Lima – Page 2 – mmm-yoso

Lately…….

August 27, 2008 mmm-yoso Chains, Cusco and the Sacred Valley, Lima, Peru, Siem Reap, Travel

"I have had the strangest feeling….." Not to imitate the style of one of my favorite bloggers Penny, who often finds just the right lyric or quote for her various posts….

But lately I've been finding myself fading away at certain times, just "wool gathering". I'll be doing a post….you really can't call what I do writing or composing….it's really just "doing". And my mind just sort of wanders. Maybe off to the cobblestone streets of Cusco. Perhaps I've just been working too hard. But I'm starting to get that feeling again. I think we need to head off, to where, I'm not quite sure yet….

It's a funny thing, some of the nicest, most memorable meals we've had on trips, have ended up on the "PWTSDS" ("putdz" – Places Where the Sun Don't Shine) list. That would be the mmm-yoso photo scrap heap. And yet, these were meals we really enjoyed. So without further ado, I think maybe it's time for those "ugly duckling" photos to shine…..so if you'd just put up with me!

Anticuchos in Cusco (Peru):

I believe this was right after our dinner at the Chicharroneria. We were walking down Avenida del Sol, when we spied a crowd on the corner of Avenida del Sol and Ayacucho. A woman was making Anticuchos, and if the crowd was any indication, it was very good Anticuchos indeed!

Seeing the crowd, and breathing in the scent of grilling meat restimulated our appetites, and suddenly we just had to have some Anticuchos. But how to deal with the mass of humanity? Just as in all of our travels, whether in a confused state in a train station in Hanoi, or getting Anticuchos, we met our Guardian Angel. This time, an older gentleman saw the Missus trying to edge Her way forward. He immediately took control of the situation, and waved the Missus next to him. He quickly yelled out for some Anticuchos for the Missus, and even looked them over…..just to make sure.

The Missus said these were the best Anticuchos She ever tasted, and at Un Sol (about 33 cents), it was more than a bargain.

I'm sure the kindness of the Gentleman made them taste even better!

Pardo's – Miraflores (Peru):

As we noted, we stayed at the huge Marriott in Miraflores before returning home. Right across the street is a mall, Larcomar, which is built into the cliffs overlooking the ocean. And in the mall is a location of Pardo's Chicken, the largest Pollo a la Brasa (rotisserie chicken) chain in Peru. There seemed to be a Pollo a la Brasa shop on every street corner in Lima. People here are crazy about it.

We were headed home the next day, and were bushed, and Pardo's seemed to fit the bill. As good as the chicken was….

It was the Papas Fritas (French Fries) which we enjoyed the best. The potatoes were a nice yellow in color (Papas Amarillas – like Yukon Gold), which tasted like the soul of a potato. I can still taste them…….

And with a dip in the Aji Sauce…sort of like an Aji Aioli….man was this good. There's something to be said for having just the right food, at the right time.

Which takes us to Siem Reap and…

Maharajah Royal Indian Cuisine (Siem Reap):

After a day of hiking among ruins, and tired of Fish Amok, we wanted something different. An acquaintance of mine had mentioned that the Indian Food in Siem Reap is not half bad. And we just stumbled into Maharajah.

Gotta love the "spicy scale" provided on the menu….

The unfortunate thing about the restaurant was the lighting, it was a horrible "bug killer green", which made everything look pretty unappetizing.

The Missus enjoyed Her Special Vegetarian Thali (meal set – $3/US), which was an absolute bargain!

I got the most expensive item on the menu; the Mutton Thali ($6/US). And yes, it was indeed mutton, very gamy, and pretty tough. But the Dal was very good.

It was just the right meal at the right time. In fact, the Missus wanted Indian the following night as well.

It's funny how these meals stuck in our mind. Just the right thing, at the right time. Our memories of these places are quite varied as well. For all of the photos of Inca Treasures….

And the magnificent temples of Angkor…..

It's the photos of things like this dog "scratching an itch" in the fresh grass in Calca,

or the children learning traditional dances at school in Cusco,

And the children in Siem Reap…..

With smiles that are priceless….. that we remember the most.

Funny thing, it's the people, and our experiences with those people that the Missus and I discuss the most. The kindnesses of strangers, the stories of the folks we encounter, the understanding that we are all more alike than different.

