Category: trip report
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Listless in Lima
OK, I’m sufficiently recovered to talk about Peru. A couple of days of antibiotics has put me on the road to normality and I’m all caught up on laundry. Yep, vacation is definitely over. But let’s jump in the way-back machine and start with the chaotic and intriguing city of Lima. We got there at…
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Peru Eats that May or May Not Make You Ill
Well, well, well. Looks like I brought a souvenir back from Peru and I’m not talking about the gorgeous alpaca sweater I got at Sol in Lima. No, I’m talking about a parasite in my small intestine. Actually, there’s probably more than one of them. So, a pack of parasites, if you will. (they look…
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Peru in 16 Pictures
In a complete departure from my usual blogging style, this post is going to be light on text and heavy on visuals. This is because I’m currently in the ongoing throws of a “food bourne illness” to put it delicately. Day seven of the ancient Incan stomach bacteria that I’m lovingly calling WuaynaKihlPhoe (sound it…
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My Spring Break with Hugo Chavez
Our upcoming trip to Peru is not my first South American “rodeo” (that’s Spanish for rodeo, by the way). No, I’ve actually been to much more dangerous locales in South America. By myself, in fact. It was the spring 2001, in what would be my final year at the University of Texas at Austin. It…
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Rioja Part Two: Do Great Architects Make Good Wine?
“This Gehry guy really seems to know what he’s doing,” I said out loud, albeit, a bit breathlessly. I’m pretty sure the bellhop heard me on that one. The swirling riot of metallic ribbons of fuschia, gold and silver that make up the roof of the Hotel Marques de Riscal will do that to a…
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Rioja: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Winemaking (and a teeny bit of actual drinking)
Our three-day visit to the Rioja wine route in Spain has made us experts at making wine. Prior to this trip, my personal sommelier XFE and I felt fully confident that after watching two seasons of Moonshiners, several tours of distilleries (including Jameson in Ireland) and quite a few breweries (mostly in Colorado), and probably…
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Take a Bow, Bilbao
Bilbao. The name itself fills the mouth. I’ll admit, at first, I kept messing it up. Pronouncing it like the last name of a certain famous movie boxer. I could not quite get my tongue around it. For the record, it’s Bihl. Bow. As in, take a bow. And indeed, the resilient Spanish city by…
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Spain Does Not Suck
Hola chicas (y, un solo chico, possiblimente)! Como estamos? I’m great! And back from a fabulous vacation in Northern Spain. Petunia really wanted to go. She’s Calico, which is kinda close to Catalonian, so she thinks she should go to Spain. In the photo above, she is sitting on my travel binder. Oh, do you…
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Hotel Crashing: Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas
Last week, I talked about my favorite place that we stayed at in Australia. Today, I’m talking about my least favorite place. Actually, that’s a bit harsh. I didn’t dislike the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas, but it definitely was not my vibe. So let’s take a trip in the way-back time machine to our vacation…