Goodbye to the Circus

Leigh and James packed their trunks...

Category: Uncategorized (page 1 of 1)

  • Leigh shops for "lucky New Year's yellow underwear" in Lima, Peru
  • One of the fountains at the Magic Water Tour in Lima
  • Comfy dog, Barranco, Lima, Peru
  • Shop front a few days after Christmas, Barranco, Lima, Peru
  • New Year's Eve decorations in a bar in Lima, Peru
  • Main street inside the Convent of Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru
  • The kitchen door, Convent of Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru
  • Stairs to nowhere, Convent of Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru
  • Cloisters at the Convent of Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru
  • Murals in the vaulted ceiling of Convent of Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru
  • Cats at the aquarium shop, Arequipa, Peru
  • Divine baby Jesus Dental Practice, Arequipa, Peru
  • Hotel dogs on duty at Casa de Sillar, Arequipa, Peru
  • Bananas, Feria la Marina, Arequipa, Peru
  • Losing patience with the dog costume contest, Arequipa, Peru
  • View of the volcanoes from our apartment, Arequipa, Peru
  • One of the "Tambos" in the old city, Arequipa, Peru
  • Skate park under the highway, Arequipa, Peru
  • Cacti and graffiti, Arequipa, Peru
  • Wedding photos in the main square, Arequipa, Peru
  • Volcanoes loom over the courtyard of the Cloisters of the Company, Arequipa, Peru
  • One of the city's many roof dogs as Leigh walks by, Arequipa, Peru
  • Upside down horse and pharaoh, Arequipa, Peru
  • Santa collecting on the street in early January, Arequipa, Peru
  • One of the city's many shop dogs, Arequipa, Peru
  • Church of San Francisco, Arequipa, Peru
  • Leigh feeding the critters, Mundo Alpaca, Arequipa, Peru
  • Teething, Arequipa, Peru
  • Furniture shop, Arequipa, Peru
  • Statuesque in the main square, Cuzco, Peru
  • Main market, Cuzco, Peru
  • Street vendors, Cuzco, Peru
  • Walking in Cuzco, Peru
  • Main square, Cuzco, Peru
  • Phone call, Cuzco, Arequipa
  • Cordoba del Tucuman, Cuzco, Peru
  • Hail storm, Cuzco, Peru
  • View from Qorikancha, Cuzco, Peru
  • Procession in front of Qorikancha, Cuzco, Peru
  • Learning about traditional textile making, Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru
  • Nom, Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru
  • Local market, Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru
  • Salt ponds, Maras, Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru
  • View from part way up the Inca ruins, Ollantaytambo, Peru
  • The imposing Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo, Peru
  • Fishing, Ollantaytambo, Peru
  • Angry river along the railway track to Machu Picchu
  • Low cloud adds mood to Machu Picchu, Peru
  • Terraces in the clouds, Machu Picchu, Peru
  • Water mirror, Machu Picchu, Peru
  • The rain finally stops, Machu Picchu, Peru
  • Alpacas have right of way, Machu Picchu, Peru
  • Grazing above the valley, Machu Picchu, Peru
  • Moody, Machu Picchu, Peru
  • Spectacular, Machu Picchu, Peru
  • Embarrassed, Macchu Picchu, Peru
  • The classic view, Machu Picchu, Peru
  • Baby alpaca, Arequipa, Peru
  • Shopping near the main market, Arequipa, Peru
  • Tambo, Arequipa, Peru
  • Leigh walking along a Tambo, Arequipa, Peru
March 15, 2018 / 0 Comments

Transition Time in Peru

After Colombia, we traveled back to the states to spend Christmas in South Carolina with Leigh’s mom before heading off to darkest Peru. During nearly two years on the road we would make three trips back to the States. Besides catching up with loved ones, this was a great opportunity to change out clothes, leave things we weren’t using, and stock up on home comforts.

On December 27, 2017 we arrived in Lima. Peru–and more specifically Arequipa–was one of the places on our list that met most of our criteria for long-term relocation, so we were excited to explore the country. Arriving in Peru was a real adjustment as we were back living at a high altitude for the first time since our initial stay in Ecuador. Operating at in the thinner air initially makes you feel extremely unfit as even a short walk leaves you panting.

