Paragliding in Miraflores- FAIL

After finally winning my internal struggle of 'Should I?' 'Shouldn't I?' with regards to paragliding, finally I gave to the temptation.Got my head screwed on right, my paragliding shoes on and the will to jump off a cliff. 

We (no less than 8 of us loco people) head over to Miraflores armed with big wide smiles as if we were going to achieve the greatest thing in the land, walk over to Parque del Amor and the shiny oh so very inviting paragliding stand and get told 'You're too late, we're wrapping up for the day'. There goes our smiley shiny faces but heck, we take it in and decide to drown our sorrows in good old comfort food. Powdered sugar coated fresh Churros with a decadent cuppa melted chocolate anyone?

You think we'd have given up by now, but heck no. We're made of the good stuff, the strong stuff, the stuff that aint going away for nothing. So once again a couple of days later, we make it over in no less than 2 taxis at 30 minutes of a drive each and no prizes for guessing- we didn't get to go paragliding. Why you ask? Hmm.... not enough wind... it seemed the God's of wind wanted me very badly to only paraglide over Sacred Valley while in Cuzco and enjoy the unparalleled views of nature's most stunning work.

So, here's having my fingers crossed for a successful outing in Cuzco.

Addicted to Mercado de Inca? Si Si Si

So, for those with a penchant for good deals, the Inca market is just such an addiction that I'd turn into a betting lady if anyone said they could go to it, or even past it and not buy something. 

It's never really about what you want or need, it's just everything is so beautiful, colourful and different from our everyday lives that it's hard not to be tempted to pick up something.

My first time was going to be easy, ok so I just need a couple of dressy scarves and then we're done. 

But hey, look at those gorgeous baby alpaca sweaters, and those colorful, light and breezy drawstring pants. OK- fine I might need them so it's not a crazy purchase. But as I'm walking out, heyyy why not pick up some hobo gloves, a few bracelets, rings, earrings, a 'Pisco Sour' apron and matching oven mitts, a pipe, a backpack, crazy ass boots and some hairbands. 

Phew- are you tired reading this, can you imagine what I felt everytime I stepped out and said 'No- this time is different, I'm only taking some new volunteers to show them where it's at and help them with prices but no way no no way I'm buying anything' Yeah right, we all know how that worked out.

So, for those of you who are in Lima, you want to check out Avenida Petit Thouars in Miraflores or Avenida La Mar in San Miguel for everything Inca. 

My babies at Divino

When I first got placed at Divino Jesus in Pueblo Libre- Lima, I didnt have any expectations of my time there with the kids and had no inkling of what amazing bonds I would form. 

I walked in on my first day to 7 amazing kids aged 1.5-2 years and they had just woken up and waiting for their 'mama' to get them cleaned up and smelling like 'baby'. 

As I peeked in, I saw two faces pop out at me with the widest and most cheerful smiles I've ever seen. I walked in not sure what was to follow and as they all saw me they started screaming out 'Mama! Mama!'. I am not one to cry, but at that point my heart just melted and my eyes welled up with amazement at their unconditional love and welcoming spirit to an absolute stranger.

It's really difficult to say which one I love more, but I am slightly partial to Romina who I think has the naughtiest glint in her eyes, she's a tough cookie and is smart as hell.

Roberto- Mr. Cheeks, has no neck, his cheeks are practically attached to his chest. What an adorable kid, always giggling and happy to play

Moises, Wilder, Luna, Yuri and Evelyn were all absolutely amazing too. I will never forget Evelyn as she was the first one to welcome me with open arms and dance around holding my hands. Wilder has eyes that tell you he is up to a whole bunch of mischief but his smile makes you forgive just about anything he might do. Yuri is self sufficient and never asks for much, until you try to change his Music/DVD routine and then you'll have a murderous scream that would riot most alarms. Moises is an absolute darling, who unfortunately suffers from Down Syndrome and therefore needs special attention, but such a quiet and sweet little boy. 

Luna, the golden haired, green eyed little angel who wants everything anyone has and everything is always 'Mio!'. Her smile would melt a rock without a doubt. 

All these kids are up for adoption (from what I understand except Roberto who has found a wonderful home) and if I were to be that blessed at some point would absolutely return and take all of them home with me.

They taught me what it was to receive absolutely unconditional love. 

Sand surfing y Dune buggy-ing ---> ¡Qué divertido!

Huacachina. I must admit that before I got to Lima I had not heard of this and when everyone around kept throwing this buzzword around I felt that I just had to get with the program. 

It's a bit weird of course that I travelled all the way to the other side of the world to go sand boarding and on dune buggys. One thing I can say for sure is that I've been on a desert safari plenty of times and NEVER, NEVER have I ever had such a fantastic time. The thrill, adrenalin, fear, anxiety, ability to push myself beyond what I had initially set as physical boundaries left me both in shock and awe! 

Anyone planning to being close to Lima, it's a must do. You'd want to travel Cruz del Sur from wherever you are as it is the safest and rather luxurious way to travel for tourists. 

Also, you might want to stay at Banana or Desert Adventures right at the Huacachina oasis or Hotel Ollanta in Ica (a 5-7 minute and 5 PEN taxi ride away). The buggy experience along with sandboards and plenty of thrills, more than I can relay here all for just 30 PEN. All in all a crazy bargain for an afternoon you'd probably never forget.

P.S.- You want to go with friends to have a fantastic time and scream like absolute maniacs to enjoy it to the fullest :)

Divino Jesus- INABIF

On day 1, at Orientation we were taken to the various places we could be working at to have a look, meet the people and get a general feel of what we'd like to do over our time in Lima. It was quite refreshing that we were able to make our own schedules and volunteer at more than one place if we wanted to.

We had the wonderful opportunity of sharing some priceless moment with the special needs children at Semillitas, the older orphans at San Antonio and Esperanza and the 0-4 year olds at Divino Jesus. We were also really glad to be taken to La Punta which is a women's shelter (halfway house) for young women. 

Divino was something else, we walked in and instantly a whole bunch of us felt this certain pull and energy that made us all get down to business and say hey! this is where I'll be and I'll fight you for it.

Luckily we were all able to accommodate ourselves into the schedule with precision and have the time with the kids there as we wanted.

I will never forget my kids from A3, who melted my heart from the word "GO", by screaming out with love and unconditional affection "MAMA". The smiles, hugs and love I got from each one of them has made me decide that I'm now on a mission to find a rich guy who can help me adopt all 6 of my babies. I had them dance with me, walk all over me (literally), pull at my clothes, play with me, and oh so much more!

Thank you Roberto, Luna, Evelyn, Romina, Moises, Yuri and Wilder for making my heart just that much bigger to ensure you'll always be in it.

I love all of you