Yes, I think soon it'll be time to get on a plane and go somewhere….not quite sure where yet, but we'll be sure to let you know. And hopefully I'll finish all those Cambodia posts before I head off on another vacation.

You know, my week has suddenly gotten better. I hope you have a great one! If you've hang around till the end I thank you.

Peru: Pescados Capitales – Miraflores(Lima)

November 18, 2007 mmm-yoso Lima, Peru, Seafood, Travel

Knowing how much the Missus loves Cebiche, it would have been a crime to leave Lima without another meal at a Cebicheria, restaurants specializing in seafood, especially, well what else, Cebiche! In doing research for out meal, I came across several great sources, one was of course, Peru Food, another being the restaurant reviews in klephblog, and finally, this excellent article written by Jonathan Yardley for the Washington Post. In the end, it came down to meals at either Gaston Acurio's Cebicheria, La Mar, or the highly regarded Pescados Capitales. Interestingly enough, the two restaurants are located blocks from each other, in what is slowly becoming the "Cebicheria district", Avenida La Mar. Another well regarded Cebicheria, La Red, is also located on the same street. Since we had already eaten at Astrid & Gaston the evening before, and since Pescados Capitales takes reservations, we decided on Pescados Capitales. It was a bit tough getting reservations, we could never find anyone who spoke English. Luckily, the very nice Concierge at the Marriott, made reservations for us. She did wonder how I knew about Pescados Capitales since it's according to her a "mostly a local place". Later on, when she saw me, she followed up, curious as to how we enjoyed our meal. So, after a busy morning, we flagged down a cab on Larcomar got a price (6 Soles), and headed off. The young man, who looked part Chinese, was amiable, and he humored the Missus who used her survival Spanish on him. When she mentioned taxi drivers in Lima, he made a clucking sound, and told the Missus, "taxi all loco, allll loco, in Lima!" Of course he was in the process of cutting several cars off, and making a left turn from the center lane without using the turn signal at the time…….

Avenida La Mar, is an interesting street, a mixture of auto repair shops, small industrial businesses, residential, and as mentioned before, several upscale Cebicherias. Cebicherias are strictly lunchtime eateries, so location is not such a big issue. Oh, one more thing, in Lima, lunch can mean any time between noon and 6pm! I had heard that Peruvians like to eat late, and we did notice how Astrid & Gaston got busier as the night wore on. In keeping with that, when we arrived for our 1230 reservation, the restaurant was almost totally empty:

The Missus looked at me and went, "humph, you needed reservations for this?" But by 1 pm, it looked like this:

Before we left….packed to the rafters!

Just after sitting we were brought an Amuse of uber-fresh Scallops with Bloody Mary mix:

So simple, yet so very good. The sweet, tender orbs, was like a spicy-tomatoey kiss of the ocean. When the Missus mentioned how good this was, the Server, brought Her two more!

I had read that the name of the restaurant was a play on words, "pescado" in Spanish means fish, you'd think the word "pescados" would probably be the plural of the former word. But it is not, "pescados" is translated as "sin". So using this play on words, many of the dishes at Pescados Capitales are named for the Seven Deadly Sins or the Seven Virtues. A double order of Paciencia (patience) anyone? On some days I could perhaps use a triple order…….. In addition, the Owners of Pescados Capitales are of Peruvian-Chinese descent, and there are several dishes on the menu that reflect this.

The Aji was brought to the table, and was really good, and a bit different from other versions. It had a distinct smokey flavor to it, almost as if some chipotle was in the mixture. The cancha(fried corn kernals) were nice and salty, though very dry. It was best eaten mixed with the Leche de Tigre(Tigers Milk), the cebiche marinade.

Oh, and how good that Leche de Tigre was! We started with the classic Cebiche de Leguado (sole cebiche s/30 – approx $10).

Though the fish was good, not excellent, the Leche de Tigre was the best we've ever had, just the right amounts of sour-salty that is as bracing as the spray created by waves crashing on a rocky shoreline. Mildly pungent and sweet onions, and very spicy red peppers added heat, and the camote, with the slight hint of cinnamon in the background made this a very pleasing dish. To this day, when we think of Cebiche, this is the version that comes to mind.

We also ordered the Caridad ("Charity" s/ 30, approx $10 US), and interesting Eurasian mix of flavors.

