Missed opportunity at El Misti volcano
I’ve always wanted to hike a volcano. There’s no source for this desire of mine that I know of — no suppressed trigger from my childhood, no daredevilish dream needing realizing, no genetic memory of...
View ArticleEating guinea pig: A pet at home, dinner in Peru
An old saying begins, “If you love somebody, let them go.” If you’re traveling to Peru and you’ve had a guinea pig as a pet, a more fitting expression may be, “If you’ve loved something, put it in your...
View ArticleSh*t just got real…istic in Arequipa, Peru
Nothing like wandering the streets of a new-to-me city and seeing this: This nightmare isn’t some Pan’s Labyrinth be-hoofed creature come to haunt the streets of Arequipa, Peru. It’s Peruvian folklore,...
View ArticleJesuits and Catholics have their day
There are two things to do on a Sunday in Arequipa, Peru. One is to soothe your hangover with a bowl of adobo arequipeño, a spicy pork stew. The other is to go to church. So I do as the...Published by...
View ArticleToday adobo, tomorrow the world: The best adobo in Arequipa, Peru
A town in which the traditional Sunday brunch is a bowl of spicy pork stew is a town I can get with. I just hope that the adobo in Arequipa, Peru is actually good. I don’t want to get with...Published...
View ArticleRecipe for making Peru’s adobo arequipeño at home
Adobo arequipeño, also known as adobo de chanco, is a traditional dish from Arequipa, Peru. Cooked overnight, adobo arequipeño is a popular hangover cure and Sunday brunch dish at Arequipa’s local...
View ArticleJarred hearts, dead nuns, and a spring bride: Arequipa’s Santa Catalina Convent
I’d been led to believe that a visit to Monasterio de Santa Catalina (Santa Catalina Monastery) in Arequipa, Peru would be a serene, beautiful experience. Sure, sure. Except for the presence of death...
View ArticleA plaza for people watching and conspiracy plotting
You don’t promenade in Arequipa, Peru’s Plaza de Armas. Not exactly. People wander about the main square, drifting from one group to another. They catch up with friends, kvetch about the cost of corn,...
View ArticleSomething about this city doesn’t click
Who’s to decide when a city has really pulled together, gathering at least a few of its cultural tendrils into a civic identity that can cause visitors to feel connected to something vital and...
View ArticleQueso helado? That’s cheese ice cream! Well, I never.
Wherein does my cheeselove come from? In the U.S. we practically worship amber waves of cheddar and mozzarella mountain majesties, so there’s that patriotic peer pressure. And, although I’ve lived for...
View Article
