Lima, Iquitos, Loreto 2026 My tea at Ché Chá came with a tiny sand timer for steeping. I've never made tea this way before, and now I always want a sand timer with my tea. One of the beautiful flowering trees I kept noticing as I walked around Miraflores. I think this may be a Tipuana tipu, or tipa tree. Lima street mural at night Bear in a coat, Miraflores Abby Kojola on the Malecón People are very into sweeping here. There'll be more tomorrow, and it's not a race. Cannas above Bajada Armendáriz Hibiscus at Parque Bicentenario Cactuses, aloe, flowers, high-rises. All of it at once. Geocell wall holding up the cliff - Holding the hillside up by planting it. MIRAFLORES sign and Puente de la Paz Bougainvillea and the Pacific Lima coastline from the cliffs The most beautiful public bathroom I've ever seen, exactly where I needed it. The sea bass dish. Everything at Nina felt like someone had really thought about it. Incredible mocktail with Chicha Morada (purple corn), cinnamon and infused vanilla foam Turkey avocado pita at La Baguette Someone left her flowers. Things that caught my attention on the way to Barranco. Ukaw in Barranco. The food looked incredible and I was jealous of everything everyone else was eating. The ceremonial cacao. Warm milk, cinnamon, a cacao bar, and a spoon that looks like a little branch. I felt it in my heart. A doorway in Barranco. I have questions and I love it. Cute Recycling bins in Barranco Ceviche the northern Peru way, with beans and yuca. For Jen Saxer. Arroz con pato The blandest thing on the menu. I ate about a quarter of it. Fast boat or slow boat? Fast. Walking into Fundo Pedrito. Suddenly it felt much more like the jungle. Enormous Victoria Regia lily pads, with white flowers beginning to come up among them. The king of the forest, from a distance. Ceiba Tree, King of the Forest You are this strong, this tall, this grounded. Your roots go this deep. Jaguar Mural in Iquitos The area where the shamans shop. Bark, roots, coca, flowers, and bottles and bottles of medicine. San Pedro, bobinsana, chuchuhuasi. So many things I had no idea how to identify. So much of the medicine was just stored in ordinary plastic bottles. Not presented preciously. Just medicine being sold in the market. Much calmer and less crowded than the rest of the market, and everything displayed so beautifully. Fish on the grill, plantains alongside, banana leaves everywhere. There were worms -suri (palm weevil larvae)-on skewers. Smoked Meat Table Turtle Meat and Eggs River Fish, Belén Market There were roosters and chickens Caiman Tails and Catfish Fish everywhere, being cut and cleaned right there. Alligator meat at the Market Filleting Catfish A woman rolling mapacho cigarettes. Familiar things alongside things completely outside anything I know. Turtle soup cooked inside the shell over fire. The one thing I would have tried under different circumstances. Carachama Catfish I love seeing all the banana leaves. The jungle surrounding Blue Morpho. One of the large thatched-roof buildings at Blue Morpho, surrounded by the Amazon jungle. Bright bougainvillea spilling over one of the paths through the Blue Morpho grounds. So much of the Blue Morpho property was filled with flowers growing right against the edge of the jungle. The path up toward the Lake House at Blue Morpho. One of the thatched buildings tucked into the trees at Blue Morpho. The view across the water and palms on the Blue Morpho grounds. Bananas growing right on the retreat grounds, with the enormous flower still hanging beneath the fruit. The retreat buildings almost disappear into the trees surrounding them. One of the little waterways we passed during our hike through the jungle. A blue arrow pointing us deeper into the jungle. So many strange and beautiful things were growing directly from the trees. The roots and trees in the jungle seemed to have their own architecture. One of the enormous trees we encountered on our walk through the jungle. Ayahuasca vines wrapped, climbed and curved through the jungle in every direction. The leaves used for ceremonial chakapas It was amazing how easily animals and insects disappeared into the colors and textures of the jungle. Another strange little detail Jorge pointed out along the trail. Definitely not a tree I wanted to accidentally grab for balance. Tiny flashes of red stood out against all the green and brown of the forest floor. I loved finding these tiny red and yellow flowers growing right out of the trunk. The jungle came right up to the edge of the