Rancid Rice and Espinar Homecoming

Rich taught Institute class on Tuesday night and a man named Palma attends most of  the  time. Though elderly, no one opposes his attending and he provides some interesting comments. This week we discovered that he walks home by a similar route to us. When he smiles you can count all of his teeth and you don’t have to have CIA training to do it. He gave us the rundown on his theory as to what happened to the choppers. He explained that the Cusqueño brewery is very near where he used to live. He said that the smoke that the brewery belches out is responsible for the loss of his teeth. So, who knew? Rich grew up in the shadow of the Coors Brewery and drove past it on the way to church for eighteen years. He never knew the latent danger it presented, all that brewery smoke, threatening his dental hygiene!

 

As we  walked home, the old gentleman discussed his plans to be gone from Cusco for some time. He has a line on Buddist meditation classes in Caracas, Venezuela and he plans to attend. He said that he wants to take the three weeks course. Then he wants to travel to visit family in Virginia and Ontario… he does not seem to have two Peruvian Nuevo Soles to rub together never mind pennies. We just found the whole discussion, well, just a little surreal!

 

We had a strike this week, now that was a surprise! However, we did find stores that sell items necessary for baking and bought pans and supplies to attempt sweet potato pies. We have had friends who have asked us to have them over for Thanksgiving which seems a good idea since we could never consume a turkey by our lonesome. At work we managed to photograph about six thousand images, though part of that included two books that were rejected by the auditors.

 

All week we have been anticipating our trip to Espinar to visit our old friends where we lived for so many years. Our mission president and his wife had promised to take us and we had become very excited about the prospect. On Saturday, we ran all of our errands and got in all of our walking and we were ready to go. Saturday night, we ran out to  have one of our favorite meals, Pollo ala brasa. This is charcoal broiled chicken with French fried potatoes (They probably ought to be called Inca Fries since they originated here but that is another story). Anyway, here in Cusco, they often serve this food with stir-fried rice…

 

We came home from dinner, excited to watch Leah play her last soccer game at BYU Idaho and we got started watching it. Just when it was beginning, Julie began to complain of a stomach ache. She had food poisoning. We spent much of the night awake and by moring she was still very ill. Since we were expected and Rich did not get sick, he got up and ready and met with the Harbertsons and they drove to Espinar. So much for our bragging rights about not getting sick this go around…

 

Our neighbor’s the Agüero family looked after Julie. They brought her dieta de pollo, chicken noodle soup, Peruvian style. They also brought her other treats and looked in on her several more times and provided fascinating, local diagnoses and recommendations for a speedy recovery. She was mostly recovered by the time Rich returned.

 

Rich felt guilty for having such a sublime trip. He caught a cab to the Harbertson’s, to save time, then  they blasted off for Espinar about six am. The trip has been reduced to a three and a half hour drive up the mountains. While Cusco sits at eleven thousand feet, Espinar is just under fourteen thousand feet. The trip used to take us five and a half hours and was nearly all rough dirt track for the last three and a half hours. Most of this trip is now paved. That was amazing in itself.

 

They got there in plenty of time to be on time for the meetings. The attendance was low, unfortunately, not really sure why. However, fully seventy percent of those who came were members when we lived here before. It was wonderful to see them, children grown and growing. There were tons of hugs and of course Rich humiliated himself by blubbering uncontrollably at various points in the day. They stayed there for about four hours and then made the trip home. The trip home involved a lot of traffic since a lot of people travel on the weekend. Many were headed home to Cusco.

 

The Harbertsons are wonderful people and have become quite great friends. Rich had a great time travelling with them and enjoying their company. They all missed Julie in their travels and Rich was delighted to get home and find her a lot better. Sadly, she is still not one hundred percent better. She’ll be hanging out at home on Monday.

Just another strike...

Saw this adorable little backpacked girl with an elegant hat on, that's all.

Ornamental Vegetation Market

Bonsai Stand

Beverage Stand everything from Quinoa-Apple drink to  Fermented corn beer (Chicha,)

Frog Market, used in folk medicine related frogs and beer frappes...

A Basket Full of Cow Snouts (The liquid in the bottles is NOT Inca Kola but we have no idea what it might be, associated with extraneous beef bits)

Chickens in the Sun



Julie purchasing baking supplies



Marco Antonio, Rosa Luz and their baby Eliza




El Barrio Espinar the The Flores, Puma, Pezo, and Velazco families...