Throughout my four months in Ecuador and Peru there was always Machu Picchu looming in the distance as an ending bookmark to compliment my exploration …
Colonial Cusco
Cusco is one of the best preserved Spanish colonial cities I’ve seen in Latin America. There are numerous streets and alleys around its Plaza de …
The Depths of Colca Canyon and the White City of Ariquepa
Colca Canyon
I had a chance to do a three day trek through the Colca Canyon near Arequipa. With a depth of about 1000 to …
The Many Flavors of Lima
Peru is one of the most biologically and climatically diverse countries in the world. That is also reflected in Lima’s culinary scene; it’s now considered one …
Huaraz – Gateway to the Peruvian Andes
Huaraz is not a particularly distinctive city. Its uniqueness is in its proximinity to a vast array of day hikes and treks into the surrounding …
The Peruvian Coast
I visited three cities on the Peruvian coast: Mancora, Huanchaco and Trujillo. Near Trujillo and Huanchaco are some large pre-Incan ruins from the Moche and …
Amazon Redux in Peru
I had a wonderful experience visiting the Amazon Basin in Ecuador last month. Now that I was in Peru, I thought I should do the …
Healthy Vilcabamba and Cultural Loja
Vilcabamba
Vilcabamba is a village in the southern Andes of Ecuador with about 1,000 people in the village and another 3,200 in the surrounding valley. …
The Calm City of Cuenca
Cuenca is Ecuador’s third largest city, but it feels worlds away from Quito or Guayaquil. Cuenca sits at 2560 meters (8,400) feet high in a …
Exploring the Amazon in Ecuador
The Amazon rainforest covers over 2 million square miles. It’s estimated that it contains over 20% of all higher plant species on Earth, about 20% …