Greetings from Lima, Peru

Hello everyone,
I am in Lima, Peru. I arrived last night, was met promptly by the reps from the travel company who took me to my hotel. They were absolutely fantastic. They had my itinerary and went over it with me, answered all my questions, and directed me to an excellent restaurant for dinner. I must say, never having traveled where I was alone, without a group, with my own private ininerary that was arranged through a travel agency, in this case AAA, I felt a little uneasy at the get go. They told me peopole would met me at every juncture and take care of everything. I wanted to believe it, but I had some uncertainties about would everyone get the communications, and would they really be where they were supposed to be. But all my anxieties are put to rest.
A quick summary of the last few days. Sunday I went to church at Christo Librador and it was marvelous. The priest invited me to celebrate and I enjoyed it very much. I felt so welcome. The church was full and the Holy Spirit was very present. I stayed for coffee and emapañadas. Empañadas are sort of like sandwiches and they are a little different everywhere you go. These were like fry bread filled with a little cheese; very very good. After church I went to Old Town to see and photo some of the Carnival festivities. The photos came out terrific. I had to keep the camera coverd with plastic to protect it from the karaoka that was flying everywhere.
I memtioned in my letter to the parish the other day that Bishop Ramos and Chris Morck, his asistant were in a very bad auto accident. It could have been a catastrophe, had they not had their set belts on. The seat belts literally saved both of their lives. Please keep them in your prayes as they recover at their homes both physically and mentally from such a horrible experience.
The hotel here in Lima is marvelous. It is part of a chain in Peru called Casa Andina and I will be staying in a couple more on this trip. At dinner I decide to try the national drink of Peru called a Pisco Sour. WOW!!!!! It is a very powerful drink. The waiter gave me the recipe but I would only drink one when I knew I had the rest of the week off. Needless to say I slept very soundly.
It was a shock to get off the plane in Lima from Quito. The shock was the sudden change in altitude from 10,000 feet to sea level, from the cool thin Andean air to the soft breezes of the ocean. Now I get back on a plane and go up again. I am not sure of the altitude in Arequipa, but I am guessing it is about 8,000 feet. Tomorrow I go to Colca Cañon, a huge cañon that they say is over twice as deep as the grand cañon. It is also a place where Andean condors are commonly seen. I will stay one night at the cañon and return to Arequipa and prepare to go to Cuzco.
Well, I must go and take care of a few incidentals, like getr some Peruvian money, called nueva sols, literally, new suns, before my ride to the airport comes for me. I will most likely have access to internet in Arequipa and will let you all know what I find next on this great adventure.
Love to you all,
Glenn+