Inca Trail Alternate Route

September 11, 2014 22 Comments »

alternate sun gate Peru

Taking the Inca Trail through the Sun Gate to Machu Picchu seems to be on everyone’s bucket list these days. The problem is that not everyone can go on the Inca Trail (even if you plan it months in advance) as there are only 200 tourist permits given out a day for the trail. If […]

Into Thin Air with a Teenager

September 3, 2014 7 Comments »

Andes trek

“I’ve lost my desire to Snap Chat,” Megan proclaimed weakly. Now I knew I had a serious issue on my hands. Actually I knew it was rather serious the night before when she lay in the tent napping after our first day of hiking and her breathing would all of a sudden get rapid and […]

New Perspectives in the Sacred Valley

August 26, 2014 3 Comments »

The man with the wooden flute plays a joyful high-pitched tune; the same few bars of notes over and over again. He is dressed in multi-color clothes, a warm woolen hat, and is accompanied by another man beating out the time on his little drum. The gro We simply follow the music as if he […]

Bumpy Beginnings Niece Project 3.0

August 19, 2014 11 Comments »

“Wait a minute, I don’t have my backpack.” Megan said as she searched around the back section of the car where the other 3 bags were. Frank, her father, was driving us to the airport and had just remarked “We’ll be there with plenty of time” as we merged onto the freeway towards the airport. […]

The Niece Project Version 3.0

May 15, 2014 11 Comments »

jump

Summer is about here – and it means kids will be on summer vacation – AND it means that another Niece Project is in motion! I’m starting to wonder if each niece is trying to ‘outdo’ the other. Considering we have some of the same genes, I can completely understand the desire to go further […]

Travel Charms

November 19, 2013 12 Comments »

evil eye

I’ve been traveling for 7 years, and thanks to a little luck, I’ve had relatively few bad luck experiences. Sure, I’ve experienced some issues – luggage delayed a number of times, flights canceled, items stolen, faulty gear, and illnesses. But none of these things were ever really serious or horrible. Not like my friend Charlie’s […]

Faking It

April 9, 2013 9 Comments »

Museum of fakes

Sometimes, I feel like I’m one of those people living in the US for 20+ years and they still don’t speak English – yet they somehow get by. I used to look at them and wonder how that was possible. How can the old woman in Chinatown get through each day without really knowing what’s […]

Argentina Food Tour for Meat Lovers

April 2, 2013 1 Comment »

argentina food tour

It’s 11:30PM, you are drinking Malbec and socializing with friends across a long table.  The noise is deafening – but it’s the noise of joy, fun, and laughter that only friends can share.  Your waitress brings out a big plate of sizzling meat and sets it in the middle of the table with a cloud […]

Argentina Glacier Photography

March 29, 2013 16 Comments »

Earlier this week I wrote all about the two famous glacier treks you can do in Argentina/Patagonia.  One of my favorite things about trekking Perito Moreno and Viedma glaciers were the views and perspective you had on the ice.  You can’t really appreciate the sheer size and power of a glacier until you walk on […]

Mate Manners

March 28, 2013 5 Comments »

mate drink

The Cebador hands me the cuia, I pause for a moment and think about everything I have learned. I slowly extend my right hand looking him in the eyes and giving him a slight nod. I take the first drink from the bombilla careful not to move it around but instead let it sit stiffly […]