It rains every day in the tropics. At least it does in Ecuador at this time of year. Usually, the rains come at night or in the early morning hours. And it’s that kind of warm, soft rain that makes you want to sit up in bed and just listen....
Modes of Transport / South America
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published February 17, 2018 · Last modified February 12, 2018
Bus hijackings in remote areas of Perú is apparently a thing. As near as I can tell, it happens once every couple of years. A pretty standard M.O. is for a passenger, who is in league with the hijackers, to phone ahead to his partners when the bus nears a...
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published February 15, 2018 · Last modified February 12, 2018
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...
For the past three days I had been looking at this glass filled with limes submerged in water. I wondered often about them. This morning I finally asked. I had supposed that perhaps it was purely decorative. Or a clever way of preserving the limes. Or maybe even a way...
Dining / South America / Vegetarian/Vegan
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published February 14, 2018 · Last modified February 12, 2018
I first discovered these tasty little treats in Perú in January 2014. At the time, I had been told they were called Peruvian Ground Cherries. I have no idea why, since I’m pretty sure they are not botanically related to cherries. In Spanish, they are called aguaymanto. Either way, they...
Dining / South America / Vegetarian/Vegan
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published February 13, 2018 · Last modified February 8, 2018
The granadilla is a fruit I first encountered in Perú in 2014. I found it again in Colombia in 2015. And now once more in Perú in 2018, but it’s very difficult to find in North America. Let me show you what it’s like…
Dining / Off-the-beaten-path / Off-the-cuff / South America / Vegetarian/Vegan / Wandering
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published February 12, 2018
I went out wandering around Trujillo today and stumbled upon a vegan restaurant just 3-4 blocks from where I’m staying. Then I found a vegetarian restaurant just 3-4 more blocks beyond that. After several hours of exploring and taking photos, I started to feel hungry so I made my way...
I didn’t comment on an incident that happened when I bought a jacket to replace the one that had been stolen because I thought it was just a weird, one-off thing. But last night it just happened again. When I went to pay by credit card, the card machine asked...
Logistics / Sedate / South America
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published February 8, 2018 · Last modified February 3, 2018
SPOILER ALERT!! If you have the stereotypical vision in mind of Third World markets as seen in Hollywood movies, with 3-day old dead chickens hanging by their feet in the front window, you might end up disappointed. In all the Third World countries I have been to, you can of...
I am now in Nasca, Perú. Will share the whole story of that in a few days after I process it, write it all down and edit the photos. For now, this was my breakfast ( plus I supplemented with my own honey for the tea and peanut butter to...