Pacific Rockfish had been lightly studded with sesame seeds, lightly dusted with togarashi, and lightly seared, giving it good texture. The reduction which I read contained mirin, dashi, lime, among several other items was much better than I thought it would be. The combination of sweet-salty-sour was quite good. It was accompanied by a nice green salad, with a mild vinaigrette. The only item we didn't care for was the parmesian cheese, the sour cheese along with very rare fish was not a combination we enjoyed.

I also wanted to try a tiradito, so I selected the Tiradito Capital(s/ 31 – approx $10.50 US):

This was one beautiful dish, and the tuna was really nice and fresh. The rest of it was a mish-mash of confusing flavors…a very strong oyster sauce reduction, that tasted like it had dijon mustard in it on top, Leche de Tigre on the bottom…too many clashing flavors, you really couldn't taste anything. Maybe this was a little bit too over the top for us. I was wishing I could just have that maguro…….. Still you can't blame them for trying.

The menu at Pescados Capitales is fairly large and diverse. Don't let our meal fool you, there are many cooked seafood dishes like "Lust" stuffed squid, grilled over coals, a very popular risotto we saw many people ordering, and a huge plate of Pulpo! I'm sure next time we're in Miraflores we'll be checking out Punta Azul, a Cebicheria we passed several times on a side street, and La Mar…..but I'd come back to Pescados Capitales in a minute!

Pescados Capitales
Avenida La Mar 1337
Miraflores, Lima, Peru

Peru: Astrid & Gaston – Miraflores(Lima)

November 13, 2007 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, Lima, Memorable Meals, Peru, Travel

Would you believe me if I said that this charming little house on side street right off of Avenida Larco is the home of one of the top 100 restaurants in the world?

According to Pellegrino, Astrid & Gaston is one of the Top 100 restaurants in the world in 2007, right up there with Robuchon at the Four Seasons, Guy Savoy, Peter Lugar, Zuni Cafe, and many others. I usually don't do posts on fine dining establishments, but I'm sure you'll humor me in this case. A&G was the one "must-eat" restaurant on my list for our vacation. In fact, I had the Missus call the restaurant from Cusco, and we had no problems getting reservations on a Friday evening. When I first started making plans for our vacation, I had been a bit hesitant about eating at Astrid & Gaston. We'd be traveling light, and I had second thoughts about proper attire. But that was soon remedied after a quick email to Alejandro who does the excellent Peru Food blog. In response to my question about attire, Alejandro wrote; "you'll get cut a lot of slack as tourists". Which we found to be true when we arrived at the restaurant. We were seated in the "Wine Cellar" section, a very warm, quiet, and comfortable area of the restaurant. We could pick out the tourists right away, the sweaters and jeans were the tourists, the sports coats were the locals. I had packed a nice dress shirt, slacks, and dress shoes, and they had traveled unused through our trip until this evening.

Our Server, a very kind and friendly young man brought us our menus….

Written in Spanish! This one was going to be much harder than ordering from a chalk board in a Picanteria! So we ordered some drinks, the Missus had some Chicha, and I ordered a Coca Sour, which was pretty strong:

And tried to go through the menu and figure out what was what.

The wonderful bread basket came out, with the uber-addictive bread sticks studded with Quinoa, when dipped in the wonderful spicy-tart Aji, was fantastic.

Our Server brought the Maitre d' over, who was not only very helpful, but had a great sense of humor as well! There were a few dishes that I was looking for, and he provided some assistance in finding them.

Of course the Missus had to start with some Cebiche, and I managed to find the Dos Cebiche Puritanos, basically the two traditional styles of cebiche, the mixto(mixed seafood cebiche), and the cebiche pescado (white fish).

The cebiche mixto was just plain fantastic. A variety of top notch seafood bathed in a creamy-mild marinade. I was amazed at how tender the calamari was…..literally melt in your mouth.

The quality of the fish in the Cebiche Classico, in this case Corvina (White Sea Bass) was a revelation. It was melt in your mouth tender….it would have not been out of place on nigiri sushi.

If I were to have any complaint at all, it would be that the Leche de Tigre(Tiger's milk – Cebiche marinade) was very, very mild. The strong sour-salty flavors were muted, but oh that fish was so good!