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  • The countryside beyond Guatapé where we walked the dogs
  • One of the cats at our Airbnb in Medellin
  • The sprawling cityscape of Medellin
  • Bustling downtown Medellin and its crazy subway
  • Ley Seca or Dry Law - no alcohol sales on Sundays in Colombia
  • Leigh holds Bella in front of Hecho Con Amor Deli in Guatapé
  • Pulga on his personal sofa
  • Bella on her daily swim in one of the many ponds on our walk
  • Guatapé was a destination for BMX racing with a dedicated track
  • Zocalos and relaxed dog in Guatapé
  • Mototaxi and matching zocalo in Guatapé
  • Man with dog and zocalos in Guatapé
  • Woman with dog and sheep zocalos in Guatapé
  • Musical instrument zocalos in Guatapé
  • View of the reservoir lakes from the top of El Peñol
  • The rock of El Peñol and it's crazy stairs with reflection in a tour bus
  • Bella and Pulga's best friend Amber waits patiently for them to return from their swim
  • Jesus of the refrigerators, Guatapé
  • Cowboy and mannequin, Guatapé
  • Cowboys park their horses outside a restaurant in El Peñol
  • Pulga and Bella stalk a vulture from the balcony
  • Clothes drying outside a house on the outskirts of Guatapé
  • Festival umbrellas over a main street in Guatapé
  • Bella enjoys a lovely sunset over the lake
  • Christmas lights in Guatapé's main square
  • Lighting candles for Día de las Velitas on December 7 in Guatapé
  • Gorgeous wild flowers and bushes dotted the landscape outside Guatapé
  • A view of El Peñol in the distance while walking the dogs
  • Christmas decorations inside a shop in the center of Guatapé
  • Green solo cups used as Christmas decoration in nearby San Rafael
  • Heading home after a quick lunch in the center of San Rafael
  • Kids dressed as elves wait their turn during Guatapé's Christmas pageant
  • A long hike to a waterfall with our host Bernice, Bella leading the way
  • Pulga on the balcony, doing what he does best
  • Bella making herself comfortable on the sofa
December 21, 2017 / 4 Comments

Veggie Food, Long Dog Walks, Lakes for Days

So you know how we said in our last post that we were really committed to keeping the blog updated? Yeah, well, hopefully this time we’ll keep our word and catch up all the way to the present day, which is June 20, 2019 for the record!

After two and a half months in Ecuador, our next destination was Colombia and our third (and what turned out to be final) Workaway, to help out in a vegetarian cafe in a small lakeside town.

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  • Mama, Moreno and Sonia check out the sunset
  • Hawthorne on front desk duty
  • Pulga sleeping in front of one of the rooms
  • Patty talking about the state of the reception area
  • Toro peeks out of our room
  • Hawthorne and Mama enjoying the poolside amenities
  • The arduous process of hauling in the fishing nets on San Alejo beach
  • The catch makes it's way up to a waiting truck
  • The final stages of the catch, with frigate birds in the air and pelicans in the water
  • Leigh playing with Perry, Mama and Pulga on the beach in front of the hotel
  • Beach vendor looking for customers
  • Tintin looking like a beer ad
  • A horse trots past the front gate of the hotel
  • Patty and Hawthorne have reception covered
  • One of Mama's fave spots on the patio of room 1
  • Toro - pool security
  • Mama and Pulga hamming it up in front of the hotel
  • Patty miffed that I've disturbed her in her fave sleeping spot
  • Pulga and Mama were great company on walks along the malecon (the coastal road)
  • One of the many restaurants along the malecon (the coastal road)
  • San Jacinto's iconic whale tail sculpture
  • View up the coast from San Clemente to Punta Bikini
  • Motorbikes with four or more passengers weren't an unusual sight
  • Pulga and Mama (yawning) accompany Kimberly in her antique jeep Big Red
  • Shooting an episode of House Hunters International in the hotel!
  • David (camera) and Jeff (sound) made up the entire crew that traveled from the US
  • Moreno (bottom right) served as a production assistant
  • David and Jeff close to the action as Aimee and Matt help haul in a fishing boat
  • Aimee and Matt help the boat up the last stretch
  • The final pull up onto the road
  • Fish from the afternoon's catch
  • David lining up a shot on the final day
  • David and Jeff with Matt and Aimee after their stroll along the beach
November 20, 2017 / 0 Comments

Coastal Community

One of the surprising things about travelling is how quickly time passes. We’ve been on the road nine months now and it really has flown by. We’ve also been terrible at keeping the blog updated but are now committed to catching up. No, really!

