A Visit to the Mountains

Life in the mountains is very different from life here in Lima.

A view from the city after a hike up the mountain.

Our taxi couldn't make it up the hill, so we walked up.

Notice the woman tending her sheep on the side of

the mountain. There isn't a fence or anything

to keep them all in.

The town square in Huancayo. This was a beautiful park,

but I was more fascinated with the gorgeous clouds I hadn't seen in months.

For my birthday, the director of the school treated me to a weekend away in the mountains of Huancayo. We took a type of "charter bus" up through the Andes Mountains. The supposed to be 5 hour bus ride ended up being nearly 7 hours by the time we arrived. Thankfully, the bus had recliners for seats, so the ride was quite comfortable.

It was nice to get outside of the city and experience real Peruvian culture. Sometimes I think Lima is a very fake idea of what real life here is like. The trip itself was very relaxing and enjoyable. We had quite a few stories to tell once we arrived home. I've listed a few below...

• Dinner Friday night: Pollo Abrasado (a form of roasted chicken) and mashed potatoes with peaches and pineapple
• Saturday's tour of the city: 1 sol jewelry shop :), taxi that didn't have enough power to make it up the mountain, thunder and hail storm, taxi driver that had never eaten pizza nor did he know what it was
• Sunday we went to a street market (kind of like a flea market in the U.S.) They closed off a whole street for 5 or 10 blocks (an event that happens every Sunday and on holidays). Residents set up booths in the street to sell their products. They had everything including shoes, clothes (fake labels of popular brands), and artisan crafts. I got a few neat things.
• Our bus home left 30 minutes late and about 20 minutes down the road we got stopped for inspection which lasted about 45 minutes. We drove a few hours and hit a large amount of stopped traffic. Our bus parked for about 2 hours in which we got off to find out what was going on. This was the only road that leads up and down the mountain into Huancayo and other cities nearby, and come to find out there was a very bad accident involving a collision of 2 semis. Traffic was backed up for miles. Once we started moving again, it was about an hour drive before we ever reached the actual accident. After a nearly 10 hour drive from Huancayo we arrived back in Lima. I was so very thankful our bus was running late that morning as it could have been us in that accident had we been on time.

God is faithful. He's protected me in more ways than I have realized during my time here, and I'm so greatful for that. As I pray for his provision for my life next year, I've realized that I have done everything I can do. Now I need patience in waiting for him to reveal his perfect plan. Pray for me through the days ahead. Pray that I will know God's plan and that I will follow wherever he leads me.

I have 1 month and 1 day left here in Lima. I can't believe how fast the time has passed!