Mar 4, 2020 - What to Keep in Mind When Considering a Gap Year

As the pressures and costs of high school and college have increased, more students have felt the need to take a gap year after their high school graduation. Some choose to travel the world if they have the means, while others volunteer or work to save enough money to go to college. If you are considering a gap year before attending a four-year college, you are not alone. However, you should keep the following recommendations in mind when deciding how to spend your gap year. Keep Your Digital Profile Clean Employers and schools constantly...

Feb 21, 2020 - 6 Must-Haves for an Extreme Vacation

You've planned and prepared, and finally it's here--the incredible vacation you've worked so hard on. You've coordinated activities, reserved spots and now it's time to pack your bags. If you've scheduled a lot of rigorous adventures for your trip, there are certain essentials you should take along on the journey so that everything goes off without a hitch. Here are six must-haves you don't want to find yourself without on an extreme vacation. Waterproof Gear Nothing can ruin a hike or outing faster than a downpour you're not prepared for....

Feb 20, 2020 - Healthy, Varied, & Delicious Costa Rican Cuisine

If you're heading to Costa Rica, then I am sure you’re looking forward to feasting your eyes on the lush tropical landscapes and beautiful beaches. But you’re bound to do some literal feasting, too, which is excellent news considering the tastiness and variety of Costa Rican cuisine. As in many societies, food plays a central role in Costa Rican culture. This means their traditional dishes have developed from generations of meticulous taste-testing and improvement. In typical Latin American style, rice and black beans form the cornerstone...

Feb 18, 2020 - Were To Go During Your Gap Year

There comes a point in everyone’s life when they question what to do next. For many, this coincides with graduation from high school. You’re considered an adult for the first time in your life and are required to make decisions about your future that you may or may not be ready for. There are the lucky few that decide in kindergarten what they want to be when they grow up and their determination to achieve it never waivers, but if you’re not one of those people, this milestone can be one of the most terrifying times in your young life. You...

Jan 9, 2020 - Port of Salaverry/City of Trujillo

Today is Thursday January 9. We are settling into a routine - gym, coffee, eat, tour or lecture, eat, nap, read, eat. Very nice! Today we're still off the coast of Peru. Salaverry is a port located near the city of Trujillo. The city is rich with colonial architecture and very important archaeological centers of the pre-Inca era. It is Peru's third largest city. And it was once the home of Simon Bolivar. Bolivar liberated much of northern South America from the rule of Spain in 1819. What was very, very interesting is that the Inca's were...

Jan 8, 2020 - Lima, Peru

The weather is partly sunny and 78 degrees. There's a breeze blowing and it's very pleasant in Lima, Peru. El Callao is the port of the city. It was founded by Spanish colonists in 1537, just two years after Lima. It soon became the main port for Spanish commerce in the Pacific. At the height of Spanish occupation, virtually all goods produced in Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina were carried over the Andes Mountains by mule to Callao, to be shipped to Panama, carried overland and then transported on to Spain via Cuba. Our tour guide on the bus...

Oct 21, 2019 - Birding, Overlook, Sillustani tombs, farm visit, airport

Cindy had the curtains open to try to get pictures of the night sky and, hopefully, the Milky Way. She wasn't so successful with that, but she got a great sunrise picture! I was up for breakfast at 7 AM then birding with Kike at 8 down by the river. Cindy saw her many-colored rush tyrant. I saw little birds, but wasn't so successful with pictures. I was happy to see both the male and female flicker this morning, some doves, and a cute little bird. After a leisurely morning, checkout was at noon with lunch to follow. We went by bus in the...

Oct 20, 2019 - Floating islands on the lake

After breakfast, we walked down from the hotel to an enclosed tourist boat to see the floating islands in a bay near us. We were greeted by members of a family living on an island, and they explained how the islands are built. At the end of the rainy season, the roots of the tall reeds float! The people cut the roots into cubes and transport them to their island to either replace old ones or add on to their island or build a completely new one. They have to tie the cubes back together, then lay reeds on top of the roots. So, the roots are 6...

Oct 19, 2019 - Journey to Lake Titicaca

Another very early morning. Debby got up with us and saw us off on the bus. She will be spending the day with Percy by visiting a llama zoo before her trip to Lima and then to Chicago, via Miami. I will be rooming with Cindy for the last couple of night. We took a van actually to the bus station and made up half of the seating. Our first stop was at a church called the Sistine Chapel of the Andes in Andahualillas. It has a lot of gold leaf covering the items. The next stop was at another church where we couldn't take pictures again. I wish...

Oct 17, 2019 - bus ride to Cusco

I treated myself to a long hot shower this morning. After breakfast, we boarded a bus and visited the Maras Salt mines where families own and care for a pentagon-shaped pool with water that flows from a salt spring. They changed the rules so we didn't get up close and personal to see a demonstration of mining the salt - Percy explained it and again I couldn't understand him. The next stop was in Chincheros where we went into a big shop and learned the process of weaving, from cleaning wool to dying it to spinning it to preparing skeins, to...

Oct 16, 2019 - grounds of Hotel, train back to Ollantaytambo

Some went back to Machu Picchu to do some hiking, and some stayed back to explore the trails of the hotel. Kathleen had to have doctors come take care of her today. She got a shot, pills, and electrolytes. Still on a bland diet. We found the plaza, as we called it, and watched some hummingbirds at the feeders. Then we walked down the main path that led to the path to see the speculated bear they have in captivity, but we didn't go further because you need to pay and have one of their guides take you. We did see where they grew and made...

Oct 15, 2019 - Machu Picchu!

The 1.5 hour train ride is scenic ride if you are on the right side! It follows the Urobamba River. The only way into Aguas Caliente is by train, so there are no cars or tuk tuks there! It is built on the hillside and is made up of stores, restaurants, and a few hotels. We stayed at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. Rooms were in different buildings on the hillside. Debby & I got a room at the edge of things without a view. She wasn't impressed. It's okay because we wouldn't be staying in the room much anyway. Kathleen has gotten...