Author: Bob Benz

Peru: The llama, the puma and the serpent

Post author By Bob Benz
Post date May 3, 2007

We’re standing in the magnificent choir loft of Monasterio de San Francisco, and my guide, Olinda, is a bit frustrated with me. She’s trying to explain key features of the loft, but my eyes have drifted down toward the altar, where a priest is saying Mass in front of a packed house. Above them, at eye level with me, pigeons flap back and forth among the rafters. Below them, in the dank, claustrophobic catacombs, lie the bones of 70,000-some people.

It seems the perfect metaphor for the three themes that constantly recur during my trip to Peru — the heavens, the earth and the underworld.

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Dog Bob

Who’s yer dog’s daddy?

I came across a cool service in one of the dog magazines I read. For $65, Metamorphix claims it can run a DNA test that will reveal your dog’s breed composition. It apparently uses a cheek swab to sniff out the dog’s heritage from among 38 breeds. I’ve always been curious about Ozzy’s 57 varieties, and I’m thinking about giving it a shot. Even if this will only find 38 …

Peru Bob Travel Bob

Preventive medicine

I spent the past two days getting immunizations. Hepatitis A and B. Typhoid. Didn’t need Yellow Fever. Already had tetanus. And yes, Mom confirmed, I did have chickenpox when I was a kid.

Traveling to Peru isn’t easy. Especially when you do it on the spur of the moment.

One moment, Wes and I were drinking tequila at the Loon, my favorite Dallas dive bar, to celebrate the Yahoo! deal our newspapers were closing. When I woke up the next morning, I had a vague recollection of committing to go to Machu Picchu.

And that’s what we’re going to do. Sooner than later. Next Friday, we set off for Peru. Ten days of exploring Incan ruins and wandering the Andes. We’re taking the easy way out, using a tour guide that a friend recommended. So far, it’s been a great steer. They’ve lined everything up for us and given plenty of useful guidance on how to organize the trip. We’ve booked flights. Have an itinerary. And I’m feeling pretty bullet proof from a tropical disease perspective.

If you have any Machu Picchu recommendations, I’d love to hear them. Just send a note.