We spent October and November of 2017 in San Alejo, Ecuador doing our second Workaway. As we explained in our last post, this program has you volunteering part-time in exchange for room and board. We loved spending our days helping out at The Cottages by the Sea in this tiny community that runs for less than a mile long along the coast.

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  • Leigh and Clyde share a goodbye headbutt while timid Bonnie hangs back
  • Cuenca airport is right in the city, so landing in our small plane from Quito at dusk was beautiful
  • Cool old bus and strange graffiti, central Cuenca
  • The end of our first day working on the farm: beans and beanpoles planted
  • Bonnie and Clyde keeping a safe distance from Amelie and Leigh early in our stay
  • Amelie offers support as Leigh and I start on our main task of building a goat pen fence from Eucalyptus
  • Amelie points out a spider on the kitchen ceiling as mom and dad make lunch
  • The sight and sound of dogs was commonplace in the farm's barrio of San Miguel de Putushi
  • Our walks down the hill to the main road always meant dog encounters
  • A house near the farm decorated to blend in with its lush surroundings
  • So many potato varieties at the massive Feria Libre market in the center of Cuenca
  • Kids were often helping their families at their stall - Feria Libre market, Cuenca
  • Choclo is a popular South American corn variety that's much bigger than its US relative - Feria Libre marker, Cuenca
  • A pile of sugar cane makes a great play area - Feria Libre market, Cuenca
  • Scream-inducing quantities of oranges - Feria Libre market, Cuenca
  • Sometimes, you just have to leave the dog in charge of your stall - Feria Libre market, Cuenca
  • Farmer and cows on the road down from San Miguel de Putushi with Cuenca in the background
  • More than half the goat pen fence completed, with our awesome hinged gate in the corner
  • Bonnie and Clyde grazing in an irrigation ditch at the farm
  • Panorama of the upper part of the farm in San Miguel de Putushi with the Cajas mountains behind
  • Just a few of the thousands of alumni of the Unversity of Cuenca parade through downtown to celebrate the school's 150th anniversary
  • Our host Louis took us on a hike up the stunning Cajas Mountains
  • Panorama of a mountain-top lake in the Cajas
  • Celebrating the day of San Miguel in front of the local church of San Miguel de Putushi
  • Families in traditional costume enjoyed the San Miguel day festivities
  • Both traditional and modern costume styles were on display at the San Miguel day celebrations
  • Kids + candy apples = happiness at the San Miguel day festivities
  • Strict security at San Miguel day
  • The San Miguel celebrations come to and end as pest control guy and his giant bug buddy head home
  • The legumes of our labors on the farm about two weeks after we planted the bean seeds
  • The eucalyptus goat fence pen in its almost-complete glory on our last day on the farm
  • A foggy final morning at the farm in San Migeul de Putushi, Cuenca
October 3, 2017 / 0 Comments

Our first Workaway

Our next stop in Ecuador was Cuenca, which is in the Andean highlands at 8,200 feet. We spent most of our two and a half weeks on a farm outside of the city at the foot of the Cajas mountains.

Our time on the farm came courtesy of Workaway — an organization that helps pair travelers like us with people who want to host a cultural exchange.

