We left Buenos Aires on September 1st on our journey towards Trujillo, Peru. Here are some of the adventures we had along the way:
1. Iguazu Falls, Argentina
Kim: After a 16 hour bus ride, we arrived in Puerto Iguazu, a little town in northern Argentina close to Paraguay and Brazil. The falls in Parque Nacional Iguazu were absolutely astounding! When Eleanor Roosevelt saw them for the first time, she was quoted as saying “Poor Niagra.” I’ve never seen Niagra but I can’t imagine anything looking like this. According to the Guarani tradition the falls originated when an Indian warrior named Caroba incurred the wrath of a forest god by escaping downriver in a canoe with a young girl, Naipur, with whom the god was infatuated. Enraged, the god caused the riverbed to collapse in front of the lovers, producing a line of precipitous falls over which Naipur fell and, at their base, turned into a rock. Caroba survived as a tree overlooking it. .
My favorite part of the falls was the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat). The lookout platform is perched right over the powerful torrent of water. We were literally looking straight down into the canyon. The sounds of the cascades were deafening. The water vapors were thick at the base of the falls and rose almost smokelike to the top of the lookout. No words can adequately describe the experience.
I think what made it extra spectacular was the fact that we were hiking through an Amazonian-like rainforest. Although they are present, we didn’t see any pumas or jaguars. But we did in fact stumble across many coatis. Although they seem tame, we were counseled to not feed them due to their aggression around food. But not to worry. There are medical points along the way in case of a coati attack :)
Darren: Just like the feeling when we left the big city of Rome and headed out into the countryside, the trip from Buenos Aires out to Iguazu falls was literally a breath of fresh air. The area reminded me of Hawaii with green tropical plants and a cool damp feeling to everything. There were unique looking flowers and birds as well. One little yellow feathered bird had a fascination with our bedroom window which extended down to floor level. We would hear the thing running into the window multiple times during the day. It was really funny cause he’d attack the window and then a plume of red feathers would emerge on the scalp of his little head like a Mohawk.
The falls were spectacular and you really can’t describe them adequately. You gotta see the pictures! :) The coati’s were like a cross between raccoons and those “rodents of unusual size” on The Princess Bride. We were headed down one trail when we had to back out to let one or two come along the path…one or two turned into a pack of about 7 or 8. Awesome!
2. Salta, Argentina
Kim: While in Salta we visited the Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montana. It was here that we saw the almost perfectly preserved body of a young Incan girl. She was one of 3 children found at the top of a volcano near the Argentinean/Chilean border. The story goes that the Inca culture from time to time offered the lives of high-born children to please or appease their gods. The high peaks of the Andes were always considered sacred, and were chosen as sites for the sacrifices. The children were taken to the ceremonial capital of Cuzco and participated in ceremonial marriages to cement diplomatic links between tribes. At the end of the fiesta, they were paraded around the plaza, and then had to return home in a straight line. Once home (usually months later), they were taken into the mountains. They were fed and given quantities of chicha (an alcoholic drink made from fermented maize) to drink. When they passed out, they were taken up to the peak of the mountain and left in their drunken sleep, presumably never to awaken. In was very interesting to see such a well preserved body. One can still see her expression. Her skin looks normal and her clothes are still brightly colored. It’s so real it’s creepy.
Darren: Important to note that the trip between Iguazu Falls and Salta was the longest we’ve done yet on our trip. It was a lovely 22 hours!! It’s hard to describe what it’s like to get on a bus in the morning one day, ride all day, afternoon, and into the night, then sleep as well as possible only to wake up STILL IN THE BUS and ride a few more hours the next day to finally stop at your destination. It was pretty crazy. Once we got to Salta, though, we made our way just outside of town to a suburb called San Lorenzo. We stayed in a great B&B out there called Casa Hernandez. It was nice to be outside of the city. The owners of the B&B were named Alex and Rijkje (sounds like Rykee). Originally from Holland, they traveled for years doing humanitarian work and seeing the world and somehow ended up in Salta, Argentina. They were really nice and it felt like staying with family. Alex sat outside with us in the backyard one night and told us stories of their travels and an inspiring story of a Dutch woman who traveled to Cuzco many years ago. She was planning on staying for week or so and ended up staying for life. She started helping kids in the street. A reporter did a story on her and some people with funds got behind her ideas and ended up starting a hotel called Hotel Ninos where she employed many of the kids who would otherwise be in the streets. In addition, a lot of the proceeds go directly to improving the lives of the Peruvian children.
