Back in Yungay

We have returned to our little house in the mountains and are very happy to be settling back in.  We had an enjoyable couple days with Kate and Billy, and also got to meet up with Angel and Rosa (the Kusi house parents) who were getting a few things done in Lima and were accompanied by their daughter Alexia and three of the boys; Johnny, Nando, and Martin.

We walked to lunch, and then went across the street to the Parque de la Amistad, where Billy and Kate had their civil wedding.  It is a beautiful park, so it was fun to walk around.  Peru often does public spaces very well, with beautiful green areas and fun activities to do with children.  This one, for example, had paddle boats in a pond, and a train you can ride all around the park.  You can also do things like feed the ducks and fish.

When we got back to Yungay yesterday morning the boys were excited to see us, but mostly excited to show us a "pool" that they have built.  It is seriously ingenious; they essentially build a temporary dam with wood, rocks, and plastic tarps into part of a stream that flows nearby.  It takes them a good half hour to put it up every time, (and to take it down), but it fills up to be quite deep and wide.  Scott took some pictures with his phone; I will try to post them soon.  These kids impress us all the time with the creative ways that they have fun.

The progress that the workers made on the cafe while we were gone is very exciting!  I will also get more pictures of that up here soon.

Happy New Year!

Back in Peru; rededicating myself to maintaining this blog!

We are currently in Lima for a few days and staying at Billy and Kate Greenman's apartment (thank you Billy and Kate!) in Surco, one of the forty-three districts in the province of Lima. According to Wikipedia, only thirty of the districts compose the urban area of Lima, the remaining thirteen are mostly rural and sparsely populated desert and mountainous areas.

Last night we had dinner at their favorite chicken place, Don Tito for pollo a la brasa.  It was definitely a popular restaurant in the neighborhood, and is thought to have been there since the '70s.

Pollo a la brasa is an extremely popular dish in Peru; if you have ever visited the country you have almost definitely had it.  It is a delicious style of rotisserie chicken, usually accompanied by french fries and a salad of lettuce and tomato.  This is one of the most standard dishes to find, and in many restaurants, is actually the only meal they serve.

We are currently getting the rest of the paperwork in place for our work visas and are going back to Yungay on a night bus Saturday night. We are eager to get back to Yungay and see how things are progressing with the Kawaq Yaku Cafe build!!

It was great getting the opportunity to spend the holidays in the U.S. with all of you friends and family.  Love you all and Happy New Year!