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.