One day there in Salta, we went on a hike in the Quebrada de San Lorenzo. It’s a canyon not far from where we stayed. It was fun and we took some pictures along the trail. Not really a pretty green hike but we got some good shots of mossy trees, a shot of the city down below in the valley and we got to sit and have a picnic along the way.
3: San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Kim: Our main excursion in San Pedro was El Tatio Geysers. At 14,000 feet, it is the world’s highest geyser field. We left our hostal at 4am to be able to see the geysers at sunrise. We will forever be grateful to our wonderful host and hostess for lending us their thick jackets and gloves because it was FREEZING!! My face, legs and feet were frozen within 3 minutes after leaving the tour bus. But it was definitely worth it. The geysers were sensational. Swirling columns of steam in every direction. A valley surrounded by volcanoes, 64 gurgling geysers and hundreds of gassy fumaroles. I liked the bubbling, spurting and hissing sounds coming from deep within the earth. You would think with all that steam it would be a little warmer but it felt like taking a bath in the artic. I was grateful when the sun finally came up. On the way back to San Pedro we stopped at a little village where we tried llama meat. A little tough but good flavor. We also took a short hike through the desert to a small stream and waterfall. It was funny to see everyone taking pictures of cactus. For us we just felt like we were back in Arizona.
Darren: Making our way across the Andes was a long windy trek. There was a sign outside of the bus at one point showing 4750 meters above sea level. That’s about 15,500 feet above sea level!!! Crazy! Kim had no ill effects but once we got to town that evening I had a pretty bad headache and figured the altitude was to blame. Luckily by 4 am the next morning I felt fine. :) The trip out to the geysers was amazing. We stopped at a thermal bath as well and Kim and I dipped our feet in.
We met a really cool guy from South Africa on the tour who was on his way to start a hostel and touring business in Cuzco. It’s been really fun to meet so many people from all over the world and to hear about their adventures. It’s only making our list of “places to see before we die” grow even longer. :)
4. Calama, Chile
Darren: I was extremely excited for the next part of our trip. As we headed for Calama I had tons of memories about the first time I’d arrived there. The first time I went to Calama I was a greenie missionary and arrived with my newly assigned trainer Elder Contreras as my companion. That was somewhere around April 1998. Now, more than 12 years later, here I was on a bus only a few minutes from returning to where I’d started my mission and this time with my eternal companion. :)
There was one family in particular that I wanted to see in Calama and I was able to contact them weeks before over the phone. The Herrera family is a family we’d taught while I was there and the mother, Patricia, and her son Patricio were the first people I’d ever baptized. Their story is a special one in my heart and they will always be eternal friends and like family to me. That is why I was really excited to see them again and introduce Kim to them. The first afternoon we went by we stayed all afternoon and into the night. We were there as each family member made it home and it was so great to see them all. They fed us and we shared stories of the past and caught up on all that they’d been up to. The evening was full of laughs, hugs, and a lot of love.
Due mainly to a lot of serious medical issues, Patricia had stopped going to church a while back. We of course invited the family to attend with us that Sunday and hoped they’d be able to go. The family also invited us to stay upstairs in an unoccupied guestroom and assured us it would be no inconvenience to have us stay as many nights as we’d like to with them. We decided to go by Sunday morning and drop off our bags on our way to church. When we got there Patricia was all dressed up and ready for church! From the moment we stepped foot into the chapel until we left the meetings the members took turns coming up to Patricia and letting her know how good it was to see her there and how much they’d missed her. She introduced us to everyone and I recognized a few other faces there in the ward. It was one of the best experiences of the entire trip.
