As promised, I would like to dedicate this post to Kim and Ken’s visit. First, I am overwhelmingly grateful that they can fully understand my life here in Pueblo Libre. While FaceTime is a blessing, there are things that just can’t be achieved through the phone: like Mom chatting with my health colleagues about the Peruvian health care system and generic vs. brand name drugs, or Dad doing his classic “press this button” trick for the kids in my English class to make his leg fall off, or the feeling of the air and sounds and views from my favorite running destination. When I saw them pull into the Movil Bus Station in Caraz, I almost cried. It felt surreal to have them right there after 10 long (but quick?) months. Given the first few days of their trip were dedicated to the anniversary of San Juan Bautista (Saint Juan the Baptist), we barely left Pueblo Libre. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING has an anniversary date here in Peru. San Juan Bautista is the name of the school I work at, so my parents got to experience 3 days of celebrations: me in my business suit marching alongside my students, a party at the school full of fire works and dancing, a marching competition between schools in the area, and more. My student had endless questions for them: How did you get here? Is Lucie’s hair natural? Why don’t you have legs?

Every morning, my pops sat on the balcony to look over the awakening town. For my mom and I, we soaked in Pueblo Libre while sipping Pilsen on the roof at the end of the day (Pilsen is the most popular beer here, which my host mother conveniently sells and my parents LOVED. Think Heineken.) My host family were the best hosts I could ask for. They cooked us guinea pig, which was a MUST try – Kim and Ken were not huge fans, surprise surprise. They cooked us fried trout and pachamanca, 2 other traditional Ancashino plates. They drove us to Winchus, the highest point in the district, sitting at 13,800 feet. From there, we got an insane panorama of the Cordillera Blanca, not to mention a glimpse at the rare Andean Puya Raimondii, a spectacularly large flowering plant also known as the Queen of the Andes. Puyas can reach up to 50 feet tall, and take 80 years to flower from the time the seed starts to grow. It’s worth the wait – in a 3-month window, Puyas can produce between 8,000 and 20,000 white flowers. When Mom and Dad were here, we only saw the start of the flowering process. I’m hoping to travel back to Winchus in the next month to catch the fully matured plant.

We also ventured to Campo Santo with my host parents, Walter and Yoli. Campo Santo is the memorial for the devastating earthquake/landslide that covered the city of Yungay back in 1970. The event is actually the most devastating landslide ever reported across the globe. Yungay is only 20 minutes from Pueblo Libre, and I’ve heard stories from older folks in town that they remember seeing a chunk of Huascaran Mountain (the highest mountain in Peru and seen from Pueblo Libre) tumble down, hitting lakes and taking the entire mountainside with it. An estimated 80 million cubic yards of water, mud, and rocks fell upon Yungay that day, killing 20,000 people (70,000 deaths in all of Ancash as a result of the earthquake). What was once the original Yungay is now a beautiful, tranquil, flower-filled field in memory of those who lost their lives. And it was really special to be there for the first time with my parents, despite Mom leaving worried that the same thing would happen during my 2-year service (classic).

In addition to Winchus and Campo Santo, Kim, Ken and I ventured to Laguna Parón, a beautiful turquoise, mountainous lake only a couple hours from my home. Despite being one of Ancash’s most popular destinations, the road leading up to it is horrid. In classic Kim fashion, she was freaking out the whole time thinking we’d fall off the cliff and/or the driver was going to murder us. Flash forward an hour, and said driver was helping Ken cross the stream that had led to a huge crack in the road, preventing cars from going further. After crossing the make-shift wood plank bridge, we came upon the lake and my parents were shocked at the color of the water – as anyone is when they first experience Ancash’s nature-defying colors. Fun fact: Ancash means turquoise in Quechua – the laguna colors are where it got its name! As Kenneth took a stroll along the lake, Kim and I hiked to the top of the mirador (viewpoint). We sat there, taking in the stunning scene, trying to point out pops down below. Our visit ended eating corn and cheese at the little food shack next to the lake …. and of course drinking Pilsen. One of my favorite moments.

After a quick 6 days in Pueblo Libre, the 3 of us made our way to Lima on the overnight bus to catch a flight to Iquitos – la selva (rainforest). Another fun fact: Iquitos is the largest city unreachable by car. After a quick 1.5 hour flight, we stayed one night in the city – we ate a traditional selva meal of pork, fried plantain, rice, paiche (type of fish), amongst other deliciousness. In classic Kim and Ken fashion, they went to bed at 8pm while I stayed up to chat with the lady watching over the lodge. She taught me how to weave with a local dried plant, as she told me her life story. The next morning, Pops and I got up early to visit the market before taking a 3 hour morning boat ride down the Amazon River to a remote lodge, where we stayed the next 3 nights.

Our time at the lodge was full of adventure – a nighttime jungle walk, piranha fishing, many boat rides de día y noche, another jungle walk to find teeny tiny poisonous tree frogs, spotting pink dolphins. The wildlife we saw was amazing – sloths, 3 types of monkeys, endless beautiful birds, a 7 foot anaconda alongside other snakes (including a 6 foot boa in our lodge … that did not make Kim happy), a huge pink tarantula. One of the most special moments for me was swimming in the river while we watched the pink dolphins pop up around us. It had started raining, and there was a rainbow only 15 meters in front of me. Despite my body’s natural hyperventilation as a result of swimming alongside who knows what kinds of creatures, the moment was so beautiful.

Our 2-week adventure finished in Lima. While I think Lima is far down on the list when it comes to Peruvian sites to see, it’s a convenient place to end. We spent the 2 days relaxing, visiting the palace, shopping, and eating. My parents got to experience the true Peruvian male “rizz” (to use a Gen Z term meaning “ability to pick up women”). We were sitting at a café when a man (much too old, might I add) proceeded to buy us causa (another traditional Peruvian dish), kissed my mom’s hand, bought my dad a coffee, and asked for my number. While he did go above and beyond, that kind of forward behavior is all too common in my life these days.

After a few tears at the airport, my two favorite people in the world were off. <3