Recap!

Well Hello world! Happy Saturday! I've missed the past couple days because it's been so busy! We've done a lot, so I'm just going to recap what's been going on! On Thursday we went to the black market, known as Avaleno. Apparently the only things black market there are the pirated DVD's and cd's, but it's fun to say "the black market." It adds to the excitement of it all :) Here's a very candid shot of me buying things. I bought a headband, a new sparkley ring, and a flower - all for 21 soles - - which is about $7 in American money. Boo Yah!

On Friday, we went back to San Camilo to buy flowers for our hostess (we were going to a BBQ that night) and Morgan got her scissors sharpened. It was one sole - or $.30 in American money! The people at the knife store had probably never had Americanos come to their shop. Their expressions were priceless and they were excited to have us watch them sharpen the scissors. So funny - and the sparks in the picture are real.
Going back to Thursday... after the black market, we all went with Julio to pick up Uncle Palmer from the mine. We went up to his office and we all got glasses, vests, and hard hats to go for a small tour! I really liked that hard hat! They mine copper at this mine and it was cool to hear about the mining process and how they get the copper as well. After our trip next week, we are going to take an in-depth tour of the actual refinement process and I'm excited for that! We kind of look like professional gangster miners... hahaha :)
I'm just jumping around here, but more about Friday - here are the flowers we bought for the BBQ. We took a picture in San Camilo as you can see. It was funny, because as Aunt Janelle was taking the picture, a whole bunch of Peruvians gathered around behind her to look at the picture we were taking. Haha, they all smiled and said "so beautiful" and other things like that. If you think a group of 4 gringo girls with 3/4 of them being tall blondes walking around San Camilo gets attention from the locals, try adding a bouquet of flowers to the mix! We were never NOT stared at! That's one thing I can't get used to here - Being analyzed wherever you go. But it's fun :)
Last but not least, here's a picture of La Plaza at night. We've been there a lot. Lots of tourist shops, and lots of pigeons during the day. Lee Scott and Hisicane - I bought your ties here for $5 each! HA! And - to all of you who made fun of me becausa all I can say really in Spanish is "uno, dos, tres porfavor" - Markie asked the shop lady over and asked how much the ties would be, and the the shop lady asked which ones I wanted. And guess what!??? I pointed to the three ties and said "uno, dos, tres porfavor!" HA! Showed you all... :)
Anyways, there are always fun things going on in Peru. I love it here!
And guess what!?? Next week we travel to the city of Cuzco (yes, like Emperor's new groove) and we see Machu Piccu next Wednesday! How exciting!

Until I blog again! Buenos Tardas!

I love the animals here...?

What a way to start out the day. We were on our walk just like yesterday (check my previous post for the amazing pictures) and we were just about finished. The end was in sight. However, this walk did not end like yesterday - not in the slightest. Markie and I were about 30 feet behind Sis. Palmer, Morgan, and Tanya; but before we could catch up to them, they started yelling at us to move and get close to them. We thought there was a car coming, so we moved off to the side of the road. But they were still yelling for us to move. We didn't understand why until we heard a huge bellow. I mean HUGE bellow. It was then that Markie and I realized that a huge bull was charging down the hill - straight towards us. Heck no we weren't running to the three girls - we were running to the car! We got in the car just in time to look out the window and see the crazed bull plow past with it's tongue hanging out like a savage animal. Don't worry about the other girls - they were on the opposite side of the street, but man was that freaky! I wish I had a picture of it, but it was either get a picture, or not be gored by a rampant bull. I think you all can assume which option I picked.

More adventures later in the day as we journeyed to San Camilo, a huge market. But first, I must tell you all about one of the things that constantly amazes me about Peru. They have shops for everything! The shops surrounding San Camilo are so interesting. You need to buy a belt? There's a shop completely designated to selling those. You want a new bra? There's a shop for that. What about some Tupperware; or nuts? Maybe a piñata? Or some cooking pots? Whatever you need, there's a shop for that. And, of you can't find a shop that sells what you're looking for, there's always a street vendor - like the shoelace man. :) But enough about the shops surrounding San Camilo, I want to tell you about what's inside. There are aisles and aisles of everything! There's an aisle with tons of cheese, and another with vegetables, and it basically goes on through the list just like at a grocery store - but San Camilo is an outside farmer's market. Although it was fun to look at everything there, I would never buy anything.

Here's a few reason's why:

1.) The health codes are not up to FDA standards. A woman selling bread dropped a loaf and instead of getting rid of it, simply placed it back in the basket. No big deal or anything...?

2.) They sell meat in an open area. It's not refrigerated! Also - they sell sheep heads. See for yourself.

3.) There are stray animals running around everywhere (hence why I was so fearful for the bread being placed back in the basket.) Some of the animal even take advantage of the situation and decide to take a nap - like this little kitty here:

4.) There are crazy dried up llama heads apparently used for sacrificial reasons, and after I saw these little pretties and the smelly meat aisle, my appetite was gone.

5.) Did I tell you that they also sell sheep heads?

Despite the different conditions they keep their food in, and the oddities I've seen today, I really am loving this whole experience! Don't get me wrong - San Camilo was...different...but I've never had more fun! Haha, it's one of my favorite places in Peru. I love it here! Also, don't worry - I am learning more spanish. :)

Buenas Noches! More to come soon! Everyday an adventure... :)

Welcome to Peru

Wow. I can't believe the last time I blogged was in November. Slap myself on the wrist! It's time to revive this blog from it's forgotten state. Thankfully Peru provides me with fun stories to actually blog about! haha

This trip originally started out just as a wish in the wind. My friend Markie just suggested the idea in a conversation last November. It's been a lot of work getting here - especially in convincing my mom that I wouldn't die, but it worked out and here I am! I flew to Peru last Sunday morning with Markie Palmer, her mom, her sister, and her cousin. Two layovers later, we arrived in Arequipa Monday morning.

It's been quite the culture shock being here but it's such a neat opportunity to experience the cultures and customs of a foreign country. I just wish I knew Spanish! We have security guards here, and body guards as well, so I feel very safe. Markie and I went for a stroll around the neighborhood yesterday and the guards would radio between their different stations to inform the other guards that we had just passed them and that we were coming their way. Haha, they take their job very seriously.

Sister Palmer warned me about altitude sickness, but she can't describe the symptoms. She said it's the worst thing I will ever go through if I get it. The bad part is that I won't know I have it until the third or the fourth day, so I could be sick right now - but won't find out until tomorrow. Awesome. To prevent this "indescribable disease" you just need one thing - water. And lots of it. I've been drinking bottle after bottle of water and I have to go to the bathroom almost every hour. I don't want to get sick! However, as of this morning, we have no water in the house. Where am I supposed to go to the bathroom!!????!!

This is one of the street in the neighborhood. Just for you mom. I am alive, and smiling. I love it here!

The view from our walk this morning. So beautiful! Although Arequipa is mostly desert, the river that runs through the mountains makes this area perfect for farming.
There are small neighborhoods on the opposite side of the mountain, facing the fields. Obviously this neighborhood had community spirit. :)
The mountain homes. Opposite from America, the higher you get up on the mountain, the poorer the population becomes.
So beautiful, isn't it?

Welp, that's it for today, but there are sure to be more adventures coming soon!

Adios!