We are wrapping up our first week here in Trujillo! The past week has been dedicated to getting to know the city, other Venture With Impact participants, and the directors of the many volunteer organizations we will be working with during our two month stay. Volunteering started today and we will write a post soon on each of our experiences so far!
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| The view on our flight to Lima |
Arriving in Peru was a little bit different than we had originally planned. Our flight from Houston to Lima was delayed, so once we arrived at the Lima airport we had less than 6 hours until we needed to be checked in for our flight to Trujillo. We decided to forego our Airbnb and spend the night in the Lima airport. Thankfully there were a couple of hallways near the food court where other travelers were camped out for the night as well. We didn't end up getting too much sleep but at least it was a positive experience!
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| Our sleeping arrangements in the Lima airport |
We arrived in Trujillo safely the next morning and were able to catch up on some much-needed sleep and get settled into our apartment. We are very fortunate to live in a safe area with our own washer, a nice bathroom and shower, and a full kitchen. We keep all of the windows open to create a breeze in our apartment and let in all of the sunlight!
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| Our apartment in Las Hortencias de California |
Our apartment complex is about a 15-minute bus ride from downtown Trujillo and is within walking distance from a lot of really great restaurants, grocery stores, and even a fancy mall! We walk just about everywhere and also get stared at a lot. Our heights may be considered average in the United States, but in Peru 5'4" is pretty tall!
Summer in Peru runs from December through March, so the temperatures during the day have been around the mid-80's, but it drops down to the low-70's in the morning and at night. The sun is very powerful so sunscreen is a must.
Here are some things that we've gotten do so far in Trujillo!
Three Kings Day (or the 12th day of Christmas) is when Peruvian children often receive their Christmas presents, and we happened upon the festival at Plaza de Armas in "downtown" Peru. There was dancing, music, and reenactments of the three wise men giving gifts.
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| Three Kings Day Festival at Plaza de Armas |
On Saturday, our group took a day trip to go sandboarding in Conache, a village near Trujillo. We piled into several taxis, and then all squeezed into a combi (a very common mode of transportation that is essentially a minibus) and finally made it to the dunes! The walk up to the top was killer, the view was gorgeous, and we all had a fun and "crunchy" time. Thankfully there was a pond that we were able to rinse off in afterwards.
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| Sandboarding in Dunas de Conache |
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| "Crunchy" |
On Sunday, we all visited Huanchaco - a popular beach town about 20 minutes away from Trujillo. Most of the group tried ceviche for lunch and then we just hung out on the beach and watched all of the kids (and dogs!) play. The sky was overcast and the water was cold, so only a few brave people got into the water. We are going back on Friday to take a Spanish lesson and are hoping for nice, sunny beach weather!
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| Huanchaco |
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| Daniel's ceviche mixto with crab, squid, octopus, shrimp, and more! |
We really appreciate everyone checking in on us (and pestering us to write a blog post)! We miss you all and look forward to sharing a lot more of our adventure with you!
Hasta la proxima!
Daniel & Kayla
I am so happy that the two of you are having such a great time and are safe. My thoughts and prayers are with you daily. Enjoy and stay safe. I love you both so very much. Grammi is in Hawaii and when she gets back I will show her how to get on to your blog.
ReplyDeleteI want some ceviche! yummmy
ReplyDeleteMiss you! Glad you are having fun!
ReplyDelete