A day of Transport

Nothing much happened today, we just too a bus ride from Trujillo -> Lima, then waited several hours at the airport to fly to Cuzco. Upon arriving to Cuzco, there was a guy who asked if we were "J..... S..." to which we responded yes. We thought he was with the tour company we were with, so we let him take our luggage out to the car. Turns out he wasn't and right after he finished loading the luggage into the trunk, he can to the car door and said "tips? tips? tips?" We felt very tricked/ripped off.

During our bus ride to Lima, it was very foggy when we woke up

The food they gave us on the bus. I liked it better than what we got on our trip from Lima -> Trujillo

This peach juice was delicious... and in an adorable package

While waiting at the airport for our flight to Cuzco, I found something very special for you HS! (palta = avocado)

Look at the name of the burger on the top right hand corner! Love it!

Exterior of Cuzco airport

Upon arriving at our hostel, we were given a cup of Coco tea. It supposedly helps with the high altitude adjustment 

Our hostel room, which actually has 4 beds. It isn't too bad in terms of space, but the showers are lukewarm at best (after waiting forever to get just a tiny once of hot lukewarm water) and the internet is super super slow

After settling our stuff, we went on a short walk and found some dinner. I had an avocado rellena. Yummy!

I also took some photos of Cuzco's Plaza de Armas. They will be up shortly on my other blog

Last day in Trujillo

And just like that, 3 weeks has flown by. Do I really have to leave Peru in less than a week?

We went to the clinic for the last time this morning, very, very late, because the bus was super late. I think the driver didn't even know to pick us up. Nothing exciting happened, so I will just post some pictures. Well, not quite, the doctor touched a little girl's butt (and the mom touched the girl's buttonhole) and no one washed their hands and touched everything in the room. The doctor proceeded with the next patient just like normal. (<-- just a bit of disgusting for the day for those of you who need that daily dose!)

The church across the clinic

The sign announcing the campaign

Our lunch today. Of course, just right after we had papa a la hauncaina yesterday, we would have that as today's salad as well. boo!

In the afternoon, we went to volunteer at the orphanage. I am going to miss these girls dearly. They are so welcoming and friendly. Even the babies remember me and ran to me for a hug when they saw me. I  could only wish that these kids had parents they could run and hug every day after school. =(

Since the orphanage is hosting a fundraiser tomorrow, we helped prepped. We washed tables and chairs, but mainly, JS and I washed potatoes, and by potatoes, I mean, ALOT of potatoes. We had a little girl who was supposed to help us by bringing the washed potatoes into the kitchen, but instead of helping, she was quite a troublemaker! Every time she would come back with the bowl to carry more potatoes in, she would pull the "washed potato crate" very far away from us, making it impossible for us to easily chuck in washed potatoes. When I tried to pull the crate back towards us one time, she fought me and held on to the crate, so I just gave up. She would also spend more time playing with the potatoes than stacking them in the bowl. It was not long before JS and I gave up and just told her to go play, and we carried the extremely heavy crate ourselves. That made our lives much easier=)

The girls at the orphanage somehow found that it was a great idea to wipe down EVERYTHING in the courtyard, including the sidewalk. While it was nice that everything was clean for tomorrow, the nuns probably thought we were very slow washing the potatoes, since we had to share the sink
For dinner, we went out to Mana cafe, which everyone has been raving about. I thought the food was good, but not "out of this world" I ordered a Tequenos with Lomo Saltado with Huancaina sauce; it was delicious, but a bit on the tad salty side for me. I must say, Cinthia's (one of our Spanish teachers) and Mama Rosa's huancaina's sauce blows this restaurant's sauce out of the water though.

Washing one too many potatoes!

After we finished washing potatoes, we went into the kitchen to see what we could assist with. We were then told to help skin a pumpkin like vegetable. I insisted I could not do it, but of course, the person (out of 4 people) with the biggest knife was me. Can you guess what happened next? Oh well! at least cutting myself proved my point. I left the kitchen and found MK to replace me, which she liked since we enjoys cooking and I really hate it. I also have no knife skills in the kitchen...

My dinner! Was this place as good as everyone claimed? not quite.

Getting some fruits for the very last time at one of MK and I's favorite fruit store. Sorry the pic is blurry

MK and I finally tried a dessert from the dessert place we walk by everyday to school and back. It was pretty decent and someone similar to what my mom has taught me to make before. Egg custard/flan type thing

Taking a picture with one of Mama Rosa's daughter, Susan, right before she goes out to a friend's birthday party. I will miss her!

It took me awhile to finish packing odds and ends, but I did and we got picked up to the bus station by Martin. We waited at the train station for about 1 hr for our ride to Lima.

