10 tips from my solo travel as a non-Spanish speaking hijabi in Peru

10 tips from my solo travel as a non-Spanish speaking hijabi in Peru

This would be my last piece for #PeruMarathonSeries🇵🇪 that I wrote in the spirit of Peru’s upcoming 99th independence day, by refurbishing some draft posts that I made back in 2017 but never really got the chance to finish and share. I first came up with this article because, at that time, I had been receiving quite a few questions from my friends regarding how I managed to dare myself to travel solo to South America, and also how I actually execute the travel. Most of these questions seemed to have stemmed from the fact that I am merely a…

How to do a full day of Machu Picchu (with tips for solo travellers)

How to do a full day of Machu Picchu (with tips for solo travellers)

Most of us are probably familiar with that one specific photograph of Machu Picchu overlooking the rustic Inca ruins with the majestic mountain in the background. But did you know that the picture actually only represents perhaps 5%, at best, of what Machu Picchu site truly comprises? Did you know that you could come down to and observe every single one of those ruins closely, hike the mountain in the background and also another mountain nearby, get 360 degrees panoramic view comprising that picture and all other amazing landscape from a short hike, and on top of that, chill with…

6 days of best of Peru (in non-backpacking style & with slightly excruciating details) for under $650

6 days of best of Peru (in non-backpacking style & with slightly excruciating details) for under $650

…is entirely possible! (This post is written as part one of my three-episode #PeruMarathonSeries🇵🇪 in the spirit of Peru’s 99th independence day on the upcoming July 28th.) It has also been sitting in my draft posts ever since I came back from the trip in September 2017, and I just never really had the chance to finish it. But now that Peru will be celebrating its 99th independence day next week, I thought what would be a better occasion to wrap up the post and publish it? Of course with the pandemic and quarantine mode still being around, it may…

What you need to know before traveling to Cusco, Machu Picchu, and around in Peru

What you need to know before traveling to Cusco, Machu Picchu, and around in Peru

¡Hola! I just got back from a trip that could be perfectly summarized as the most amazing and surreal week I’ve had this year. Undoubtedly. Imagine a 23-year-old girl from Indonesia who does not even speak Spanish traveling solo to South America for the first time.. Yup, that’s me! Recollecting memories from the journey still got me as pumped as I was when I was just about to depart from Calgary Airport in Alberta, Canada to that other continent in the other side of the world. Hence while the memories are still vividly preserved, I have decided to write down the details…