret Breakfast and you will shed all your doubts. Now…where’s the sangria ice cream?

“But it’s so farrrrrr awayyyyy!” you cry.

Do I need to call the wah-bulance? Use your legs! Walk! Get on that pastel yellow cruiser you bought at Public Bikes that you named Holly and pedal your tush over there! Muni! Or god-forbid, drive and practice your parallel parking skills in the Mission! Enjoy the balmy 80 degree weather while it lasts because I’ll give the weather gods another 2 weeks before they start telling the fog to roll into SF again. It’s that good and totally worth the trek! OK, promise I’m done yelling.

Oh, and while you’re at it, ask the guys behind the counter to give you a sample of the prosciutto ice cream. I’m not quite sure what my friend Jen expected me to say when she asked me, “So what does it taste like?” I mean it literally tastes like ham. The anti-climatic nature of my answer and the pure silliness of it all made me giggle a little bit. I heard they sometimes sell bacon ice cream over there too. Do it.

Me: Asian. 5’2. And apparently an idiot. After waiting in line for over an hour and finally entering the cash-only bakery, I realized that I only had $12 in my wallet. One moon cake at this ridiculous place was $8. I was on the verge of a meltdown when you gallantly came to my rescue with a $20 bill.

P.S. I had no makeup on that day. I swear I’m a different person with eyeliner on. Not to toot my own horn, but if you take off your glasses and squint a little I look exactly like Jessica Alba.

No really, Ray (that is your name right?), we may not be serendipitous soul mates, but if you’re out there somewhere, respond to the e-mail I sent you, so I can pay you back!

Honestly, I don’t even know why I stood in that dreadful line at the bakery because I absolutely hated moon cakes as a child and have stayed away from them ever since. The line was only exacerbated by the fact that Mid-Autumn Festival was coming up this weekend, and China Town was overflowing with festivities. For those not privy to Chinese holidays, Mid-Autumn Festival is a big deal. Back home in Taiwan, my parents, my little sister, and our whole extended family are probably BBQing, eating moon cakes, peeling pomelos, and moon gazing together. Gifting beautifully designed boxes of moon cakes to friends and family was common, stealthily re-gifting these boxes was also not uncommon.

Out of nostalgia, I decided to give moon cakes another try. The fact that I just happened to be a few blocks away from the ever-so-popular Golden Gate Bakery that day gave me another reason to swing by. Little did I know I would trigger a whole string of events that resembled a Craigslist missed connections ad.

I tried the taro, the white lotus seed, and the coconut mixed nuts moon cakes, the last being my favorite flavor out of all three. Let’s just say that the moon cakes from Golden Gate Bakery were good for what they were (I still don’t have a taste for moon cakes in general), but definitely not worth standing in line for over an hour or the embarrassment of borrowing $20 from a complete stranger. Let’s just stick to the egg tarts shall we?

More about Golden Gate Bakery here.
More about Mid-Autumn Festival here.