Chris is still sleeping. The airport is so loud. I'm impressed. Shortly, we will go pick up our tickets. Our flight doesnt leave for 4 more hours, but that part of the airport is much comfier. I havent been able to keep anything down for 48 hours. I just want to be home.

Made it back to Colombia, preparing for a long night here. We leave tomorrow at 9am (10am your time). We just ordered pizza. Colombians do not make pizza well. We wont be leaving the airport this time. Dont want to end up back in jail. (My grandfather thinks we went to jail, we didnt really. Breathe everyone.)

Short update today, since I'm sick. I must have had some bad ice. I'm on Cipro, Imodium, and Advil. Yesterday we saw around 250 kids. After work, Chris and I set off on our own. We walked to the ruins in Miraflores. I can't remember the name, but it sounds like Hakuna Matata. Then we had dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant. Chris had 3 glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice. It was amazing.

Today, I had to drag myself to work. I took numerous breaks. Chris worked hard doing eye tests.

Joel's mother cooked all the volunteers a late lunch. After we got back to the hotel room, I went to bed, and Chris listened to music, and braided rosary bracelets. Chris, Roger and Gayle went out to eat. Chris thought the food was amazing. He had chicken with peruvian spices.

Tomorrow we are going on a tour, including the catacombs.

Sunday after breakfast we headed out in to Miraflores (A district in Lima, Peru). Our goal was to visit the ruins, but we were distracted by Kennedy Plaza. It's a beautiful park with numerous vendors. Gayle and Chris were in love with the artwork. A 9x15 (ish) water color painting only cost about $6 US dollars. Even at that price Chris couldnt resist haggling, and we paid around $4.

Around 1pm, Father Chris picked us up and took us to the fire station. Everyone was so friendly. It's a volunteer fire station with around 80 volunteers. While we were there they were called out for a car accident, so we got to see a little action. Afterwards, we toured Chorillos (another district), and Fr. Chris drove us to the top of a huge hill with an impressive view. A boy named Carlos, who spoke perfect English greeted us and we got to talk for a bit.

We went to dinner at Dennis's house. Dennis has 5 children. Maria(8), Pablo (2), Santiago (1), Magdelena (4), Clara (5). His wife Patricia served us chicken, rice, potatoes, and corn. The corn here is very large. It still tastes the same though.

After dinner, Joel drove us home because Fr Chris had to say mass. Gayle, Roger, Chris, and myself took a taxi to "The Park of the Magical Water Circuit." It was 12 soles to get there. The fountains were really cool. We got lost because we didnt see a hidden tunnel and accidentally exited the park. We tried to get back in, but with our inability to speak Spanish, everyone was confused. Eventually, they just let us back in to get rid of us. The ride home cost 16 soles, and that was after I saved us $1.30.

Today we left the hotel at 8am. Chris and I were busy today. We did paperwork, and tried to keep things moving nicely. I hate to admit it, but today was rather chaotic. I would have assumed after thirty something missions occurring here, things would have flowed more smoothly. There seemed to be some disagreements about who was in charge. Also, people who didnt know how to do certain stations, would make demands and requests of that station, not fully understanding the duties. It wasnt fun and was quite frustrating. I still have to document 100 more charts because they became all mixed up.

After the mission, we headed to dinner at Panchita. It was a fancy restaurant, that was highly hyped by others in our group. It was good. Chris's meal wasn't very appetizing, but mine was acceptable. We checked out a couple markets along the way home, and now we are just relaxing, preparing for another chaotic (hopefully less frustrating) day.

Gayle and Roger's luggage still hasnt arrived. I feel terrible for them. They arent even getting any answers. They bought some new clothes today. Thankfully, things are cheaper down here and they didnt have to spend too much.

One side note: Before coming down we were told there would be money changers practically on every corner. As of right now, Gayle, Roger, Chris and I havent seen one while walking.

We made it to Lima, Peru. Sorry for the delay in updating. We finally have some down time, so I would like to start from our adventure in Bogota, Colombia.