We ate with the family that night and shared more stories and had a family prayer with them all together that night. As we were getting ready for bed upstairs, Patricia knocked on the door and gave Kim a silver bracelet and me a fancy copper pen from Nelson’s work. She hugged us tightly once more and we felt like staying with them forever. It was hard to leave the first time and it was pretty tough to do it again. Such a great blessing to see them all again. Loved it. Grateful that Kim was there to share in the experience and that now we both have memories we can share about Calama and the Herreras.
Kim: It was so fun meeting the Herrera family, especially after hearing so much about them. Patricia was so warm-hearted and kind, I couldn't help but love her right from the start. It was hard being the only person who didn't speak Spanish but despite this barrier I felt like we were all able to become acquainted. "Family dinner" was a blast. And such great food! :)
They are amazing people and they made us feel so welcome. I actually became a little emotional when we had to leave. And only after spending 2 days with them! I can't imagine how I would feel after months. Hopefully we'll be able to visit them again soon :)
5. Iquique, Chile
Darren: Our next stop was Iquique. This was another of my favorite areas on the mission. We stayed in a hostel by the ocean and it was fun to go running one morning together along the beach. As for the hostel, check out the shower head in the stall with the toilet. Space saver? Definitely. Sanitary? Absolutely not!!
Thanks to Facebook, I was able to track down another woman and her daughter who we’d taught and baptized while I was there (Luisa and Alejandra). We spent two evenings up at their home. Luisa had been very busy getting things ready for their Chilean independence day celebration. She was in charge of making hundreds of empanadas for the festivities. We offered to go and help her make them. She tricked us and when we got there to help the second night, she’d prepared some hot chocolate and had some cake for us all to share. So nice of her!! The evenings were full of memories, more hugs and lots of laughs. They loved getting to know Kim and just like the Herreras thought she was just beautiful! I agree. :)
Kim: Gotta love my sweet husband :) Luisa and Alejandra were a lot of fun. And the cake and hot chocolate were very yummy! She was so cute with her surprise. It made us genuinely smile :)
It has been so fun meeting all of Darren's convert families. What a great memory to be able to share with him. I feel truly blessed to be in South America with him. I will never forget these moments.
6. Arica, Chile
Darren: We made it to Arica next and got to celebrate the Chilean independence day with the masses. We got to watch the fireworks that they lit atop a huge landmark hill near the main city plaza called “El Morro.” We walked around all the ramadas and booths that they had set up that reminded me a lot of a fair. They have carnival games and prizes along with shish kabobs and empanadas for sale.
The next day we waited to see a parade near the plaza and enjoyed looking at all the kids and adults dressed in traditional attire for performing their national dance later that day.
We also stopped by another home of a man who I’d taught and baptized on my mission named Juan. We talked with him and his sister and her son and again shared stories of 12 years ago. It was neat to sit in the same place on the couch and remember being there with my companion teaching the gospel.
Kim: The Independence Day celebration was a lot of fun. I am so glad we were able to there at that time. It was fun to walk around the various booths looking at all the crafts and trinkets. I bought a colorful, cute beanie from a Bolivian woman. Can't wait to sport it this winter :)
The Iglesia San Marcos looked so neat at night. They had it all lit up as part of the celebration. The interesting fact about this church is that it was designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, before his success with the Eiffel Tower. Pretty cool! Who knew Arica has such a claim to fame? :)
7: Arequipa, Peru
Kim: We really liked Arequipa. The Plaza de Armas was one of the best plazas we’ve seen since Europe. The people were very friendly and the food was AMAZING!! We ate twice at the Tradicion Arequipena. We tried a rocoto relleno (a spicy hot pepper stuffed with rice and meat), lomo saltado (strips of beef stir-fried with onions, potatoes, tomatoes and chili) and a mashed potato soup with beef. Yum!!
