Avoiding Winter

On a little hike from the small town of Ollantaytambo, in the heart of the Sacred Valley (best known for being the gateway to Macchu Picchu), we came upon one of the dime a dozen ruins that are found here, but this one was inhabited. There were two ancient looking buildings, partially crumbled, overlooking the Urubamba River with a view of the Ollantaytambo architectural site on the other bank. Next to the two ancient buildings was a lean-to with a corrugated tin roof. The first sign of occupancy was a full clothesline of colorful clothes flapping in the misty breeze. Then a baby’s cry. Then a chicken scampering through the grass. We didn’t continue to walk much closer in order to respect their privacy (and protect ourselves from any trespasser-trained dogs), but we continued up the trail overlooking their home. We saw that they had planted beautiful, neat rows of flowers (hydrangeas and geraniums, maybe), they had a garden and a corn field recently burned and ready for replantin...

Having only experienced two large South American cities so far, I can only conduct a very limited comparison. However, in said limited experience, Quito and Lima are very, very different. Much more different than I would have expected. Let’s start with pollution : it probably has more to do with the sea breeze vs. cool, falling mountain air, but Lima feels much more breathable than Quito to me. Both will ultimately probably give you a case of black lung if you stick around too long, judging from the black filth stuck in the vent of the dehumidifier in our Lima apartment, but Lima at least smells like it’s killing you slower. Next - style . Quitoans seemed to wear a lot of dark colors, no shorts, and lots of Andean traditional clothing. Limenos, on the other hand, are a bit more liberal with their sartorial flare. Again, this is not the cleanest of studies: we’ve got coastal vs. mountain variations at play. But I certainly feel a bit more comfortable with the range of expression that...

From my hostel window in Huaraz, I have one of the best views of Andean Peruvian life I could ask for. If there is a silver lining in having a cold while traveling, it’s windows like this, where you are best suited to spend hours on end as part of a necessity-induced recovery scheme. At least watching the wildly busy world of Huaraz go on from the 3rd floor lessens my FOMO. My window is wonderfully placed right above the central Mercado of Huaraz, quite possibly one of the busiest street corners in this city. Mercado Central de Huaraz, from my window; morning, pre-craziness I hear: - hawkers selling their products, announcing them either with their old school analog voices, or augmented with scratchy, low quality loud speakers “Huevos - ocho soles por palete”! - quick little honks, constantly, from the taxis and Colectivos looking for passengers, and from the electric rickshaws that are a dime a dozen here - whistling as traders make deals across corners, waving each other o...