Tuesday, July 31

Mary and I spent time with the babies first thing this morning.  Neither of us are very ambitious today....although I think Mary is working at her new desk.


I have been doing DNA stuff and planning a knitting project.  In between we help Esther with the babies.  Esther made spinach for lunch today for the boys.  Jack cried because he was eating spinach and Galileo cried because the spinach ran out and he didn't get any more.  Now they are waiting for Milk!  The plan is to cut out one bottle in the middle of the night and one bottle in the mornings.  The morning milk is replaced with one fruit for breakfast and one vegetable for lunch late morning.  Galileo slept the entire night with no milk....Jack wanted his milk every four hours RIGHT ON SCHEDULE!

We had salad, rice, potatoes and Asado that Julia made last Wednesday and Mary froze.  

This isn't exactly the presentation....we served ourselves out of the pan, but it looks much like the beef and sauce looks in the pan.  The sauce is less like a glaze or gravy as it looks here and more almost like a chile sauce....it is very good.

Tonight, we were cooking a little bit and I pulled a red pepper out of the refrigerator.  It had black seeds, and Mary asked if it was OK?  I replied that it felt quite fresh...I was sure it was OK.  I am used to the fruits and veggies looking and tasting a bit different from those that we eat in the US.  As I was cutting it up I popped a segment in my mouth....I WAS ON FIRE!  I don't know what the name of the pepper is but it is HOTTTTT!  We all laughed and laughed!  And Esther had fun telling the story again the next morning to Meche.  The one that I cut up looked even more like the red peppers that I am used to than the one below on the left.

Monday, July 30th

Mary worked all day today.  She had forgotten to bring home the internet device, so I rode to work with her.  WOW!  The market is truly wonderful!  The concept is amazing and the list of restaurants that are going in is so much fun!  I do hope that they manage to get open by Tuesday so I can try some of them: Sushi, Ceviche, Healthy, breakfast all day, French pastries, Spanish tapas, Peruvian Tapas, seafood, etc, etc....sounds wonderful.  They have some serious work to get done by next week in order to be open!  But Mary seems to have hope.

So I went shopping at the Inka Market.  Last time I didn't find much....but I did quite well this summer.  I think because the winter clothes are so much more appealing and I can actually wear them while I am here.  I picked two tops that will be suitable for the opening next week....I'll take some photos as I wear them and add here.  As always Uber was wonderful!

I did find some pretty yarn that I might buy if I run out of the yarn that I brought with me:





Alberto went to the grocery on his way home and cooked blood sausages for his dinner.  Mary and I had wine and cheese and crackers and pears....need to replace them tomorrow as Esther was thinking they were the baby's breakfast.

Nice day.

Sunday, July 29th

Jack is sitting here telling me about his day.  He particularly liked the bananas that he had for breakfast!  They are a specific type of banana that the doctor recommends.  Not the usual bananas which Mary had for breakfast.  The name of the bananas translates into English as "the bananas from the island".  They are slightly orange in color.  Mary and Maria Isabelle mashed them and I photographed while they fed both boys:

Mary feeding Jack:


Maria Isabelle feeding Galileo:




Trying out the new bibs from Cirito:




Finished with breakfast:



Maria Isabella is from Venezuela.  She is not in Peru because that is where she wants to be.  Mary says that Venezuela is a mess.  The government is terrible and the people are moving anywhere that they can.  The explanation of why they emigrate is simple:  Maria Isabella says that she had a good job, but that the economy got so bad that her salary did not buy anything.  So her married daughter and husband moved to Columbia and she and her other daughter moved to Peru.  When Mary found Maria Isabella she was cleaning toilettes for very little money.  Mary could pay her the same amount to come and help out with the babies on the weekends when Esther had her time off.  Then it turned out that Maria Isabella had been an office manager and that Mary had work for her in the Market.  So Maria Isabella is working both places: here at the house with the babies on the weekend and at the Market during the week.    Her husband has stayed behind in Venezuela because he has a gym and he still has paying customers.  As long as that continues to be the case, he hopes to keep the gym going in case the government and economic climate improve and they can all move back.  Maria Isabelle told Mary that she was able to send about $40 home last week and that it was quite crazy how much Venezuelan currency her family was able to change that into.

Saturday, July 28th

Esther has the weekend off.  Maria Isabelle comes later in the day to help for the weekend.  But this morning Mary and I are on our own with Jack and Galileo.  First thing we did was try out the new high chairs.  The boys ate applesauce (homemade by Esther) and were very happy.....not sure if it is the new high chairs or the applesauce.



Then a brief cat nap before we took a walk on the malacon:

Friday, July 27th

I have gotten into the habit of playing with the boys in the morning while we are having coffee.  They are getting so strong.  Both of them like to have time on the floor mat working on their sitting and rolling over skills.  Galileo in particular likes to sit on my leg and bounce....working on his standing skills.

Mary and I went to Wong grocery and Starbucks and then I got my hair done.

We were invited to lunch at Mary's partner's home.  Lunch in Peru is all afternoon.  We got there about 1 and got home just before 6.  But the food was wonderful and the hospitality excellent!  In the below photo, the host is on the left with glasses:  Michael  The party was in his home.




And below, her other business partner is the man in the red jacket:  Michel




The food was prepared in the outside kitchen on the patio:



Wonderful Day!

Thursday, July 26

Leisurely morning......Mary is planning to work until late tonight.  So we have spent the early morning getting caught up on our computers and playing with the twins.  This week the big change in the routines of Galileo and Jack is the addition of fruits and vegetables.  The plan is to add fruits and vegetables and cut back on the formula.  Esther is quite good at the new plan.  I was never so disciplined as to stay on strict routines.  However, she follows the doctor's orders perfectly....including making all of the fruits and Vegetables into a puree from fresh to feed to the boys.









