Kate's Halfy Birthday

Because of Kate's late December birthday, she opted to wait to have her birthday party until her half-birthday so she could have friends come to swim at Nana and Papa's pool. She chose to have a "Princess Pinkalicious Pool Party" a theme that comes from her favorite children's book, "Pinkalicious" (she eats too many cupcakes, turns pink and then to return normal she is prescribed by her doctor to eat a green stuff, hence the green stuff on the table).

It was a beautiful day for swimming and the girls had fun making magic wands, bracelets, reading the story and of course they loved the princess pinata. Kate is such a complete joy to have in our family. We adore her more than words can say. She was so gracious to all her friends and so appreciative to her parents for the fun party. HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY KATE!

It's a Smalll Word Camp Craft

Kate and Dylan enjoyed another day of summer camp and came home with fun masks they decorated themselves. The week's theme is "Its a Small World" and Kate loved showing off her African tribal mask complete with eyelashes and hearts, of course!

Wahoo!...Cub Scout Day Camp

The day has finally arrived! Dylan is so excited to be going to Cub Scout Day Camp! It was 6:40am when I tried to wake him. I only had to say once, "It's time to get up" and he bounded out of bed (our bed, I should add) and shot down the hall to start getting dressed.

Does that face tell the story or what?!

Dylan and Justin ready for excited scout stuff!

The whole troop is ready for fun. Thank goodness for these dedicated ladies who serve so well as their leaders!

Back in the USA

Kim & I just parted ways with Gordon. He headed to the American security gates and we to the Delta.Gordon has been an easy travel partner and an especially big help when we had more bags than hands. He has been a real trooper with us dragging him around places not to mention up peaks that don't appear to be climbable.
We are currently scheduled on an earlier flight than was in our itinerary. The flight is overbooked and we hope to get bumped and pick up some tickets.
Very smooth and uneventful flight from Lima to LA. Kim slept most of the time and I slept some as well. LA is overcast and humid this morning. After claiming our luggage and proceeding through immigration and customs, Kim excused herself into a bathroom stall to change into a new set of garments and clean clothes!

What a great experience. Both Kim and Gordon said I need to write an epilogue now the trip is over but sitting here now I'm at a loss. I guess that's the reason I felt compelled to give a daily journal... so I wouldn't have to remember days back.The sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Peru are, like all places, unique.Overall the country impresses me to be full of good humble hard working people.I'm just excited that my dad was finally able to visit a place that I know he's wanted to visit for so long.

Gordon and Kim waiting to board our midnight flight to LAX.

It's difficult to point out the "highlight" because at every turn in the trip we were able to experience something special. Spanish classes are in order.
Random thought about trip to Peru: Coke made with sugar - more yummy than high fructose corn syrup...

We got Kim's bag!

We have Kim's bag...finally! We arrived in Lima and were greeted by Lima Tours representatives who escorted us to LAN Airlines offices where I successfully strong armed my way behind the counter to claim Kim's bag. After a small scene and showing my passport I was out the door with the bag! Hopefully we don't lose it on the leg home to Salt Lake City now!!

Festival of the Sun

This morning we were awakened by the music, drums, and fireworks of Plaza de Armas in continuation of the festival of the sun. We went to two museums - the museum of contemporary art, and the Cathedral de la Merced which is a running catholic convent with 22 nuns. It's also a catholic school in which the nuns teach. Walking the streets we couldn't help but find ourselves in the middle of a large procession. 15 patron saints are represented by 15 local communities and they parade around with these huge, heavy platforms (upon which is some kind of statue of the saint) proceeded by dancers and followed by a band. All the bands sound the same. We had a leisurely lunch - pizza and pasta.We returned again to see the 12 sided stone in the daylight. Very cool. Carlos from Lima Tours picked us up at the hotel and we are now at the Cusco airport waiting to board our flight. We'll be in Lima this afternoon for dinner then we reboard a flight to LAX at midnight.




