In an effort to bring you some new voices on Ottsworld, here is a guest post from blogger Mark Whitman. Mark has hiked all over the world, and I asked him to write about one of the hardest hikes he’s done. He chose the Vilcabamba Trail to Machu Picchu – an alternative to the Inca […]
Read More About Peru Travel
Back to DestinationsFeeding the Masses in Puente Piedra
Three times every day, 50+ people sit down at wooden tables with colorful plastic plates piled high with food at Project Peru, the refuge my niece and I had been volunteering at outside of Lima for a week. I knew it was no easy process to put food on those plates every day, as kids […]
Building Homes in Las Laderas Peru
The hills of Las Laderas were brown and barren of trees, however they were dotted with little colorful cubes representing simple houses. Josue told me many of these houses built into the hills were filled with single mothers which immediately made my heart sink. The homes were very simple, some made of brick, some of […]
Project Peru
How do you find good, legitimate volunteering opportunities when you travel? I get this question all the time and like most things in life – it takes some work and some luck. When Megan said she wanted to spend some time volunteering abroad I was overjoyed. I was excited to do a volunteer project again […]
A Teenager’s View of Peru
Megan looked at me before she entered the little simple bathroom in our hotel guest house in Ollantaytambo to take a shower. She said in an unsure voice, “I really hope there’s hot water.” She then crossed herself as if she were going into Catholic mass and stepped inside. I was left doubled over giggling […]
It’s a Jungle Out There
“The tarantulas are out all night so they won’t care if we are running a bit late,” our amazon jungle guide responded when I asked him if we could move back our night jungle hike in order to watch the World Cup USA/Portugal game. I was actually surprised at his answer for two reasons. First, […]
Machu Picchu a Decade Later
I’m in the same place a decade later, sitting on the terraces of Machu Picchu. The scenery has the same awe-inspiring feel. And once again for the 2nd time I am left wondering ‘how did the Incas do that?’ as I gaze upon the stone architecture. There is a constant din of noise filling the […]
Inca Trail Alternate Route
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
“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
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 […]