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A “Day of the Dead” Visit to Huascaran, Peru’s Tallest Mountain
Blog: GoBackpacking - 16 December 2011
arrived in Huaraz (elev: 3,100 meters), at the foot of Peru’s Cordillera Blanca, just as the rainy season was getting underway. I didn’t care. This was the gateway to Peru’s tallest mountains, including Huascaran at 6,768 meters (22,205 feet), and I wasn’t going to miss it on my first visit to the country. After all, [...]
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Chan Chan: The Largest (& Most Boring) Pre-Columbian City in South America
Blog: GoBackpacking - 14 December 2011
overing some 20 square kilometers of desert between Trujillo and the the Pacific Ocean, the adobe city of Chan Chan was constructed by the Chimor civilization starting around 850 AD. This was about the same time the Moche civilization, which created Huaca de la Luna and Huaca del Sol, went into decline. Chan Chan was [...]
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Moche Ruins: Huaca de la Luna y Huaca del Sol
Blog: GoBackpacking - 13 December 2011
ollowing in the footsteps of my friends Jack and Jill, I departed Chachapoyas in the mountains of northern Peru for Trujillo further south along the coast. As an aside, I took an overnight bus, which was far more comfortable, modern, and efficient than any bus I’ve taken in Colombia or Ecuador (or heck, even the [...]
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Update from the Field: Loan Officer Training, a Photographic Journey + Kiva Gift Cards
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 12 December 2011
Compiled by Kathrin Gerner, KF16, Rwanda December has long been the month of annual awards, looking back and frantic searches for presents. The Kiva fellows blog is no exception to this rule: Share the fellows' memories by taking a photographic journey through Sierra Leone and watching a video about a typical day of a fellow conducting loan officer trainings. Learn about some incredible women in Costa Rica, who received a Woman Entrepreneur Award from Kiva's field partner, Fundación Mujer.
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Kuelap: Fortress Ruins in Northern Peru
Blog: GoBackpacking - 9 December 2011
One of the many reasons I chose to take the long, scenic route from Ecuador to Peru was so that I’d be in a good position to visit Kuelap, a Pre-Inca, Pre-Colombian, mountaintop fortress built by the Chachapoyans (know as the Cloud Forest people). Little is known about Kuelap, though we do know through carbon dating [...]
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The Do-Gooder’s 2011 Guide to Responsible Giving: Kiva Cards
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 8 December 2011
In the United States, it was ushered in on Friday the 25th of November in the wee hours of the morning. Here in Ica, Perú, it is manifested in the towering polyethylene Christmas tree and tinsel-adorned telephone booths in the Plaza del Sol shopping mall. Around the world, in many forms, it’s upon us: the season of giving. And every year in the Bennett family, we duke it out to see just who can give the most responsibly: we exchange goats through Heifer International, carbon credits through Carbon Fund, and donations to NPR and Wikipedia.
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Update from the Field: Adapting for Borrowers by Borrowers, Microinsurance +SKFL
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 28 November 2011
Compiled by Jim Burke, KF16, Nicaragua This week’s Fellows Blog focuses on adaptability: Adapting microinsurance to poor households in Indonesia, an MFI in Turkey adapts to the needs of women entrepreneurs, a multifaceted borrower in Nepal adapts to market pressures, and a Kiva Fellow adapts to changing expectations. In a continuation of The Stuff Kiva [...]
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Travel Sights to make you Squirm – Frog Juice in Peru, Jugo de Rana
Blog: The Travel Tart - Offbeat Tales From A Travel Addict - 21 November 2011
Bizarre Travel Sights – The Frog Juice/Jugo de Rana Stand in Arequipa, Peru Today’s ‘What the f&*$ is that?’ travel photo is from John from Jetpunk.com – which is about...
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To Kiva Fellow or not to Kiva Fellow. Eso e’ la pregunta.
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 21 November 2011
By Robert Gradoville, KF16, Peru Should I become a Kiva Fellow? I imagine a lot of the Stories From The Field blog followers have considered applying to the Fellowship, or have wondered what the comparison is between the Kiva Fellows Program to similar volunteer or development programs abroad. This may include the Peace Corps, overseas research grants, overseas workshops on topics in development, Fulbright Fellowships, Rotary Scholarships, and possibly service-learning trips if you are currently students. The list goes on and on.
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Vilcabamba to Chachapoyas: The Quiet Ecuador / Peru Border Crossing
Blog: GoBackpacking - 8 November 2011
Crossing international borders overland is always a thrill, whether they be hectic and filled with hustlers out to game you, or so quiet you wonder if you’re in the right place. The longer the journey, the more remote the border, the greater the adventure. And if given the option, I prefer to make these crossings [...]