When we left the airport, we got an official taxi to the "Plaza de Boliva." We met a wonderful lady named Rosa. Rosa didnt speak any English, but we managed to communicate. Rosa's job was to sell corn for people to feed the 'doves' (pigeons).

We were in Colombia on a special day. They were swearing in their new "presidente guarda." It's their military. There were 500 men being sworn in. It was a nice ceremony.

Rosa introduced us to "Gringo." He is a Colombian who lived in Houston, Texas for a couple years, so he spoke English. He toured us around the downtown area, and gave us directions for our walk to Mount Monserrate.

We took a quick bathroom break. It cost 500 pesos, and you couldnt flush the toilet paper.

Then we were off on our walk to the Mount Monserrate cable car. We ended up lost and hiked up an enormous hill. We ended up at a school. Whoops! We finally found the right road.

We were given the choice of hiking up the mountain or taking the cable car. We laughed at the thought of hiking. The cable car was very steep!

At the top, we were definitely feeling the effects of the altitude plus little sleep. We were light headed, and short of breath. We spent about an hour up there. The view was beautiful, but we were tired.

When we came down, we found a taxi. We agreed on the price of 15.000 pesos. We even repeated the number a couple of times and had a colombian translated confirm the cost. When we arrived at the airport the driver demanded 32.000 pesos. We refused and got the police involved. After about 25 minutes, it was clear the police were not on our side. I tapped Chris's foot with mine to give him the heads up, ten I began to cry. All of a sudden everything was forgiven and we were free to go. I feel foolish that I had to resort to that, but I didnt know anything else to do.

We went back in to the airport to catch our flight. I became sick after take off. I filled 3 vomit bags, and made a trip to puke in the airplane bathroom. It wasn't fun. Chris slept peacefully though.

Once in Peru, we went through customs. Chris got the red light and had his bag searched. Father Chris picked us up from the airport with one of his parishioners, Joel. Joel drove us to the hotel while I puked some more. Peruvians drive crazy. I'm not sure there are traffic laws. Any lane can turn right!

After we checked in to the hotel we went to Joel's house for dinner. His wife, Zenida, cooked for us. They have 2 daughters. Paloma is 4, and Gracia was 8 months old. We had causa for an appetizer. It's a layer of spicy mashed potatoes, a layer of vegetables, then another layer of mashed potatoes. It wasn't delicious, but it wasn't bad. For our main dish, we had fish. The fish was topped with a sauce and onions. Chris really liked it. We also has rice. For dessert, we were served a fruit bread with mixed berry ice cream.

Joel and Zenida's house was very small. They were so nice and welcoming. Breast feeding is so accepted down here. At one point Zenida just whipped it out and began feeding the baby. There were no mumbled apologies, or even mention of it. Certainly different from america.

After dinner, I went back to the hotel room to sleep, and Chris headed off to the airport with Father Chris to pick up The Cleavelands. Their luggage was lost and took until about 2am before they arrived to the hotel. We hope their luggage is delivered tonight. It could be lost is Mexico City though.

Today we had bread for breakfast then headed off to Chorillos with a Rotary Club. We had extra volunteers today. Susana is a nutritionist. Mariota is a nurse. There was a dermatologist from Holland, and a dentist from Peru. Some of the rotary members served as translators for us. Today, Chris worked at the first station, writing down the children's name and age. I worked the last station, giving out different type of vitamins and explaining how and when to take them.

We went out for lunch as a group to a restaurant. The food was delicious and spicy. We had chicken, fries, and some vegetables. We also had 'morada chicha' to drink. It's a drink made from purple corn, pineapple juice, and apple peels. It was sweet, but a little thick.

We went to mass at Father Chris's church tonight. It was all in Spanish, so we didn't understand, but the singing was beautiful. Chris got goose bumps! The Peruvians participated in mass much more than Americans do.

After mass, there was a gathering for us. We had more causa and another potato dish. It was boiled potatoes and a spicy sauce. They garnish everything with olives and eggs.

