The Inca Quarry Trail Hike

After drinking my coca tea, I met with the group, and we loaded up in a van. We then drove for about 30 minutes to the start of the trail. Hugo was full of energy, and from the start, I could tell we would get along very well. Most of the other guides and members […]

Journey from the ancient city of Cusco to Ollantaytambo

Flying from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco is only about an hour or so, and the flight this time was smooth, and I would learn in the future on other flight that is not usually the case. I was excited to experience the ancient city of Cusco. Cusco is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of […]

Puerto Maldonado: Amazon Jungle

Flying from Lima to Cusco and Cusco to Puerto Maldonado took about 5 hours. Puerto Maldonado is about 55 miles west of the Bolivian border with around 75,000 people but has had a recent influx of Venezuelan refugees. Once at the airport, I took a bus for about two hours into Inferno, where I boarded […]

Lima, Peru

Landing in Lima and getting through security was a bit crazy, especially when you don’t speak much Spanish. After getting my bag and heading out of the airport, hundreds of taxi drivers and finding the one with my name were interesting, but eventually, it happened by some miracle. (Thanks, mom!) My driver spoke little English, […]

Tomorrow’s the Day

My flight for Peru departs tomorrow; it’s going to be a long day, but I’m excited. I appreciate my mom, stepdad, niece, nephew, Chad, and many other friends and family for being supportive. I have had a few hiccups along the way, one major one being that my passport was going to expire within six […]

What about the Ego?

As I posted about ancient history in the Peru itinerary blog, I thought about how much our egos play a role in keeping us from reaching our potential by magnifying fear of how we’ll be perceived or judged. Are we afraid we’ll look silly, weak, dumb, or any myriad of emotions that hold us back […]

Packing lighter and Final Dates.

After getting all my gear together and starting to pack, I realized everything I had was not going to fit into a 55-liter Osprey Fairpoint and a 32-liter Osprey Skareb. Since I’ve decided, I will not check any luggage in at the airport because I will be talking far too many modes of transportation to […]

I feel blessed to call her Grandma.

I feel blessed to call Lula Hull my grandma. She was the most fantastic person I have ever known, just like my mom. They were so much alike and were utterly selfless and kind-hearted in everything they did. You could always depend on them, and you never doubted that they loved you unconditionally. Growing up […]

Weighing the Heart?

The Egyptians viewed the heart as the seat of intellect and emotions; thus, it played a central role in the rebirth of an individual in the afterlife. The heart of the individual was weighed against the feather representing the goddess of truth, Ma’at, in a judgment process overseen by Osiris, the lord of the underworld. […]

Peru: tentative itinerary

Organizing a trip to Peru with such a diverse itinerary has been challenging. But it has been a lot of fun and a welcomed distraction from everything that has happened. So much to do and see in Peru. My departure date is still pending, but it looks like it will be the end of this […]