19 March 2019—Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean I am in the middle of my 50-hour journey from Gili Air, Indonesia to Quito Ecuador. Today, got to thinking about how challenging …
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Last New Year’s, I was freezing in a cold Irish hostel. This year, I am enjoying the tropical heat of Sri Lanka. It has been an astounding year of experiences …
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Jyrgalan is the most eastern village in Kyrgyzstan. It is in the mountains at about an altitude of 2260 meters (7400 feet).As I mentioned in a previous post, Jyrgalan is …
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On April 14, it was time I said a farewell to the Outer Hebrides. I decided to take an early morning ferry from Berneray Island to the Isle of Harris …
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This blog post has been archived at: http://travelblog.cathleenshands.com/2015/04/from-coca-to-coffee-and-cacao-part-1.html\ Sorry for the inconvenience …
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Last year, when I was visiting near the Sacred Valley with my daughter Rebecca, we were able to visit the Salineras near Maras. I was fascinated with this ancient site …
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I have now arrived in Huarocondo, a small village 37 km northwest of Cusco. It is really out of the way and few tourist come here. But last year when …
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Spanish lesson for the day: In Spanish,  “socks”  is calcetínes and “hot” (plural) is calientes. Say those words out loud. Don’t they sound almost the same? No? Well maybe it is …
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This blog post has been archived at: http://travelblog.cathleenshands.com/2014/05/choquequirao-part-i-getting-there.html Sorry for the inconvenience …
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(Or How I Spent My 60thBirthday) For the weekend of my 60th birthday (March 22), I decided to take a little tourist jaunt to the island of Amantani. This is …
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* Islands! Islands! For the weekend of my 60th birthday (March 22), I decided to take a little tourist jaunt to the island of Amantani via boat. You can purchase …
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I made another excursion to the Sunday market in Acora where the Alpaca ladies sell their fiber. I had practiced some since last week and I wanted to buy some …
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I am spending the week in the Puno area to scout out a place to live for the month of March. I set out from Arequipa on Monday, February 10 …
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This blog entry is especially for all those people who have commented to me about how brave I am for travelling on my own. Occasionally I have these experiences that …
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The title is a play on words: The currency in Peru is the Nuevo Sol. I have a pair of sandals that I have had about 10 years and I …
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The Fiesta de la Candelaria is a festival in honor of the Virgin of Candelaria, patron saint of the city of Puno, Peru, held in the first fortnight of February …
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This post is written especially for my fiber-loving friends. As many of you know, my original intention for traveling to Peru was to experience the fiber arts–especially knitting and spinning …
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This blog is a bit embarrassing to write, because I have to admit how timid I can be when I end up in an environment I am not used to …
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A lot of cool things happened to me today, but I will save most of them for later because I thought it would be fun to share my first foray …
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After waiting 10 hours in the Lima airport–on the floor; 4 more hours in the hot bus station, and 16 hours in the bus–my body was really tired of sitting …
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