Barranco!

Sorry about being behind! I think I am finally caught up...Juat to clarify, the post about the dig is not about this past Saturday, it's about two weeks ago. I have pictures up on Facebook of the dig. Pretty cool!

So on this past Saturday, we ventured slightly off the beaten path to Barranco, another section of Lima. By taxi, it's only about 10 minutes away. I fell in love with it right away. First we went to the park, which is absolutely gorgeous. Everyting is so green, and there are beautiful flowers lining the sidewalk. Like the rest of Lima, Barranco is on a cliff overlooking the ocean. My parents picked a great day (but hot) to go there. We could see the sparkling blue ocean in the distance. Barranco has brick and stone streets and cute little houses, which only add to its charm. It was such a pretty picture: stone houses on the side of a hill, green grass, pretty flowers, and the ocean in the background. It was such a surreal moment for me. I was thinking, "Wow, I can't believe we're in another country, and I'm actually here." I am appreciating the great experience that this trip is. More experience coming my way: next week I am going with my dad, Emily, and my dad's colleague Jorge to Huaraz, which is a town in the mountains! I am pretty excited..how many people get to do that?!

Back to Barranco. Since we got here kind of late in the afternoon, we decided to go to lunch. Everyone was looking forward to our plan: pizza, tasted by Emily, Mom, and me on our first mission trip 3 years ago. My family and I walked. And walked. And asked for directions. And walked. And asked for directions again. And walked into a crummy part of Barranco. And asked for more directions. And then we walked back to where we started, having not found the pizza place. We then wandered around some more before collapsing at a restaurant table 50 yards away from where we started. We were so hot! And tired because in the wandering phase we had to walk up and down stairs.

It was an authentic Peruvian restaurant, run by a rather large family. U think they had more people on the streets than actually waiting tables. You see, in Peru, there are people who stand outside their restuarants, holding menus and distributing flyers. it's all part of the competitive business. They will follow you and talk to you and walk next to you. It may seem pretty annoying to other foreigners, but I think it's great! It really does work. Somehow, I don't think it would catch on in the States. People there like to be left alone more.

Another custom in Peru is the meal. IT is not to be rushed through; it's a time to talk and eat and enjoy. We were at the restaurant for a little over two hours. I had lomo saltado, a traditonal dish. It has beef strips, peppers, onions, and tomatoes served over french fries with a side of rice. Reaaaaaaally good! For dessert we had fried donuts made out of squash; they are served under a licorice-type syrup. I had these on a mission trip to Peru before, and they're as good as I remember. The food here is way better than the USA, sorry. One sad thing: A couple of raggedy little boys came around the restaurant with bags of candies. My dad, bless him, gave the older one (who looked about 8 years old) some money. Despite our best efforts to convince him we didn't need all those candies, he solemnly placed a ton of candy on the table. I do know one thing: 8-year-olds should NOT be selling candy to earn money for dinner. Please stop now and pray for that little boy and his even littler brother.

After lunch I was ready to take a nap, but we were not finished with our day yet! We walked down the path to the beach. It was kind of gross; at the edges of the cement walkway there were signs of it being used as a human latrine. yuck. :P We got down to the beach, where I gulped in fresh air. Finally we got in a taxi and headed home. I love Saturdays. (pictures at top are of scenery and food!)