Shirley’s 30th Birthday celebration in PTO

Chincheros, the Sacred Valley, and a very special day in Ollantaytambo

We woke up a little late and quickly got our packs ready to head out for a full day traveling and exploring communities in the Sacred Valley, starting with Chincheros. After Shirley spent some time organizing our transportation, we had a plan and met our driver. The cost for the entire trip 120 soles, which is […]

Trip to Cusco: Operation Alpaca Trueke

After spending about three weeks in Puerto Maldonado enjoying the city, jungle, family, and friends, it was time for Shirley and me to fly to Cusco to seek out Alpaca sources and communities to work with. I had booked an Airbnb in Cusco near Tupac Square for a week as our base. Shirley had contacted her friend Sumaq who would meet us and show us […]

Baptism Celebration and tour around PTO with Omar and Eza

Thankfully Omar and Eza, Shirley’s Uncle and Aunt from Abancay, were visiting Puerto Maldonado for a baptism we were also invited to. For the celebration, Omar’s family from Lima would be Joining in the celebration and ceremony. We started the day with a trip to the observation tower in Puerto Maldonado, which gives a good history and view of […]

Learning to cast net in the Amazon with Marcos

I had the pleasure of meeting Shirley’s friend Joaquina, her husband Marcos, and their daughter Milli. Marcos is s skilled fisherman and makes his nets by hand and is extremely good at his craft. He offered to take me fishing, we took on his motorcycle and haded about 20 minutes to a lake along the […]

Celebration of Apurimac Region of Peru in Puerto Maldonado.

Shirley and I started our morning at Tres De Mayo market with empanadas and juice. All-day yesterday in the main square, La Plaza, the local people celebrated different schools and Peru regions in Puerto Maldonado. Maria, Shirley’s mom, was involved in the celebration and represented Apurimac culture with traditional dress, food, and drink. It was […]

Yesterday’s Hike in the Rainforest and the days events.

Yesterday Shirley started the day off with some fresh ceviche’ which is always delicious. Then she decided to take me to a local lodge Estancia Bello Horizonte https://www.estanciabellohorizonte.com, just a short distance from Puerto Maldonado with a beautiful rainforest hike, natural spring pool, and canopy climb. The price for the day also includes a delicious lunch. […]

Choquequirao, Sayhuite, and back to Abancay.

We woke up the next morning to a garden of Eden paradise. We could not see her property full of flowers, birds, and a fantastic landscape because we arrived at night. We went to the main building for breakfast, which was served by Patrina and was delicious. After breakfast, we met up with our driver […]

Lima to Abancay

We were sad to leave Aruba but excited to explore Peru with Shirley. The flight back to Lima was good, and we arrived early in the evening. Shirley arranged for Walter, our driver in Lima, to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel. We decided to get something to eat […]

Back to Peru and trip to Aruba.

After spending about two months back in The United States and corresponding with Shirley, I decided it was time to head back to Peru to spend time with Shirley and take her up on her offer to show me more of Peru. We decided to first meet in Lima and fly to Aruba for a […]