June 23, 24, 25…A little different format…

We have had a couple of bummer days, so just gonna do an update. My passport renewal has been approved. Yeah!! But the transition to actually getting it may take longer and then the old passport may be sent separately, which I need as it has Peru, Brazil, and India visas in it for future. Anyway we may be spending more time in Peru. This is okay, we just have to make a couple of new arrangements and a potential one cancelling our flight. Things will happen at the right time, right?

We have been walking around getting our steps in this lovely city; chores of living – shopping & laundry; and of course eating. 😋

On Tuesday we did a long walkabout. By a park that was decent sized, but the gates were locked up. So we walked around it and went to the highest bridge over the Rio Chili. Right at the beginning of the bridge is a monument of the Olympic rings, built in 2023. It is a pretty cool huge replica with the backdrop of Misti Volcano. As we looked back at the city it still amazes me how sprawling it is. We can see the rings from our rooftop, but looking back, neither one of us can point out the rooftop! Arequipa is 1.2 million, but it doesn’t feel that way when you are down walking about in it.

Anyway, we walked up to cross the bridge, but there was not a pedestrian friendly sidewalk. So we headed back. On our way back, we passed Mundo Alpaca. It was free and we went to “live the Alpaca Experience.” At the entrance we were directed through placards mentioning the history of the founder, Mr. Michell in 1922; the origins of the South American Camelids; and the fiber of the Alpaca. Then we saw some alpacas in a pen. We even fed some with some scraps of grass. Next we saw a native Peruvian lady weaving some of the wool into an intricate design. I took pics, after tipping her. That was fun and so glad we did that.

On Wednesday, we went out for lunch at Saryris Restaurant. We both ordered the Menu del dia – menu of the day. I had a starter of ‘Cauldo de Gallina,’ basically a chicken noodle soup and a main course of ‘Trucha Frita,’ a fried river trout with rice, fries, and an onion salad. Jeff had his starter being ‘Ocupa Arequipeña’ or ‘ Papa a la Huancaina,’ which is boiled potatoes topped with a spicy, creamy sauce of yellow peppers (aji amarillo). His main dish was ‘Chuleta al Grill,’ grilled pork chop/steak with fries and cold veggies with a little mayo sauce (this is how they seem to serve veggies). It was a great lunch. We walked around and enjoyed more of the city.

Today, we had a bit of good news, as a booking we have been planning for 2027 went through! Yeah!!! We plan on getting out and doing more walking about. I plan on doing more sewing and will have to get some coffee as I used the last of my stash this morning. Jeff will do more planning, as always.😊  He most likely will get a haircut and we may go out for lunch.

Lastly, we continue to await my passport as we live our lives someplace else. Thanks to all who have been praying for us!