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Welcome to Perú: April 19 – 30
Cusco, the city of the Incas, the cultural capital of Perú. At 3400 meters above sea level (11,300ft) it sits, spread across a shallow valley: a sea of terracotta roofs at the center; on the outskirts...
View Articleuna aventura mas: days 1-13
The taxi hurtled downhill toward the abuelita and her flock. Sheep scatter and pigs struggle to waddle out of the way. Too late, the driver applies the brakes, and ka-thud-du-kahdada - one of the...
View Articledrink the water II
Jesus and I left Iquitos on the Eduardo VI, a posh(er) version of the Jeisawell, more crowded, less quaint. We weren’t the only tourists this time, though we were the only two sleeping in hammocks in...
View ArticleFilipino BBQ
While in Canada last month, Jeni and I were invited to a barbeque at her roommate Mia’s parents’ house. “We have to go, Susan. This isn’t any old backyard barbeque. This is a Filipino barbeque!” It...
View ArticleSusan’s next adventure – and first real writing job!
I’m planning a trip back to Peru in March and April, this time not just for fun, but with a purpose. I’m going to be working for a non-profit organization (Awamaki) based in Ollantaytambo, a small...
View Article¡Radio Felicidad!
Feliciana likes to turn the radio on while she cooks lunch in the early afternoon. Today is Sunday, no school day, and Camila and I sat on tiny wooden stools in the doorway, flipping through her older...
View Articleto be read to the tune of pink floyd’s “animals”
I’m wondering if I name my fleas, if we can come to an accord in which they stop sucking my blood. I’ve killed one, and spotted another, but it got away. They can’t be squished. They have to actually...
View ArticleThe Birthday Party
Tia Maria turned 47 yesterday. Tia (Aunt) Maria is Feliciana’s sister, and runs a local food-and-lodging establishment and internet café. Unlike the one-year-old birthday party for Maria’s...
View ArticleDon’t Sweep the Walls – or – Things in Peru are Different
The most social place in any house is the kitchen. In this, at least, my Peruvian homestay was like any other home in the world. Life happened while meals were being cooked. It was the specific details...
View ArticleWith a stomach full of mate
Yerba mate (MAH-tay): the bitter herb of southern Chile and Argentina is packed into a dried gourd, leather pouch, or tin cup, steeped in hot water, and drunk out of a metal straw. It’s the drink of...
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