I had been looking for the causitas, which are minature versions of Causa, a classic dish which consist of cold mashed potatoes topped or filled with various ingredients. After looking over the menu, I found it called "La 5 Razas". These beautiful little mashed potato "cakes" were topped with various items. From what I found to be rather mundane(for me) items, such as the mayo-crab mixture which tasted like California roll filling.

To the very interesting….

This interesting causita was topped with preserved fish that tasted like less oily, top notch anchovy. In fact I thought it was anchovy, but was told it was "Atun", or preserved tuna. Salty and rich, this went well with the potato cake.

My favorite by far was the Conchas a la Huacaina (scallop in yellow cheese sauce).

Sweet scallops, in a slightly salty-rich cheese sauce. Really good stuff.

For Her main course the Missus ordered the Cuy in Orange Sauce:

The Missus adored Her Cuy(Guinea Pig), and it was fitting substitute for duck which is usually prepared in this manner. I had a taste of the Cuy, and it really did have a nice pork-dark meat chicken flavor. As for the potatoes and the relleno, I never had a shot, but the Missus said they were excellent. She still mentions this dish in conversations all the time.

I ordered one of Astrid & Gaston's signature dishes, the 3 Week Old Suckling Pig Confit, on the menu it's called "El Cochinillo de tres semanas del invierno 2007":

When it first arrived it was fantastic. The thin crisp laquered skin of the pork leg was amazing, and the meat was melt in your mouth tender and rich. It was a bit mildly flavored, I had expected more of the rich essense of pork. The cocoa reduction added a nice flavor as well. After a few minutes, the pork really got dried out and was not as palatable. The real treasure of this dish was the minced blood sausage, served on a stewed Quince.

After consuming our entrees, we were stuffed, and couldn't even manage to find room for one of Astrid's desserts. The Maitre d' dropped by, and asked if we had room for dessert. The Missus replied, "oh no, we are too full", raising Her glass She told Him, "I'm just going to finish this so I can kill the Cuy." To which he cracked up and said, "yes, yes, you must kill the Cuy…."

So how much did you think this cost? Well, including 10% automatic service charge, the dinner came out to s/250….or about $80 US! Yes, eighty bucks for dinner for two at a world class restaurant. We found the service to be warm, helpful, and friendly. We will be back, there's so much more to explore on the menu, wonderful sounding Tiraditos, Lechon, Foie Gras Tamale anyone? I'm sometimes a bit skeptical when restaurants fuse and modernize traditional dishes, but Gaston Acurio has done a masterful job. He is true to the dishes, uses excellent ingredients, and most of all everything is prepared well.

Astrid y Gaston
Calle Cantuarias 175
Miraflores

Monday to Saturday
Lunch: 12:30 – 15:30
Dinner: 19:30 – 24:00

I've heard that Gaston Acurio may open a branch of his very popular Cebicheria, La Mar in San Diego. If that happens I'm sure to be one of the first in line……

One more thing, just by coincidence, this happens to be our 700th published post. So maybe it's a bit fitting to do something a bit different for a change.

Peru: Alfresco – Miraflores(Lima)

November 7, 2007 mmm-yoso Lima, Peru, Travel

We returned to Lima from Cusco, and were met by our driver. As we drove to our hotel, we noticed riot police, armored vehicles, helicopters flying above, and soldiers on the roofs of several buildings. When our driver noticed we were staring out the window, he told us: "today Fujimori is coming back to Peru." Yes, not only did we return to Lima, this was also the day that Ex-President Alberto Fujimori was being extradited to Peru. The whole city was buzzing……

The rest of the drive to Miraflores was uneventful, and our driver was a pretty quiet fellow, until we started talking about Cebiche and Tiradito. He ended up making a few recommendations fairly close to the hotel. One of these was Alfresco, a nice restaurant on a side street of a mostly residential area in Miraflores.

The interior of the restaurant was bright, casual, and understated.

In search of just a light lunch, the Missus ordered the Ceviche Alfresco (Alfresco style ceviche – s/28.50 – approx $9.50US). In this case the marinade for the ceviche was of the "creamy" variety, and served with standard sweet potato and corn.

As mentioned before, the Missus has never met a camote(sweet potato) She didn't like. The quality of the fish was excellent, tender and just slightly chewy. The leche de tigre(ceviche marinade) in this case was pretty mild, much too mild for the Missus. She told me it lacked the zip that She enjoys so much.

