tales of wander
Peru
2008 World Nomads Book of Travels
World Nomads has published their very first book—a collection of journal entries and photographs from people like me. In fact, a part of my journal was selected to be in the book. To find out more, see: http://journals.worldnomads.com/travel-competitions/post/18878.aspx To buy the book, go to: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/256976 Happy travels!
Saying goodbye
Has it been a month already? Amidst a swirl of activity—of sightseeing, volunteering, and the buzz of day-to-day living—the time has flown by and already feels like a dream. After a month in Peru, I find the prospect of leaving bittersweet. There are things that I dearly miss about home. Friends and family notwithstanding, I … Continue reading
The last day of school
Today was the last day at the Pumamarca school for many of us volunteers. Knowing this would be the last time that I would see the school and the children (for now, anyway), I was plagued by a feeling of melancholy from the moment I woke up in the morning. I taught my English class … Continue reading
The Inca trail to Machu Picchu
Day 1 The day of our Inca Trail trip had finally arrived. The first day began in the Sacred Valley about 40 minutes outside of Ollantaytambo where there is a checkpoint at which you present your ticket and your passport. This may sound a little odd, but the Inca Trail is a UNESCO World Heritage … Continue reading
Building a home
Today we had a full day working at the school at our various duties (for me, that meant English grades 5 & 6, then assisting with hygiene), and then we went to work on Hernan´s house. For those of you who are actually reading all of these entries, you might remember Hernan from the entry … Continue reading
The food in Peru, part 2
So maybe the idea of alpaca steaks, alpaca diane, and alpaca carpacchio was too much to endure. If so, perhaps you´ll find cuy—another regional favorite—more palatable, no? I took this photo outside of Pisac when we stopped at a traditional chicha house where the hostess not only had a whole pen full of cuy, but … Continue reading
A trip to Puno and Lake Titicaca
I just returned last night from a long weekend in Puno and Lake Titicaca with two other volunteers, Genelle and Claudine. It was a little vacation from vacation, if you will. A week ago a meteorite crash-landed outside the city of Puno and soon thereafter locals complained of headaches, nausea, and vomiting—ostensibly from gases emitted … Continue reading
A home visit
The other day we conducted our first home visit. A home visit is when the volunteers, along with Ginny and Iris (the organization´s social worker), visit a home in the Pumamarca village to check on their progress. These are typically families who have been (or are) in crisis for any number of reasons—poor health of … Continue reading
A home visit
The other day we conducted our first home visit. A home visit is when the volunteers, along with Ginny and Iris (the organization´s social worker), visit a home in the Pumamarca village to check on their progress. These are typically families who have been (or are) in crisis for any number of reasons—poor health of … Continue reading
When food poisoning isn’t merely food poisoning
Sometimes food poisoning isn´t merely food poisoning when it´s…well, you´ll see. After three days of illness, Ginny (our volunteer coordinator) took me and two other sick volunteers to see a doctor in Cuzco—someone the organization trusts and works with regularly. Dr. Victor works in a tiny, single-room, glass-fronted office between a hair salon and an … Continue reading
tales of wander 