Peru Trip Day 5

 Church

 

A bit of a mix up with missionary Sonja.

I understood her to say

we were having breakfast at the church.

She meant the kids were.

She actually didn’t answer my question.

So, no breakfast.

I was grateful though.

I was still stuffed with pizza.

 

We bussed to the bright, yellow-orange church

It was going full bore,

full of singing children.

Sunday mornings were for the kids.

They clapped while we walked through.

 

We went upstairs to see the construction site.

Going up the steep rail-less stairs

and standing on the hot concrete,

any thoughts of being on

the construction team disappeared.

I wouldn’t have survived.

 

We filled bags with groceries

and waited.

Had lunch: meat and starches.

Helped with the dishes.

 

Had the afternoon free.

Napped.

Worked on poetry.

Sent emails to hubby and others.

 

Had dinner at hotel.

Had some kind of orange,

cold, mashed-potato concoction.

It was pretty good.

More meats and starches.

 

Went to church

which was built like a brick oven.

For three hours we worshipped

and sweat buckets.

I enjoyed singing along in Spanish

which I can read.

I understood the songs

for the most part.

Celebrated 25 years for the church.

 

Went home charbroiled and exhausted.

Yesterday Poetic Asides

 

Yesterday in Peru

 

Y esterday I met the most

E ndearing creature I’ve ever encountered. A

S loth!

T he way they

E mbrace you like a little child

R eally melted my heart. I also rode

D own the

A mazon in a narrow wooden boat.

Y ou can cross two things off my bucket list.

Peru Trip Day 4

 Fun Day 

 

I saw the cutest little face today.

I was able to cross an item off my bucket list.

I held a sloth.

 

They wrap their arms around your neck

and lean against your shoulder like a baby.

It melted my heart.

 

It was a baby with a little round head,

about the size of a softball.

His head was dark brown

from the forehead up

and framing the face.

 

His face was beige

with dark eyes,

a big round black nose

and dark fur around its dark lips

which were turned up into a smile.

The rest of him was dark brown

with beige mixed in.

 

Beautiful coat,

softer than I thought it would be.

Maybe he’ll develop coarse hair

that sloths are known for as he ages.

Long toe nails for clinging and climbing.

One of the most endearing creatures

I’ve ever met.

 

What a fun day we had!

Besides the sloth, we held a parrot,

a prehistoric turtle,

and one long, heavy anaconda.

 

We rode on a rickety boat on the Amazon,

sang and danced with the Bora people.

shopped for their hand-crafted souvenirs.

 

Ate a huge lunch, sampled ceviche.

Stuck my feet in the Amazon.

Wonderful day!

Later that night,

we stuffed ourselves with pizza.

Peru trip Day 3

 

Peru Trip Day 3

 

The day that started Thursday

seemed to never end.

Arrived in Lima 525 AM.

Mike the missionary met us there in Lima.

We ate an early lunch and met a woman from Iquitos.

She was an artist and a cultural dancer.

One of our ladies spokes Spanish to her.

She was sweet and gave us hugs

and a kiss on the cheek before she left.

 

We arrived as Peruvians readied for Independence Day.

Indigenous dancers entertained us

while we stood in a long line.

The “special needs” line went ahead of us,

but they weren’t all special needs.

If we had to stand any longer,

we’d become those with “special needs.”

 

I tried to think

“And that’s just the way I like it,”

but there’s a difference

between a positive attitude

and stupidity.

After three hours,

we finally made it through.

 

Arrived in Iquitos which was sauna-like.

We were blessed to have AC at the hotel.

Small room with 2 single beds.

Mike said to not flush toilet paper! Eeks.

 

Iquitos a mixture of old and run down and new.

Lots of motorcycles and the continual buzz of mototaxis,

with lots of horn honking.

 

Roommate and I tried to figure out adaptors,

but ran out of time.

 

Walked quite a ways

to get a great Chinese meal,

but a lot of leftovers wasted.

Butterscotch ice cream and murals.

Jerry showed me his daughter’s art.

 

Orientation meeting that I couldn’t hear well

It was getting late.

After thirty-some hours of traveling

and all that walking,

I just wanted to go to bed.

First, we got gadgets charging.

It turned out,

we didn’t need adapters.

Trip Day 2

 

Peru trip Day 2

 

We jump through airport hoops

We’re flying all our coops

They keep moving our gate

Just so we’re not late

Here we go loopity loops

Fair Poetic Bloomings

 

All’s Fair at the Fair

 

They called it Activity Days

in New Florence, PA,

a town of less than 1,000

where I grew up.

 

First the parade

marched by

featuring schools

and scout troops,

which didn’t last long.

 

The town playground

converted to a carnival

with rides, game booths

and food stands.

 

The whole town showed up.

 

Most of our glasses at home

were won by throwing nickles

into them each year.

The other games were designed to rob us,

but occasionally we came home

with some cute stuffed animals.

 

One time my next-up sister was so fascinated

by a game that she spent her whole $6

trying to figure it out.

She didn’t seem to mind the loss,

but I felt it.

Six dollars then compared to $60 now.

It served as a cautionary tale

that has stuck with me through the years.

 

 

 

trip poetic asides

 And That’s Just the Way I Like It

 

An eight-hour drive to Denver

It is a long way just to sit

With short stops, we are on our way

And that’s just the way I like it

 

We got our red Peru team shirts

What a relief that it does fit

T-shirt necks always feel too tight

And that’s just the way I like it

 

We had dinner and then we heard

With flexibility and wit

We’ll play it by ear with a smile

And that’s just the way I like it

 

It will be hot and lots of bugs

We brought some spray to not be bit

We’ll get to know each other well

And that’s just the way I like it

 

We’ll build and help with the children

To all of this we did commit

And we were taught this phrase to say,

“And that’s just the way I like it.”