When I sat down to write a summary of our time in Peru, I realized that I had already written something similar to the words that were beginning to come out. This month’s wrap up is a slight adaptation of a portion of an email sent to my dear friend and penpal, Martha Grove. Enjoy … Read more
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
Cusco Apartment
December 6th, 2013 | Posted by in Lodging | Peru | The Places We've Been - (4 Comments)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
Sacred Valley of the Incas – Moray
December 4th, 2013 | Posted by in Peru | The Places We've Been - (1 Comments)The Sacred Valley of the Incas, roughly thirty kilometers as the crow flies north of Cusco, represents the original Inca heartland. This breathtaking, steep-sided valley is cut by the Urubamba River (also called Vilcanota, or “sacred river,” in Quechua) and flattens at its base to a fertile agricultural plain. A tour of the valley’s scenery, … Read more
Sacred Valley of the Incas – Ollantaytambo
December 3rd, 2013 | Posted by in Peru | The Places We've Been - (2 Comments)The Sacred Valley of the Incas, roughly thirty kilometers as the crow flies north of Cusco, represents the original Inca heartland. This breathtaking, steep-sided valley is cut by the Urubamba River (also called Vilcanota, or “sacred river,” in Quechua) and flattens at its base to a fertile agricultural plain. A tour of the valley’s scenery, … Read more
Sacred Valley of the Incas – Pisac
December 1st, 2013 | Posted by in Peru | The Places We've Been - (1 Comments)The Sacred Valley of the Incas, roughly thirty kilometers as the crow flies north of Cusco, represents the original Inca heartland. This breathtaking, steep-sided valley is cut by the Urubamba River (also called Vilcanota, or “sacred river,” in Quechua) and flattens at its base to a fertile agricultural plain. A tour of the valley’s scenery, … Read more
Everyday Essentials: Cusco
November 29th, 2013 | Posted by in Dogs | Everyday Essentials | Peru | The Places We've Been - (4 Comments)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
Historic Center of Cusco
November 28th, 2013 | Posted by in Peru | The Places We've Been - (0 Comments)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
November 27th, 2013 | Posted by in Ecuador | Food | Peru | The Places We've Been - (3 Comments)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