I support your AirB&B ideas if you can rent a place to start. I will go to stay your airb&b! My thought is with you and your family. Please keep enjoy your relationship with your in law or relatives. They are part of your children's life now. It's precious and priceless!
We stayed in 3 places in Peru: Miraflores, a suburb of Lima and Mancos.
Miraflores is an affluent part of Lima that is popular with tourists. It is pretty easy for us gringos to navigate. And there are plenty of attractions for tourists to see.
The suburb we were in is close to Leifer's sister Trini's place and we stayed in another sister Hilda's place.
I should mention that Lima gets very little rain and as a consequence, the suburban areas have a lot of dust. Residents do a lot of sweeping every day to keep the inside of their homes clean, it is a constant battle.
El Mercado, a major outdoor market is about a block or two away from where we were staying... very handy. It is open air but covered to provide shade. It seems one can almost buy anything here including clothes and hardware but it is mostly food. The place is huge and I have no idea how large it is.
We stayed a week here because Abby and Leifer were trying and failing to get through some Peru immigration issues so that Abby and the kids can stay for more than 3 months. They are now dealing with US and Peru immigration bureaucracies, it is enough to drive any sane person mad.
We celebrated my 69th birthday there with Trini, her husband, Chachi and their 3 boys who are in their 20s. We had a lot of fun with some balloons with the little kids.
The following day was a big party that Abby already talked about in her Substack. Following that, we all got up early the next morning and rushed to get down to the bus station by 8:30. This required 2 trips in Chachi's little 4 door car including luggage. I was a bit worried about getting all of that done in time but it happened.
The bus ride was on a very large bus with comfortable seating which was a good thing because we did not get to Mancos until 6:45pm with only one 30min stop for lunch.
The bus dropped us off at the Mancos bus station and it was a bit on the chilly side and had been raining earlier. Leifer had called ahead and arranged for relatives to pick us up. Their vehicle was basically a truck bed attached to the front end of a motorcycle. I was a bit skeptical about this but went with it. Turns out all of our luggage fit easily and we piled on top of the luggage and were off. This would never be allowed in the US. The trip lasted about 5 mins as his parents probably live about 3/4 of a mile from Mancos...if that. It was a tired but happy bunch of people to arrive at Leifer's parents home and his parents met us with much warmth and happiness. They had dinner ready for us and it was a perfect ending to a long day.
I should mention it was quite obvious Leifer's parents missed Leifer's family, especially the little boys.
We awakened the next morning to actually see our new surroundings for the first time. It is beautiful here. They are in a valley with mountains on two sides. One of the mountain ranges is about 22000 feet and I am pretty sure it has snow year around.
Life is very different here. In this home, it revolves around fixing the daily main meal that is eaten around 1pm. There are chores that need to be done daily like let the chickens outside the compound in the morning and bring them back in at night. Mamita, even though she has a gas stove, prefers to cook over coals like she has always done.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are either grown outside the compound or in the small garden within the compound or can be purchased in Mancos. Avocados are grown on the premises. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is to have fresh ripe large avocados available at all times.
Walking into Mancos is a daily activity for bread and other necessities. Every single person you meet says "Buenos dias" and it was not because we are gringos. One notices that people here are generally nice to each other. We have seen a few dust-ups but it seems rare.
There is a lot to like about this simple life but, by our standards, it is very hard here. People are more concerned about the basics.
I think most people use the combis or motos for transportation. Combis are small vans. Motos are a small cab with a seat for 2 and a driver attached to the front end of a motorcycle. There are also taxis. We have only used the combis which can be an adventure. They pull up and are seemingly full but always manage to have room for us which is 4 adults and 3 little boys.
Fortunately for us, we have had mostly good service for our cell phones. With that, Google translate works very well and is very helpful. For example, I had a fairly good conversation with one of Leifer's sisters. She would talk into my phone, it would translate and vice versa.
This most likely is my last post about our trip as we are leaving very soon. This has been a great trip for me and I am pretty sure we will be back. I have met all of Leifer's family at this point and every single one of them have been kind and gracious to us. There is language difficulty but we seem to manage. And to think this is all due to Abby Salsa dancing in San Francisco. I hope some of my future trips are less touristy and more like this. I will be surprised if this is my last trip here.
Abby, I have faith you will find the place where you belong, whether it is Peru or CA or elsewhere. You have so much to give wherever you are. Look how Abuelita is learning English! And think of the difference you are making in the lives of us who read your posts. You make our minds grow with new understanding and our hearts grow with compassion, empathy and love.
Abby o am so moved by you reflections, and troubles, and just speaking of everyday life. I pray you can get the things done you need to do . I pray the doors will open for you to get the papers and home space you so deserve and I know you need. God Bless You
Abby, you write beautifully, and your words are so expressive. I am praying for a speedy resolution for you and your family. Tell your mother hello for me.
