Behold the majesty of my little toes – still funny-tanned from my fab sandals – in the foreground of Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu on this cool, breezy May afternoon. See more of Machu Picchu at www.ohiasia.com
Thanks, Susan, great shot of one of the world’s most fascinating places!
On sunny afternoons in Lima, I like to talk a stroll along the malecón, the beach overlook that boasts sparkling views of the Pacific Ocean. I usually encounter skate boarders, cyclists, runners, young lovers, and picnickers on my walks, but one afternoon, I rounded the corner to see two teenage girls wearing garbage bags and carrying these curious little signs: “Quieres romper un huevo en mi cabeza?/Wanna throw me an egg?”
The girls offered an egg to me, and thinking it was too strange of an experience to pass up, I agreed. But I’ll admit, I was a little reluctant to smash an egg on this poor girl’s head, despite her garbage bag covering. “Con fuerza,” the girl urged me, letting me know that if I threw with force, the egg would break easier.
So I took a deep breath, threw the egg at her head, and within seconds, yolk covered her light brown hair. I paid the girls their two soles and asked why they were collecting money, thinking that they were spearheading this unusual campaign for charity. The girl I had just egged smiled at me, her silver braces gleaming in the sunlight as she explained they were just trying to make an extra bit of spending money.
Clever girls!
Innovative entrepreneurs can be found everywhere, except these two may have to spend their profits on aspirin! 
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My sandals I brought to Peru are fabulous, but they’re giving me a creepy waffle-tan!
Ah, the price we pay for hiking around Peru, Bet you are having a blast!
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This is a really cute mural and must stand out given the building and surrounding background. The little bird on top of the hat is a nice icing-on-the-cake feature.
Great mural!
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Beautiful shot!
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I had the great privilege of travelling to Pucallpa, Peru on a humanitarian trip in March of 2010 with the Pure Art Foundation and a group of volunteers to build a home there for a family in desperate need of a roof over their head. Pucallpa is immensely poverty-stricken. There is a city area, however the majority of this town is made up of slums. There are people there with barely what you would call a home. Some made out of garbage bags, others of scraps of wood with sheets, leaving large area uncovered from all types of weather. The younger crowd of volunteers stayed in a mission with the lovely man and priest, Gérard, a missionary who moved to this unknown town to help those in need. He lives with very little, but he is happy. That is the thing I learned there during those 2 weeks; that it doesn’t take much to be happy, and it shouldn’t. Because we are so “privileged” to be living in North America, or Europe or wherever else, sometimes we forget that all our possessions mean nothing in the end. We forget that, deep down at our core, without ANYTHING else, we should be happy. The children of Pucallpa showed me what it means to truly be happy. Despite living in poverty, having little food and shelter, they are smiling and laughing and enjoying life. They are ALIVE. They are LIVING. There are times where I have to remind myself of that week and be thankful for what I have.
Here’s to happiness!
Great story, great picture!
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Kitaliana writes, “My idea of Peru was vague: an arid place with llamas and maybe mountains and dusty towns and big, teeming polluted cities with lots of old VW beatles. Machu Picchu was clearer, from photographs: a misty, spiritual mecca high in the Andes, where I’d probably not be spiritually worthy to appreciate or athletic enough to even get to. All of these descriptions are fairly accurate but come nowhere near the magnitude of the beauty of this country. What I didn’t know: there are beaches and surfers and heart-stopping vistas of snow-capped volcanos, incredible and sacred Incan ruins that defy the imagination in their construction of smooth-fitting, gigantic stones, llamas and alpaca and vicuna world-class cuisine and artisans and the best hotels and spas and… And Machu Picchu.
Lima (Miraflores)
Lima’s nicest neighborhood, upscale, on the beach, with cliffs and parks, including Parque del Amor
Hotel: Radisson Decapolis
Sites: Parque del Amor (by the ocean, a brief walk); Terecita de Blanca restaurant, Inca market”
Looks gorgeous there and great statue!
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niven photography writes, “Huacachina – 2 days
Trip there…..
We took a cheap night bus from Huaraz to Lima. I picked the front two seats; bad mistake. The whole night the bus driver and his aid played loud music despite the angry and polite protests of many passengers. So not much sleep was had on the 9 hour bus ride.
Upon arriving to a dull, grey and smelly Lima at 5am we decided to bypass the sprawling metropolis of 7.6 million people and head to the desert oasis of Huacachina. Jumped on a 4 hour bus to Ica at 7.30am. Ica is about a 10 min drive from Huacachina so we jumped in an old guy’s taxi. The taxi has to be, by far, the worst car I have ever had the pleasure of travelling in. No wing mirrors, suspension or door panelling, almost every panel dented, half the dash missing but the temperature gauge did seem to function OK.
Huacachina is an old Peruvian elite retreat built around a stunning oasis surrounded by massive rolling sand dunes which is now a Gringo (Spanish for tourist) hangout.
We spent the next two days relaxing by the water, sand boarding and dune buggying. Both had a great time but could have taken just one full day here.
Sand boarding was incredibly fast and fun but hitting buggy ruts at the bottom at full speed are a killer. Tip, wear shoes so you can brake with your feet as the sand is like sand paper at those speeds with bare feet.”
The sand is incredible! Gorgeous and very fun photo!
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