Mary was gone all day for work.  So Alberto asked if I would like to go with him to do a few errands late afternoon.  We went to some traditional markets to buy fruit and nuts and to go to the tailor and etc.  Last but not least, we stopped so that Alberto could go to the pharmacy to order some cream that they use on Galileo's skin.  We parked next to several shops that had baskets and I told him that I would stay there and look at the baskets.  I did just that, but finished before he was back.  As I was standing by the car, two Peruvian women asked:  "is that your car"....hmmmm.....no....hmmm well yes I guess yes is the better answer...and I looked up to see the tow truck backing in  to tow the car away.  Honest the truck was only a yard or two away when I stepped between the car and the tow truck and stayed there.  I did not have the keys.  My phone doesn't work in Peru....there was nothing that I could do except stand between the two vehicles making it impossible for the car to be connected.  The ladies continued to try to help me....finally I showed them Mary's phone number and the younger one used her phone to call Mary to have her call Alberto to tell him of the predicament.  I only wish that I had asked the ladies to take photos!  I have laughed and laughed!  So funny!

Wednesday, July 26

Today we are settling in again.....unpacking and getting organized.  Mary and I went to the grocery and Starbucks early so that we would have food for the lady who cooks today.  Mary had a dermatology appointment at 10, so we needed to go early.  Mary has a cook who comes every other Wednesday and she is cooking all day.

The boys had an appointment for their normal 6 month eye exam.  This is routine in Peru.  So Mary, the Nanny, and I drove to the clinic.  We were able to also get the boys polio vaccines in the same trip.  All was well with both boys eyes.  And they hardly cried when they got the shot.

The Nanny put the boys to bed when we returned.  It seems that in Peru it is quite normal to have an evening appointment at the clinic.  It was almost 7:30 by the time we returned.

Alberto had a friend from work meeting with him when we returned.  Johanna, stayed for dinner with us.  There was plenty of food to offer.  She is going to leave this work in about two months and go for a visit with her boyfriend who offers travel in the Jungle at (add the place here).  Mary and I have agreed that that might be our next trip.  (boyfriend) has tours in an area that is not as well traveled as some of the other Jungle tours.  It is because there is not a flight from Cusco to this area of the jungle.  Tourists who come to Peru want to go to Cusco and Machu Pichu and then on to the Jungle from there.  The more popular places have flights from Cusco.  However, since I have already been to Cusco, I would be happy to fly from Lima.

I had to laugh at lunch time.  After the baby food, Esther offers water to the boys from a bottle.  Both boys get excited at first and then refuse to drink any more:  "NOT the milk"!

Tuesday night party at Vicky and Jaime's apartment

Tonight was a celebration of Sharon's being home in Lima for a day or two.  Anytime one is invited to eat food in Vicky and Jaime's home, it is a celebration in itself as their food is wonderful.  And this night was no exception.  Barbecue that Jaime had grilled and slaw and the most wonderful carrot cake I had ever put in my mouth.  Jaime makes a terrific gin and tonic and I was not shy about asking for a second one.

Sharon is in Israel.  She has been doing intensive work on learning Hebrew.  Later in the year she will enter the military in Israel and serve for two years.  After she finishes her military she will go to the University there.  Sharon has met a man in Israel who is from South America.  She considers him to be a boyfriend.  It is fitting that she has traveled halfway around the world to meet someone she likes so much who is practically a neighbor on this continent.  I won't see Sharon again this trip as she is going to Equador to see her grandmother and then on to Columbia to see her father.  She will fly back to Israel from there.

Monday and Tuesday, July 23 and July 24

On these days we spent time with Alberto's family.  His mother, Hilda, was a wonderful hostess and hosted us for lunch each day.  Alberto's sister, also named Hilda, and her daughter's, Isabella and Julianna were at lunch each day as well.

I will add photos of Alberto's family here...

On Monday,  on our way to Alberto's parent's house we took a taxi to two areas close to pimentel.  The first was a fishing village: Santa Rosa













Second was an area where there were carnival like rides for children and shopping market for adults: Moasefu













Later that evening we walked on the Malecon.  This included a stroll to the end of the pier.



You can see that the railroad tracks are still visible on the pier.  The train used to take the crops to the end of the pier where they were loaded on small boats that then unloaded to large boats for export.











The house in which we stayed while at Pimentel is the house on the right hand side of the below photo. it is the one that has the red color in front of it.



The below photo is a picture of a photograph exhibited on the pier that shows traditional fishing boats that Alberto says are still used.



As Mary had explained to me, we could only walk a few feet before we met someone with whom Alberto was friends and we would chat.  We visited his Uncle who has done a Family Finder test and I will take the kit back to USA to mail for him.  This is the home of Alberto's uncle:



And the next photo is the apartment in which Alberto's family lived from the time that he was seven until after Alberto had left home to move to Lima:


My phone died on this walk, so I want to get photos from Alberto that show what a wonderful place this was to grow up.



On Tuesday we visited Pepe so that I could buy one of his wonderful photographs.



Tuesday evening was the time to fly back to Lima.  The beach area had been very nice.....but it was time to get back to Miraflores.  We were quite the group.  We sent two bags the day before with Paola.  Then checked three bags and then each of the five adults carried on one carry on and one personal item.  When we arrived in Lima it took two carts to get everything to the van to get home.

Sunday, July 22

We had a leisurely morning and then met many of Mary's friends for lunch at a lovely restaurant that specializes in fish.  Alberto's friends had been invited as well, but they were typically Peruvian and arrived later than we did.   Our table consisted of the Lima group who were leaving later in the day and our hosts, Ricky and Monica

















In above photo, Jaime is holding Galileo with his daughter, Andrea beside him on one side and Mario on the other.