I ordered the Tiradito Alfresco(s/24.50 – approx $8US). This was a very unique version of Tiradito. The flavors were distinct, yet very delicate at the same time. You could make out the taste of garlic, but the sour tones were not lime, and there was a bit of "fruitiness" to the flavor and fragrance.

The Sole (Lenguado) was very fresh, and the texture was classic Shiromi(Japanese for White fish) firm, light, with a mild, yet tender, chewiness. That marinade had me hooked. We finally inquired about the Tiradito, and our Server, who spoke perfect English, told us the marinade consisted of Garlic, Lemon Juice in place of Lime Juice, and good Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This European treatment of Tiradito suited me well, I truly enjoyed it.

It seemed that so far on this trip, the Tiraditos had the upper hand on the Cebiches. We discussed that as we walked back to our hotel. We had taken a taxi ride from our hotel to Alfresco, but found that Alfresco was close enough to walk, which we enjoyed.

Alfresco
Malecon Balta 790
Miraflores

Miraflores:

In stark contrast to our earlier stay in intense Central Lima, Miraflores was much more laid back and upscale. You still felt like you were playing out a real life version of Frogger, taking your life into your hands when crossing the street, but you could drop Miraflores right into any large coastal city in the US and not miss a beat. We stayed at the very sleek and modern JW Marriott.

The Marriott in Miraflores rises like a monolith over the Pacific Ocean. The hotel itself is built on those cliffs, and every room is supposed to have an ocean view. When I originally booked our rooms, I had thought that a few nights at the hotel would be a nice segue before returning home. The hotel is very modern, with excellent facilities, and like most 4-5 star hotels, the service was superb. There is also a small and modern shopping mall, Larcomar (more on Larcomar in a future post) right across the street, and most of the cafe culture of Miraflores is just a 10-15 minute walk away. The hotel is rather staid and cold looking, and the charm and warmth of a smaller boutique hotel was missing, but we had no complaints.

The view from our room of the Pacific Ocean, and part of Larcomar, which is built into the cliffs overlooking the ocean. I was told that the best time for the beach here is from December through March, when it is more humid and sunny. During other months, the shoreline is usually shrouded in fog and mist.

Taxis are located right across the street, though they are everywhere. For our initial ride to Alfresco, we approached the line-up of taxis, and a woman aggressively walked up to us. We mentioned Alfresco, and she told us "15 soles, it is far….". Fortunately, the Missus had asked our driver about the going prices of taxi fares to get around Miraflores, and we were told, "No more than 3-5 soles", so we tried to bargain. But this woman insisted on 15 soles. As I stood back, I made eye contact with a kindly looking driver, and he walked up and said, "Si, Alfresco 5 soles…." Sold! The woman, had a few choice words for the gentleman, who just shrugged his shoulders……. We found that various taxi rides in Lima can be a bit of an adventure in themselves, more on that later.

I created a category for our Peru posts, they can be found here.

Peru Day1: El Fayke Piurano – Central Lima

September 30, 2007 mmm-yoso Lima, Peru, Travel

So let's start at the beginning. A few months back, the Missus and I decided on a trip to Peru. It was the perfect country for us…..a great combination of food, history, culture, and more food! After doing a ton of research, we made our arrangements, and could hardly contain ourselves. At this point I need to thank two individuals; Melissa, a great FOY (friend of yoso), who was the first to recommend Copa Airlines and Diamox(for altitude sickness), and uber-food blogger Alejandro, who does the wonderful Peru Food blog. I'll be citing many posts from Peru Food in future posts, so please check out His superb blog.

Most flights to Lima arrive late in the evening, which we didn't think would do. Especially since we needed to be at the airport by 4am the next morning. The Copa Airlines flight arrives in Lima at 3pm. The only catch is this:

