Break out of Bushwick

Bushwick, Brooklyn through my eyes [Friday photo essay #1]

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Melissa

Taking a ride on the subway; the kid reads her book. Continue reading →

Posted in Bushwick Through My Eyes | Tagged brooklyn, bushwick, gentrification, photo essay, street art, subway, water tower | Leave a comment

A visit to the Salinas de Maras, or the “salt pans of Maras” of Peru

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Melissa

As with most of our day trips during our trip to Peru, the Mundo Antiguo Spanish School helped organize our visit to the famous salt pans of Peru, which are located just outside of Maras, a small town in the Sacred Valley about an hour north of Cusco. Continue reading →

Posted in Amazing trips, Baths, Spas and Hammams, Eating on the Road, Peru | Tagged maras, salinas de maras, salt, salt pans | 1 Comment

Soaking in the geothermal springs at Aguas Calientes (beneath Machu Picchu)

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Melissa

Geothermal baths at Aguas Calientes

After spending an amazing morning at Machu Picchu, the kid and I took the bus back down the mountain to Aguas Calientes and had a nice bite to eat. Sufficiently relaxed, with about an hour to kill before we needed to catch a train, it dawned on me that perhaps we should try to find some public baths I had once read about and have a quick soak.

A “quick soak.” Ha! These are the times I wish I had a voice of reason to tell me that an hour isn’t a sufficient amount of time to take a bath, much less find one.

Aguas Calientes, which means ‘Hot Waters’ in Spanish, was named because the area hosts one of Peru’s 400 known thermal sources. Caused by subduction, the same volcanic phenomenon that once pushed the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate during the Mesozoic Period is still active today and, as water heated within the geological faults rises to the surface, makes Peru an unexpected place to find hot springs. The waters at Aguas Calientes are known for their high mineral content and their therapeutic effects on rheumatism and sore muscles. As the kid and I were both nursing sore calves (due to me forcing her to run up a mountain), I thought the hunt for Machu Picchu’s “magical” waters might help us recover. Continue reading →

Posted in Baths, Spas and Hammams, Peru | Tagged aguas calientes, baths, geothermal hotsprings, hot springs | Leave a comment

Running UP the side of a mountain to Intipuncu in order to see Machu Picchu at sunrise

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Melissa

Thanks to the Mundo Antiguo Spanish School, who helped organize our (very affordable!) trip to Machu Picchu and booked a night for us at the very comfortable Inti Winaywayna Hotel in Aguas Calientes (the small, tourist-ridden town below Machu Picchu), the kid and I got a good night’s sleep before my alarm went off at 4AM.

Yes, 4:00 in the morning. Or, as my kid put it, “ARE YOU KIDDING?” Thing is, I wanted to be on one of the first buses to Machu Picchu so that I could watch the sun rise over the ancient Inca city. Call it a dream of mine. A dream I forced my kid to share. Continue reading →

Posted in Amazing trips, Peru | Tagged gate of the sun, intipuncu, Machu picchu, marathon, sunrise | 4 Comments

Ten lessons my stepfather taught me

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Melissa

My step-father, Alan, is a fearless man. He married my mom, after all, who, while being the best woman on the planet, had baggage of the heaviest sort… children, two of ‘em. Not only did Alan marry into an instant family, but he married knowing that my mom wasn’t interested in having more children. For better or for worse, Alan didn’t only marry my mom: he married into a ready-made family, complete with its own set of complicated issues that were created long before he was even in the picture.

I’m not always sure Alan knows how beloved a parent he is. Below are just a few of the many reasons. Continue reading →

Posted in Great General Posts | Tagged absent father, biological father, father's day, god, stepfather | Leave a comment

Our hike to Tambomachay, an ancient ‘spa’ along the Inca Ceque System

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Melissa

To the Inca who developed them, ceques (which means line in one of Peru’s official languages, Quechua) were a series of 42 pathways radiating from Cusco on which were built hundreds of stone constructions. Because the Inca didn’t leave behind a written language, the purpose of ceques is up to some debate, but a good guess is that they indicated political boundaries and pilgrimage paths.

A few days ago, we went with our friends from the Mundo Antiguo Spanish School to hike to a few of the sites along some of the ceque pathways. The first that we visited, Tambomachay, is located 8 kilometers up from Cusco at 3,765 meters (12,352 feet) above sea level! We decided to take a cab up, up, up the winding road to this Inca ruin, and then walk the seven or eight miles back down, cutting our own way off the beaten path through farmland and the wilds, hitting up a mess of ceques along the way.

