Happy Holidaze everyone from Cuzco Peru. This holiday season I've found myself working in the bar at The Point Hostel...a job I know quite well. I had no intention of working but two days after I arrived in Cuzco, they had to fire all the gringo staff working in the bar for taking too much cocaine, drinking way too much, and in general, for acting totally insane. So I stepped in to help in exchange for the normal pay...a free bed, free dinner, and a discount on t...

I really miss having a scooter or motorbike to get around on. That was probably my favorite part of traveling in South East Asia...the freedom to go where you want, when you want. I'm back in Cusco, former capital of the Inca Empire and simply an amazing mountain town that by all accounts is overtouristed but still unmissable if you're going to be in South America. My last visit to Cusco in August of 2006 took me and five friends west through the Sacred Valley o...

At 12,500 feet in altitude(3810m), Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. And although the clear water, brilliant blue skies, and views of the distant snow capped peaks of the Cordillera Real mountain range in Bolivia is stunning scenery, life here is tough. The most intriguing lifestyle award no doubt goes to the Uros Indians who have literally been floating around the lake for the last eight centuries....long before they were conquered by the...

After being thrilled by the condors, it was time for our group to descend into the canyon to the village of San Juan de Chuccho where we will eat and spend our first night. The hike down was a three hour endurance exercise of quadricep mushing punishment. My legs were definitely not used to this and at the end of the day, I felt more like a boneless chicken than a happy human (and this was the downhill part!!!) However, cold beers prevailed and our guide Luis did...

I'm back in Arequipa, a city I know rather well from my previous travels. And the only thing I can think about is how much a condor might taste like a turkey. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving back in the USA and I want a proper meal complete with some sort of large bird, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. And pumpkin pie... I want pumpkin pie! For the record, I got none of those things. What I did get, however, is very lucky photographing one of the largest birds in t...