Throwback Thursday: Last Year in Peru

This time last year Pastor Dad and I were in Peru. After we returned home I found myself overwhelmed with other things and never got more than 1 article about the trip written. You might want to go back to that post (click here) to read about our first day in Peru, a day in Lima. Then come back and read of the events of the next day. I can write about the day even though it was a year ago because I took a journal with me where I faithfully recorded the day's events. I know you aren't surprised. :)

I hope to tell you more in future weeks. Thanks for reading. And do not forget to pray for the dear people of Peru!

Most of what you will read is quoted directly from my journal.

October 17, 2013

We left the Magdalena neighborhood and drove down the coast to Chorilla where we got on the Pan American Highway and headed south, destination Ica [pronounced EE-kuh). The Pacific coast around Miraflores looks very much like the coast south of San Francisco, CA. The breakers hit the beaches but there is a continual haze on the horizon. Actually, I haven't seen the sun since I left Cincinnati [two days earlier].

Art seen as we drove down the coast. The picture is not clear because it was taken through the window of the moving vehicle.

Heading toward the Pan Am Highway: Fiona navigating (the GPS), Pastor Stanton driving. Chorilla, perhaps?

 The further south we drove the more we encountered the desert terrain of Peru. Until this trip I didn't even know that Peru has a desert! I always thought of it as a country of mountains and jungle. And it has those, too, but we were truly in the desert on this day!

Beginning to see sand dunes!

These are the houses of those homesteading on the land. The Peruvian government opens areas just
like the American government did in the 19th century. Those who claim the land and prove
their claim will get to be part of the neighborhood and eventually build better houses on these plots.

I do not remember what these small taxis are called but don't they look interesting lined up on top of the hill?

Once we reached Huacachina  [pronounced Walk-uh-chee-nuh] we checked into a local hotel and went to find our dune buggy driver. This whole area is desert dunes and it reminds me of the old Rat Patrol t.v. show. Huacachina is a beautiful oasis with native restaurants and hotels surrounding the lagoon. There are paddle boats but we did not rent them. We did ascend the dunes in the buggy. The driver must have thought we were elderly and decrepit -  although if we were we would not have the agility necessary to climb into the contraption - because it was a fairly tame ride. We saw more speed and maneuvering in Lima traffic! But it was a nice ride and the scenery was spectacular, including another small oasis that is undeveloped. The dunes were also being used by sand-boarders but we chose to just watch that activity!

Welcome to Huacachina!

The driver and the "old folks." Bro. Stanton was the photographer.

The tourists overlooking the undeveloped oasis

Overlooking the lagoon and Huacachina

Watching the boaters as we toured the town

Later we sat around the pool at the hotel and watched the cats and dogs wander the terraces and rooftops. David and Bro. Stanton were discussing certain aspects of the ministry. We did not know it at the time but a young Swiss physicist named Johan was listening to every word from his seat behind us. When Bro. Stanton excused himself, Johan began to question David about the ministry. [Johan spoke perfect English.] Bro. Stanton returned and we all introduced ourselves. We were never able to steer the conversation to a personal message of salvation but in thinking back over the conversation he overheard I know he heard us speaking of our desire to put away useless practices in order to worship God in truth: REALLY worship God and not just attend worship services. perhaps this conversation will plant a seed in Johan's heart.

Relaxing poolside

 Our rooms had no television or other amenities: just a bed and a bath so we all retired early after one last walk around the oasis and the purchase of cups of coffee at a small cafe.

A view of the town of Huacachina. The oasis is to the right. The dunes are in the background

That was our second day in Peru! We had a refreshing day in the desert. Just like Jesus, we had opportunity to come apart awhile to pray and plan as we discussed the ministry with our dear missionary friend.

A Day in Lima

That's Lee-muh and not Lie-muh. I don't want you to think the pictures that follow are from a recent trip to northern Ohio. Nope! We crossed the Equator for the first time to make a visit to South America! We celebrated 35 years of marriage this past summer (at church camp) so we decided a special trip was in order.

In the early afternoon of October 15th Pastor Dad and I flew out of CVG and after a moderate layover in DFW caught a flight to Lima, Peru. We arrived there after midnight their time on the morning of the 16th which was after 1 a.m. at home where Daylight Savings Time was still in effect. It was well after 1 a.m. in Peru when we cleared customs and collected our baggage.

Our missionary friend, Sheridan Stanton, had arrived earlier in the day from his home in Huanaco. He had been able to rent a car, check into the hotel, and get a little rest before driving back to the airport to meet us. It was wonderful to see a familiar face waiting beyond the security barriers!

After a few hours of sleep we prepared to tour the city of Lima by daylight. (The post-midnight drive from the airport to the hotel didn't reveal much.) Daylight also revealed that we were staying near the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Ocean as seen from our hotel balcony

We drove to downtown Lima so that we could view the changing of the guard at the Presidential Palace at noon.

