The simplest way to describe Peruvian chicha is to call it traditional corn beer. There are a number of varieties, including a strawberry version around Cusco called frutillada and many other fermented beverages that all fall in the chicha category, but for the sake of this post, we’re talking about the alcoholic beverage made from … Read more →

Long before Ian and I met, we both, separately, dreamed of one day visiting Machu Picchu. For two people with inexhaustible collections of places we’d like to go, things we’d like to see, and activities we’d like to do, this magical spot in the Peruvian Andes for some reason stuck out. I’m not even sure … Read more →

The apartment we rented for our four week stay in Cusco, Peru is a one bedroom unit on the fifth floor of a building across the street from a university a few miles east of the city center. It consists of three rooms: a large, bright combination living room/dining room/kitchen space, a long bedroom, and … Read more →

This is a series detailing some of what appear at first to be more mundane details of a place, but will hopefully be illuminating as insights into the grind behind the “glamour.”  Power and Internet Power and internet have been shaky again this month after a few consecutive moves without problems. We’ve lost power a … Read more →

Cusco’s centro is usually all most tourists see of the city before heading out to the Sacred Valley or Machu Picchu, which isn’t surprising given how bright and active, cultural and historical, and full of shops, restaurants, textiles, and music it is. It is charming and cobblestoned and full of character. From our apartment, it’s … Read more →

Mate de Coca (pronounced: mah-tay day coh-cah, translated: Coca Tea) is a very regular part of life in the Andes. For thousands of years the indigenous peoples of the region have chewed the leaves, which continue to play physical, economic, social, and spiritual roles in the local communities as they have since ancient times. Today … Read more →

Our four day drive from Cuenca, Ecuador to Cusco, Peru was both long and eventful, so we’re going to break it up into pieces and give the rundown one segment at a time. Read Part 1 – A Ridiculous Border, Part 2 – The Vigilante, Part 3 – Stranded in the Desert, and Part 4 – Lima first if … Read more →

Our four day drive from Cuenca, Ecuador to Cusco, Peru was both long and eventful, so we’re going to break it up into pieces and give the rundown one segment at a time. Read Part 1 – A Ridiculous Border, Part 2 – The Vigilante, and Part 3 – Stranded in the Desert first if … Read more →

Our four day drive from Cuenca, Ecuador to Cusco, Peru was both long and eventful, so we’re going to break it up into pieces and give the rundown one segment at a time. Read Part 1 – A Ridiculous Border and Part 2 – The Vigilante first if you want. This post covers the first … Read more →

Our four day drive from Cuenca, Ecuador to Cusco, Peru was both long and eventful, so we’re going to break it up into pieces and give the rundown one segment at a time. Read Part 1 – A Ridiculous Border first if you want. This post covers the second half of our first day of … Read more →