Category: South America

Sedate / South America / Tropics

Guayaquil, malecon 2000

Guayaquil, Ecuador is not on a sea coast. Yet it has two separate waterfront boardwalks; malecons, in Spanish. That’s because there is both a bay and a navigable river flanking the city from either side. Both provide ocean access for shipping. Both also provide lovely recreation areas for residents and...

Off-the-beaten-path / South America / Tropics / Wandering

🎼…from Hawaii to the shores of Peru…🏄🏻

Me: “Is there a malecon in Trujillo?” Martin (who owns the hostel where I’m staying): “If you want a good malecon, the one in Huanchaco is much better. You should go there.” At least that’s the gist of what he said. Martin speaks very clear Spanish but it’s still sometimes...

Activities / Moderately Active / Off-the-beaten-path / South America / Tropics / Wandering

Secret passageways to Trujillo’s backstage

Trujillo, Perú has so many amazing doorways and alleyways, it’s tempting to want to just wander through every one of them. Instead I decided to design my own little walking tour and photograph some. Quite a few doors were closed and alleyways gated. That only added to their mysterious allure....

Art / Culture / Off-the-beaten-path / South America / Tropics / Wandering

Trujillo College of Medicine

While out wandering around Trujillo, Perú I stumbled across the campus of the Trujillo College of Medicine. Like many places here, the college is surrounded by walls. However these walls are covered in amazing mosaic artwork. Spanning several blocks, these giant and elaborate masterpieces stand as public showpieces.

Off-the-beaten-path / South America / Tropics

Trujillo: Perhaps the prettiest city in all of Perú

Trujillo, about 9 hours’ drive north from Lima, is a beautiful colonial city right on the Pacific Ocean. Less than ¼ the distance to the equator as Miami, Trujillo is decidedly tropical. With mostly narrow streets, lovely town squares, and colonial architecture everywhere you look, Trujillo is an overlooked gem with...

Nature / South America / Wandering

Beachfront Property, Super Cheap

No facilities, no services, no neighbors, no trees, no shade. But you can build right on the Pacific Ocean and your back yard is several thousand square miles of beach. The coastal areas of southern Perú are one of the naturally driest deserts in the world. That’s because they lie...

Miscellaneous / South America

The Three Little Pigs go into the Peruvian construction business

It’s extraordinarily common all throughout Perú to see houses and other buildings that look as if they are still under construction. And yet they are open for business or people are living in them or they are otherwise in use. I’m told this is because of Peruvian tax laws. Once...