We toured the Monasterio de Santa Catalina, a 20,000-sq-meter complex, which is almost a citadel within the city. It was founded in 1540 but was only opened to the public in 1970. It was fun to wander around the maze-like streets and admire the colonial architecture and religious art. It made me feel like I was back in Italy.
We stayed at the best B&B called La Fuente Arequipena. I don’t know that I have ever stayed somewhere this hospitable. The hostess was great. If we ever go back to Arequipa we will definitely stay here.
Darren: All I can do is echo what Kim’s said about Arequipa. GREAT food, wonderful place we stayed (right across the street from a beautiful park) and I loved the plaza. It had a huge fountain in the center and one whole side of the block was taken up by the cathedral. The square was FULL of pigeons and it was hilarious to watch the children chasing them around. Reminded me of the pigeons in St. Mark’s Square in Venice.
8. Lima, Peru
Kim: Lima was a sore-spot for me. This is where I got food poisoning and spent the next 3 days in bed. No fun! The ocean was really close to our B&B which was nice. We also went to a great ward in Lima. The members were so friendly. But then again we’ve found that in most places in South America. I love the South American people.
The greatest experience was going to the Lima Temple. What a blessing. We met some wonderful couple missionaries from the States and I met a very faithful young woman named Fiorella. She spoke very little English and I spoke very little Spanish so how we communicated and became fast friends is a mystery. I love the gospel and how it brings us all together :)
Darren: I loved going to the Lima temple with Kim. Just stepping onto the grounds you could feel the spirit. We were able to help with sealings and then I went through a session in Spanish. I really liked it cause being in a different language I found myself concentrating more on the words and learning a lot throughout the session.
Poor Kim was really sick. I got out a few times to get us water, food and we just took it easy. We were right by the ocean and I went running one day and saw a lot of the coast. There were some really beautiful parks and trails along the path.
9: Trujillo, Peru: Finally made it!! More to come on Trujillo :)
1. Iguazu Falls, Argentina
Kim: After a 16 hour bus ride, we arrived in Puerto Iguazu, a little town in northern Argentina close to Paraguay and Brazil. The falls in Parque Nacional Iguazu were absolutely astounding! When Eleanor Roosevelt saw them for the first time, she was quoted as saying “Poor Niagra.” I’ve never seen Niagra but I can’t imagine anything looking like this. According to the Guarani tradition the falls originated when an Indian warrior named Caroba incurred the wrath of a forest god by escaping downriver in a canoe with a young girl, Naipur, with whom the god was infatuated. Enraged, the god caused the riverbed to collapse in front of the lovers, producing a line of precipitous falls over which Naipur fell and, at their base, turned into a rock. Caroba survived as a tree overlooking it. .
My favorite part of the falls was the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat). The lookout platform is perched right over the powerful torrent of water. We were literally looking straight down into the canyon. The sounds of the cascades were deafening. The water vapors were thick at the base of the falls and rose almost smokelike to the top of the lookout. No words can adequately describe the experience.
I think what made it extra spectacular was the fact that we were hiking through an Amazonian-like rainforest. Although they are present, we didn’t see any pumas or jaguars. But we did in fact stumble across many coatis. Although they seem tame, we were counseled to not feed them due to their aggression around food. But not to worry. There are medical points along the way in case of a coati attack :)
Darren: Just like the feeling when we left the big city of Rome and headed out into the countryside, the trip from Buenos Aires out to Iguazu falls was literally a breath of fresh air. The area reminded me of Hawaii with green tropical plants and a cool damp feeling to everything. There were unique looking flowers and birds as well. One little yellow feathered bird had a fascination with our bedroom window which extended down to floor level. We would hear the thing running into the window multiple times during the day. It was really funny cause he’d attack the window and then a plume of red feathers would emerge on the scalp of his little head like a Mohawk.
The falls were spectacular and you really can’t describe them adequately. You gotta see the pictures! :) The coati’s were like a cross between raccoons and those “rodents of unusual size” on The Princess Bride. We were headed down one trail when we had to back out to let one or two come along the path…one or two turned into a pack of about 7 or 8. Awesome!
