For our hundredth day abroad, we made a list of a hundred things we have seen so far in South America that you don’t find back home. Continue reading
Category: Peru
SALT EXTRACTION: from Flats to Containment Ponds to Underground Tunnels
Salt – sodium chloride – is a mineral everyone is familiar with, it is essential for human life and is one of basic human tastes. Before our travel to South America, we knew salt came from various places (think Black Hawaiian Sea Salt, Pink Himalayan Salt, etc.); however, we had very little understanding of the different methods used to extract it from the earth. As it turns out, mining salt is a huge industry with sodium chloride being one of the largest inorganic raw materials used in the world by volume (and its manufacture is one of the oldest). Today, we use almost 70% of the salt extracted from the earth for manufacturing and industrial processes while only 6% is used in food (the remainder being used for water conditioning, de-icing highways and agriculture). Continue reading
Bungalow on the Beach (Máncora)
After a 19 hour bus ride from Lima, we arrived on the north coast of Peru in Mancora. We opted to stay a 20 min tuk-tuk ride out of the town (which wasn’t very large) in a private ocean-front bungalow where we could lie in bed and watch the waves crashing and sunset. Our bamboo bungalow came equipped with everything from hot water to a mini kitchen and was just steps from the ocean. Continue reading
Why Lima would be our Choice for a Vacation Getaway
If we were planning on buying a vacation rental somewhere in South America, it would be a penthouse apartment in the Miraflores District of Lima with a view of the ocean. This alluring city is by far our favourite so far. And here’s why: Continue reading
Machu Picchu
We arrived at Machu Picchu early in the morning to get a glimpse of the low clouds still evaporating around the mountains and stayed until late afternoon – watching the dark thunderstorms roll in until they cleared to a beautiful afternoon sun. Continue reading
Peru: When Did you Sell Your Soul to Tourism?
Peru – a country famous for it’s awe-inspiring Inca ruins and world famous attractions, the most well known being Machu Picchu. And don’t get us wrong – Peru is full of breathtaking sites, ancient ruins, endless mountain ranges and a unique local culture. However, throughout our time in Puno and the Sacred Valley, we kept wishing we had been here five to 10 years ago. Continue reading