Travel Diaries: The South America Lessons Learned
Posted May 7, 2013 / By Tiffany / 0 Comments
Every time I come back from a long trip (okay, I’ve only done two in my life, but STILL), I’ve found solo traveling to be a great time for reflection and realizations. Each trip has had its own themes. My first trip to Southeast Asia was all about learning how to live in the moment, accept …
The Bolivia (and Peru) Travel Diaries: Links, Links, and More Links…
Posted March 30, 2013 / By Tiffany / 0 Comments
So I have a confession to make: I actually have two travel blogs/diaries. One is for myself personally (this one), which allows me to be fully honest and rant and rave about not only my travels, but my personal life. And the other one is for the general public and people interested in travel (as …
Puno Pt. II: Back to Puno
Posted January 28, 2013 / By Tiffany / 1 Comment
The next day, we woke early to a traditional breakfast of bread, butter, mate tea and a pancake. Ernesto brought out his English-Spanish book and I got a chance to work with him on his English, which was another great experience. It’s definitely best when these visits become more of an exchange than a one-sided …
Puno, Part I: From Vicunas to Floating Islands
Posted January 21, 2013 / By Tiffany / 0 Comments
When I first arrived at my hostel in Arequipa, I often wondered why some of the other hostel guests would sit around and watch movies in the common areas or be on the internet during the day. And then I realized: while Arequipa was a beautiful city, there’s frankly not that much to do around …
Arequipa: A Throwback to Colonial Times
Posted January 19, 2013 / By Tiffany / 0 Comments
Arequipa is HELLA different from Cusco. While Cusco was cold, rainy and surrounded by Incan temples and sites, Arequipa has a warmer climate, is very modern, and is hella Eurpoean-ish. Colonial-style buildings, new department stores, and giant churches dominate the area around the Plaza de las Armas. The main thing that tourists do around Arequipa …
Peru Travel Diaries: Cusco to Arequipa
Posted January 15, 2013 / By Tiffany / 0 Comments
(Sorry in advance, this is probably going to be boring. As my semi-public travel journal, I try to recapture all my travel memories out here for my own enjoyment and nostalgia) Everyone left the morning after Machu Picchu to go to Lima before heading back to the states. I stayed in Cusco since I planned …
Part II: Machu Picchu – Realizations from New Year’s Day
Posted January 10, 2013 / By Tiffany / 0 Comments
Okay, let me back up this story a lil bit. To give a little context to our trek: the Inca Trail – or “el Camino Inka” – was the path the Inca (kings) used to make the journey to Machu Picchu. Along the trail, they built different fortresses or sites along the way for various …
Part I: Machu Picchu is not to be taken lightly
Posted January 5, 2013 / By Tiffany / 0 Comments
The idea of taking a two month trip to South America began last winter when Penny put an email out to all of her friends, asking who wanted to hike to Machu Picchu for New Years Day 2013. I had just returned from my 5 week trip to Southeast Asia and LOVED my travels, so …
Days 1 – 8: On Traveling (Peru is not Southeast Asia)
Posted January 2, 2013 / By Tiffany / 3 Comments
Okay, so I obviously know that South America isn’t Southeast Asia. As a traveler, however, I did expect certain things that just aren’t true out here: Even though it’s summer here in Peru, it’s not warm. It’s San Francisco cold. It’s starting to rain right now as I type this in my hostel’s outdoor cafe. …