water. Long seed pods hanging among the tropical plants near the lake at Blue Morpho. A tiny pineapple growing right on the retreat grounds. The Lake House, where I spent part of Thursday afternoon sitting by the water before our final ayahuasca ceremony. The lake was brown and murky, but the reflections of the sky and jungle were beautiful. Our Blue Morpho group together at the end of an incredibly full week in the Peruvian Amazon. A sweet photo together at Blue Morpho as our week in the jungle was coming to an end. Abby & Maestro at Blue Morpho One last view over the Amazon before flying back to Lima. Ceremonial cacao at UKAW during my Sunday afternoon wandering through Barranco. My beautiful paiche lunch at UKAW, with avocado, tomatoes, broccoli, greens and nuts. Inside UKAW, where I stopped for ceremonial cacao and lunch while wandering through Barranco. Watching the sun set over the Pacific while talking to my mom from my apartment in Barranco. My last-day breakfast in Barranco: eggs, toast, avocado and fresh juice. One of the little scenes I noticed while wandering through Barranco on my last full day in Peru. Dinner at La Mueller in Barranco on My Last Day in Lima One last Pacific sunset from Barranco before leaving Peru. People stopped to watch the sun disappear over the Pacific on my last evening in Lima. Sacred Valley 2025 San Pedros at Munay Sonqo Retreat Center Abby Kojola & Maestro Hamilton Pink flower at Munay Sonqo Flowers at Munay Sonqo Apus view from Munay Sonqo Drinking coca tea at Munay Sonqo My room at Munay Sonqo Outside view of my room Munay Sonqo Twin San Pedros Incan site in Ollantaytambo Incan site in Ollantaytambo Incan site in Ollantaytambo - View from my roof deck Incan site in Ollantaytambo - View from my roof deck Incan site in Ollantaytambo - View from my roof deck Incan site in Ollantaytambo - View from my roof deck Incan site in Ollantaytambo - View from my roof deck Incan site in Ollantaytambo - View from my roof deck Incan site in Ollantaytambo - View from my roof deck Machu Picchu - the spot where I sobbed because it's so beautiful. Machu Picchu - Big Mountain, Old Mountain Urubamba River making it's way through the Andes Temple at the top of Machu Picchu Stone carved to match the shape of a mountain - Machu Picchu Machu Picchu View to the south of Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Temple of the Sun - Machu Picchu Temple of the Sun - Machu Picchu Temple of the Sun - Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Cactus in Aguas Calientes Mural in Aguas Calientes Dinner in Aguas Calientes Urubamba River from PeruRail Train Urubamba River from PeruRail Train Urubamba River from PeruRail Train Urubamba River from PeruRail Train Mango Juice in Ollantaytambo with a view of the mountains - this probably gave me diarrhea... Ancient Cobblestone road to my house in Ollantaytambo - 5 blocks from the main square My 3 bedroom home in Ollantaytambo with a rook deck view of the mountains. Cobblestone road to my house in Ollantaytambo View from roof deck in Ollantaytambo View from roof deck in Ollantaytambo View from roof deck in Ollantaytambo View from roof deck in Ollantaytambo Walking back to central Cusco from Sacsayhuaman, Capital of the Inca Empire I didn't go see Cristo Blanco up close. This was as close as I got to Cristo Blanco. Sacsayhuaman, Capital of the Inca Empire Sacsayhuaman, Capital of the Inca Empire Sacsayhuaman, Capital of the Inca Empire Offering in the river on the way to Tambomachay Water Temple Tambomachay Water Temple Pathway beyond Tambomachay Water Temple Tambomachay Water Temple Tambomachay Water Temple Tambomachay Water Temple Pathway to Tambomachay Water Temple View from Puka Pukara: The Red Fortress Puka Pukara: The Red Fortress Puka Pukara: The Red Fortress Weaving at Alpaca Farm Store Alpaca Alpaca Qenqo: The Inca Spiritual Center Coca tea with a view of Cusco On the way to Sacsayhuaman On the way to Sacsayhuaman On the way to Sacsayhuaman On the way to Sacsayhuaman On the way to Sacsayhuaman On the way to Sacsayhuaman "Shaman Shop" on the way to Sacsayhuaman Uphill road to Sacsayhuaman Peruvian ladies Munay Sonqo Inca Corn Soup in Ollantaytambo Quinoa Soup in Aguas Calientes Machu Picchu Snail Lunch in Cusco Church in Cusco Plaza de Armas in Cusco Plaza de Armas in Cusco Plaza de Armas in Cusco Plaza de Armas in Cusco Plaza de Armas in Cusco Ofrenda Restaurant in Cusco Ofrenda Restaurant in Cusco Ofrenda Restaurant in Cusco Ofrenda Restaurant in Cusco Ofrenda Restaurant in Cusco Like this:Like Loading…
