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| Taking out the jawbones... |
Baratillo Restaurant... |
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| Flautist chair #1 |
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| Flautist chair #2 |
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| Same dogs, four different days |
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Glued at the hip, so-to-speak |
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| Itty bitty kitty |
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Fair Banners 4 meters long |
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| Fair grounds tour with Elder Johnson |
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| Fair grounds tour with Elder Johnson |
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| Fair grounds tour with Elder Johnson |
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| Fair grounds tour with Elder Johnson |
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| Fair grounds tour with Elder Johnson |
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| Fair grounds tour with Elder Johnson |
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| Grocery Hat Bag Thingy |
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| Grocery Hat Bag Thingy - Detail |
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| Chiriuchu stands |
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| Chiriuchu stands |
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| Chiriuchu stands |
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| Hoards of Corpus Cristi goers |
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| A better hat |
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| Corpus Cristi Silver altar thing |
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| More Hoards of Corpus Cristi goers |
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| And More Hoards of Corpus Cristi goers |
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| Partying dancers |
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| Baratillo |
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| Baratillo around a trench... |
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| Baratillo around a trench... |
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| Baratillo around a trench... |
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| Baratillo around a trench... |
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| Booze, eggs and olives, everything you need... |
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| Matthew doing a macro |
We had a busy fun week and even managed to take nearly 5000 images at work. Rich and Elder Johnson visited the fair grounds to check out the booth area where Family Search will be stationed. There are nearly 1000 “My Family” pamphlets waiting at the mission office and several other family history goodies. The big banners are being printed and missionaries are being assigned to help out with the 10 day fair. We think things are well underway and we’ll be in the states and miss the whole thing!
Monday evening we traveled to Urubamba for our district meeting and enjoyed our time with the great missionaries there. We arrived home at 9:00pm and met a young sister from Calca who is going to La Paz, Bolivia for her mission. She and her family were here so she could get set apart as a missionary. Rich, Julie’s brother Matthew, her father and her branch president set her apart. Small world, we knew the branch president when we lived in Arequipa!
We had a long work day Tuesday but managed to fit in lunch with Julie’s brother Matthew and did a little shopping with him. Matthew is here looking into the options to bring students from his university to do service, teach English, learn Spanish and have a foreign experience. He is pretty excited about the possibilities.
Wednesday afternoon the Corpus Christi festivities began, impeding our work because all public buildings close, of course. This is where all the catholic churches bring their patron saint into the center for the big day. The streets were filled with processions and traffic was a nightmare. Thursday we walked into the center early to see what was happening. There were tons of people and mass was being broadcast all over the plaza.
Mass lasted until about noon when they started to parade the saints around. These are huge things that take about 24 men, 12 on each side to carry them on their shoulders. It lasted all day and into the night. Everyone is out trying to sell stuff; it was quite the carnival atmosphere.
We also walked by the chiriuchu stands where they sell the traditional plate of cuy, chicken, pork, sausages, seaweed, fish eggs, a cornbread type thing and rocoto all piled up. It is all served cold and since we tried it last year, we didn’t have to repeat that experience again! Thank goodness.
We took Matthew to see the ruins at Tipon and Pikillacta and then stopped for some delicious chicharron in Saylla for lunch. Saturday morning we went to the baratillo, it’s always an adventure. The roads have finally been repaired or so we thought. One of the main roads that sell the artesian things was completely torn up and yet, everyone was there perched on piles of dirt and cement, selling their wares. Unbelievable!
While we wandered through the baratillo, Matthew passed the sheep's head soup lady, first photo... He said, "Hey, a guy back there has a foot in his soup..." Well, there ya go, most soup has a foot, an eye, a jawbone or a stomach in it in Peru.
We had our last lunch with Matthew and The Abrasador, a delicious argentine-style meat place and then it was time to get him to the airport. We had a wonderful time and it was such fun having him travel and do all our missionary assignments with us. Family is so important to us and we are grateful every day for our eternal connections.
Yes I remember that soup (patasca) in a little place off the highway to Tarma. I might have liked the soup better I had not gone out back to the toilet (outhouse) first. After that experience, I had no appetite!
ReplyDeleteSo much busy-ness, so little time with festivals, observances, etc. I think your family history thing sounds fascinating.
ReplyDeleteLove the dogs. I think the two best-friend dogs may be trying to use each other's body heat. The dalmatian is a fine-looking beast, as well.
Everyone is counting down the days until your furlough.
Love the dogs!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you had an enjoyable time with Matthew.