your appetizer, sirs
It’s been nearly another month without an entry. Where, oh where, have I been? What on earth have I been doing? As usual: too much. And all of it far too delicious to spoil by rushing. Oh no. This dish...
View Articledrink the water
The sidewalk under my feet bears a skin of slippery green moss from the night before. Sweat slides between my shoulder blades. It’s early, but it’s already thirty-six degrees (96F). The sun is low in...
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 ArticleGetting there is half the fun
We left the jungle before sunrise, standing up in the back of a quarter-ton pickup with seven people and their luggage, plus a bed frame, six bags of aguaje fruit, a stack of unfinished lumber, and a...
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 ArticlePhotos of Peru and Colombia
While the writing still lags behind, the photos are online and ready for your viewing pleasure. See them all here: Colombia Volunteering in Ollantaytambo, Weeks 1-4
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...
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