Wetting my whistle with someone else’s spit
“Chicha de jora? Isn’t that the stuff they make with spit? Eww.” Such was the typical reaction when someone heard chicha de jora in the list of foods and drinks...
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Eating guinea pig: A pet at home, dinner in Peru
An old saying begins, “If you love somebody, let them go.” If you’re traveling to Peru and you’ve had a guinea pig as a pet, a more fitting expression may...
Sacred Valley, Peru travel guide – The YEH, MEH, NAHs
If Machu Picchu vanished, retrieved by Incan extra-terrestrials, the Sacred Valley would still be a top Peru destination. We visited in mid-March, at the tail end of Peru’s...
Chasing Incan kings through small town streets
If the internet is to be believed, Ollantaytambo, Peru is home to a mere 2,000 people. Each day, at least that many tourists hit the cobblestone streets to visit the town’s...
Incan temple ruins – Ollantaytambo, Peru photo essay
“Mama!” the guard says. We follow his pointing finger to see a plump yellow bird sunning herself on a rock wall. Smiling and nodding, we look back to the guard, whose...
We were getting along so well. Until you said THAT.
Yolandi looks across the table at my cazuela in confusion. “Whoever heard of soup without bread?” she asks rhetorically. I consider my bowl of herb-flecked broth,...
A riot of tiny color – Ollantaytambo, Peru photo essay
It would have been easy to cobble together a salad from the edibles that we brush by while exploring the Incan ruins of Ollantaytambo in Peru’s Sacred Valley. Lush from the...
Hat tricycle shop – Art from Ollantaytambo, Peru
As we watched the sun disappear in quiet Ollantaytambo, Peru, one persistent hat vendor left their cart out in hopes of a sale. In the off season, no one came to buy. But when...
Riding the Machu Picchu recovery train
As our Inca Rail train pulls of Machu Picchu town, I realize my hands are…well, they’re not clean. There’s Incan dirt under my nails. Also, my jeans are spattered...
The train journey to Machu Picchu
Traveling to Peru at the end of the rainy season in March meant that we would be risking some serious damp downsides. Instead of hiking the steep and expensive Inca Trail through...
