Volcanoes and Some Honesty

When we arrived in Pucon all we could think of was that this sleepy Patagonian town belongs in British Columbia, Canada since it has the chalet/cabin-y homes, wood fire stoves and crisp mountain air you feel in Whistler, Golden and the Kootenays, and is complete with all those adventurous outdoor activities that come with those…

Logistics of the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

When we were preparing for the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu, we turned to a trusted source: the Interweb. We poured over travel forums, blogs and Peru websites to get as much information as possible leading up to our trek. And to be honest, we still felt unprepared. Now, I am not saying that this…

Conquering Pre-Conceived Notions and Fears on the Inca Trail

Not long ago, when we had ‘stuff’, an apartment, a cat and a wild dream, the Inca Trail leading to Machu Picchu was high on our list of what we-must-do-in-this-lifetime. When our round the world trip became a reality, the second thing we booked (after our flight out of Canada) was our four day trek.…

Laid back in Mindo

After our fiasco in Quito, we escaped to a cute little town called Mindo.  We’re taking it easy.  This is just the sort of place that makes you move at a leisurely pace. Mindo is in a Cloud Forest.  The tree covered mountains surrounding the town are perpetually shrouded with misty clouds.  The afternoons, it…

The more than Great Wall

Easily the number one thing we were most excited for on our trip was seeing the Great Wall.  We have been to other ancient Wonders of the World and we couldn’t wait to see the iconic Wall.  At our hostel there were day packages to different sections of the wall, but they gave you limited…

Dragon’s Back and a Family Meal

Viv is a big fan of hiking and had done several on her own or with her cousin since living in Hong Kong.  She led the way for us to do a hike on Dragon’s Back – a nice hike with a great view.  The thing with this hike is that it was incredibly hot…