Just let me interject here that the drivers in Peru must be the worst anywhere. ANYWHERE! I mostly rode in silence because I was afraid that if I opened my mouth Bro. Stanton would be distracted. Believe me, we didn't want him distracted! 

Lanes? Ha! Want to turn left but you're 5 vehicles across (there are only 3 lanes) in the right-hand lane? Don't let that stop you! What's that you say? You're on a motorcycle and you'd need to cross in front of three cars and a double-decker bus? Oh, don't worry about it! They'll see you coming. You can bet your life on it!

(Nope! Not an exaggeration! Worst. Drivers. ANYWHERE! But Bro. Sheridan is an excellent driver. He even managed to return the rental car later that week without a scratch. And that's a miracle pure and simple! A miracle!)

We were told that the changing of the Peruvian Presidential guard isn't as grand as the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace but since we've never witnessed the latter ceremony we really have no way to make a comparison. We were impressed enough with this daily noontime ritual though. There were high kicks, ceremonial music, and plenty of pomp and circumstance. We spent several minutes enjoying the view of the rest of the Plaza de Armas, too.

Changing of the Guard

The Presidential Palace with the Changing of the Guards

Another side of the Plaza

The Archbishop's Palace next to the Cathedral of Lima, located to one side of the plaza

We two tourists on our 1st day in Peru, standing by the historic fountain in the center of the Plaza de Armas with the Presidential Palace behind us

The Cathedral of Lima

The Pastor and the Missionary/"Tour Guide," Brother Stanton

Nearby was the Inquisition Museum. Given that Catholicism is the religion of the country it was a bit surprising to find a museum dedicated to remembering her days of persecution of non-conformists. Also somewhat surprising was the way the history has been revised to make it seem as though just a mere handful were actually tortured and killed. (Here is a link telling about the museum. When you visit that site you will understand why I did not take more pictures.)

This museum is a reminder to us of what it cost some of our forebears for holding to their faith. Let us not forget that there are still many Christians around the world who are enduring persecution. As Jesus warned His disciples, His followers might be put to death by those who think they are actually doing God a big favor. (My paraphrase.)

A model of an infidel

A portrait of the Lima Plaza de Armas showing those convicted of crimes against the Church being led to their deaths

The steps down to the dungeons. Even now there are places were a person could lose their head, or knock herself out, if she is not careful! (The ceilings are extremely low in places and made of jagged rock. )

A couple of dungeon cells. People died inside here, which may have been better than the alternatives!

One part of the Inquisition Museum that is actually very beautiful: the courtyard.

After leaving the downtown Lima area we drove down the coast to an oceanside shopping mall at Miraflores. Enough time had passed since we had left the Inquisition Museum that we had regained our appetites. (And by now I was so tired that I closed my eyes part of the way and totally avoided seeing how close we were to the other vehicles we were trying NOT to hit a la "Bumper Cars" carnival ride.) We had the Executive Lunch at Tony Roma's! Since our Cincinnati restaurant closed a few years ago we now must go a long way to get a taste of these ribs.

Good food. Good prices (in sols; at the time $1 USA = s/.2.75)

The view from the shopping center at Miraflores

A skydiver near the restaurant. Feel up to it after lunch? Yeah, right!

Busy 24 hours + full stomachs = 2 tired tourists

Looking for the Starbucks. Or was it the Italian ice cream? Well, we found the Starbucks but not the ice cream. Since it was nippy outside the warm brew tasted and felt good.

Back to the hotel. The statue of Mary in the Magdalena del Mar neighborhood taken from our hotel window. If she still rotated as she used to do she would look directly into the hotel rooms! Hmm.

Back to Blogging Including a Link to a Teaser

The view this morning. No more summer grilling!

We left Peru two weeks ago today!  Luckily for us, we returned from south of the equator where it is springtime in time to experience the first autumn snow of the season at our house. I'm joking. About being "lucky" anyway. 

It has taken me so much longer to get this blog caught up than I anticipated. I was more exhausted from our travels than I thought I would be!

I'm sure it had something to do with being awake about 30 hours when we traveled home on that Tuesday-Wednesday. And then hitting the ground running with several church and family activities (aka "Harvest Party" that Wednesday evening followed on Thursday with Trick or Treat at our house: I'm not complaining since I actually asked to be involved in those activities; just showing examples of how much I overestimated my abilities). And then experiencing grief within a week of our arrival home. 

In other words, blogging has not been high on my list of priorities. I expect it will take a long time and several posts on some days to get the Bible Journal updated. Sorry for those who object to being overloaded. Hang in there! It will not be the norm.

At some point I will also share about our trip to Peru. In the meantime, our dear missionary friends have published their monthly report which you can read here.  (Yes, they mention us.)   :)

Talk to you soon!

