So, I am sitting in Aguas Calientes after spending the morning walking around the famous Machu Picchu. I still don´t know how to spell it...sorry! Needless to say, I am tired (woke up at 4:30 am to catch the 5:30 bus!) and hot (who knew -- it´s supposed to be winter in this hemisphere!) and a little dirty (I have no hotel room in which to take a shower!). After the bus incident (side note: my colleague, Cristina, had a very similar experience IN THE DARK at the same bridge 12 hours earlier! And I met two girls today who ALSO [View Full Entry]

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So, while I am traveling through the Islands of Lake Titicaca, I learn from eavesdropping on the guides that there is a road blockage between Puno and Cuzco (where I am supposed to go next). You can imagine that this is a very popular route, and the bus is really the only way (besides flying) to get from one place to the other. I don´t really understand the root of the political problems here, but it has to to do with the local people needing stuff, and the president not listening to them. So, how to get the government´s attention? Block [View Full Entry]

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The return of the Travelblog...surprise. I have not traveled alone in so long, and now I remember what good company the blog is. And man, do I have stories to tell. My trip to Peru started out great. I flew through Lima and was surprised with the comforts of home....Dunkin Donuts, Papa John´s Pizza, Starbucks. I admit, I splurged on all three! I couldn´t help myself! I would fly through Lima anytime. :) Flew on to Arequipa, where I thought it was a great sign that it was the Ballon Airport. No lie! Seriously. It´s the Rodriguez Ballon Airport. Apparently, Ballon [View Full Entry]

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I haven't updated my blog in a while...mostly because I have been so busy visiting people and running around with them that it has been hard to find a quiet time to sit and reflect. Also, I have to rely on the technology of others to do this sort of thing, and if a computer or internet connection isn't available, then this is virtually impossible to do. That being said, I have taken some notes along the way to make sure that I include some "important" details about my last few weeks of travel. Not interested? Well, you can always just [View Full Entry]

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Although the title says "DC", I have to admit that I was mostly in Arlington, VA and Silver Springs, MD...not DC at all. I guess, though that it is not so important where I was exactly, but with whom I spent my time. Sidenote: The great thing about Austin, TX (where I live), is that people are from all over. The worst thing about Austin, TX is that because people are from all over, they're less likely to stay for the long run. It's a great place to go to school, start a career, maybe stay for a few years [View Full Entry]

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I've recieved many inquiries about why the blog appears to have stopped...and I really don't have a good reason for it. But I did come up with this: When I travel alone, the blog sort of keeps me company. I complain to it, I laugh with it, I share some of my secrets with it. But my last week in Israel was different b/c I wasn't alone. I was with great friends and family, so my blog took a backseat to living in the moment with them. Besides, I can sum it all up pretty quickly here and you'll be [View Full Entry]

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I haven't mentioned it yet, but please let me take some time to tell you about the freaking weather here. And I will start by saying that sometimes ignorance IS bliss. (If you are not aware of the actual temperature, it makes it a little more difficult to complain.) The sun just went down an hour ago and it is.......100 DEGREES! At night! I am not joking! I just looked at weather.com and it informed me (without laughing or snickering or anything) that the high temperature today was 110 degrees! I am not kidding. My advice: Skip Egypt in the [View Full Entry]

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So, no need to worry about my not-so-nice travel companions. There has been an outpouring of (well-deserved) sympathy from abroad. But they have come around! I wouldn't say that I have made the best friends of my life, but it's actually not so bad. In fact, last night we all went out as a group, then the two Aussies (Sarah and Yvette) and I went on our own way. Truth is, I needed some moral support in the tourist bazaar -- I was in the market for one of those god awful Egyptian cotton dress things -- and I didn't [View Full Entry]

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So, here is the question of the day -- when stuck in the Queen Alia airport for 6 hours, what do you do exactly? Frappucino at Starbucks? Cinnabon? Personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut? Or perhaps chicken strips from Popeye's? Ahhh, globalization. But my answer may surprise you -- bring your own food! Even with the smells of America in the air, the airport itself makes even the familiar unappealing. That's not to say that I didn't partake in a banana java chip frap at Starbuck's -- but I was using the coffee to get to the comfy chairs! Observation: [View Full Entry]

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What does she mean, "jumping off her haystack?" Good question. And before I begin telling you about the past 10 days, let me explain. On Friday afternoon, just before Shabbat began, my group and I went to Kinneret Cemetery on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. I had been there a few times before, with different trips, so I knew that it was actually a very beautiful and special place -- not creepy at all. You would definitely want to be buried there...beautiful palm trees, a constant breeze, and the sound of rustling lea [View Full Entry]

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