For My Grandkids

Yesterday when we were at the mall we took some pictures so our grandchildren could see what we have in Peru that would remind them of the United States. We love you and miss you Sadie, Hannah, Micah, Abby, Ellie, Brigham, Moses, Bekah, Jacob, Joy & Zech.

And last but not least - Chuck E. Cheese's.

Peru's Independence Days, Chan Chan & Horse Show

The temple was closed yesterday and today because they have been celebrating Peru's Independence.  It is a national holiday and they celebrate for two days.  It was nice having a four day weekend.  

Yesterday, Sister Gomez invited us, the Nields and the Casos's to their apartment for lunch.  The Coacalla's were with family.  She cooked all morning making us a traditional Peruvian meal.  It was very good. We are actually getting used to a lot of the Peruvian dishes.  They are not hot and spicy like Mexican food.

Elder & Sister Gomez working in the kitchen.

Elder Gomez setting the table.

The Casos's arrive.

All but Bill, ready to eat.  (I guess he was trying his hand at photography again.) 

Bill & I decided to play tourist again today.  In the morning we went to Chan Chan. 
One of the blessings of our mission is to take advantage of the wonderful culture here in Peru. Within our mission boundaries we have many Moche, Chimu and Inca ruins.  These date back to 200 years before Christ, to 1200 years after Christ.  Chan Chan was one of the largest Moche cities.

It is the ruins of the largest Pre-Columbian city in South America.  It pre-dates Machu Picchu and is not far from the temple.  It could have been inhabited by up to 200,000 people.  It was pretty interesting.

In the afternoon we went to the Peruvian Paso Horse Show.  The Paso Horse is known for it's smooth ride, distinguished by a natural four-beat, lateral gait instead of a trot.  They originated in Northern Peru and are protected by the Peruvian government.  Trujillo is considered the cradle of the typical Peruvian Paso Horse.

They have a nice outdoor restaurant where we ate before the show.

The placemat with my favorite  appetizer - maiz paccho.
I wasn't too impressed with my tamale, however.  I needed a bottle or
Inca Kola to wash it down.

             

       
              Waiting for the show to begin.

This owner, Fredrico,  also speaks English and announced everything
in English as well. 

Preparation Day

P-Day started off in the usual fashion.  We slept in, had a late breakfast and headed to the mall to do our weekly shopping. We went to Tottus which is Peru's version of a Walmart.

Two essentials - ice cream & papas fritas.

"Not so sweet" corn and huge carrots.

Why would anyone buy snow boots and parkas in Trujillo?  I guess it is winter for the Peruanos but it feels like spring to us.

A quick lunch at Pizza Hut in the food court.
Bill should not take up photography!

At 4:00 PM, the Brother Rolando & Sister Augustina Baita came to pick us up in their car. It used to be a Taxi.  They had invited us to spend the evening with their family.  Brother and Sister Baita and their oldest son, Juan work with us in the temple.

They drove us by their ward building in Florencia.

Sister Baita likes to paint and showed us some
of her artwork.

The Lima Temple

We were introduced to the rest of the family.
Ana, Maria, Margarita, Augustina, Rolando, Juan & Abel

They set a beautiful table.

Our plates were filled with yummy food!

Augustina's mother (in the right hand corner) joined us for dinner.
It was a very enjoyable evening.