2. Salta, Argentina
Kim: While in Salta we visited the Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montana. It was here that we saw the almost perfectly preserved body of a young Incan girl. She was one of 3 children found at the top of a volcano near the Argentinean/Chilean border. The story goes that the Inca culture from time to time offered the lives of high-born children to please or appease their gods. The high peaks of the Andes were always considered sacred, and were chosen as sites for the sacrifices. The children were taken to the ceremonial capital of Cuzco and participated in ceremonial marriages to cement diplomatic links between tribes. At the end of the fiesta, they were paraded around the plaza, and then had to return home in a straight line. Once home (usually months later), they were taken into the mountains. They were fed and given quantities of chicha (an alcoholic drink made from fermented maize) to drink. When they passed out, they were taken up to the peak of the mountain and left in their drunken sleep, presumably never to awaken. In was very interesting to see such a well preserved body. One can still see her expression. Her skin looks normal and her clothes are still brightly colored. It’s so real it’s creepy.
Darren: Important to note that the trip between Iguazu Falls and Salta was the longest we’ve done yet on our trip. It was a lovely 22 hours!! It’s hard to describe what it’s like to get on a bus in the morning one day, ride all day, afternoon, and into the night, then sleep as well as possible only to wake up STILL IN THE BUS and ride a few more hours the next day to finally stop at your destination. It was pretty crazy. Once we got to Salta, though, we made our way just outside of town to a suburb called San Lorenzo. We stayed in a great B&B out there called Casa Hernandez. It was nice to be outside of the city. The owners of the B&B were named Alex and Rijkje (sounds like Rykee). Originally from Holland, they traveled for years doing humanitarian work and seeing the world and somehow ended up in Salta, Argentina. They were really nice and it felt like staying with family. Alex sat outside with us in the backyard one night and told us stories of their travels and an inspiring story of a Dutch woman who traveled to Cuzco many years ago. She was planning on staying for week or so and ended up staying for life. She started helping kids in the street. A reporter did a story on her and some people with funds got behind her ideas and ended up starting a hotel called Hotel Ninos where she employed many of the kids who would otherwise be in the streets. In addition, a lot of the proceeds go directly to improving the lives of the Peruvian children.
One day there in Salta, we went on a hike in the Quebrada de San Lorenzo. It’s a canyon not far from where we stayed. It was fun and we took some pictures along the trail. Not really a pretty green hike but we got some good shots of mossy trees, a shot of the city down below in the valley and we got to sit and have a picnic along the way.
3: San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Kim: Our main excursion in San Pedro was El Tatio Geysers. At 14,000 feet, it is the world’s highest geyser field. We left our hostal at 4am to be able to see the geysers at sunrise. We will forever be grateful to our wonderful host and hostess for lending us their thick jackets and gloves because it was FREEZING!! My face, legs and feet were frozen within 3 minutes after leaving the tour bus. But it was definitely worth it. The geysers were sensational. Swirling columns of steam in every direction. A valley surrounded by volcanoes, 64 gurgling geysers and hundreds of gassy fumaroles. I liked the bubbling, spurting and hissing sounds coming from deep within the earth. You would think with all that steam it would be a little warmer but it felt like taking a bath in the artic. I was grateful when the sun finally came up. On the way back to San Pedro we stopped at a little village where we tried llama meat. A little tough but good flavor. We also took a short hike through the desert to a small stream and waterfall. It was funny to see everyone taking pictures of cactus. For us we just felt like we were back in Arizona.
Darren: Making our way across the Andes was a long windy trek. There was a sign outside of the bus at one point showing 4750 meters above sea level. That’s about 15,500 feet above sea level!!! Crazy! Kim had no ill effects but once we got to town that evening I had a pretty bad headache and figured the altitude was to blame. Luckily by 4 am the next morning I felt fine. :) The trip out to the geysers was amazing. We stopped at a thermal bath as well and Kim and I dipped our feet in.
