winifredcreamer

Riding the Teleferico

Jonathan likes markets, and as Thursday is the El Alto market on Av. 16 de abril, we decided to go. When we went to the hotel desk to ask about getting a taxi, one of the bellmen suggested we take a taxi to the main aerial tramway station and ride the tram to El Alto.Continue reading “Riding the Teleferico”

April in La Paz, Bolivia

Whatever I was expecting from LaPaz, it wasn’t the brilliant blue sky capping the overflowing natural bowl that encompasses the city. From our window in the Hotel Stannum we see the snow-covered peak of Illimani southwest of the city center and the houses under construction farther and farther from the center, rising like the foamContinue reading “April in La Paz, Bolivia”

The Other Side of Travel in Peru

As we drove north, we saw the side of Peru away from the beaches and national treasures. This part is a desert without water, except when the rivers flood. It’s where last year’s El Nino peeled off miles of pavement still awaiting repairs, and the problem no one can escape–waste. Along the highways from LimaContinue reading “The Other Side of Travel in Peru”

Tumbes to the north, Cabo Blanco to the south

We went to Tumbes because it was there. We said we were going to northern Peru and that’s as north as it gets. The Plaza de Armas has two elaborate monuments facing each other, a condor and llama on one side and a giant band shell filled with faces and figures on the other. Continue reading “Tumbes to the north, Cabo Blanco to the south”

Mancora

Best known of the northern beaches is Mancora, where surfing competitions are held. The center of town is a bustle of hostels, restaurants and shops. We found a few things we’d forgotten to bring along, like peanut butter, and new flip-flops. Mancora is 100% tourist. The beach in Mancora had everything we’d heard about, jetContinue reading “Mancora”

Playa Los Organos

Our home stretch into the north took us from Piura to Playa Los Organos. We saw more of the damage from El Nino as we left Piura on bumpy roads, the asphalt having washed off last year. Road construction detoured us every few kilometers for the first hour of our drive. After that, the roadContinue reading “Playa Los Organos”

Heading North

We decided to visit northern Peru, and headed for Playa Los Organos, on the coast between Piura and Tumbes, stopping for two nights on the way. The first day was familiar territory where we passed familiar archaeological sites. Just north of our home in Barranca is the Fortaleza de Paramonga, southernmost outpost of the ChimuContinue reading “Heading North”

Still Life in Blue

These were sitting on the table and I couldn’t resist.

New jewelry

For a while, I collected broken watches and then took them apart. As I should have known, watches are all electronic and only contain a few tiny gears, most made of plastic, so watches are not a source of gears as they used to be. Most steam punk style jewelry is made from faux watchContinue reading “New jewelry”

Crafts while the internet is out

We spent a week with almost no internet and I found myself sewing. After dropping my phone in the ocean (!), I needed something to carry my phone and keys when i have no pockets. I started with the short sleeve from one of Jonathan’s worn out shirts. I folded the hem together and tookContinue reading “Crafts while the internet is out”