My Last Day in South America

August 22, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

On my last day in South America, I wake up to the calm sound of rain falling atop the metal roof.  Two days before I was tanning on a cushioned lounge chair along the water of Mancora Beach, Peru my mind dizzied, almost drunk, on sun and relaxation. But now I am in Quito, Ecuador on a rainy morning and my mind is dizzying from the prospect of leaving this great continent.

As the rain taps, I work to fall back asleep,... [Read more]

Trujillo, A Welcome Change of Plans

August 16, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

The plan was to leave Lima early and spend the better part of the week soaking up sun on the sandy beaches of Mancora. The rumor is Mancora is a warm surfer´s paradise, and after spending most of the past five weeks in freezing temperatures I felt that I deserved a little sun.

But as it goes with the best plans, when I got to the bus station I found that I had missed the 3PM bus to Mancora (18 hours) by fifteen minutes. I was faced with two options: stay in Lima, a city I was greatly enjoying, an extra day, or... [Read more]

Week 5: The Best Week Ever pt.4

August 14, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

Thursday- I find myself in an honest to goodness desert oasis. Huacachina is a tiny village that surrounds an even tinier lagoon in the middle of grand desert dunes. I sit at the edge of the lagoon under a palm tree and watch Peruvian children sled down the sands and bounce around in the mud colored water. The travel books call this destination one of the gringo stops, but it seems Peruvians and foreigners alike come to this bit of beauty to get away from the strains of the week and relax. Late in the day, I join a group... [Read more]

Week 5: The Best Week Ever pt.2

August 12, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

Tuesday – I eat my last Cuzco meal in the markets of San Pedro. The nourishing lentils and rice warms my belly and remind me of home, Peruvian comfort food. I stroll along cobble stone streets one last time to take it all in, stopping in the Plaza de Armas to watch a street mine take a break to sit close and chat with his girl. I make a lazy sketch of the Cathedral that is surrounded by blue sky and the brown hills. On my to the bus station I take the long way around to pass by the perfectly fitted Incan stones... [Read more]

Week 5: The Best Week Ever pt.1

August 11, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

Monday – Sitting on top of a pile of carefully placed stones creating the edge of a terrace for ancient crops, my feet dangling over the edge of a gorge, my eyes keen on the sky that is continually brightening in a misty dawn. It´s about 6AM Monday morning in the ruins of Machu Picchu and the clouds are wrapping around the peaks of the Andes and creeping over Incan structures. I think I must be close to heaven because such a sight is beyond my understanding. My head hurts to think of a people creating such... [Read more]