Hello there again! For those of you who were wondering, no, I haven’t disappeared off the face of the earth or gotten kidnapped in some shady side street. It’s just that since I’ve left Cusco, I have been busy traveling and exploring and meeting new people. So don’t worry if you hear a bit less…
Category: Travelling
Cusco mágico
Cusco encantador Cusco soñador Cusco, mi querido Cusco Ha llegado el momento de despedirse. Después de ocho meses, después de tanto tiempo en esta hermosa ciudad, dejo atrás la vida que me construí acá, pedazo por pedazo, amistad por amistad. Ya está. Me marcho, ya no puedo dar marcha atrás. Me voy, el corazón pesado,…
little victories
climbing the stairs on his own walking around the entire school grounds without help hugging a fellow pupil pronouncing a difficult word correctly and clearly neatly and rapidly solving a math problem presenting a science subject in front of her classmates surprising me by remembering the exact arrangement of certain objects reading a new word…
On a Zero Waste mission
After working at the Foifi ZeroWaste shop in Zurich, learning a lot about the Zero Waste concept and implementing various changes in my life to reduce the waste I produce, I was curious how challenging it would be to maintain these habits once in Peru. To my surprise, for me it’s almost easier (and cheaper) here than…
Mi himno al Cusco
Qosqo, Qosqo ombligo del mundo ancient Inca capital red bricks and whitewashed alleys hidden backyards filled with flowers and parked motorcycles the garbage truck’s bell as it bends around the corner the sounds of Radio Felicidad coming through open windows the morning wake-up call of water kettles and «licuadoras» constant honking taxi drivers slowing down…
Half-time
Over seven months have passed since I left. Seven months of departure, traveling, arrival, reunions, encounters, discoveries, living the life I’d mapped out for myself and being surprised by the unforeseen along the way. Now I’ve got approximately seven months left of my South America adventure. Barely two months of volunteering in Cusco and then…
Smuggling water and other stories
Cuba – a country that makes you feel like a time traveler. Vintage cars, neon signs, colonial villas… But also no free Wi-Fi, no iPhones, no credit card machines. Our hosts coordinating the next stay at a «casa particular» by phoning friends at our following destination. Taxi rides without air-conditioning or seat belts (though I’m…
Passers-through
«How long are you staying here for?» – Most people answer «one week», «two weeks», maybe «one month», maximum. When I tell them that I’m staying for more than half a year, I get surprised looks. Cusco is ever-changing. People come, people go. You constantly see new faces, hear new stories. For a brief moment, your path crosses other travellers’…
Walking in my parents’ footsteps
«Hace 24 años…» – South America ’95/’96 I grew up with the tales of my parents’ South America trip. Anecdotes, bedtime stories and photo albums full of memories. My dad telling every taxi driver on our Chile trip that he’d been there 22 years ago… The hammock they brought back from Ecuador, where I like to…
Estado migratorio: residente!
Just a small note to let you know that I finally got my «carné de extranjería», meaning that I’m allowed to stay in Peru for a year now. It was a long, tedious process – even today, when I went to pick up my card, the officer just left to have lunch (45 min before…