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Update from the Field: Earthquakes, 5Ks + The Pain of Sickness and Loss
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 7 November 2011
This week’s Fellows Blog is armed with stories from the field: stories of the uncertain world borrowers live in, and how they (and we) cope with it. We’ve learned that everyone gets tired running a 5K in Paraguay, but for a good enough cause, we can will our legs to power through it. That everyone gets scared during an afternoon earthquake in Peru, but even so, borrowers, coworkers, and Field Partners will lend a hand to anyone that needs it.
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Marching with the Band during La Fiesta Mama Negra
Blog: Vagobond.com - 4 November 2011
Down the spine of the Andes Mountains just one hour south of Quito, the city of Latacunga fills its streets with streamers and parades the cathedral’s statue of the Virgin and Child through several neighborhoods.
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Mistura: Peru’s Festival Of Food
Blog: Vagobond.com - 2 November 2011
Lima is often referred to as the Gastronomic Capital of Latin America and going to the annual food festival Mistura is a great way to find out why.
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Earthquake! (and Disaster Mitigation through Microfinance)
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 1 November 2011
Last Friday morning my Fellows Blog post mentioned the devastation of the 2007 Peruvian Earthquake in Ica, Peru and the surrounding areas.
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The Choquequirao Trek or How to Be a Weekend Warrior in Peru
Blog: Vagobond.com - 1 November 2011
We descended such distances that the climate visibly changed around us, getting warmer and subtropical until the trees were dripping with ripe mangos and avocados.
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Update from the Field: Expanding the Reach of Microfinance, Downsizing Development + Why We Kiva
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 31 October 2011
Compiled by Kathrin Gerner, KF16, Rwanda This week, you have no fewer than 14 new articles to choose from on the Kiva fellows blog: Let the fellows take you along on borrower visits across the world. Learn how Kiva field partners expand the reach of microfinance in Rwanda, fill the microfinance donut hole in Sierra Leone and improve social performance in Uganda. Find out what poverty is like in urban Tajikistan and rural Burkina Faso. Get inspired by one of the creative ways to bring renewable energy to the developing world in the form of a soccer ball.
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Mysteries, Geoglyphs + too-good-to-be-true Kiva Borrowers
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 28 October 2011
When I arrived in famous Nazca, Peru last week to complete some borrower visits, my mind was not on the celebrated and mysterious Nazca Lines but on the mystery of Caja Rural Señor de Luren borrower Gaby, who repaid her entire loan a mere month after disbursement. I was checking in on Gaby’s loan as par
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Microfinance by Land or by Sea
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 27 October 2011
By Kate Bennett, KF16, Peru I spent last week at the beach. But from my resiliently pasty skin, you wouldn't have guessed it.
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Top Adventure Destinations In the World – Part 1
Blog: Canada's Adventure Couple - 18 October 2011
Last week on CTV News Channel we talked about our top destinations in the world for adventure. While all countries offer adventure of some kind, there are a few that we have been to that seem to cater to the true adventurous spirit.
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Mistura, in photos.
Blog: The Brink of Something Else - 15 September 2011
Mistura. I’ve had far too many beers and Pisco Sours, and way too much good food to really express in words how awesome today was. So I’m going to leave you with some photos, and head on out to celebrate a great day of over-indulgence with, you guessed it, yet more over-indulgence. The actual blog [...]
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Searching for peace in a sea of traffic: Walking around Lima, Peru
Blog: Fourteen months, four countries, and three kids - Tales from the Field - 7 September 2011
Today, I walked the streets of Lima, Peru. I have been in Lima many times, and even lived here for a while. But, it had been four years since I had been back and I was curious to see how the city had changed since I had been here last.
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South America on my mind
Blog: everthenomad - 30 August 2011
Last night, while going through old letters, photos and random items from my past, I came across these photographs taken on my first trip to South America, back in 2001. It was a three-week jaunt around Peru with a friend. … Continue reading →
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Seven Super Train Travels
Blog: Canada's Adventure Couple - 26 August 2011
Who Likes Train Travel? We love taking the train. There is nothing better than watching the countryside pass by as you relax in your compartment while getting to know your fellow passengers.
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Flora of Machu Picchu
Blog: Two Backpackers - 23 August 2011
During our Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu we encountered some of the most beautiful flora we have seen during all our travels in South America. Many of the flowers are orchids, since Peru has thousands of species of them. Plants and Flowers of Machu Picchu I did my best to look up all the flora [...]
