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Monday Moment: Violence Near Cusco, Peru
I heard this story of violence near Cusco, Peru this weekend and I have struggled as to whether I should share it or not. I worry that stories of scams, petty robberies, and violence will be the nail in the coffin to those who are already nervous about travelling. That perhaps people will decide not [...]
Continue reading...Monday Moment: Potato Ladies, Near Colca Canyon, Peru
1. July 2012
Sitting in the square of the small town Cabanaconde, we waited for the start of our Colca Canyon trek. It was a quiet, hot day and we longed to get started so we could reach the much cooler bottom of the canyon. Across the way a potato market was underway. Traditionally dressed women sold their [...]
Continue reading...Monday Moment: The Longest Parade In The World, Cuzco, Peru
2. April 2012
We left our hostel at 8am heading to the Plaza de Armas to get a good look at the costumed paraders as they started. The parade had already begun by the time we got down to the square but we needn’t have worried that we missed too much as it turned out that the parade [...]
Continue reading...Monday Moment: Inca Trail, Peru
31. October 2011
Cresting Dead Womans Pass on the five day Inca Trail Trek in Peru is definitely one of the highlights of our RTW trip. We had planned our entire itinerary around being in Peru in the right season and had booked the trek months in advance to secure a spot on the very popular trail. Being [...]
Continue reading...What Goes Up Must Go Down: Colca Canyon Trek
23. July 2009
We start the Colca Canyon trek descent in the early afternoon. A dusty, rocky, steep trail that switchbacks down the 1000 meters to the bottom. One thousand meters…that’s one kilometer straight down. After climbing the heights of Dead Woman’s Pass on the Inca Trail, there was nowhere to go but down…to the bottom of the [...]
Continue reading...Lake Titicaca
19. July 2009
When Jason first saw Lake Titicaca on the map of Peru all those months ago, he giggled like a schoolboy and said that we had to go there. It definitely has a name that makes us all laugh and the joke is not lost on the locals. The lake is shared by Peru and Bolivia…Peru [...]
Continue reading...How To Just Let Things Happen In Puno
14. July 2009
I’d heard that Puno was the asshole of the earth. People said ‘don’t stay there, just head to the islands’. I figured it couldn’t be that bad. We took a tourist tour bus from Cusco to Puno. On board was a guide who explained all the sights along the way. We stopped at four historical/cultural [...]
Continue reading...Machu Picchu
11. July 2009
The history of Machu Picchu is a mystery. Was it where the great Incan Pachacutec instructed his people to hide during the Spanish invasion? Was it the great economic center of the Incan culture? Or was it built as a prison to house those that had committed heinous crimes? In it’s current state it is [...]
Continue reading...Inca Trail Trek
9. July 2009
Having not done much trekking in my life, I can’t say where the Inca Trail Trek rates in terms of difficulty. What I can say is that with a porter to customer ratio of 1.4 porters for every customer (plus a chef and two guides), I have to think that this might be on the [...]
Continue reading...The Porters of El Camino Inka
7. July 2009
I can hear them well before the sun rises. They are up breaking camp, preparing for the day, making us breakfast. They each carry 25 Kg on their backs over the same trail that I struggle to negotiate. They leave after we leave, pass us on the trail, and arrive at camp before us. They [...]
Continue reading...Playing Fair While Learning Spanish
5. July 2009
It’s easy to find a Spanish school in Cusco, they are a dime a dozen. It’s more difficult to find one that offers a great program, is flexible, and gives back to the community. We found that, and more, at FairPlay. Run by John, a Dutch fellow, and his Peruvian wife, FairPlay is a not-for-profit [...]
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Travellers. Giant-Steppers. Serial Expats.
Hi! We're Gillian and Jason. In January 2013 we left our 'home and native land' for untold adventures in far away lands. Our plan is loose at best; our only goals are freedom and happiness. Follow along as we make, and tell, our stories.
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7. January 2013
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