Clik here to view.
Q&A Part 1
Many of my faithful readers (okay, friends) have asked questions about our day-to-day lives. This post will answer that burning question on everyone’s mind: ”Matt works, Olga cleans your house, what...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Unexpected Adventure
The beauty about living in Peru is that we have plenty of time to see and explore to our hearts’ content. As a result, we can deviate from our plans knowing that there will be another time to see or...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Throwing Culinary Caution to the Wind
Sunday afternoon Matt and I returned to Baños after spending the afternoon in Cajamarca and discovered a festival in our town square. We checked it out and deduced that it had something to do with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Back to the Baños Bash
The party has continued all week here in Baños, and every day we are surprised by the latest happenings. More vendors arrive daily although the newcomers have brought cheap clothes, jewelry,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Packers Party in Peru
What a weekend: Torch Festival, More Baños Bash, House Party, School APAFA (PTO) Fundraiser and Packers Party! Good thing I am leaving for the States today for the wedding of our dear friends, Angela...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Off to the Fongal
Cajamarca is the dairy region of Peru, so we Wisconsinites feel right at home. There are a lot of cheese shops although to our amusement the large grocery store also sells Crystal Farms cheeses (not...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Chief Cries in Cajamarca
Remember the crying Indian Chief in the Public Service Advertisement in the 70s for the Keep America Beautiful campaign? He paddled his canoe through a garbage-strewn river, passed industries spewing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Vacation Part I – Pisco
While my life is an endless vacation, Matt had his first vacation last week. Because we are saving Machu Picchu, the main Peruvian attraction for when we have visitors, we decided to head south to the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Vacation Part II – Huacachina
After our wine/pisco tours, Guillermo and Patricia deposited us at our hotel in Huacachina, which is an oasis a few miles from the city of Ica. I have read varying accounts of the legend surrounding...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Vacation Part III – Nazca Lines
“Please don’t puke, please don’t puke.” That was my mantra as our Cessna 207 took off for our flight over the Nazca* Lines, the highlight of our fantastic vacation. The Nazca Lines are ancient sand...
View ArticleClik here to view.
RIP Nazca Mummies (Vacation Part IV)
After our flight over the Nazca lines, we toured the Chauchilla Cemetery, the Nazca’s final resting place that dates back to 200-900 AD. The preservation techniques used by the Nazca, together with the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
To the Beach (Vacation Part V)
We left the dunes of Huacachina and hit the beach, specifically, Paracas, which is where Limeños (folks from Lima) go for a beach vacation. We were at the beach but still in a desert, which just...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Birds and the Beach (Vacation Part VI)
The two main draws for tourism in Paracas are the Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve, and neither was a disappointment. The Ballestas Islands, dubbed the “poor man’s Galapagos,” are a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tambo Colorado (Vacation Part VII – Final Site)
First, my apologies for the lack of posts in the past few weeks. We went out of town (stayed tuned for posts on Huanchaco and Truijillo), I painted our bedroom (never again) and we have had more...
View ArticleClik here to view.
1st Communion, Peruvian Style
“We’re going to the first communion this weekend,” Matt said when he came home from school one night. “Okay, whose first communion?” I asked. Having been to plenty of first communions in the States,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why I Flunked NaNoWriMo
I initially thought I flunked NaNoWriMo* because I have perfected the art of procrastination. Just ask my college roommate who watched me furiously write my senior thesis in about two weeks after...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy Thanksgiving
I love Thanksgiving. It falls around my birthday so the 4-day weekend always feels like a special birthday present. I come from a family of great cooks and the Thanksgiving menu has evolved over the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Another Sunday, Another Beautiful Walk in the Country
Matt, Mistina and I set off for Llacanora on Sunday afternoon with the goal of finding the waterfalls near the town. Matt and I had previously embarked on this trip but were sidetracked by the cave...
View ArticleClik here to view.
DIY – What Was I Thinking?
As part of my mission to make our Peruvian house a home, a bedroom makeover was top of the list. Here is why. Clash of the Colors The duvet cover was ours, but the rest of the room was this hideous...
View ArticleClik here to view.