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Machu Picchu is probably one of the finest Inca archaeological sites in all of South America.  The problem is that because it’s in such high demand, many people (myself included) are willing to pay exorbitantly disproportional prices (for Peru) to visit the site.  Someone is charging and making a lot of money here.  To put […]

We arrived in the city of Ica Peru (population 230,000) about 1 hour before sunset.  After a short 4 km drive off the main highway, we suddenly found ourselves in the desert oasis of Huacachina.  On all sides of us were sand dunes towering above for several hundred feet.  Some dunes were shimmering in the […]

Another good thing about scheduling the Islas Ballestas boat tour for 8 AM is that when you get back to the mainland at 10 AM, you still have plenty of time to go explore the surrounding area.  This is exactly what we did when we set out towards the sprawling but desolate Reserva Nacional de […]

Today was a very good day.  Our Swiss friends from the Lima hostel, Beatrice and Jos gave us a heads-up that we definitely didn’t want to miss this experience.  They were absolutely correct.  Our day started with a wake-up at the nice little Paracas Bay Hostal where we camped.  The cheerful owners, Isabella and Roberto […]

After such a nice day yesterday, it was hard to follow it with another excellent day.  And today was certainly NOT an excellent day - in fact it was almost the opposite.  The nice part of the day was sleeping in.  The room at the hotel was very nice and comfortable.  We had been camping […]

Today we splurged in the town of La Fortuna and got the $30 hotel room with a view of the Arenal volcano. It was recommended to us by a friend of Fred Holts. It was indeed a good room with a good view. However, little did we know that you have to […]

We inadvertently stayed a few nights extra with George, Sophia, and their 4 children in the small community of La Perla, El Salvador.  I broke the VW while trying to get up the incline and into the driveway of their small 2 room hotel.   The oil filter hit a rock and sheered off.   The 4 […]