I think I really baffled the minds of my friends and family and I’m sure I almost sent my mother into a comatose state when I told them I was moving to Peru on a whim back in December not knowing exactly what is was that I would be doing here. To be honest I really didn’t have a clue. I was dead set on immersing myself into another culture, but when it came down to choosing the “where” part, I did what any well-rounded, mature person would do and turned to the most reasonable solution; I pulled out my globe, spun it around with my eyes closed and pointed to my future country of residence. [Continue reading…]

When I decided to make the 5 hour bus ride to Ica for the second time this summer I expected to soak up the hot sun of the Huacachina oasis, take a refreshing dip in our flower-trimmed exotic pool after which I would then make my way through the lime green vineyards of the Tacama estate while sipping on a nice semi-seco vino tinto. No where in that itinerary did I expect to add visiting a witch town in the middle of no where. [Continue reading…]

Taking a taxi in Lima is not for the faint-of-heart. You really have to have a thick skin and an affinity for close calls to even get into one without cowering at the surrounding chaos of traffic. The fact that most of the seatbelts in these cabs don’t work or are missing altogether doesn’t help the matter much either. Aside from the unstable and ungoverned condition threatening the safety of traffic in Lima there is an equally pressing reason to take the road seriously in this city – taxi theft. [Continue reading…]

If you are going to live in Peru for a long period of time as a wandering outlander, you better well like it. However the life of a vagabond is not always full of adrenaline-rush-water-rafting-paragliding-mountain-climbing fun. I was warned by many fellow adventurous wayfarers before my Peruvian journey of the notorious traveller’s cycle in which we are eventually entangled into three distinct stages. First we are drawn into the romance of the honeymoon period where the novelty seduces our senses and our exploration of the country is full of endless possibilities. [Continue reading…]

This past Tuesday I thought I could outwit and outlast the dreaded altitude sickness or soroche, as it is known to the people of the Andes, for a lucky third time in a row when myself along with two new Karikuy volunteers climbed to Marcahuasi at a whopping 13,000ft. However in Tuesday’s struggle of me vs. nature, nature in all her glory got the best of me and won the battle. [Continue reading…]