This morning we were awakened by the music, drums, and fireworks of Plaza de Armas in continuation of the festival of the sun. We went to two museums - the museum of contemporary art, and the Cathedral de la Merced which is a running catholic convent with 22 nuns. It's also a catholic school in which the nuns teach. Walking the streets we couldn't help but fund ourselves in the middle of a large procession. 15 patron saints are represented by 15 local communities and they parade around with these huge, heavy platforms (upon which is some kind of statue of the saint) proceeded by dancers and followed by a band. All the bands sound the same. We had a leisurely lunch - pizza and pasta.We returned again to see the 12 sided stone in the daylight. Very cool. Carlos from Lima Tours picked us up at the hotel and we are now at the Cusco airport waiting to board our flight. We'll be in Lima this afternoon for dinner.

Busy day of festival preparation in Cusco

Picture from our hotel room in Cusco. Huge celebration going on right now to culminate on the 26th. Inti Raymi - or Festival of the Sun. To celebrate Inca Winter Solstice. There are thousands here from all of Peru. A lot of music and dancing and traditionary clothing. Parades.

A day of leisure in the Sacred Valley

We spent our fourth night in the Sacred Valley. We woke to a morning of leisure. After packing and eating breakfast we bid a sorrowful farewell to Yucay and our friend Irwin Ramos. The hotel in Yucay truly was a beautiful place of solace. We will remember the big wood doors, ancient iron slide latch locks with dungeon master-like keys, hydrangea flowers through all the courtyards, colonial looking chapel just outside our room, oasis looking trees, roaming llamas, mountain vistas backed by glacier covered peaks, and empty jacuzzi.
We stuffed the bags in a small taxi and began our meandering trip back to Cusco. Once off the main road we climbed and climbed through the altiplano scenery. Donkeys, cows, sheep, pigs, dirt roads, cool dry air, and the occasional native working the field, driving livestock, or packing something on their back the size of a volkswagon.
Our first stop was the Salinas salt pans. Here a natural spring heavy laden with salt comes out the side of the mountain and is diverted into more than 3,000 pools clinging to the mountainside where it then dries and is harvested. The site has been using the same method since Inca times. We walked the pools, touched the water, and watched the workers busy with their tasks.

Next stop was Moray. This is a natural amphitheater-looking site that was used to cultivate different foods. The terraces drop far enough that they fall into different micro-climates, hence archeologists believe it was useful for a kind of primitive Inca agri-research site. It also is supposedly a kind of high altitude natural greenhouse because of the protected nature of the dip in the valley. Looks kind of like a mini version of Kennecott copper mine.
Third stop was Chinchero (pronounced exactly how it looks). This was probably the most authentic Andean looking place we've been. No tourists in this city. The locals were as surprised and interested in seeing us as we them. While turning one corner we saw a sage looking brown wrinkled man driving his donkeys in a circle on a pile of some kind of grain. With the windows open, kim yelled out "buenas dias" at which point the man looked up, removed a hand from the ropes, waved, and yelled back "buenas dias". The Chinchero archeological site was quite remarkable. The colonial church had paintings all on the walls and ceilings and was built on the foundation of an ancient Inca temple. Outside we saw a vast expanse of terraces and enormous rock walls. According to Inca legend this is where the "rainbow" was born.
Back in Cusco:
Check-in proved to be something of a challenge. We couldn't even drive to the hotel. The pre-celebrations of next week's festival of the sun had the roads closed. Thousands of people. Music, bands, processions, on-lookers, etc.Kim and my room is overlooking the main square and the music is still going strong as I write this.We went to a museum and saw Inca relics, and examples of how the Spaniards tried to teach and indoctrinate the natives. Paintings used to teach bible stories, then later paintings by locals with more of a local flare in style, content and color.We also went to a center for native arts and watched traditional dancing, clothing, and music. While I'm not normally interested in this, it was actually pretty neat.Dinner: you know eventually someone had to break down and go local. Gordon had "Cui" (coo-eee)-or- guinea pig, and Kim had Alpaca. Yes, we all tried it and it was definitely not bad. The biggest leap is getting past the sight of the little cooked guinea pig lying on the plate with short little legs stretched out as if he's trying to use them to run away from his final demise - the dinner plate. Cui is widely eaten here. The Alpaca was like mild tender steak. Very good. Also widely eaten here.We walked the streets and were treated to a vibrant night life, especially during this festival time.Much to my pleasure we saw the famous Inca Twelve sided stone. This rock lays in a wall of a church along an ally not far from the center of town. In keeping with Spanish modus operandi the church was built on an Inca site. This huge rock is a remarkable example of artistry with just as interesting of a story behind it (lore maybe?) of representing the twelve Inca kings...etc. We are all in good spirits. Sat in an internet cafe and had ice cream. We are all three sad to retire tonight prior to our final morning in the heart of ancient civilization. 3:20 flight from Cusco to Lima. Then midnight departure from Lima to L.A.
We desperately hope Kim's bag is in Lima waiting for us.As this may be the last update...Adiós from Peru

