Since I’ve come to Peru, I’ve seen the Andes rising through the clouds, the city of Cusco tucked between mountains, and defined by narrow, cobbled streets, vibrant with colored textiles—rugs, shawls, hats, bags—and busy with tourists wandering and wondering about its complex history. I’ve seen colonial cathedrals and Incan ruins—the giant boulders of Saksayhuaman, the […]
Since I’ve Come to Peru #3 Read More »
Since I’ve come to Peru, I’ve seen so many donkeys. Some working, some just standing around munching the after-harvest stubble. I like the shaggy ones because they don’t pretend to style. And I like the grey ones with prominent crossing stripes because they do. I’ve tasted the saltiest water on Earth. Warm, totally saturated with
Since I’ve Come to Peru #2 Read More »
In our last writing group today, we did an exercise to help begin to synthesize the experiences they’ve had over the past two weeks into a narrative that captures Peru. I’m going to post several of these as the closing entries in my Peru blog…thanks for coming along with me on this journey! This, from
Since I’ve Come to Peru #1 Read More »
This morning marked the final writing group for the Write, Travel, Transform trip to Peru. At this very moment, I’m watching my students, all of us crammed into the room at the top of the stairs at Casa San Blas. One thing about small boutique hotels like this one is that they rarely have meeting
The Last Writing Group Read More »
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.
The Streets of Cusco Read More »
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
And Did I Mention The Food? Read More »
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
The Weaving Collective Read More »
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
Early Morning Tourist Market, Aguas Calientes Read More »
(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
Machu Picchu – The Sun Gate Read More »
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
Machu Picchu Morning Read More »
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
Final Relaxation at Sach’a Munay Read More »
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
