Day 10: The Dunes

Slept in a bit this morning. Had breakfast in our garden oasis and then the kids went hiking.  Only Sydney made it all the way. The others made a good effort and got a bird's eye view of Huacachina. Did some shopping around the lagoon, and then back for lunch.
The weather today was amazing!!! Sun shining. Blue skies. Not a cloud out. Stark contrast from Lima. Think we only saw the sun 1 or 2 days.
Had a blast on the buggies this afternoon. We had a whole buggy to ourselves and got the young, crazy driver who took us on a wild ride!! What a blast!! Lots of the fun, smiles, laughs and lots of sand in our faces....and mouths!! Went to the top of a medium dune and then boarded down.  Some sitting up, some on their bellies. Good fun!! We then drove to a bigger hill and and they went down that too!! Sooo much fun....but sand everywhere!! Back to the hostel for shopping & showers, a BBQ dinner, UNO, Connect Four, and topped it all off with Oreo cheesecake & Chocolate cake!!

Day 9: Lets head to Huacachina!!

We packed up our overnight bags and cleaned a bit before we left. Made our last run to the Inca Market for some last minute souvenirs, topped off with a lunch stop at La Lucha. Loaded up the van & the jeep and off we went, heading south to Huacachina, an oasis in the desert...literally!! We drove south along the coast, watching the big waves crash against the coast, grateful we weren't on a boat today.  We arrived after dark so it'll be fun for the girls to see all the sand in the morning.  Got settled into our rooms - it's like being at camp in our bunk beds - and ordered some pizza for dinner and just chilled. Some relaxed in the hammocks, others played games and the night ended with a rousing game of UNO.
Dunes tomorrow!!!

Day 8: Wawawasi & Las Lomas

This morning we went back to Wawawasi so we could play with the kids. It was play time when we arrived so we got to play with the kids before lunch. Some warmed up immediately and some other ones took a while. We got out the toys we brought yesterday as well as the play doh and had a good time!!
We headed up to Las Lomas for the last time. Had a few more kids out today but no where near as many as the other weeks. We played some music, started with some Hokey Pokey, YMCA, Macarena, Cupid Shuffle, and Electric Shuffle. Fun to see music as an international language. Did some musical chairs and Sharks & Minnows.  Ended with some 4-Square fun.
Sadly said good-bye in shifts as we had to split into 2 groups to fit in the Jeep. Good-bye are never easy. The girls found out how easy it is to get attached after just a little time.  Watched a bit of practice at the stadium. The team has their next game Sunday morning. Had our last dinner prepared by Victor's sister, as well as our last stop at Metro before heading home to pack. Our next adventure awaits to the south: Huacachina!!

Day 7: Wild Boat Ride Wednesday

Today we got to swim with sea lions!! We left out of the port in Callao and boarded our boat El Rey. We had the whole boat to ourselves!! At first the waves were pretty calm as we were getting out of the port past all the big boats. Once we hit the more open waters, it started to get rough. It was a nice roll, but it was a pretty big up and down. Good thing we took some Dramamine. But what really got a few of the kids was the smell. As we got closer to the island, the smell was pretty strong...worse for some reason on the boat. Makes sense since on one island there were about 6000 sea lions....a 'small colony' according to our guide. They only had 3 wet suits on board so the girls went in shifts. The winds were high so the waves were a little high, but they all enjoyed it and were glad they went. No one got to touch a sea lion....and no one was eaten by one either. It was a smoother ride back as we went around the back of the island to get back. The sun came out. The barfers took a nap. All was good. We went back to the apartment to change, shower, and all crashed for a nap before dinner. We went to Larcomar, a mall on the ocean, to meet my former guide, Sally,  for dinner. Great food and conversation at Tanta. We all crashed pretty early tonight after a long day.

Day 6: Terrific Tuesday

I went up early to Las Lomas this morning to see the school in session and meet with the teachers. The girls slept in a bit more and came up later. Our first stop was Wawawasi, a very poor area with very little governmental services. They don't even have paved roads.  We wound our way back to a small day care to where Voices4Peru will do an outreach. We sadly stopped righr at lunch time, so we just left our donations and said we'd come back another day to play. It's a day care for 2yr olds and younger. The moms pay $1/day to leave their kids there whole they go to work. Such sweet faces.  My PV girls bought them some sweet things at the store,  including some new sippy cups.
We headed up to Las Lomas for lunch and games with the kids. Teresa & Cara got all the donations sorted...Yeah!! Not many kids were out today,  for some reason. Usually that place is crawling with kids. We played some Duck, Duck Goose, Musical Chairs, did a paper airplane toss, got out the sidewalk chalk, and ended with a very VERY competitive game of 4-Square.
Our night ended with a delicious Italian meal and some gelato....happy faces all around!!