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On March 3, 2005, Jessica and Tim set off on an epic 18-month round-the-world adventure. That trip may be over now, but the storytelling has only just begun!
This website is here both as a record of our trip and a resource for other travelers. Please feel free to leave us a comment at the bottom of our journal entries!
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We arrived in Peru from Chile, via the border-town of Tacna. We stayed in Tacna for about four hours, all of it spent in the bus station. From there, we traveled northwest to Arequipa, known in Peru as "the white city" because so many of its beautiful buildings are built of a pale volcanic rock. While there, we took a two-day of nearby Colca canyon and watched the flight of the condors. We also did mighty battle with intestinal parasites.
Next (influenced in part by transit strikes to the east) we traveled to the desert oasis of Huacachina, where we rode a dune buggy and tried our luck at sandboarding. We also spent a lot of time laying out by the pool and conversing with parrots.
From there, it was a long and unpleasant busride to Cuzco, the mecca of tourism in Peru. Here we first spent a week recovering from further intestinal distress (Peru was not kind to Jessica's digestive system). Fully recovered, we went white-water rafting on the Urubamba River. Then it was time for one of the highlights of our trip: the lost city of Machu Picchu.
From Cuzco, we flew to Lima (thus avoiding taking that horrible busride again), and from there to dismal Piura. In Piura we caught a bus to Loja, Ecuador, and said goodbye to Peru.
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Happy 30th Birthday, Timothy!
I’ve been sitting here at the hotel computer for a while now, trying to think up a way to start a Happy 30th Birthday post for Tim. But I can’t seem to find the right words to write for the man who is everything I ever dreamed of. [read more...]
[16 comments]
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The Longest Day
On Thursday, June 9th, the two of us embarked on our longest journey yet. Over the course of 40 hours or so, we crossed thousands of kilometers, soaring mountains, desolate salt flats, the world’s most “perfect” desert, and two borders. [read more...]
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Canyon of the Condors
The first of them swept past us on our way to the mirador (lookout). They soared by, right alongside us, birds measuring up to ten feet from wingtip to wingtip. I spent the first fifteen minutes or so repeating to myself, “They’re so big. I mean, I knew they’d be big, but I had no idea…” [read more...]
[10 comments]
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Desert Oasis
I clearly remember the manic pace of my decent down the dune sliding suddenly into slow-motion, as I felt myself float up and away from the sand. For what seemed like an unbearably long time, I was suspended in mid-air. Then things got fast again, and I plunged head-first into the sand. [read more...]
[6 comments]
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Twelve of my Favorite Photos
It’s been several months since Tim shared thirteen of his favorite photos, and we thought it was high time I posted some of my favorites. The time frame for my favorite photos begins after the photos in Tim’s post and includes many stops that we haven’t written about yet, including our most recent stop: Machu Picchu, Peru. [read more...]
[16 comments]
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The Lost City of Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu had, of course, been one of the anchors of our trip from day one. We wanted to see Angkor Wat in Cambodia. We wanted to take a balloon ride over the fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, Turkey. We wanted to tour the Galapagos Islands. And we wanted to behold the lost city of the Incas, glorious Machu Picchu. [read more...]
[12 comments]
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Unforgiving Ice Cubes
Tim and I have been gathering data on South American toilets for five months now and we have a lot to share. But given my close relationship with them, I feel some of this information needs to be shared sooner rather than later. Not because I want to complain, of course, but for the sake of all those travelers who come behind (so to speak). [read more...]
[17 comments]
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First stop: Arequipa, "the white city", where we will see the condors fly over nearby Colca Canyon. Then it's off to see beautiful and tranquil Huacachina, a picture-perfect desert oasis. Next stop: Cuzco, and the majestic "lost city" of Machu Picchu. After that, we'll fly to the city of Piura, via the capitol of Lima, and grab the next bus to Ecuador!
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