THE HONEYMOONERS

Michelle Thomas
27 Mar, 2013

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

Start here – buy a Lonely Planet Peru and you’re off on your honeymoon! In Dec. of 2011 my husband and I landed in Lima and loved it immediately – check out Second Home Peru, the best bed and breakfast in town and once home to Victor Delfin, artist extraordinaire. His sculpture The Kiss sits smack dab on the ocean in “Love Park” in Lima’s Miraflores district.

In Lima I wore the Jula skirt all over town – be sure check out the Yin Yoke skirt, this season’s version of the Jula, available next week! Woot – here comes spring!

Next stop, Cusco. I wore one of my old favorites, the Prairie top, while examining the beauty and precision of Inca architecture. If you like this look – peasant blouse with colored square collar – check out our Honeydew tops (in purple or blue), on super-sale for $32.

Cusco is the push-off point for Machu Picchu – there I paired our Bisous blouse with a yellow felt hat and wandered around the exquisite Inca ruins like a professional explorer. If you like the bib collar, be sure to check out our Claudette dress in red or green.

My new felt hat is more commonly worn by men.

In Arequipa we enjoyed a tranquil time at the Santa Catalina Monastery, which has been around since 1579 and is still an active convent. Rumor has it that the nuns who lived there until the 1870s were spoiled, wealthy slave-owners famous for their raucous affairs; nowadays the nuns are best known for their heavenly baking. Here I am wearing Greenola, a friend brand of ours also great for traveling, and leg warmers, simpler versions of which are worn by the indigenous women of Peru.

The women make colorful leg warmers for the tourists.

Traditional dress is quite colorful overall, but the leg warmers, not so much.

Last stop was Colca Canyon, where you can find these fascinating Apachetas – or “piles of hopes” as I call them – small rock piles left behind by travelers passing through wishing for safe travels and a bountiful future. More photos of this millennia-old tradition here.