The Galápagos on Your Bucket List? What You Need to Know to Go

The Galápagos Islands had long been on our bucket list. 

Finally tuition-free when our youngest graduated from college, we treated ourselves to the adventure of a lifetime.

Here’s what we learned about how to get there, what to pack, what to expect and how to prepare for one of the most fascinating… CONTINUE READING >>

The Galápagos Islands had long been on our bucket list. 

Finally tuition-free when our youngest graduated from college, we treated ourselves to the adventure of a lifetime.

Here’s what we learned about how to get there, what to pack, what to expect and how to prepare for one of the most fascinating… CONTINUE READING >>

The Inexplicable Sexy Woman Ruins of Peru

Could it be aliens from outer space?

Sacsayhuaman is pronounced very much like sexy woman if the sexy is articulated the way witchy is sung in the song Witchy Woman.

(Which proved easy to implant in our memory banks.)

And there is definitely something witchy about… CONTINUE READING >>

Could it be aliens from outer space?

Sacsayhuaman is pronounced very much like sexy woman if the sexy is articulated the way witchy is sung in the song Witchy Woman.

(Which proved easy to implant in our memory banks.)

And there is definitely something witchy about… CONTINUE READING >>

Secrets of the Sacred Valley of the Incas

Anyone making their way to Machu Picchu must first traverse The Sacred Valley of the Incas (Valle Sagrado de los Incas), and we were no exception.

But this was no tedious trek, it was a fascinating adventure in its own right.

Join us as we visit the people, the food, the culture and the spectacular natural and ancient beauty of… CONTINUE READING >> 

Anyone making their way to Machu Picchu must first traverse The Sacred Valley of the Incas (Valle Sagrado de los Incas), and we were no exception.

But this was no tedious trek, it was a fascinating adventure in its own right.

Join us as we visit the people, the food, the culture and the spectacular natural and ancient beauty of… CONTINUE READING >> 

I See Dead People in Buenos Aires

I love cemeteries. I know that sounds strange, but I do. Cemeteries spark my imagination — the lives lived, the history interred.

That said, it is not often that we seek out a graveyard. Usually we stumble upon them hidden away.

Not the case with La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, it should be considered a must-see by any visitor to the CONTINUE READING >> 

I love cemeteries. I know that sounds strange, but I do. Cemeteries spark my imagination — the lives lived, the history interred.

That said, it is not often that we seek out a graveyard. Usually we stumble upon them hidden away.

Not the case with La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, it should be considered a must-see by any visitor to the CONTINUE READING >> 

The Key to Quito, Ecuador

What we THOUGHT was going to be a simple stopover on our way to The Galapagos Islands, turned out to be a gem of Colonial American history.

Quito’s Colonial Center is perhaps the largest and best preserved historic center in the Americas, and was the first New World city to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

And don’t get us started on the gigantic, winged Virgin Mary… CONTINUE READING >>

What we THOUGHT was going to be a simple stopover on our way to The Galapagos Islands, turned out to be a gem of Colonial American history.

Quito’s Colonial Center is perhaps the largest and best preserved historic center in the Americas, and was the first New World city to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

And don’t get us started on the gigantic, winged Virgin Mary… CONTINUE READING >>

Veronica’s Hysterical Paragliding Antics


Veronica: I feel like we’re sideways, are we sideways? Pilot George: No. We are fine. We are going in very slow. Veronica: What? It doesn’t feel slow. (petrified laugh) No. Ayhhhhhh… CONTINUE READING  or enlarge video >>


Veronica: I feel like we’re sideways, are we sideways? Pilot George: No. We are fine. We are going in very slow. Veronica: What? It doesn’t feel slow. (petrified laugh) No. Ayhhhhhh… CONTINUE READING  or enlarge video >>

How to (and how NOT to) Deal with the Altitude in Peru

I’m a sea-level gal. I don’t do well with high altitude.

At about 5,000 feet above sea level I get sleepy, at 6,000 loopy and at 7,000 I’m out cold – like I’m in a coma.

So when I found out that our trip to Peru would mean being above 11,000 feet, I panicked. We were going to some real bucket list-worthyCONTINUE READING >>

I’m a sea-level gal. I don’t do well with high altitude.

At about 5,000 feet above sea level I get sleepy, at 6,000 loopy and at 7,000 I’m out cold – like I’m in a coma.

So when I found out that our trip to Peru would mean being above 11,000 feet, I panicked. We were going to some real bucket list-worthyCONTINUE READING >>

A Visit to a Weaving Cooperative in Peru

In the tiny village of Chincheros, Peru we got a first-hand look at every step in the weaving process of the  people of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Join us as we learn about what goes into the dyes that create the brilliant colors (absolutely amazing and a “wee” bit off-putting!), the ingenious way the yarn is spun, and how the… CONTINUE READING >>

In the tiny village of Chincheros, Peru we got a first-hand look at every step in the weaving process of the  people of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Join us as we learn about what goes into the dyes that create the brilliant colors (absolutely amazing and a “wee” bit off-putting!), the ingenious way the yarn is spun, and how the… CONTINUE READING >>