A touch of dentistry

Today at the clinic, I got to assist Lauren, a doctor from Scottland, as there was no local dentist like the last two days. It was very sad to see child after child with many cavities and decaying teeth. Many of the families don't even have the means to brush their teeth daily =( There were many kids who needed teeth extracted, but not many were willing. Some children just blatantly refused, others changed their mind when the needle with lidocaine entered their mouth. There was one kid whose's mother kept pushing him to get his teeth extracted, probably because they don't know when they will have the opportunity again after the healthcare campaign is over next week. We spent a good while trying to convince the kid as his mother was quite insistent, but seeing that we had many, many patients lined up, we had to tell them we would not do it if the kid did not want it. We went through a couple of patients, then the mother and kid came back in the room, with the mother insisting that the kid was ready to get his tooth extracted. However, the moment he sat down on the chair, he was once again reluctant. Seeing as the mother did not want to leave, we just called in the next patient (violating all sorts of HIPAA. lol), a little girl, who needed a tooth extraction as well. The mother of the boy asked if her son could stay and watch, and everyone just kind of stood there. So I was like, how about we ask the patient and her mother, who said yes.

That was POOR decision (and one that I didn't agree to), as the girl flinched and tried to swat Lauren away when she tried to inject some lidocaine. (Yes, I failed at holding her hands in place, but I was also holding the flashlight for Lauren with the other hand). As it would have been too dangerous for Lauren to try again with the girl actually moving her hands, we escorted both patients out of the room, as the boy for sure would not do it after witnessing that.

Towards the end, there was a brave little boy who let us extract not only 1, but 2! I think he liked the attention he was getting, but too bad it was at the expense of getting his teeth pulled out =(

Pictures on the bus ride there

Ohh... MK, love you very much too. (hint. look LEFT)

Not photobombed, FINALLY! Alot of bus photos was photo bombed

Every morning, as our bus is pulling into the clinic, we see a line of patients waiting for services to begin

 Outside "scenery". I think you can go sandboarding on that mountain

Nearby housing?

A consultation room, yes, where 2 patients, completely unrelated, sit and consult 2 different doctors (er... a doctor and a med student)

Layout of the clinic. Waiting area is in the middle, with rooms surrounding

The pharmacy. SO, so, SO organized

Halfway through the morning, the pharmacy decided it was not organized enough, so it got some shelves

The waiting room at the beginning of the day, and at the end of the day. hahaha

Lauren and I

Our tools

Taking pictures outside the school after clinic. This gate is very difficult to unlock when you are trying to get out.

Lunch today was fantastic, we got plantains for the first time! (although MK let me try a bit before)

Sauces for the fries. Crema de Aji is absolutely heavenly. I tried to find a powdered version at the store so I could bring it back to the States, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem like they sell such a product... so sad =(

We even got dessert today! that's a first. I really liked this custard/chocolate pudding dessert. Most desserts in Peru are very sweet, but this was just a tad sweet, which was perfect. It's a good thing we don't get dessert everyday, or I would have gained weight this trip instead of losing a few

Today, instead of Spanish class, we had a cooking class, where we learned how to make Papa a la Huancaína. I don't like potatoes, but the sauce is one of my favorite Peruvian delicacy. Don't ask me how to make it. I wasn't actually there b/c Mk and I went on a hunt for Lacuma Frappe, but the Starbucks barista claimed it didn't exist, even though it is on the menu. -_- #crazyPeru 

Interesting trashcan MK spotted on our walk to the grocery store

"Heart lady" We have nick named this woman heart lady, because she sells Anticuchos de corazon, which is heart meat that is skewered and grilled. They are delicious. As we have to walk by her stand everyday to get to/from school and anywhere really, we see her quite often. She always laughs at us because the very first time we met her, we probably made a fool of ourselves trying to get some street food. I decided to take a picture with her just for memory sake. Too bad it is blurry =(

The night before, JS and JL went out with the rest of the group (I wasn't too hungry) and they had BBQ. They ordered a set meal for 8 people which came out to be about S/15 per person! Super cheap! They came home with a mountain of meat and let me have some(thank you! It was delicious). So here is my Atkins diet kickstarter =) (Yes... I really ate nothing else but what you see here.... hahaha. Good thing I am not a nutricionist, or I would never be able to practice what I preach.... O wait, doctors preach healthy eating too.... uh oh, I might be in a bit of trouble in the future) Here is some Chorizo (it is different than the ones I am used to, this is more like a sausage), beef and chicken.

Picture time with Mama Rosa =) And yes, she really thinks it is that cold in Peru to necessitate such a thick jacket. LoL

Disclaimer: JL and JS were headed out to the discoteca, that explains why I am dressed like a bum compared to them 

Just b/c JS and I don't have that many pics together since we were never really paired up for anything

I can't believe that it's already been 3 weeks and tonight is our last night in Trujillo.... I am very sad