¡TravelSickness!

Fruit Vendor

From a Western point of view, it’s a little strange finding that there are very few supermarkets in Peru. Actually as far as I can tell, there is not a single one in Cusco. None. That means no sliced bread, no Captain Crunch for breakfast, no packaged meats, no TV dinners… Basically none of the lovely western pre-packaged foods, junk food, and comfort items we depend on. Instead, there are little corner shops everywhere filled with fruits and vegetables, crusty bread, and pasta (just the basics), and most people do their day-to-day shopping at whichever is closest to his door. Any real shopping however, is done at the local mercado– Here you can find literally anything you might think you need; From souvenirs to toilet paper, toothbrushes to tea, a massive assortment of fruits and vegetables, fresh milk, eggs, and cheeses, herbs of all kinds (including Ayahuasca; brewed or not, San Pedro, Yopo, and Coca), dry grains by the kilo, meats (chopped, skinned, or even still alive), bread, alpaca wool, and whatever else you can possibly think of- you can probably find it there. If by chance you come up with something that isn’t on the shelves of one of the literally hundreds of vendors, just wave a few soles around and I bet within a few hours an industrious merchant will find it for you.

Continue reading

Cusco, Cuzco, Market, Mercado, Peru, South America

Lena catches a 'Bresson Moment', San Blas, Cusco

We have actually been pretty busy since our arrival here in Cusco (finding an apartment, working at school, two days sick…), and really haven’t had much time for the normal tourist activities… We have had a little bit of time to snap a few quick photos on our way from here to there though. At first glance, Cusco is a beautiful town filled with colonial churches, Inca walls, wonderful markets, street vendors, and beautiful plazas. I can’t wait to have some time to take the camera out for some real work- I think there are truly a lot of photographic possibilities to explore; especially as the Spanish (hopefully) improves and interactions become more intimate. Here’s a quick section of a few of my favorite photos from our first few days here… Lena’s Bresson-esque shot is my favorite.

Continue reading

Cusco, Cuzco, First Days, Peru, Photos, South America

Role Reversal

I thought this was a very appropriate and well executed piece… Even being a camera-toting gringo myself, I really loved it and have thought about it ever since every time I pull out my camera. I think that’s pretty effective street art; and just what street art should be.

Seen on the streets of San Blas, Cusco.

Continue reading

Art, Cusco, Cuzco, Graffiti, Painting, Peru, San Blas, South America, Street Art, Wall

Inconspicuous Entrance from the Street

A small room in the sky. The entire upper half of the walls is a facade of windows. We are above the whole city and have breathtaking views over the old town. At night we can see from the bed the glittering city below. All the little houses and streets, winding up the dark mountains, lit up in orange light. And in the morning we wake early with the sun. It's always summer in our little room in the sky, because the whole day the sun shines in. It keeps the room warm, so with this stored heat of the day it is a bit easier, to get by on still very cold Andean nights. A ceiling made of bamboo and elaborate decorations from plants brighten up the little room.

Continue reading

Apartment, Casa de Mama, Cusco, Cuzco, Peru, South America

Well, I admit this blog thing hasn’t been going so well lately… We have been far behind posting since we began. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, we now have to skip all of the United States roadtrip (perhaps to reappear at a later date, since there are a lot of stores to tell about that!) and try to write about some more recent endevors…

Fast forward two months…

* * * * *

Plaza de Armas at Night

Lima, Peru.

After months of planning and anxious anticipation, we finally arrived in Lima, red-eyed and tired from 18 hours of travel. The first task was to find a cab to take us to Miraflores in the south of the city, where two couchsurfers were hopefully waiting for us. Gringos fresh off the plane (and even worse, speaking almost no Spanish) made us prime targets for all kinds of scams, robberies, and general taking advantage of. We grabbed some cash from the ATM and headed outside to a mob of cabbies yelling and trying to bid for our patronage. I tried haggling a bit with a few of them, but we were so tired there wasn’t too much we could do- If we had another half hour to spare, we might have saved a few soles, but as it was, we were pretty happy just to find a bed that night…

Continue reading

Lima, Peru, Photos, South America, Travel

Well it’s pretty long overdue, but I’ve finally back-posted some of the photos (and a few videos too!) from the Summer Road Trip, including Burning Man… Take your time, there’s a lot there.

Part 1: New Mexico, Arizona, & Nevada
Part 2: Death Valley & Yosemite
Part 3: Burning Man
Part 4: San Francisco & Marin Headlands
Part 5: Northern California & Oregon
Part 6: Yellowstone & The Tetons
Part 7: Utah & Colorado

Continue reading

Road Trip, Summer, United States, Update

Grand Tetons National Park, WY – Canyonlands National Park, UT – Mesa Verde National Park, CO – Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO – New Orleans, LA

Evening Colors, Canyonland

Headed south from the Tetons we arrived back in summer, in southern Utah at Canyonlands National Park. We soaked up some sun, and stood on the edge of the world before moving on to Mesa Verde and the incredible Anasazi cliffside ruins there. Then, a quick stop at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in eastern Colorado before hitting the highway for the last few hundres miles back home to New Orleans.

Continue reading

Canyonlands National Park, Colorado, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Road Trip, Summer, United States, Utah

Portland, OR – Butte, MT – Yellowstone National Park, WY – Grand Teton National Park, WY

Mountain Homestead

Following Portland, we headed back east, over the continental divide and the Rockies. We found ourselves early the next morning in Butte, Montana, perhaps the most surreal stop of the whole journey (check the photos)… Then, we spent a few days in Yellowstone and got a taste of fall just around the corner. I think this was Lena’s favorite part of the trip, and she seemed to really love all the bubbling mud, geysers, and steam vents making noise all over the place. Plus, she was REALLY happy to know that buffalo still existed and that they hadn’t been hunted to extinction! Just south from Yellowstone we passed through the beautifully photographic Teton Range and into Grand Teton National Park where the aspens were already beginning to show their fall colors.

Continue reading

Butte, Grand Tetons National Park, Montana, Road Trip, Summer, United States, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park

Sausalito, CA – Humboldt Redwoods State Park, CA – Redwood National Park, CA – Portland, OR

Avenue of the Giants, Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Trees, trees, and more trees. That’s the story of Northern California. We visited the ‘Avenue of the Giants’ in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, home to some of the world’s tallest trees- California Coastal Redwoods. We also visited the Redwood National Forest, where recently the new World’s Tallest Tree has been found. The redwoods were incredible, and walking under them really made you feel so insignificant and tiny. They were inspiring and beautiful… This was definitely a highlight of the trip for me. Then we continued north to Portland, where we visited Travis and checked out his new house, and visited Portland’s Japanese Gardens.

Continue reading

California, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Northern California, Oregon, Portland, Redwood National Forest, Redwoods, Road Trip, Summer, United States