Haz clic aquí para leer en español Written by Neon Coming back up to Loja was akin to coming home – we were back ‘on track’ after a river respite….
Evening on the Marañón
Haz clic aquí para leer en español Written by Fidgit We pulled the boats onto the beach below Tupen Grande mid day. Most of the crew headed into the village…
Sorting Beans: Passing time on the Marañón
Haz clic aquí para leer en español Written by Fidgit It was one of those towns which instantly underwhelms: The plaza was an uneven dirt square. Funding was coming from…
Herstory: She Can Art
Haz clic aquí para leer en español The ‘Herstory: She Can’ series profiles women who pursue their passions. Each have stepped up with courage, a message, and a willingness to…
Rafting Rio Maranon
Haz clic aquí para leer en español Written by Neon [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0rjl-5qCLo&w=560&h=315] Our journey down to the Maranon River began with a long car ride- from Huaraz; we went east…
A Reminder to Proceed with Care
Ever since that old man grabbed me and would not let go in Villa O’Higgins, then later the other villagers told me they had found a girl tied up in his house, I have given myself permission to be ruder than I ever thought permissible during my upbringing.
Flipping North: Jaen to Loja
Vilcabamba is well known for its healing properties. We learned that there are apparently two rivers running under the town, through beds of quartz crystal. This makes the town a huge draw for holistic folk from all over the world as well as people wanting to live longer.
Maria at the River
Maria is a mighty woman.
A little mother too soon, a widow too soon, out for a walk and at just the moment to propel me up a hill without our even noticing.
Aged beyond her years but also so fresh to a particular path in life that she refreshed my eyes and challenged me to look for the beauty in the evening air, I wonder if she knows what she started when her daughter asked, “but mom, why are you walking?” and she replied simple, “because I want to.”
Huallanca to Rio Maranon
Walking along the lower elevation of the Huallanca valley warmed us up for a couple of days and then we ascended once again up a side valley. It definitely wasn’t as frigid as the towering Huayhuash Circuit, though it was chilly enough for comfortable walking.
Frustration with the Huayhuash Circuit and the Price of Complacent Travel
“When tourists first came to the Huayhuash,” she explained, “they would ask local people to guide them and then give them money. Sometimes they just gave people money, so the people got used to that,” she shrugged.
