There are 457 blog posts for you to enjoy.
Sicuani, Perú: Heavy History, Light Tourism
May 2, 2026
Sicuani, Perú — population about 58,000. Elevation: 3,549 meters (11,643 ft). The area has been inhabited since Inca times. Later, Spanish conquistadors took control and incorporated it into the colonial system. The climate here is on the cold side. During the dry season, nighttime temperatures often drop below freezing.
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Pisac, Perú: Beautiful Mountains, Bundled Tickets
April 29, 2026
Pisac, Perú, is a tiny town that sits at an altitude of 2,972 metres (9,751 ft), 32 kilometers (20 mi) northeast of Cusco. The town has a population of around 10,000. The river Vilcanota runs through the town, with the majority of the town on one side.
An Earthquake, and a Controversial Rebuild
The town's original church was mostly destroyed by an earthquake in 1950. The government rebuilt the church, but when they did, they made a very controversial decision - they decided to remove the original Inca foundation stones and rebuild the church from the ground up as a replica of the original.
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Ollantaytambo, Perú: A Living Inca Town You Can Walk
April 25, 2026
Ollantaytambo, Perú - one of the most visited towns in the Sacred Valley, and it didn’t take long to see why. The town itself sits surrounded by steep mountains, terraces, and ruins that climb the slopes in every direction. Unlike many archaeological sites that require transportation, here you simply walk a few blocks and start climbing.
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Saqsaywamán, Perú: A Fortress, A Ceremony Site, or Both?
April 18, 2026
Hi, this is the third in a series of blogs written while I was visiting Cusco (Qosco), Perú. Qosqo is the traditional spelling, and it is still used throughout the city. First, in this blog, I'll be writing about my visits to some of the archaeological sites in the area, including Saqsaywamán (at the edge of the city), Huaca Pachatosa (in the city), Pacarina Mosoqllaqta (also in the city), Acueducto de Sapantiana (also in the city), Ollantaytambo, Tipón Archaeological Park, and Parque Arqueológico Pikillacta. I had hoped to visit more, but my time remaining in Perú, when my visitor entry stamp expires, is coming up fast.
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Cusco, Perú: Neighborhoods, Hills, and Reality
April 15, 2026
This is the second of a series of blogs written while visiting Cusco, Perú. The previous blog was all about the history of the city. This blog will have no history.
When I arrived, I immediately walked through the city center to the area midway between the Plaza de Armas, the main city center park/plaza, and a neighborhood called Santa Ana. I chose this location because I wanted to see this particular neighborhood. I'm writing a book, and the female protagonist comes from this neighborhood. And in the book, her family continues to live there. She has relocated to the US. Anyway, I wanted to see if what I wrote properly matched the actual neighborhood, and for the most part, it did. I did discover that the main road into Santa Ana is much steeper than I expected, but there was another road, which eventually turned into an ancient Inca passageway, which worked even better in the story. And in the story, I mention a marketplace in Santa Ana, but I discovered that there isn't one. But, I was told there is one on Tuesdays. That was another adjustment that I made in my story. In walking through the streets of the neighborhood, I looked at the houses and imagined which house my protagonist and her family might have lived in. And I found one that looked like a good possibility, so that gave me a bit more depth to add to the story.
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