Laura’s Blog

Tomorrow is the last full day of our trip. I’m feeling sad about it ending. More than half of our group will be going home—or on to other travels—on Tuesday, but eight of us will be continuing on to the Amazon, where there will be limited solar powered electricity and no Wi-Fi, hence no blogging. […]

Now that we’re in Cusco, the variety of restaurants is staggering. After writing class and before we set out on a walking tour of the city, we had lunch at Greens: An Organic Restaurant. The food was of the highest quality and the presentation gorgeous. Spring salad with roasted baby beets, grilled fennel, caramelized sweet

On our way to Cusco, we stopped in Chinchero to visit the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco, a cooperative established by a group of indigenous weavers in 1996 to preserve the ancestral textile that have been endangered by globalizing forces, racism and poverty. The CTTC “unites weaving communities to rescue, promote and spread traditional

Both of my parents loved to take me to see things get set up: markets, the circus, seeing things before they actually got underway. This morning, we had a couple of hours between breakfast and our departure on the train. I have done zero shopping on this trip and so Karyn and I headed out

(This is part II of a two-part post) After lunch, most of our group opted to take the bus back to Agua Calientes to shower, rest, shop, go the local museum or do whatever they wanted. But a hard-core group of eight of us (plus Brenda) who really like to hike had bought a second

Dear Mom, Today would have been your 90th birthday and it’s the day we’re going to Machu Picchu. I think it’s fitting because you were such a world traveler, always planning the next trip, always eager to regale everyone with your travel stories. But you never made it Peru. You never saw Machu Picchu, though

Before we head to Machu Picchu. Final guided meditation before we leave for Machu Pichu. Finally a few minutes of rest for the teacher. So sweet. A little tiny nap. Another napper. And two more. All aboard. Sweet lovely train. And amazing scenery all the way….tomorrow at 5 AM we leave for Machu Picchu. But

Our final night at Sach’a Munay, we had a traditional pachamanca dinner. Having never been to Peru before, I didn’t know what to expect, but we were told if we wanted to find out, that we should show up in an open space between the guest rooms and the office at the base of the

Tomorrow we leave Sach’a Munay and I’m sad to leave this sacred stunningly beautiful place that has been our group’s home for a week—and Karyn and I even longer. I’m really not ready to leave even though our next stop is Machu Picchu. After yoga class and writing class this morning, we had a free

Last chance to relax before class. Looking out the door of our writing room into the rain. Bonding over head scarves #1. Kim is sitting; Juliana is standing. Bonding over head scarves #2. Kim is sitting; Juliana is standing. Bonding over head scarves #3. Kim is sitting; Juliana is standing. Bonding over head scarves #4.

After our visit to the Sillacancha School the other day, we made a second stop—at the market in Calca. As we bounced along the road between one destination and the other, Funky Town blasted out of the radio up front. We passed cows and small shops. Corn fields rimmed the road, the mountains looming over

This morning we visited the children of Sillacancha School. There school has 120 students, from first grade through sixth. School runs from 8:30 to 1:30 each weekly. Many of these children started school late. Most live in high mountain communities, two to three hours from the school. Some board with family members who live close