"L" is for Llama and it's also just for "L"

So. Here is something else I didn't know. If there are two "L's" in a word, the "L" is then pronounced as a "Y". In Peruvian Spanish that is. Well, maybe in all Spanish, I don't know. But I do know that the word "Llama" is actually pronounced "yama".  Most of the local guides will say "LLama" because they know that that is how we uneducated and somewhat ignorant tourists say it. Every now and then, they'll slip up and say "Yama", but then quickly correct themselves. Like "jungle", they actually say "yungle". You know, like "Jose" is pronounced "Ho-say". It made me feel like such a dolt.

And I promise to not be that annoying person who blithely says "yama" in conversations, even going so far as to use the word when "alpaca" would do just fine. Or vicuna, which is a softer and better animal for making sweaters than either alpaca or yama llama.  I was in a store and there were llama sweaters (soft) that one could touch, there were alpaca sweaters (really soft) that one could touch, but you could tell they'd prefer that we not, then there were baby alpaca (oooh...super soft) that were hung sort of upwards and away from grubby fingers, then...oh, then there were vicuna sweaters....locked up behind glass display cases, and guess what? Even a scarf made of vicuna came in a beautiful wooden box with a certificate of authenticity and was priced right out of my stratosphere.

I didn't get to touch a vicuna sweater, but I did get to touch a soft little ball of it's hair, in a dish, I guess expressly for people like me who yearn to touch things. You wash the clothing with a gentle shampoo, because it's hair. Makes sense.


Llama and Baby, Mama and Baby.




Llama ass? Alpaca ass?

 You can tell the difference between llamas and alpacas by their tail...one sits much higher than the other. So these are one of each, but I've forgotten which is which. You can also tell by the way they feel. The ones below feel much harsher, and I am pretty sure that they are neither llama nor alpaca. But don't take my word for it, I'm constantly learning new things here.

Even though llamas are common at home, they seem more foreign and exotic when seen in their own habitat. I became rather fond of them, and snapped photos of them constantly, which is akin to a Peruvian tourist snapping pictures of every cow they see in a field...in other words, a bit annoying to those who have to stop every time we see a new llama.


Cheese covered alpaca.




Either friendly or ready to spit llama.




Beautifully  proud and arrogant Machu Picchu llama




And a whole herd of either alpacas or llamas. Or both.

 So I learned about llamas and alpacas, how they look, how they feel and even how they taste. Which, by the way, was quite lovely...like a tender and mild beef.  Quite superior to guinea pig.