Yes, that's right, the flight leaves at 153am in the morning! This meant a drive up to LA, and a flight to catch at almost 2am. Well, at least we'd be able to catch a bit of shut eye on the flight….except for one little problem. I had completed seat assignments online, and had seats reserved in row 7, but when we went to check in, we found that the model of aircraft had been changed, and suddenly, we had row 25, the very last row on the plane…..the nether region of the aircraft where seats do not recline. I did manage to take two short 15 minute naps using the patented "lean technique", where I lean forward, resting my forehead on the seat back in row in front of me. Wouldn't you know that the person sharing our row was from Taiwan! He and the Missus had a nice conversation in Mandarin(the magic word is…Din Tai Fung!). Seems that there are quite a few Chinese and Taiwanese in Panama, working for various shipping interests. As a matter of fact, we noticed that all the Asians were seated around us…..to which led me to comment, "hey, are all the Asians seated at the back of the plane?" Seriously, the service on Copa was excellent, more friendly and accommodating than most US carriers. After a stopover in Tocumen International Airport, where you can get everything from designer attire to top of the line electronics…at the airport! We arrived at Jorge Chavez International Airport on time, and our driver (offered by most hotels) met us, and we were off……the ride from the airport to Central Lima is worth an entire post of its own. So let me just say this, Magic Mountain ain't got nothing on a taxi ride in Lima. I was amazed at the chaotic, yet intricately choreographed dance that occurs on the roads in Lima. I was also glad to make it to our hotel in one piece…… If I was tired getting on our arrival in Lima, the edge of the seat thrills and chills of the ride woke me up.

After checking in at our hotel, totally famished, we headed off for our first meal in Peru. I had intentionally made reservations at a hotel close to a restaurant I wanted to try….. yes, I know, a bit backwards……but since this was just a place to crash for evening….. Right around the block was El Fayke Piurano. I had read about this restaurant in this post in Peru Food. I was sure that the Missus, who loves Cebiche would enjoy Herself here.

We entered and was led to the upstairs dining area. Even though our server did not speak English, we had no problem ordering. The only thing that caused some puzzled looks from our Server was that she could not understand why we ordered 3 dishes……with good reason.

Soon enough our Cancha, those addictive roasted corn kernels arrived. These were a bit on the dry side, but were the perfect addition to the Cebiche de Cojinova (s/18 – 18 soles – about $6):

Cojinova is a fish also known as the Palm Ruff, with a slightly red flesh. The Missus thought the Leche de Tigre ("tigers milk", the cebiche marinade) to be much too sour, but the addition of some cancha and the Aji balanced things out. The Cojinova was a bit more chewy than I enjoy, but was not bad. The Missus never met a camote(sweet potato) she didn't like, and this was no exception.

I still have not developed a taste for Canarios(Canary Beans), I find them tough, fibrous, and dry. Still, I thought this to be pretty good.

The Tiradito en Crema de Rocoto (s/21 – about $7)

Not much to say, other than this was excellent. Fresh, soft, strips of fish, in a velvety, slightly spicy sauce. Nice depth without losing the flavor of the fish. I'd have this several times a week if I had a chance.

Along with our Inca Kola (it tastes different than the version in the US), this was a nice meal so far.

But we weren't done…the Missus also wanted the Arroz con Mariscos (Seafood with Rice s/18 – $6)…yes 6 bucks, for this ginormous portion of rice topped with seafood:

The Missus loved the 2 very fresh, very sweet scallops, but not being a fan of squid and octopus(other than smoked taco), she had a problem with the toppings. The rice was also quite rich, almost like paella, which I enjoyed, but was too rich for the Missus.

Way more food than we could finish…though we polished off the cebiche and tiradito. Can you believe the prices? The whole meal was about s/60…..about twenty bucks!

El Fayke Piurano
Jirón Huancavelica 165
Central Lima

After our meal we took a short walk to grab some bottled water. Jiron de la Union is a pedestrian only mall that bisects Central Lima. You'll find tons of shops…and Pollo ala Brasa (rotisserie chicken) joints on every block!

Even though I could feel a food coma coming on, I managed to take a photo of Iglesias La Merced:

According to what I read this Church is built on the site of the first mass ever held in Lima.

The mass of humanity in this city of 9 million, along with the air quality, was starting to get to us, so after checking out Plaza de Armas (a future post), and grabbing some bottled water, we headed back to our hotel. This being our first evening in Peru, we headed down to the hotel bar and the Missus had a Pisco Sour.

The Missus thought this Pisco Sour was the best She had on this trip.

I had a bottle of Cristal, which the Missus enjoyed as well. The security guard at the hotel was so very nice to us…..he also gave us directions to the "super mercado", so the Missus got him some bottled water, as way of thanking him.

Soon enough we were back in our room, crashing in anticipation of our morning flight. A 330 am wake up was ahead of us……