FAMILY!

My mom, dad, and Eamonn got here yesterday morning, and we have been on the go since then. Yesterday, my mom and Eamonn go here at five in the morning. I met them at the airport and then we went to the hotel. They took a nap, and then they got to go with me to teach at Pachacutec. My classes loved them, they tough it was so funny that my "mamma" was in class with me. They also got to meet the class that I'm going to sponsor for graduation. After that we went to my house so they could see it, and we could pick up a few thing I forgot. We ate lunch in Mireflores at Monolos, a restaurant which supposedly has the best sandwiches in Lima! Then we went shopping in the Inka Markets. My mom got a lot of souvenirs and presents. The Inka markets are huge, and keep winding back for ages. YOu could spend heaps of time in them without even noticing. We ate at the anticuchos restaurant for dinner, and then waited for my dad to arrive.

The next day we got up and went into Central Lima to see the sights. First we went to the Plaza de Armas and saw all the buildings around there. Then we went and toured the catacombs at the Iglesia de San Francisco. We ate at Norky's for lunch, I swear it's the Peruvians favorite restaurant because there is one on almost every block. After lunch we went to the Iglesia de Santo Domingo and took a bus up to see the cross on the top of San Cristobal. We went to Mireflores to eat pizza for dinner on Pizza Street. and got Churros at Monolos afterwards.

Today, we got up at 2:30 and flew to Cuzco. We spent the day walking around the city and touring some of the churches. The churches here are beautiful. Cuzco is set in the middle of the mountains and looks like a postcard. Many of the women here dress in traditional clothing and carry animals around so you can get a picture with them. We saw some sights that were not beautiful either. There were many people begging, and one child in particular was very young and was selling food on the side of the road by himself.

If you compare Lima and Cuzco, you will find hardly anything in common. Lima is an urban city center. Cuzco is very touristy. Even in the "touristy" parts of Lima, there are never many tourists. One of the big difference I noticed was that the churches in Lima are used by the people all the time. The huge cathedrals are their churches. In Cuzco, the churches are more for show, and they do not feel lived in or as well taken care of.

My mom brought a book of letters that the 1st graders wrote me. I wrote them a letter back, but I'm going to put it on my blog so I can put pictures with it. Enjoy!