Trujillo, Peru - Pedestrian Walkway

Dear Family and Friends,

After we arrived in Trujillo, we had lunch at the hotel and then headed out for an afternoon of sightseeing.  We found a pedestrian street right off the main plaza.  We enjoyed walking this neighborhood.  Todays photos were taken on our afternoon walk.

Lots of beautiful old buildings.  

Chuck standing under a Mimosa tree (I think that is what kind it is).  

This man was busking in the street, playing the accordion.  

Looking into buildings and seeing the inter courtyard is always fun.

And then we came across this building.

This building's inner courtyard is now a casino.  We went inside to check it out and by the time we were done and came out, it was dark. 

We had a nice afternoon introduction to this part of Trujillo. It was time to grab a taxi and get back to our hotel to rest up for tomorrow.

Love,

Nancy

Trip to Peru...Day 1, Getting There

Dear Family and Friends,

Chuck and I have been excited for days getting ready for our trip to Peru.  The excitement was not about going to Peru per se, but just going somewhere.  

Trujillo and Chiclayo are the third and fourth largest cities in Peru, yet I had never heard of them.  In order to prepare for this trip, we watched YouTube videos done by other tourists.  I was surprised that none of the videos were in English.  That is when I realized that we were going off the beaten path for North Americans.

We flew LATAM, a Latin American airline.  Our difficulties started when we arrived Tuesday morning at the Cuenca airport.  At check in, we were asked to show a digital copy of our declaration of health form, which we did not have.  This form is required to enter Peru.  

They allowed us to check in anyway since we were leaving for Peru out of Quito and we still had the opportunity to get it downloaded to Chuck's cell phone before we left Ecuador. 

As it turns out we had plenty of time to get the digital form in Quito.  Ten hours to be exact.  Not sure why this happened but we had decided to make lemonade out of this lemon and go into the city of Quito for the day.  However, when we arrived in Quito it was raining and foggy.  We decided to just hang around the airport for the day instead. 

Todays pictures are of our adventure killing time at the Quito airport.

Here is Chuck, he is smiling under the mask because we had our digital forms now and were able to board the plane for Peru in about 8 more hours.

You never know who you will meet in an airport.  We were fortunate to meet SpiderMan junior.  He was so excited that I asked him to pose for a photo.  

Here are a couple of Ecuadorian women enjoying lunch with their family.  

After we had an early dinner the airport, we boarded the plane to Quito at 6 p.m. 

We arrived in Lima about 8:30pm.  Chuck had booked us at the Wyndham hotel located a short walk across the street from the airport.  

When we arrived we were greeted with a welcome drink of a Pisco Sour.  

Although we had not really done anything all day, we were exhausted and in bed by 10 p.m.  Tomorrow we would head back to the Lima airport to continue our trip to Trujillo.

See you in Trujillo.

Love,

Nancy

On The Road Again...YAHOO

Dear Family and Friends,

Tomorrow morning Chuck and I will leave on a trip to northern Peru.  We will be on the coast visiting a couple of cities, Trujillo and Chiclayo.  We will be visiting archeological ruins, museums, seeing fishermen in the Pacific Ocean, casino action and eating some delicious coastal cuisine.  

These are cities that I have never been to.  Don't know for sure what to expect. I do know that at one of the archeological sites undisturbed graves were discovered and lots of gold was found which is now in a gold museum.  

I am taking my clunky laptop with me and am planning to share this trip as we go.  North American tourists, who go to Peru, usually visit Lima, Arequipa, Cusco, Machu Picchu and possibly Lake Titicaca.  The cities we are going to are rarely visited by North Americans. 

We invite you to come with us.  

Love,

Nancy 

 

Ecuador Fruit Education

Dear Family and Friends,

On the last post I posted pictures of fruit that was being sold on the roadside just outside of Puyo (the gateway to the Amazon).  A few of my facebook friends posted answers and it turns out they knew more than me.

I decided to educate myself and in the process offer up what I learned to you.  

Picture 1

The fruit on the left is BABACO.  It is similar to a papaya, it is sometimes referred to as Champagne Fruit because of its refreshing, effervescent flesh. Some say it tastes like a cross between a strawberry, papaya and pineapple.   Yum! I have got to buy one and try it. Sounds delicious.

The red fruit on the right is CACAO.  The beans from this fruit is one of the major exports of Ecuador.  The beans are dried, ground, and processed to make chocolate. Ecuador has some of the best quality chocolate on earth.  

Picture 2

This fruit is ACHOTILLO.

Achotillo, also known as Lychee in Asian countries.  This fruit originated in Asia and was introduced to South America by the Dutch.  The flesh of this fruit is translucent, whitish or a very pale pink in color, with a sweet mild acidic taste something like that of a grape.

Picture 3

FLOR de JAMAICA,  in English known as Hibiscus flower.

It is used to make a tea.  The tea is helpful to boost your immune system and may help to prevent cell damage caused by free radicals in the body.  

Picture 4

????????????  (Not Sure!)

Lourdes suggested this might be STEVIA LEAVES, which are grown in the Amazon region.  But in researching Stevia Leaves these do not look the same.  So for now, they are a mystery.  If anyone has an idea, please post in comments below.  

Picture 5

GUABA FRUTA, also known as ICE CREAM BEAN.

This fat bean shaped fruit is actually a fruit and not a legume as most  beans.  Inside are large beans covered in a white cottony texture that has a slight vanilla like taste, hence the name Ice Cream Bean.

The health benefits I found include: Eyes Health, Helps in weight loss, Muscle Health, Maintain Heart Health, Treats dysentery, High Cholesterol Treatment, Balances Blood Sugar, Make Bones strong, Stay Full Longer, Maintain Body Cells Health, Treats rheumatism, Cures Constipation, Treats headaches, Prevents Cancer, Good for Digestion, Prevents Gas or Flatulence, Treats Dysentery, Mood Enhancer, Removes Toxins, Cures Depression.   

Sounds like a wonder drug to me!  

Picture 6

This is an ALOE PLANT.

Aloe is very popular here in Ecuador.  The leaves are stripped of the thick juice and added to other herbs into a tea.  Vendors sell this tea from carts.  They do a good business too.  

It is said that the Ecuadorians drink this tea because it has digestive benefits: reduces the incidence of ulcers and improves digestion.

The thick juice inside the leaf is also known to reduce skin conditions like psoriasis or dermatitis.  I have used the plant juice to rub on a fresh burn.  It removes the pain and speeds the healing.

So this is all I know and don't know.  But after doing this research I think I will buy some Guaba bean fruit at the market and eat the delicious vanilla coating on the beans just to see how it makes me feel.

Okay, school is dismissed.  Have a great day!

Love,

Nancy

Canyon and Waterfalls on the way to the Jungle

 Dear Family and Friends,

We woke up on Friday to a mildly overcast day, however, the temperature was in the 60s.  We decided to drive down to Puyo, the gateway to the Amazon jungle.  The route to Puyo is quite spectacular as we follow the river and see many beautiful water falls.  

I was unanimously elected to jump out of the Puff Puff and photograph her going through natures car wash.  A waterfall spills right on the road and makes a unique experience.

As we approached Puyo the river was now in flat territory.  This is one of the head waters of the mighty Amazon river.

After doing a little shopping and having lunch in Puyo we headed back to Banos.

We stopped at a fruit stand on our way back.  

Quiz time:

Can you name the fruit in these photos?  I can name most of them but not all of them.

Identify the ones you know below.

Picture 1  (two products)

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6

Our trip was wonderful and even though it was cloudy, the temperature was great.

Thanks for joining us on this day trip.

Pray for peace 💗

Love,

Nancy