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  • The Galapagos Islands — home to unfathomable numbers of adorable sea lions
  • More paying passengers than seats on the bus from the airport to Puerto Ayora
  • Baby black-tip sharks in the harbor at Puerto Ayora
  • Duelling giant tortoises at the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora
  • A not so chill night - sheltering in the local stadium after a tsunami warning
  • Slow day in Puerto Ayora
  • The "ferry" ride from Santa Cruz Island to San Cristóbal Island
  • Our first encounter with Darwin's finches, after arriving in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
  • Juvenile Frigatebird on San Cristóbal
  • Oh hey, I'm the first of many adorable sea lions you'll meet in the Galapagos
  • Mother and baby sea lion with our boat, Millenium, anchored in the background
  • Some sea lions were real hams
  • Our first sighting of blue-footed boobies!
  • Blue-footed booby mom and fluffy, baby booby harassed by a frigatebird
  • Preening blue-footed booby
  • Though it was dry season, the odd colorful splash of flora remained
  • Helpful signage was helpful
  • Curious Galapagos mockingbird is curious about Barbara
  • Dinghy outing into mysterious sea caves
  • An unending supply of sea lion cutetness
  • Leigh stalked by an adorable sea lion
  • Camo sea lion
  • Oh right, mustn't forget about the other fauna, like this Sally Lightfoot crab
  • Marine iguanas were commonplace
  • A colony of adorable sea lions keep us company as we await our dinghy
  • On our way to Kicker Rock for some snorkelling
  • Even our cabin was full of sea lions
  • Magical coral color combinations
  • A sea turtle noms on some marine vegetation
  • A sea turtle glides gracefully through the water
  • A mess of marine iguanas
  • Camo marine iguana
  • Marine iguana contemplates following posted signage
  • Two Nazca boobies surrounded by marine iguanas (don't worry, they're all buddies)
  • Three marine iguanas checking out the surf
  • World's longest marine iguana tail?
  • A fever of golden rays passes under our dinghy
  • Sea lions keep finding cuter ways to position themselves
  • Sea lion bum with rock
  • Frigatebirds hang effortlessly over our boat
  • Captain's eye view of our boat, Millenium
  • Our fave crew member, Wilson
  • Back on terra firma, the ocean-themed town cemetery in Puerto Ayora
  • Pelicans outnumber humans at the Puerto Ayora fish market
  • Fishmonger staff inluded a sea lion, and that's yellow fin tuna on the counter
  • Fish with flyswatter at Puerto Ayora fish market
  • Many bicycles have a second seat behind the handlebars for a kid to sit
  • Most stores close their shutters for siesta from noon to 2pm
  • Rare Galapagos cat sighting
  • Clothes, oranges and vegetable oil for sale
  • Folding the tarp after opening the restaurant
  • Stairway to who knows where
  • Well-stocked shelves in Puerto Ayora's lone supermarket
  • Boats in the harbor at Puerto Ayora
  • Sea lion adapting to human comforts in Puerto Ayora on our last night
  • Audacious Darwin's finch bids us farewell from the Galapagos at Baltra airport
  • View of the channel between Baltra (right) and Santa Cruz islands with the road to Puerto Ayora running towards the horizon
September 14, 2017 / 3 Comments

Galapagos Adventure

One significant element of our trip to the Galapagos was boats. Also learning a new definiton of the word “ferry”.  In the United States ferries are generally big boats – often big enough for cars.  In the Galapagos ferries were small, with a capacity of 40 people max. We took a ferry from the airport where our luggage travelled on the boat’s roof and a ferry to the island where we started our cruise which was of course, on a boat. For Leigh who gets easily motion sick, all of these boat rides were a testament to the power of the Scopamine patch.  Even in the roughest seas her stomach stayed calm.

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  • Pedestrian crosswalk on the street of our apartment
  • Ecuadorans all seem to have a very sweet tooth
  • Amazing selection of fruit at the mercado, Quito
  • More food choices than you can imagine
  • Plaza San Francisco
  • Quito kid and grafitti
  • Styling in the always busy Plaza Grande
  • Daytime view from the roof of our Quito apartment building
  • Tienda de fiesta, Quito
  • Flowers in a cactus, Quito Botanical Garden
  • Quito seen from the slopes of Pichincha Volcano
  • View from Cafe Mosaico, Itchimbia, Quito
  • Night view from the roof of our Quito apartment building
September 6, 2017 / 8 Comments

First Impressions, Quito

Quito was the first stop on our (at least) year-long adventure in South America and probably a good place to start. Ecuadoran Spanish is fairly easy to understand, they use US dollars, and the electrical plugs are the same.

Overall Quito was a city of friendly people. From Josef, our waiter in the first place we ate, who explained all the new dishes and how lunch is done in Ecuador — always with soup; to Leigh’s former ESL students who showed us the town; to Pedro the taxi driver who went to great lengths to return James’s cell phone after it was left in his taxi; to the restaurant staff who helped us figure out how to get the cell phone back – we had so many lovely encounters.

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Goodbye to the Circus by Natalie Rey
August 24, 2017 / 20 Comments

Why?

“We’re moving to South America!” How many times have we said this since deciding to make this life change? And now we have! After living more than 25 years in Washington DC we have left our beloved city and even more beloved friends and family to set off on an adventure.

Why?

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