After that we returned to the hotel. I had planned on added photos to this post, but my computer and the electricity are not getting along, even with a converter. So this was written on an iPod.

My father emailed me to let us know that my uncle's mother has passed away. I wish we could be there for them, but they are definitely in our thoughts and prayers.

Chris is sound asleep, and has been for an hour. BUM!

We ventured out in to Colombia. It was a pleasant city and I always felt safe. There is a noticeable police presence, and most officers spoke a little English.

We are back in the airport now, getting ready for our flight to Lima. I'll post a full recap of bogota later with pictures. We went to plaza de boliva and mount monserrate.

Sleeping in the airport wasn't the most pleasant experience, but we certainly weren't the only ones doing that. At some point I kicked a stranger in my sleep. The airport was very loud. I dont think many, if any, flights leave after midnight, but the cleaning crew was hard at work. They vacuumed and waxed the floors for hours, LOUDLY!

Around 4:30am we checked our baggage and got our next tickets. We were ableto check both bags here, since you're allowed 2 bags per person. However our bags were too heavy. Each person is allowed 32 kilos. We were over by 2kilos and 4kilos, but they waived the fee since we are stupid Americans.

If you go left outside the airport, there are lockers. It was 8.000 pesos for 12 hours, so we stored my giant tote bag.

This is my first time visiting a less touristy country. English is very limited and my Spanish classes from 9 years ago aren't cutting it. Lots of charades for now. Chris keeps speaking French. We look ridiculous.

We still have about 30minutes until our adventure in Colombia really begins. Until then, Chris is searching for a map, an I'm going to try to nap.

We made it to Columbia!

We woke up this morning and got to take it easy, we didnt have to leave for the airport until 1130am. We made a'quick' stop at the bank, and a stop at wawa. The bank was a bit of work because we requested "unmarked twenties." Eventually, we were on our way! My father and little sister accompanied us to the airport. While going through security, Chris was frisked, and I was asked to step in to a clear booth. Then, my hands were tested for explosive residue. Thankfully, I passed!

We left Newark airport on time. Our flight was alright. A bit of turbulance though. The flight seemed so empty. I'm a dork, so I counted. Out of the 180 seats I could see (without looking like a creeper), there were 27 passengers. It was nice because we were able to get a bit more comfortable without a stranger next to us. Since I've had a bit of an obsession with the 1970's crash in the Andes mountains, I turned to Chris and said, "There wont be enough people to eat when we crash." He didnt find me funny.

We landed in Colombia. The terminal was pretty shady looking, but we eventually made it to a nice area. We went through customs, then declarations, then baggage scan. Our bags of health kits were pulled off to be further inspected. Thankfully we had the letters in Spanish explaining what they were, because our Spanish skills our certainly lacking.

We walked out of the airport, then back in. The electronic ticket machine rejected the numbers I hastily scribbled in Newark. The ticket counter is closed until 4am, so hopefully we can get everything figured out then.

Until then, we hang out with our luggage in a nice airport food court. Maybe, we will brush up on some Spanish while we wait.

Only 17 hours until Lima, Peru.

We finished part one of our adventure. We made it Douglassville, PA only 30 minutes behind schedule! We got to spend a little time with each of our families, and get a good night's sleep. Today, I just need to repack my stuff in a more sensible manner, and run to the bank. Then, we should be good to go!

Some reflections on getting ready for this trip: It has been interesting. I would have never imagined we would need so many official letters to help us get through customs with the health kits (shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a small toy). A lot of people have had feedback regarding our desire to explore Columbia during our 15 hour layover. I'm still not sure what we are going to do.

Two hours until we leave for Newark, NJ. Two hours until we leave for Newark, NJ.

Yesterday after school we drove from Utica to Easton and saw Grandma and the PA family. We visited for about an hour and had a small meal. Then we drove to Douglassville to stay the night. Had a great sleep and didn't worry about getting up for work! Our flight leaves at 4:30 Thursday so we have the entire morning to reorganize and relax.