PeruMom

Guest post by Laura Elise Peru is full of gastronomic treats and cultural treasures, and you can experience both in a single cup of tea. Coca tea, also called mate de coca, is a wonderfully simple drink indigenous to the Andes. At its most basic, the drink follows a simple formula: pour hot water over dried coca leaves. Thanks to commercialization the tea is now also found in processed tea bags sold in supermarkets across the country. Both forms result in a natural taste similar to green... Read Full Story

Now this is an unusual start to posting in the New Year! In Peru (and as I’ve learned, in much of South America and Asia), there’s a little appliance used by people to assist with .. shall we say … personal cleanliness after doing their business in the bathroom. See, a bidet would be nice and all, but not a lot of people can afford one – or have space for one in a standard bathroom. So it’s much simpler just to attach a hose to the water pipe under the loo and put a sprayer attachment... Read Full Story

Why should you choose online Spanish classes instead of one of the other many ways to learn Spanish? There are a few good reasons why it might be the best choice for you - read on to learn why! Many of us have been there - wishing we knew how to speak Spanish. Think of how many ways it would help you out - in school, on the job or just in your personal life. But there are so many different ways to learn Spanish that you aren't sure where to start - books, tapes, cds, DVDs, or even online... Read Full Story

To all my regular readers and to anyone who stumbled upon us in your journey across the internet – We wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! We’ve got some exciting stuff coming up in the new year – look for lots more travel information and a book! Read Full Story

It’s been a while since I posted a good recipe, hasn’t it!  And tallarin rojo is one of those recipes that is a Peruvian standard that for some reason I’ve just never gotten around to writing about. You know how I feel about having rice with every meal.  And if you don’t know – blech, I’m tired of it! And Chato isn’t a big rice fan either, so I’m always happy to be able to make any kind of pasta dish. However, the truth is that I very rarely make tallarin rojo, because I prefer regular... Read Full Story

And I feel fine….. Sorry, REM, didn’t mean to rip off your song! But man – has this year passed by fast or WHAT?? Because I work in internet marketing, I’m always thinking months ahead – I start thinking about Easter in January, Halloween in April, Christmas in June.  And then all of a sudden, here it is upon me, and I feel like it’s all happened so suddenly and caught me so unaware. They always say that as a blogger, you should never apologize for lapses in your posting, that most... Read Full Story

Airline approved pet carriers are a necessity when flying with your pet Yes, I'll admit it. I'm one of those crazy people that likes to take my dog with me everywhere I go. If I can't take her, I don't go! (Actually, I have three dogs - but only one goes with me everywhere) If you're like me, it doesn't matter whether it's a week at Grandma's over Christmas or a month at the shore, you want to have your furry friend with you. Airlines have made it pretty easy to take our pets along - the... Read Full Story

One of the things I love about living in Peru is this incredible acceptance of their own bodies that the women seem to have. I’m pretty overweight, but I don’t feel bad about it like I did at home. My husband loves my body the way it is, I’ve had men in the street “compliment” me (I know a lot of women don’t care for that, but I still get a kick out of it!). Sometimes I look in the mirror and feel so pale and fat and splotchy, then pass my husband and he’ll grab me and say “Is all this mine... Read Full Story

I can’t tell you how much making meal plans helps me out. Since we usually depend on leftovers for Saturday and Sunday, having a plan helps me arrange meals that will give me leftovers that can combine in delicious and surprising ways. Like this past week, I served burritos one day and made chili on Friday. The leftovers from these meals combined into delicious oven baked wet burritos over the weekend (recipe later this week!). But I’ve also got to be prepared to switch things up – I had... Read Full Story

I recently did an interview with Scott Jeppeson of Sonrisas en Peru (Smiles in Peru), an organization that is one hundred percent dedicated to helping improve the lives of impoverished children in Peru (you can read the article here ) Sonrisas works hand in hand with the communities to help kids have a better education. They not only help by giving classes, they also provide basic necessities like textbooks and supplies for school, clothing and even food. At the moment, much of the... Read Full Story