ejoymoore

Leaving Flagstaff we crossed massive dams and barren dessert landscapes. Traveling from northern Arizona into Southwestern Utah, we landed in Zion National Park. Zion. How do you explain Zion? You don’t. You go see Zion. So I’ll do my best but you must visit this place. The Grand Canyon rocked my world, but I’ve never seen or known of anything like Zion. Imagine swirly, fast moving, deep water. Then imagine it frozen in time – not as ice, but as though you could stop a crashing wave for one moment and get a good look at its detail. You might notice the lines, where they are parallel and where they cross. You see round, rolling, globe like waves and sharp jagged ones. Maybe some look to be in unison and some fight and crash ... read more

Passing through the coastal landscapes of Alabama and Mississippi, we arrived to New Orleans on a rainy afternoon after spending one night in a beautiful national park in western Florida where we found stark white beaches made of pure quartz that squeaked under our feet… apparently because of how fine ground the sand is. This was a first visit for both of us, and the most immediate thing we noticed was how much New Orleans looks and feels like a European city. Understandably so – first founded by the French in the early 18th century, New Orleans has kept its French flavor through the architecture and design of downtown, and among its many homes just outside the city. Brilliant. If you want the feel of European flare without actually traveling to Europe, visit New Orleans! It ... read more

Departing Boston... not so much fun. Three treacherous hours of snow driving is certainly one way to put a new car to the test. But walking the last few hundred yards through soft deep snow to arrive at a 'dance party' with High 5 crew and friends, was well worth it. I can't remember such a large snowstorm before Halloween. However it didn't deter children and adults alike from taking the chance to costume up the following day and march proudly through the streets of Peterborough. A couple of sunny days with a friend passing out candy, walking old snowy roads, sharing good food and in good company at her lovely home in southern NH, was definitely appreciated. Passing through Massachusetts (where I experienced the stereotype of Mass. drivers to be unfortunately true), I toured a ... read more

I can skip over Nazca, the mysterious pre-Inca lines and a dis-heartening bus ride to Ica, because now I see it all as the path which led me to Huacachina. Again, I find a lack of words to describe a place which now only exists in my dreams, however Huacachina deserves mentioning, at the least. A short taxi ride from Ica and you enter the small village, where everybody knows each others business and they all seem grateful for every day that they spend in this marvelous oasis. A beautiful, however artificially made water whole is the center of this town, just as many 'Plaza de Armas´' are the center of most Peruvian city's. The tiny village of restaurants, small 'shack' shops, and hotels hug the Acacia and Palm surrounded oasis while giant dunes sit behind ... read more

The Inca trail certainly has its touristy moments, but fortunately that´s not what lasts in my memory. Nothing I write can clearly explain what those four days were like, but I´ll give it a try. Our group of 16 ´trekies´ took off monday at 6am to begin our four day journey. We consisted of 6 americans, 2 french canadians, 1 maritime canadian, 3 brits, and 4 aussies. We were definitely a group of gringos but from very different backgrounds and of very different ages, the youngest being 21 and the eldest, 57. The fascinating thing is that the team of porters guides and cooks from our company´Peru Treks´outnumbered us. We had 2 guides, 2 chefs and 20 porters (who carried the gear for each camp site). The team was insane and fantastic...i´ll explain later. After stopping ... read more