• Cusco,  Machu Picchu,  Peru,  South America

    Machu Picchu: Hiking my way through the Salkantay

    “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”– Greg Anderson The Backdrop It’s time for the apex, the highlight, the grand finale of a trip to Peru.  Especially for what has turned into a mont of full blown TREKKING for me. Machu Picchu. I always planned to stop at this most famous of Peruvian sites.  And I always knew I wasn’t going to be one of those tourists taking the train from Cusco for a day trip.  No, I was hiking there.  The only question was which route to take. As my travels wear on, my itinerary is getting more…

  • Arequipa,  Cusco,  Peru,  Puno,  South America

    Around Peru in 7 Days: Arequipa, Puno, and Rainbow Mtn

    “Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” -Benjamin Disraeli Finishing Strong I have but a few precious weeks left in South America.  In July I head back to US for a short break between continents.  I’m trying not to think about it.  I don’t want to leave.  There are still so many things I want to do, and things I haven’t yet seen. This deadline has put me in traveling overdrive. I’m fighting my personal tendencies to exhaust myself.  This is supposed to be a break, a travel sabbatical.  Not full time tourist employment.  But with my pending continental…

  • Huaraz,  Peru,  South America

    Trekking Love: The Santa Cruz Trail in Peru

    “The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them.” – Amelia E. Barr Huaraz After leaving Lima I took a night bus 8 hours north to the town of Huaraz.  I arrived at 5:30 in the morning, exhausted, and ready to hike.  Huaraz sits in central/northern Peru, is surrounded by the Andean mountains, and is more than 3,000 meters above sea level.  It’s a few hours drive from Huarascán National Park.  Within this park resides the peaks of the Cordillera Blanca range and Peru’s tallest mountain, Huarascán at 6,758 meters. Visiting trekkers have no shortage of choices here.  You can opt…

  • Bogota,  Colombia,  LIma,  Peru,  South America

    Hitting the Capitals – Bogotá and Lima

    “Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” – Lawrence Block Bogota When I arrived in Bogotá, I remember sitting in a cab driving from the airport thinking “I’m going to like it here much more than I thought.” I didn’t initially want to go to Bogotá.  After Panama City, Medellin, and Cartagena I was about done with high rise buildings and crowded streets.  Big cities wear me out.  For those of you crying hypocrite – yes, I’m aware that I have always been an urbanite by residence.  But traveling is different.  My favorite globe-trotting moments usually involve …

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