Trip to Lima - Part 1

There was a mixup in the mission office and we did not get our visas renewed before the expiration date. There was a brand new governmental person in charge of all visas and instead of paying the usual small fine we had to leave the country and enter again in order to have our visas renewed. So we went to Lima. It was rather expensive for the church but there was no alternative. We went to the Area Office and got some great training from Samuel and then, since the next day was a vacation day in Lima, we were invited by the Area attorney and his family to join them and be tourists for that day. We had a wonderful time in Lima but gratefully returned home to cool and clear and green Quito.

 Samuel is across from Grandpa. He is the Area Coordinator and our boss. His friend is in charge of finances in the Area Office and brother to Elder Vallejo who is our PEF Country Committee Chairman.

We loved this lunch. It is Lima's version of a fajita and it was yummy. Sliced meat with peppers and onions served over french fries and with a side of rice and several spicy sauces to add. The soda is Inca Kola. Rosario shared some with us years ago. Tastes like cream soda and is very good. 

 Samuel invited us to join him and his son and parents and sister at the "Water Park". They are in the photo above. His wife had just given birth and she stayed home with the baby. His parents were visiting for a month from Columbia where he is from. His youngest sister is 12 years old. He is the oldest child.

This is a very famous park and has 13 amazing fountains. Several of them are run by computers and you can get involved with many by doing more than just looking a the water.

This one you can walk through. It is very interesting to be inside a tunnel of water.

 This was our favorite. There is a wall of water droplets sustained and then images are projected on the water and lasers are used to enhance the effects in addition to the movie and the beautiful music. This is a ballet dancer above. There were images of classical ballet as well as historical Peruvian dance and music. It was lovely.

 This fountain is the tallest one in the world. There are pieces of a beautiful "Greek temple", or something of the sort, curving around two sides of this huge fountain. It is lovely.

 This is the really interactive one. The young people were drenched and having a wonderful time. Lots of lights and water action in patterns that would give you confidence in what was coming next and then a wet surprise.

This fountain has all the colors of the rainbow. It was beautiful. We spent several hours walking throughout the park and seeing everything. In one area there is a passageway under the street to reach another section of the park. They used that tunnel to teach about the river that flows through Lima and the importance of water and keeping the river clean and free from garbage. It was a very fun and informative display just along the sides of the tunnel. There were pictures and words and also little activities and displays along the way. It has not rained in 30 years in Lima we were told by the missionaries. Water is important to Lima. It was also fun to chat with his parents who have been members for many years. We had a wonderful evening.