July 11 2010

Yesterday we went to a very small church where we met many caring people.  Although there were about 20 people including us, you could tell that they were very welcoming.  At the end of the service they served us tamales and coffee.  Then we were off to see the Peruvian horses!  We drove through a very poor part of Peru and were amazed to see the conditions in which people were living.  Many people were living in shacks along the side of a mountain.  After driving on a dirt road for what seemed like 20 minutes, we arrived at a black door.  Raul knocked on the door and a man opened the door, which lead to a gravel road.  We parked and were greated by a woman in all white, she was to be one of our guides for the day.  After walking up a small hill, we were greated by another woman who was predominantely dressed in white which was our other guide.  We walked through a canopy of trees to a covered area where we sat in wicker chairs with white cushions.  The women spoke about the different stages of training that the horses went through while men road the horses around the courtyard showing us different tricks.  After the presention was finished, a woman danced in ethnic dress while a man on a horse danced along with her.  We were then lead to a beautifully decorated table where we ate a dinner consisting of chicken, rice, beans, and salad.  It was amazing!  Dessert included ice cream (vanilla, Lucuma, and chocolate) and papaya.  We were able to ride the horses as well!  Everyone took pictures with the horses that were shown and also the horses in the stables.  The landscape was magnificant!  We could see the Andies mountains in the distance and the plants that bordered the area were vibrant.  The women were very welcoming and made our stay unforgetable.  After we left the horse ranch we went to a Peruvian market.  People came up to us trying to sell whatever they could varying from scarves to ceramic pots.  After the market we went to the Catholic House and ate dinner with Raul and Gladys who brought cake.  We played a few card games and went to bed.

Adios!
Michelle