La Isla Palomino

On this adventure, we took a boat ride from the port of Callao and visited an island which is only inhabited by sea lions and seagulls.

 Some of the brave few put on wet-suits and swam with the sea lions. My sister and her fiance were among them.

We visited other islands where we saw penguins.

I know there are no pictures of me here but I was there too. Unfortunately, I get pretty seasick and spent most of the time sleeping. I did manage to get up to take a picture of the other sleeping members of our party: Aiden, my Dad, and Andre.

Star Wars

Andre's uncles and aunt (Tio's and Tia) promised to take him to see the new Star Wars movie while we were in Peru. He loves all things Star Wars. Near where we were staying, there was a gallery showing of a Peruvian graphic design artist and his interpretation of Star Wars. On the same day, Andre visited the gallery and saw the movie. It was a good day in Peru. If you understand Spanish, you may understand the play on words here.

Water Park

We heard about a water park in the city where kids could have fun. Later we learned that what was meant by water park was park with a lot of fountains. Since it didn't sound as kid friendly as we had originally thought we didn't rush to go there. However, once we did go, we found that the kids did in fact have a lot of fun there.

Simple Game

We went to an organic farmers market and at the end of the market there was a woman organizing games on the pavement for the kids. One game was called Saca Yunya. It entailed drawing a circle on the ground and putting beans in the middle. Players would skip rocks across the circle trying to knock out the beans. Andre had lots of fun.

Driving in Peru

Before we came to Peru we talked about whether or not we should bring a car seat for Aiden. Ultimately we decided not to because we were told not many taxis had seat belts. As a result, this is Aiden riding around the expressways of Lima.

Chocolate Museum

We visited one of the many chocolate museums scattered around the city. Andre and Patrick took the tour and learned all about where chocolate comes from.

 The best part however was learning how to make it! They roasted beans,

made chocolate tea,

different kinds of chocolate milk

and finally chocolate bars.

I was so proud of Andre for maintaining focus throughout the hour and a half long workshop. I guess that's not hard though when chocolate is the topic.

Playgrounds

   Yesterday, we went to one of the many city playgrounds to entertain the kids. Unexpectedly, we had fun counting cats! How many cats can you find in this picture?

   I thought we would have a hard time keeping the boys entertained here in Peru, but it turns out there's a lot for them to do. Andre is at a great age where he's still open to new things and experiences, and he's enjoyed all of our adventures so far. Aiden is happy just running after his brother.

   Another thing I was worried about is how picky an eater Andre is and how he would manage all the new foods he would encounter on this trip. We came up with an idea of "The List". It is a list of Andre's favorite Peruvian food. He has to try everything in order to see whether or not it makes it on the good list, or the bad list. Here's one day's list.