Peru, Part 4

Thursday was a day that we didn't visit any children.  I really wanted to go to another project, but this day was designed to allow us to have some fun and to take a break from the emotions we had been experiencing.  We went in several vans into the jungle with a tour group.  Our guide, Omar, was hilarious.  He gave us some historical background, but he also told jokes.
First, we went to a very old bridge which I would have been afraid to cross a few years ago, but I can do it now.  I had to have my picture taken with my Terrible Towel on that bridge even though I don't like pictures of myself, but this is a Steeler Nation tradition.

Then we went to a place where two rivers converge to form a third.  I sort of chuckled because I have been to Pittsburgh a million times where the Allegheny and Monongahela form the Ohio, and those rivers are much bigger, but this was nice.

The highlight of the day for me was swimming under a waterfall.  Because I have a Lifeproof case on my iPhone, I was able to take it into the waterfall.  I have a ton of pictures, but I'll try to share just a few and a couple of videos from my phone.

There's no way I was willing to test the power of that waterfall!!  I'm sure it would have slammed me onto the rocks, but apparently it was very refreshing--the jungle was quite hot that day.

Watch on Vimeo.

Watch on Vimeo.

Here is a picture of one of a few series of steps we had to climb to and from the waterfall.

After that, we walked to a nearby waterfall called "Vella de la Novia," or "Bride's Veil."  We had some serious steps to conquer there, too, but it was worth it.

From the top of the waterfall

This is much better on Vimeo.

I loved the beauty of the jungle.  I couldn't believe I was actually there.  We did a couple of other things, but the waterfalls were the best, for sure.  The very last thing we did was to visit a coffee factory where I had to buy some coffee, of course.  I also bought some chocolate for baking.  Coffee and chocolate--how could I go wrong?

The next morning, we left La Merced to travel back over the Andes Mountains to Lima.  I was disappointed to leave the jungle, but I knew that going back to Lima meant I would be meeting Jack.

I took a few pictures from my hotel room before we left:

Motor taxis are a common form of transportation.

Then it was off to the Andes.  I took most of these pictures through the bus window, so you might see a reflection.

 In Peru, people can just choose a piece of land on the side of a hill or mountain and build a house.

My new favorite drink

That night back in Lima, we went to a grocery store after dinner, and then a few of us went looking for coffee and hot chocolate.  Actually, I didn't want the drinks, but I wanted the adventure.  At first we tried McDonald's, which sold neither.

Some members of our group, who don't speak Spanish, asked some police offers, who don't speak English, how to get to Starbuck's.  Not surprisingly, we went the wrong way.  After we realized that, we stopped a guy on the street, I asked him in Spanish how to get to Starbuck's.  He answered in English!  He had lived in New Jersey for four years, so he spoke fluent English.  I was laughing at myself because I thought I would save the day by speaking Spanish, and it wasn't even needed.  We finally found Starbuck's:

I went to sleep that night excited to be able to visit Jack the next day.  I couldn't believe I was actually going to be able to meet him in person!

Check back for details on that amazing day.

Peru, Part 1

Last week, I was in Peru with Compassion International, from the 13th through the 21st, to be exact.

I left my house at 4 AM on the 13th and after four airports and three flights, landed in Lima at 9 PM (10 PM Eastern).

It was my first time really being out of the US.  I have been to Canada, Bermuda, and the Bahamas, but South America is a totally different story.  It was my first time in a country whose official language was not English.  I have been studying Spanish (mostly on my own) for about a year and a half, but I have a LONG way to go before I am fluent.

The next morning, we split into two groups (over 50 people total) to go to a church service at a Compassion church partner.  At the church where my group went, the children were waiting to greet us outside the church.  I was SOOOOO excited to see them!  That was my main reason for going to Peru--to see the children, especially the boy (young man) I sponsor.

When we walked into the church, the people were already seated for the service, and they clapped for each of us!  I kept thinking, "I don't deserve this."  The pastor at the church spoke about giving to the poor.  Seriously???  Man, that was humbling!!  The pastor and people of this church are the ones who deserve the recognition.

After the service, we were treated to snacks, mostly pastries, that were made by the teenagers of the church.  I don't even know what it all was, but I do know it was incredibly delicious!  The center has a cooking class for the teenagers.  I was very impressed with that because I believe that cooking is a very important skill to learn.  Those teenagers will be able to use their skill to make money.  Believe me, I would buy their pastries!!

Two of the teenagers and one of our translators

After church, we went to a restaurant next to the ocean to have lunch.  I learned that Peruvian time is NOT the same as US time.  We were eating lunch at 3 and didn't finish until 6.

The food was amazing!  I felt guilty for having such awesome food, knowing that so many in Peru have barely any food.

Appetizer that I couldn't eat because it had shellfish in it. Notice the tiny octopus. 

This is purple corn juice--chicha.  It is very popular in Peru, and I liked it a lot.

Here are a few shots I took outside the restaurant:

When we returned to the hotel, we met with eight LDP students.  It was amazing to hear them speak.  I knew that LDP is hard to get into, but I didn't realize all that is involved.  They have to go before a panel of judges who show no emotion when they interview the students.  They go through a series of three interviews.  If the make it into the program, they not only have to study, but they also have to serve at their church and do community work.  I have a new appreciation of that program.

That was all for the first day.  The second day, we spent TEN hours in a bus going over the Andes mountain to the jungle.  I was so afraid of getting altitude or motion sickness, but I got neither.  Well, I did get a very bad headache as we drove toward our highest point, 14,800 feet, but it subsided once we began our descent.

We thought the trip would take five hours, so it was a little difficult for us to cope with the ten.  The road is very narrow, very twisty, and has no guard rail in most areas.  We were in a double-decker bus that often had to drive into the left line to make the turns because they were like very tight U turns.  It was unbelievable!  I went from living 8 feet above sea level to riding on a bus almost 15,000 feet above sea level.  Even the people from Colorado said that they no longer consider the Rockies to be mountains after seeing the Andes.  I'm including a few pictures.  I have lots and lots.  (Of course)

When we finally arrived at the hotel in the jungle town, La Merced, we found that there were not enough rooms because another group had stayed over (although that was worked out somehow).  I was given a key (not a card, a key) to a room and when I unlocked the door, I found that it was already occupied.  Thank God the people weren't in the room, just their belongings.  Just as I was about to go back to the desk, a girl ran up with another key.  Whew!

THEN . . . the power went out!  It was very hot and humid, of course, which I didn't mind at all.  It really wasn't different from Virginia Beach in the summer, which I love.  Some of our group members were even trapped in the elevator!  That wasn't funny until they started to climb out.  Then we laughed really hard.  The power kept coming on and going back off.  I thought it was funny; others . . . not so much.  But I mean, we were in a third world country, after all.  I was just so excited about being able to visit the children the next day that I was not concerned about being personally uncomfortable.

At least I know I will never forget that night.

Go to Part 2.