We met a really cool guy from South Africa on the tour who was on his way to start a hostel and touring business in Cuzco. It’s been really fun to meet so many people from all over the world and to hear about their adventures. It’s only making our list of “places to see before we die” grow even longer. :)
4. Calama, Chile
Darren: I was extremely excited for the next part of our trip. As we headed for Calama I had tons of memories about the first time I’d arrived there. The first time I went to Calama I was a greenie missionary and arrived with my newly assigned trainer Elder Contreras as my companion. That was somewhere around April 1998. Now, more than 12 years later, here I was on a bus only a few minutes from returning to where I’d started my mission and this time with my eternal companion. :)
There was one family in particular that I wanted to see in Calama and I was able to contact them weeks before over the phone. The Herrera family is a family we’d taught while I was there and the mother, Patricia, and her son Patricio were the first people I’d ever baptized. Their story is a special one in my heart and they will always be eternal friends and like family to me. That is why I was really excited to see them again and introduce Kim to them. The first afternoon we went by we stayed all afternoon and into the night. We were there as each family member made it home and it was so great to see them all. They fed us and we shared stories of the past and caught up on all that they’d been up to. The evening was full of laughs, hugs, and a lot of love.
Due mainly to a lot of serious medical issues, Patricia had stopped going to church a while back. We of course invited the family to attend with us that Sunday and hoped they’d be able to go. The family also invited us to stay upstairs in an unoccupied guestroom and assured us it would be no inconvenience to have us stay as many nights as we’d like to with them. We decided to go by Sunday morning and drop off our bags on our way to church. When we got there Patricia was all dressed up and ready for church! From the moment we stepped foot into the chapel until we left the meetings the members took turns coming up to Patricia and letting her know how good it was to see her there and how much they’d missed her. She introduced us to everyone and I recognized a few other faces there in the ward. It was one of the best experiences of the entire trip.
We ate with the family that night and shared more stories and had a family prayer with them all together that night. As we were getting ready for bed upstairs, Patricia knocked on the door and gave Kim a silver bracelet and me a fancy copper pen from Nelson’s work. She hugged us tightly once more and we felt like staying with them forever. It was hard to leave the first time and it was pretty tough to do it again. Such a great blessing to see them all again. Loved it. Grateful that Kim was there to share in the experience and that now we both have memories we can share about Calama and the Herreras.
Kim: It was so fun meeting the Herrera family, especially after hearing so much about them. Patricia was so warm-hearted and kind, I couldn't help but love her right from the start. It was hard being the only person who didn't speak Spanish but despite this barrier I felt like we were all able to become acquainted. "Family dinner" was a blast. And such great food! :)
They are amazing people and they made us feel so welcome. I actually became a little emotional when we had to leave. And only after spending 2 days with them! I can't imagine how I would feel after months. Hopefully we'll be able to visit them again soon :)
5. Iquique, Chile
Darren: Our next stop was Iquique. This was another of my favorite areas on the mission. We stayed in a hostel by the ocean and it was fun to go running one morning together along the beach. As for the hostel, check out the shower head in the stall with the toilet. Space saver? Definitely. Sanitary? Absolutely not!!
Thanks to Facebook, I was able to track down another woman and her daughter who we’d taught and baptized while I was there (Luisa and Alejandra). We spent two evenings up at their home. Luisa had been very busy getting things ready for their Chilean independence day celebration. She was in charge of making hundreds of empanadas for the festivities. We offered to go and help her make them. She tricked us and when we got there to help the second night, she’d prepared some hot chocolate and had some cake for us all to share. So nice of her!! The evenings were full of memories, more hugs and lots of laughs. They loved getting to know Kim and just like the Herreras thought she was just beautiful! I agree. :)
Kim: Gotta love my sweet husband :) Luisa and Alejandra were a lot of fun. And the cake and hot chocolate were very yummy! She was so cute with her surprise. It made us genuinely smile :)
It has been so fun meeting all of Darren's convert families. What a great memory to be able to share with him. I feel truly blessed to be in South America with him. I will never forget these moments.