I support your AirB&B ideas if you can rent a place to start. I will go to stay your airb&b! My thought is with you and your family. Please keep enjoy your relationship with your in law or relatives. They are part of your children's life now. It's precious and priceless!
Tell abuelito that we say good morning to him!
We stayed in 3 places in Peru: Miraflores, a suburb of Lima and Mancos.
Miraflores is an affluent part of Lima that is popular with tourists. It is pretty easy for us gringos to navigate. And there are plenty of attractions for tourists to see.
The suburb we were in is close to Leifer's sister Trini's place and we stayed in another sister Hilda's place.
I should mention that Lima gets very little rain and as a consequence, the suburban areas have a lot of dust. Residents do a lot of sweeping every day to keep the inside of their homes clean, it is a constant battle.
El Mercado, a major outdoor market is about a block or two away from where we were staying... very handy. It is open air but covered to provide shade. It seems one can almost buy anything here including clothes and hardware but it is mostly food. The place is huge and I have no idea how large it is.
We stayed a week here because Abby and Leifer were trying and failing to get through some Peru immigration issues so that Abby and the kids can stay for more than 3 months. They are now dealing with US and Peru immigration bureaucracies, it is enough to drive any sane person mad.
We celebrated my 69th birthday there with Trini, her husband, Chachi and their 3 boys who are in their 20s. We had a lot of fun with some balloons with the little kids.
The following day was a big party that Abby already talked about in her Substack. Following that, we all got up early the next morning and rushed to get down to the bus station by 8:30. This required 2 trips in Chachi's little 4 door car including luggage. I was a bit worried about getting all of that done in time but it happened.
The bus ride was on a very large bus with comfortable seating which was a good thing because we did not get to Mancos until 6:45pm with only one 30min stop for lunch.
The bus dropped us off at the Mancos bus station and it was a bit on the chilly side and had been raining earlier. Leifer had called ahead and arranged for relatives to pick us up. Their vehicle was basically a truck bed attached to the front end of a motorcycle. I was a bit skeptical about this but went with it. Turns out all of our luggage fit easily and we piled on top of the luggage and were off. This would never be allowed in the US. The trip lasted about 5 mins as his parents probably live about 3/4 of a mile from Mancos...if that. It was a tired but happy bunch of people to arrive at Leifer's parents home and his parents met us with much warmth and happiness. They had dinner ready for us and it was a perfect ending to a long day.
I should mention it was quite obvious Leifer's parents missed Leifer's family, especially the little boys.
We awakened the next morning to actually see our new surroundings for the first time. It is beautiful here. They are in a valley with mountains on two sides. One of the mountain ranges is about 22000 feet and I am pretty sure it has snow year around.
Life is very different here. In this home, it revolves around fixing the daily main meal that is eaten around 1pm. There are chores that need to be done daily like let the chickens outside the compound in the morning and bring them back in at night. Mamita, even though she has a gas stove, prefers to cook over coals like she has always done.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are either grown outside the compound or in the small garden within the compound or can be purchased in Mancos. Avocados are grown on the premises. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is to have fresh ripe large avocados available at all times.
Walking into Mancos is a daily activity for bread and other necessities. Every single person you meet says "Buenos dias" and it was not because we are gringos. One notices that people here are generally nice to each other. We have seen a few dust-ups but it seems rare.
There is a lot to like about this simple life but, by our standards, it is very hard here. People are more concerned about the basics.
I think most people use the combis or motos for transportation. Combis are small vans. Motos are a small cab with a seat for 2 and a driver attached to the front end of a motorcycle. There are also taxis. We have only used the combis which can be an adventure. They pull up and are seemingly full but always manage to have room for us which is 4 adults and 3 little boys.
Fortunately for us, we have had mostly good service for our cell phones. With that, Google translate works very well and is very helpful. For example, I had a fairly good conversation with one of Leifer's sisters. She would talk into my phone, it would translate and vice versa.
This most likely is my last post about our trip as we are leaving very soon. This has been a great trip for me and I am pretty sure we will be back. I have met all of Leifer's family at this point and every single one of them have been kind and gracious to us. There is language difficulty but we seem to manage. And to think this is all due to Abby Salsa dancing in San Francisco. I hope some of my future trips are less touristy and more like this. I will be surprised if this is my last trip here.
I am rereading now with your niece.
Abby, I have faith you will find the place where you belong, whether it is Peru or CA or elsewhere. You have so much to give wherever you are. Look how Abuelita is learning English! And think of the difference you are making in the lives of us who read your posts. You make our minds grow with new understanding and our hearts grow with compassion, empathy and love.
Abby o am so moved by you reflections, and troubles, and just speaking of everyday life. I pray you can get the things done you need to do . I pray the doors will open for you to get the papers and home space you so deserve and I know you need. God Bless You
Abby, you write beautifully, and your words are so expressive. I am praying for a speedy resolution for you and your family. Tell your mother hello for me.