Books, crooks, nooks

There is more to Buenos Aires than food. If you love to read, you’ll have to visit the El Ateneo bookstore. Once an opera house, the impressive space is filled with thousands of books and a nice cafe. If you hate crowds, skip the San Termo Market. Thousands of vendors, selling everything from Malbec to vintage art fill these space […]

Buenos Aires

Imagine if you could put the architecture of Europe into a blender with a charred steak and a tropical climate. That’s Buenos Aires, Argentina. The city is a breath of fresh air, yet incredibly peaceful, considering it’s three times the size of Manhattan. Huge parks are buzzing with parrots and other birds you may have only seen on the Travel […]

Rimac Close Up

Rimac is not on the videos you see posted on YouTube about Lima, Peru. Actually, Rimac is one of the areas in Lima you are warned not to visit, unless you are accompanied by a few buff guys, which I was. This vibrant districts is also home to one of Lima’s shanty towns that bring a bit of color to […]

San Ramon

On the advice of Pedro, the gentleman I met at a local bakery who had an encounter with a Peruvian UFO, I ventured to San Ramon this Thanksgiving. Why? I was more interested in looking at birds instead of space aliens. Actually, Pedro isn’t the only Peruvian who recommended San Ramon. Being on the eyebrow of the jungle, San Ramon […]

Peruvian Ugly

OK. I admit. I’m a cat person and Lima’s Kennedy Park has forty-two purring creatures for me to love. But this town is dog happy and an overwhelming amount of them are beyond coyote ugly. They are even uglier than the extraterrestrials that supposedly visited this place. Take for instance, the popular Peruvian Orchid. This hairless variety is the rage, […]

Bahía At Bay

“I see an eagle!” screamed one first grader. “I do, too!” screamed another. I had doubts if an American Eagle escaped to Lima, Peru, in spite of the divisive week in politics. But the week of birdwatching with the elementary students inspired me to do a bit of my own at the Paracas National Reserve, an easy safe bus ride […]

Purple: Mes Morado Month

In Lima, there are no red states or blue states. Everything is purple. Well, at least today. Since I’m too lazy to google what the purple parade and celebration is about, I’m guessing it’s not to honor Barnie the Dinosaur or the Late Great Californian Raisins. It’s Mes Morado, or the Lord of the Miracles Month (I asked someone). This […]