6. Arica, Chile
Darren: We made it to Arica next and got to celebrate the Chilean independence day with the masses. We got to watch the fireworks that they lit atop a huge landmark hill near the main city plaza called “El Morro.” We walked around all the ramadas and booths that they had set up that reminded me a lot of a fair. They have carnival games and prizes along with shish kabobs and empanadas for sale.
The next day we waited to see a parade near the plaza and enjoyed looking at all the kids and adults dressed in traditional attire for performing their national dance later that day.
We also stopped by another home of a man who I’d taught and baptized on my mission named Juan. We talked with him and his sister and her son and again shared stories of 12 years ago. It was neat to sit in the same place on the couch and remember being there with my companion teaching the gospel.
Kim: The Independence Day celebration was a lot of fun. I am so glad we were able to there at that time. It was fun to walk around the various booths looking at all the crafts and trinkets. I bought a colorful, cute beanie from a Bolivian woman. Can't wait to sport it this winter :)
The Iglesia San Marcos looked so neat at night. They had it all lit up as part of the celebration. The interesting fact about this church is that it was designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, before his success with the Eiffel Tower. Pretty cool! Who knew Arica has such a claim to fame? :)
7: Arequipa, Peru
Kim: We really liked Arequipa. The Plaza de Armas was one of the best plazas we’ve seen since Europe. The people were very friendly and the food was AMAZING!! We ate twice at the Tradicion Arequipena. We tried a rocoto relleno (a spicy hot pepper stuffed with rice and meat), lomo saltado (strips of beef stir-fried with onions, potatoes, tomatoes and chili) and a mashed potato soup with beef. Yum!!
We toured the Monasterio de Santa Catalina, a 20,000-sq-meter complex, which is almost a citadel within the city. It was founded in 1540 but was only opened to the public in 1970. It was fun to wander around the maze-like streets and admire the colonial architecture and religious art. It made me feel like I was back in Italy.
We stayed at the best B&B called La Fuente Arequipena. I don’t know that I have ever stayed somewhere this hospitable. The hostess was great. If we ever go back to Arequipa we will definitely stay here.
Darren: All I can do is echo what Kim’s said about Arequipa. GREAT food, wonderful place we stayed (right across the street from a beautiful park) and I loved the plaza. It had a huge fountain in the center and one whole side of the block was taken up by the cathedral. The square was FULL of pigeons and it was hilarious to watch the children chasing them around. Reminded me of the pigeons in St. Mark’s Square in Venice.
8. Lima, Peru
Kim: Lima was a sore-spot for me. This is where I got food poisoning and spent the next 3 days in bed. No fun! The ocean was really close to our B&B which was nice. We also went to a great ward in Lima. The members were so friendly. But then again we’ve found that in most places in South America. I love the South American people.
The greatest experience was going to the Lima Temple. What a blessing. We met some wonderful couple missionaries from the States and I met a very faithful young woman named Fiorella. She spoke very little English and I spoke very little Spanish so how we communicated and became fast friends is a mystery. I love the gospel and how it brings us all together :)
Darren: I loved going to the Lima temple with Kim. Just stepping onto the grounds you could feel the spirit. We were able to help with sealings and then I went through a session in Spanish. I really liked it cause being in a different language I found myself concentrating more on the words and learning a lot throughout the session.
Poor Kim was really sick. I got out a few times to get us water, food and we just took it easy. We were right by the ocean and I went running one day and saw a lot of the coast. There were some really beautiful parks and trails along the path.
9: Trujillo, Peru: Finally made it!! More to come on Trujillo :)
Awesome - good to see you finally made it to la tierra celestial (Trujillo) as we called it in my mission days.
Hope you guys are having a great time and I hope you enjoy Trujillo and the surrounding areas as much as I did. Your posts are great. The photos are great.
Josh John