Taking A Break

There will be no Bible Journal posts during the next two weeks because I will be away from my computer.  (Far, far away from it!)

The schedules will appear as usual and I hope you will continue to read the assigned portions each day and find the answers to those 4 questions. I will continue to do so even though I will not be able to share my results with you right away. Once my computer and I are reunited I will do my best to get everything caught up as quickly as possible.

Until then, God bless!

Please Stand By...

I promise to get the blog caught up shortly. Here's a couple of pictures to show just one of the places where I was today.

(There's a Bible Conference in the area in which Pastor Dad will be preaching this weekend. Preaching appointment + short vacation = GOOD TIMES.)

And I understand that there have been terrible storms at home. Have I ever mentioned that Pepper is terribly afraid of thunder? Well, I'm telling you now.

I received the following from The Bear just a little while ago:

Yup! That's the cabinet under the kitchen sink.

Free Friday: Family Vacation Part 1

Exactly one month ago today Pastor Dad, the Bear, and I caught a late flight to Las Vegas for our family vacation. Las Vegas might not be what comes to most peoples' minds when they think of a "family" vacation, but in our case we already have "family" there, specifically Lisa and Dan, who also took vacation time so they could spend the week with us. And there are many "family" things to do in and around Vegas even if it does mean avoiding The Strip as much as possible.

When we landed in Vegas it was still December 6th by local clocks but early in the morning of the 7th by the ones in Cincinnati. Since we told Lisa we'd be there before her birthday we technically kept that promise as long as we used her clock as the standard and not ours. This seemed to be satisfactory even if it did mean some of us suffered a bit from jetlag.

If you remember, I went to Vegas last year to be with Lisa on her birthday because Dan had deployed just a few days before. Actually he left the day after I got there. Coincidence? :)

I must say that as "happy" as I tried to make last year's birthday visit, this year's was much, much, much happier with the addition of the men: Dan, Pastor Dad, and The Bear. No comparison!!!

The first day of our sight-seeing itinerary, which was Lisa's birthday, included a visit to a chocolate factory. Free samples!!!! Yum! These guys, the M&Ms, aren't made in Las Vegas but they were enticing greeters at the Esther M Chocolate factory.

Serious chocolate aficionados like myself want to know where their chocolate originates. Perhaps I'll plan future vacations around other chocolate factory tours. Who knows? And The Bear might be interested in touring the plant where his beloved Skittles are made. Most folks plan around beaches or mountains. I plan around chocolate. (Just kidding, although that Hershey's tour on the way back from NYC several years ago sure hit the spot.)

My dream job, but profits would go down if I worked here. That, or it would cure me of my addiction.

The factory also has a beautiful cactus garden to tour. It was decorated with seasonal lights, but since we were there in the daylight hours we didn't see it lit up. We found the various varieties of cactus to be interesting enough without artificial illumination!

Dan, Lisa (The Birthday Girl), and The Bear with a few "friends" who have "good taste" (because they're having their picture made with my kiddos! What did you think I meant?)

Gram and Pastor Dad smiling in the Nevada sunshine

I took so many pictures that I need to post them a few at a time. Enjoy visiting Vegas with us via our pictoral journal. And try not to envy those who live in an area of perpetual warmth. I know I was experiencing it earlier this week when the temperatures rapidly dropped and the ice made the roads slippery.

Our Private Retreat

Pastor Dad and I felt the need to get away for a little quiet time this weekend. That old adage "if you don't come apart you'll come apart" was ringing in our ears.

Therefore, since Pastor Dad was scheduled to preach at a friend's church in Indiana this past Sunday he decided to leave a day early and stay at the inn at Clifty Falls in Madison, Indiana. I'm so glad he invited me to go along for this day of rest. :)

There are 4 falls in Clifty Falls State Park but we saw none of them. The deep snow that blanketed our own home on the High Hill last week also hit Madison, Indiana and closed most of the roads inside the park. As much as I enjoy seeing beautiful waterfalls, it wasn't necessary in order to experience the serenity of our little private retreat. Besides, in order to see the falls one must hike great distances through rugged terrain and park signs proclaim that any limbs that fall to the ground should be left there to become part of the humus. That's fine as long as we're just talking about trees!

So instead of taking pictures of waterfalls I took pictures of the scenery as seen from inside the inn:

We did take one short hike from the inn to an observation tower less than half mile away. I took a picture of Pastor Dad standing at the top:

And he took one of me:

Near the inn we encountered another bright couple out enjoying the sunshine:

As we were leaving the park we saw "mini falls" on the cliffs over the roadway. Even though they aren't the ones for which the park is named, they presented themselves as a worthy substitute. And as such they seemed to bid us a hearty, "Thanks for coming! We hope you enjoyed your stay with us!"

We surely did!