Doing the Camino de Santiago Your Way The little nagging fear about embarking on a pilgrimage is, at least in my case, that everyone else on the trail will be a whole lot more religious than I am. So it…
Slacking the Saint James
19 search results for "machu picchu"
Convenience in Cusco
Our stay in room 114 at the San Agustin International is short and functional. In Peru to see Machu Picchu, we stay in Cusco a couple of nights after our great adventure on the mountain. After a couple of pisco…
A Romantic Dinner in Cusco
By the last evening of our whirlwind adventure in Peru, the Brawny Sherpa and I are running short on time and energy—despite our new affection for coca tea and our hopes of entering a time warp to extend our brief…
Taxis around the World: Peru
There are so many ways to see a city, on foot, on bicycle, via taxi ride. Some interesting vehicles for hire are pictured in an occasional Taxis around the World series. Here, a three-wheeled vehicle in Pisac, Peru. — Lori…
Peruvian Effigy
A little disconcerting to this North American visitor are the colorful effigies hanging from trees and lampposts in southern Peru. The Brawny Sherpa and I are in Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu at the end of February, when…
The Worst Sorts of Falls
Contemplating Colonialism, Missionaries, Politics, Priests Fresh from a trip to Peru, I watch The Mission, a 1986 film about missionaries in South America and their efforts to convert indigenous people to Christianity. Starring Jeremy Irons as a nonviolent priest and…
Leading a Farm-to-Table Life in Peru: A Sustainability Conundrum
Is True Sustainability Sustainable? I equate striving for sustainability—the practice of not depleting the Earth’s resources—with achieving a certain harmony. On my way to Machu Picchu, I can’t help but observe how the indigenous people in Peru live. The distance…
In Praise of Pachamama
Experience the tranquility of a session with a shaman in Peru, in praise of pachamama, or Mother Earth
To Peru in a Whirlwind
Overthink, and You May Never See Machu Picchu Is Peru safe for tourists? While sipping some coca tea in a small shop in Pisac, I finally have a moment to rest—having taken two planes and a bus ride to get…