We ended up spending about 7 weeks in Peru. This was because of its size and attractions but also because we had pre-arranged the Inca-Trail trek months before leaving at the end of August which was the first available date we could get. We did take a short side trip to Copacabana, Bolivia but we … More Journey of Peru: In Review

As I write this I am sitting in a quaint little café in the center of Cusco feeling slightly less irrational and irritated than a few hours before. Jon and I were both really looking forward to this part of our trip where both my brother and Jon’s friend, Kyle would be joining us. Jon … More Journey of Cusco, Peru: The lesson of Bros before girlfriends and sisters too.

As we headed down into the ruins of Machu Picchu from Sun Gate the mist cleared and before us was Machu Picchu in all its mysterious glory. I can’t imagine getting my first glimpse of the magical city from any other view (the day trippers come up from under the site). As we headed deeper … More Journey of Machu Picchu: The big day

The third day was my favorite as far as scenery goes. We started out early at 6:00 with only a slight incline passing by more Inca Ruins, Sayaqmarka, a fortress perched on a mountain overlooking the valley. From there we made our way down, which is less aerobic than steep inclines but killer on the … More Journey of the Inca Trail: The most magnificent and grueling journey yet, Part 2

One of the highlights of our year-long journey was to hike the 4 day Inca Trail with my brother and Jon’s friend Kyle. This required a lot of planning as the trek had to be booked 5-6 months in advance due to its popularity and limit on number of people per day. I researched tons … More Journey of the Inca Trail: The most magnificent and grueling journey yet, Part 1

Puno sits on the impressive mirror-like Lake Titicaca 3,879 meters above sea level. The skies melt into the lake with white peaks dotted in the background. The lake is massive and extends from Peru to Bolivia. The Peru side is known for the unique floating islands. This was where we were headed for our first … More Journey of Puno, Peru: Floating islands and no service equals heaven

When we arrived in Arequipa on the overnight bus from Nasca, we learned that there had been a devastating earthquake that practically demolished a small town in Colca Canyon 3 hours away the previous evening. As a result we were able to feel a few of the aftershocks, which the locals say is no big … More Journey of Arequipa, Peru: Earthquakes and whitewater rafting in the white city

Jon and I stopped in Nasca for the night for the sole purpose of catching a glimpse of those famed lines our schoolteachers taught us about. When we arrived in the afternoon to our hotel we arranged a flight for the next day at 10:00 with a tour to see the lines up close the … More Journey of Nasca, Peru: Private airplane, of course!

Huacachina is a small desert oasis outside of the town of Ica that was originally established for Ica’s wealthy. It is literally just a small lagoon in the middle of the desert that a walkway with hotels and restaurants was built around leaving a portion open for a fine sand beach. The outside of the … More Journey of Huacachina, Peru: Sandboarding and wine tasting

Lima is a city of unique architecture, museums, and fantastic food all set in interesting neighborhoods. We, well mostly I, spent time checking out the neighborhoods, visiting several museums, and doing tours of the city. Jon joined me for some of it but as he put it we were spending 24-hours a day together, and … More Journey of Lima, Peru: Chicken hearts and pisco