Thursday, November 6 - Andahuaylas (Liz)

We woke up earlier than we would have liked to the sound of dogs barking and roosters crowing, which was definitely reminiscent of my time as a missionary. Hermana Rufina made us soup for breakfast which we enjoyed with the bread that Richard and Sandra had brought us the night before. We decided against paying a visit to Pacucha and Sondor since it would be about an hour's drive in each direction and we were still sick of being in a car from the previous day.

Instead, we decided just to head to Andahuylas and hang out. We took a taxi to the Plaza de Armas, then went searching for the French cafe that I visited a few times as a missionary that would most assuredly have wifi. Much to my dismay, the cafe no longer exists. So we unsuccessfully continued our search for wifi and then settled for an internet cafe. We got our internet fix, then headed to the stadium where archaeologists have put together a museum displaying the mummies they have found in the area. Unfortunately, the museum was closed even though it should have been open according to the sign. It was a pretty hot day so we took a break in an ice cream parlor with mediocre ice cream before heading back to the plaza to confirm our flight with LC Peru for the next day.

The landscape of Andahuaylas

For lunch, we headed back to the Solanos and Hermana Rufina fed us soup, pollo a la holla and ensalada rusa. The plan was to visit families in the afternoon. We headed out to visit the Familia Alcarraz, but after walking just a few minutes we ran into Victor driving his mototaxi and he said the wife & kids weren't far behind. So instead of walking all the way to their house, we were able to meet with them in the Solano's house which was easier and more comfortable. We were stuffed from lunch but they brought fresh cheese and Inka Cola which we were obliged to partake of. They aren't attending church very regularly - which was easily noted by the fact that their ten year old Ronald hasn't been baptized yet, so we tried to motivate them to attend regularly. The hermanas are also working with them which is good. Victor and Ysidora have had two children since my time in Talavera which brings the total now to nine. Some of the older ones are in Lima now, working and studying. The youngest, Rosa, is only a few months old.

Baby Rosa!

After their visit, we were running short on time but Araceli took us to Herman Cesar's house for a quick visit. Hermana Nunuvero and I found and started teaching him and he was later baptized and has been very faithful. He has served in the branch presidency and has been to the temple. He's got a very distinctive way of talking and it amuses me.

Then it was time to head to Richard and Sandra's house as they had invited us for a cuy dinner, Mark's first (and probably only ever) cuy experience! Araceli joined us. Mark was a little worried when he saw the live guinea pigs scurrying around under the stove. They were incredibly generous and served each of us an entire cuy - way more than I had ever been given before. I ate a little less than 3/4 of it, and Mark about the same. They laughed at Mark when he picked up a fork and knife to use. Cuy is finger food! While we waited for the food to be ready, the boys Miguel and Sebastian amused themselves with games on my phone. They even loved the games that are meant for babies. It was fun to spend the evening with this family and we really appreciated the sacrifices they made to prepare us such a delicious feast. Cuy is not cheap.

We got back and snapped a few fotos con los Solano, then got our suitcases ready and headed to bed.

Observations:

• I think Mark and I will be speaking in Spanglish to each other for the next few months.
• EVERYONE has an opinion about why I'm sick and what I need to do to get better. They're all wrong.