The cab dropped us off at the edge of the path to Tambomachay, where we purchased our Boleto Turistico for 130 soles/$46 (for the kid, 70 soles/$23), which gets us into a number of important Inca sites and museums in the Cusco area. Without this ticket, the cost for entrance into multiple sites would’ve been rather cost prohibitive, so it made sense for us to cough up the soles. Besides, as the ticket is good for only ten days, it really has forced us to make the most of our time, seeing a few interesting places we might’ve otherwise skipped. Continue reading →

Posted in Amazing trips, Baths, Spas and Hammams, Peru, Spas | Tagged bath, boleto turistico, ceques, cusco, inca, inca bath, machay, mundo antiguo spanish school, princess bath, quechua, spa, tambo, tambomachay | 2 Comments

What does it REALLY mean to be a single mother who travels? [Or, in other words, my 'Top 10' list for how traveling as a single parent can suck]

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Melissa

Me, sans make-up, on the side of a mountain in Peru, in a dorky hat and wearing a dorky outfit. It doesn’t get any more “real” than this!

“You’re f@*king awesome,” a married girlfriend recently told me. “You prove that you don’t need a man, a house or security.” Convinced that my life was one of independence, freedom and adventure while hers was one of compromise, stagnancy and boredom, she went on to bemoan her failing marriage and mortgage. I mainly listened, although I believe I slipped in a mumbled, “the grass is always greener on the other side.”

It’s no secret that I’m not married, don’t work a normal 9-5, have my homebase in New York, and travel as much as I’m able. I’m viewed by many of my friends as a person who does what I want, when I want to do it. “You’re so lucky,” they tell my kid, who is alternatively educated and is my primary traveling partner.

I get innumerable emails from single parents (mostly moms) and recently separated parents who want to make the transition to homeschooling and/or travel. I give all the positive, ‘you-can-do-it’ advice I can muster. For the record, I mean every word of it. I absolutely believe a person can take charge of her (or his) life. Yet there’s always another side to the story…

I think it’s time to also share the other side of my situation; the dark side, if you will. Because make no mistake: my life isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. It’s really, really difficult, often lonely, and I sometimes wonder why the hell I’m doing what I’m doing. Here are some of my single parent travel realities that might surprise you. Continue reading →

Posted in Great General Posts, Packing for a trip, insurance and more, Uncategorized, Why Travel?, Writing | Tagged absent father, american dream, brooklyn, bushwick, freelance, homeschooling, passport, safety net, single moms, single mothers | 13 Comments

Corpus Christi Festival in Cusco

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Melissa

One of our hosts, Norma, suggested we head to the cathedral today located on the Plaza de Armas here in Cusco to see the “festival of saints.” Coming from New York, home of the Gay Pride, Puerto Rican, Halloween and Saint Patrick’s Day parades, I didn’t expect much. Isn’t it nice to be proven wrong?

The festival of saints, otherwise known as ‘Corpus Christi’, is a Catholic celebration infused with Inca traditions during which thousands of people flood the Plaza de Armas to watch a procession of saints from the different churches in Cusco. Beginning 60 days after Easter, the festival is truly a sight to behold. Continue reading →

Posted in Amazing trips, Peru | Tagged andes, cathedral of santo domingo, catholic, corpus christi, cusco, festival, inca, lomo saltado, pachamama, quechua, saints | 2 Comments

First Impressions of Cusco, Peru (Llamas, Quechua, Steep Streets and the Plaza de Armas)

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Melissa

Thankfully, my altitude sickness is subsiding, which means I’m better able to wander Cusco without feeling as though I’m about to vomit and pass out (in alternating order). Below are some of my first impressions of Cusco. Continue reading →

Posted in Amazing trips, Peru | Tagged alpacas, cathedral, cusco, inca, llamas, pizarro, plaza de armas, quechua, sacsayhuaman, san blas | 4 Comments

Why we decided to get yellow fever vaccinations in Peru

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Melissa

Does this mosquito carry yellow fever? I’d rather not find out.

TO VACCINATE, OR NOT TO VACCINATE, THAT IS THE QUESTION…

Parents these days tend to fall into one of two camps: those who vaccinate their children; and those who don’t. I tend to fall somewhere in the middle. My daughter has received many vaccinations throughout her life, but with each shot, I do extensive research. Many doctors recommend a series of vaccinations before heading to Peru: typhoid; rabies; hepatitis… But all of those diseases can be treated using powerful medicines (or, in the case of rabies, an immediate and not-so-fun 30-day series of painful vaccinations). Not so with yellow fever. If you contract this nasty disease, you either: a) let it run its course; or b) you die. Continue reading →