Changing spoiled nappies. I wish I could churn poetic phrases to profoundly describe that day we stepped on ancient citadel Machu Picchu. But really, these three words perfectly summarize our trip to this mysterious 15th century Inca site above the Sacred Valley in Peru’s Cusco region. And well, basically, what I mostly remember about our…
peru
Fond Farewell To Pre-School Nomadism
33 countries under her teeny crocheted belt. Some people think that, for her age, it ain’t nothing but a number. Sure, she can’t remember all the country names (and never correctly pronounced most of them). She can’t remember the tens of airports she passed through (though the memory lingers briefly for she’s got a photographic…
The Brag Corner: UNESCO World Heritage Sites I’ve Visited
Photo Essay: Floating Islands Of The Uros, Lake Titicaca, Peru
What drives you to a far-flung land (or water)? A gripping tale delivered by a stranger you met ‘on the road’? A stunning snapshot that you can’t take out of your mind? A documentary that left you awe-inspired? A history or geography lesson that stuck with you? A cheeky souvenir from an old fling’s backpacking…
Photo Essay: The Monastery of Saint Catherine (El Monasterio De Santa Catalina), Arequipa, Peru
The silence was rather perturbing. Our daughter Luna must have felt the same, for she broke it the second we stepped in the deserted monastery. Her bawl traveled through alleys and bounced off multihued walls. The echoes greatly multiplied. A depiction of the property’s vastness. Over twenty thousand-square-meter-vast, to be more accurate. Hence it’s called…
Nazca Lines, Peru (Or Those Lines That The Hubby Thought Were Crop Circles)
“But it’s the Nazca Lines! How come you don’t wanna see it?!”, I was a bit embarrassed, quickly wiping my tears with the back of my hand so no one could notice. I imagined myself being a mistreated protagonist in a Mexicanovela, sans the big hair and off-shoulder peasant girl blouse. It was a chilly…
Paracas National Reserve, Peru: Images Of A Desolate Beauty
Just beautifully bleak. From where we were standing, the blanket of golden sands seemed endless. The balmy breeze that swept past every so often gave this tropical desert a less unforgiving aura. It was day 211 of our round-the-world trip, and we were on the second half of our Paracas tour. Earlier that day we…
2012 Year-Ender/World-Ender
Ahhh… 2012. You are an ebullient homage to wanderlust. Frankly, I am quite obsessed with your ruffled months. In fact it’s almost midnight and amid that end-of-the-world hullabaloo, here I am fondly sewing a patchwork of idyllic imagery to commemorate your flamboyance and purport. Now this may seem like a pathetic way of exiting the…
Islas Ballestas, Paracas, Peru: Penguins In The Wild
Paracas’ teensy port was bedlam, early Wednesday morn. Rows and rows of tourists, craning their necks to see which queue boards next, were uncontestably antsy. So was our toddler Luna. Poor thing was recovering from a fever. It was day 211 of our round-the-world trip, and she just turned sixteen months. Such milestone we were…
Round-The-World Vagabonding: Our Ten Fave Temporal “Homes”
A solar-powered guest studio in the middle of the forest, an artist’s cabin in a trailer park by the beach, and a Moroccan riad with an unobstructive view of a UNESCO World Heritage listed ksar… These are a few of our awesome accommodations during our 280-day round-the-world vagabonding. One night, one week, one month. It…