Day 2 at Huilloc

As we boarded the bus today on our way up the dirt road, we decided to take a different approach than yesterday. Once in Huilloc, I first met a boy who sweetly followed me around. I gave him a box of crayons and told him they were for him to take home. After a hug and a tickle he gave me an adorable smile!This second day Kim, Gordon and I took the suitcases and gathered with Carlos from Lima Tours and went from class to class. The Eagle Scout project of the young man in our ward, Brady Pope, was a complete success. After getting permission from the principal, Carlos took the chalkboard, bag, box of chalk, and eraser and showed the children exactly what it was and what it was intended for. Once he would say that the chalkboard was for them to take home and practice their math and writing, many of them cheered out loud from happiness. What a joy it was to be a part of passing out the bags and chalkboards, etc. Each child received the intended set of bag and board and eraser. We also saw them taking them home as intended. When we first started handing them out, we handed out maybe a dozen (outside of class). The sweetest, and most dainty little girl pulled out the board and chalk and wrote Juana. It was so sweet. I took a picture of it and then the other children started to write their names on the board and I took their pictures as well. Who knew they had a Bruce Lee and a Van Dam at their school. Goes to show that even children in Huilloc have a sense of humor. With the distribution complete and the Utah State group complete in their projects, the children all gathered around in the field in front of the school and sang the Peruvian national anthem. One little girl performed a poem, very sweet. We went to each class again, this time passing out candy. Crazy. Like any other kid in the world, candy is always a hit.

Two groups of boys performed songs. All in all it was a very touching experience. The Director of the school had previously asked for a donation to take the children on a field trip so we ponied up some cash and expressed our thanks for allowing us to participate in their school. We were also treated to potatoes that were just cooked and a very hot sauce. Tired from the day, we boarded the bus and on the way down we picked up 5 kids to take them down the road a few kilometers. These people live in a nice but harsh climate. Weather is beautiful. Sun is powerful. Air is thin.

Back to Yucay:
We were so happy to hook up with Erwin and his family. We joined them in a local bus (small van) to Urubamba to watch Megan in her dance class. We figured that since Kate was back in Utah going to dance at the same time, it might be a sweet irony. After dance we walked the streets of True Urubamba. No tourists. This is the place the tour companies keep you away from. All I can say is that it was a treat. Sights, smells, and sounds of true Peru. We stopped at the church building and met the branch president. What a beautiful church building.

Since Kim's bag is again a now show she broke down and purchased 5 shirts and 2 pairs of pants. 40 soles. About 14 dollars. Crazy. We hope that the bag will be in the Lima airport when we arrive there on Friday. Todays experience is what we are normally used to. Being able to see the true face of a country and people. The people here are humble and happy. We asked Irwin, Yolanda, Megan and Moroni to join us for dinner. It was fun to spend time with them. Ben made a paper airplane for Megan then Irwin showed us a cool transformer that he made from his paper placemat. Ben was impressed!
On the way back to Yucay from Urubamba we boarded a small van (a "Combi" they are called after the VW of the 70's) that seemed already full but Irwin assured us we could fit. After his family and the three of us got in there were 24 people in there. True Peru. The ride costs half a soles. That's less than 20 cents. Hasta everyone.