Mommy and Me Week

Recent weather: low 70s, mostly cloudy.
Recent reads: Proverbs, "Call of the Wild" by Jack London.

Mommy and me week has finally arrived! And after over 3 months of traveling solo, it couldn't have come at a more perfect time.

After leaving Bolivia, I spent a few days in Cusco, Peru but didn't have enough time to do Machu Picchu just yet. I'll definitely be back in the next couple of months. I did, however, have time to take a chocolate-making class in Cusco where I learned about the process, had some cocoa (not to be confused with coca) tea, and even made my own chocolate to take home!

I also caught an interesting festival going on in Cusco with a parade and huge floats dedicated to patron saints. Plus, there was a food festival with tons of stands serving up the exact same thing.

Hoppin' main square

Rodent: it's what's for dinner!

After a few relaxing days in Cusco, I took a 21 hour bus ride to Lima. While the length of the trek sounds bad, the bus way actually very comfortable with fully reclining seats and personal tvs for my viewing pleasure. I arrived in Lima on Thursday afternoon and my mom arrived later that evening after some flight issues herself.

Since my shoes kicked the bucket in La Paz, on Friday I actually did some shopping in Miraflores-my favorite pastime at home! My mom and I strolled down towards the beach to check out Larcomar, a beautiful upscale shopping complex and architectural wonder built right into the cliffs of Miraflores and overlooking the ocean. Friday afternoon, wasting no time, my mom had herself a pisco sour. She was happy to report that while Miraflores has definitely changed since she lived here 38 years ago, the pisco sours have not!

At Larcomar, overlooking the ocean.

Her first pisco sour

Saturday was spent in downtown Lima Centro, visiting the Plaza de Armas and various old squares and churches. My favorite stop was el Monasterio de San Francisco where we visited the 500 year old library and walked through the underground catacombs. We capped off our full day with pisco sours at Hotel Bolivar! Are you noticing a pattern here with the pisco sours?

School children participating in the cultural festival in the Plaza de Armas

Monestario de San Francisco

Plaza de Armas

A classic with a classic

Piscos at El Gran Hotel Bolivar

On Sunday we went to the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) church in Santa Beatriz, a community of Lima, in hopes of running into some of my parents' old cronies from being dental missionaries 40 years ago. Then, on Wednesday, we went to the ELS grade school in Reynoso. We didn't know what to expect as far as the condition of the building, organization of the school, or our purpose in going there but were pleasantly surprised! The school is at max capacity at 180 students ages 3-11 with even more wanting to attend! The headmaster and teachers were extremely enthusiastic in class and the kids even sang us a few songs which was adorable!

We visited Huaca Pucllana on Monday. Huaca Pucllana is a site of temple ruins dating back to 200-700 AD. The site was recognized as a cultural landmark and conservation and restoration began in 1981. I joked that my parents' old apartment could have been right on Huaca Pucllana when they were here in the 70s. The ruins were awesome especially since the 6 hectares are located right in the city of Miraflores. It was amazing to look at the ruins while listening to the tour guide tell us about human sacrifices and offering rituals with skyscrapers in the background and cars rushing by.

While in Barranco, another community of Lima, on Tuesday, I had my first official ceviche experience and I am pleased to say it was a good one! The fresh seafood was delicious and the company and ocean view weren't bad either!

No, we didn't plan to wear matching shirts.

Bottoms up!

Wednesday night we headed over the water fountain show. It was amazing what they did with a little water (okay, a lot of water), some lights and music!

I am also happy to announce that I have had my first craft beer in Peru! It took some searching, let me tell you, but now that I know where I can find it, I may just become a regular!

Barbarian IPA and the US Men's National Team

After looking looking forward to Mommy and Me Week for some time, it flew by way too quickly. But we had an amazing week together, so many laughs and Lima didn't know what hit 'em! It was a tough goodbye, but this past week has refreshed me enough to start the next chapter of my travels here in Peru. Can't wait until my mom and I are reunited again either here in South America or back home!

P.S. Coincidentally, the pisco sour shortage is now over.