There are 447 blog posts for you to enjoy.
Huancavelica: Life at 3,704 Meters, that's more than 12,000 feet
March 24, 2026
Huancavelica, Perú, sits at 3,704 meters (12,093 feet), on average. If my memory is right, that puts it slightly higher than the summit of Mt. Hood in Oregon. My brain is certainly aware of the difference. The last time I was here, a little over a year ago, the altitude pressed in from all sides: a little dizziness, a mild headache, and that strange foggy feeling that comes when the air refuses to give your lungs quite what they’re asking for. When I lived in Arequipa, Perú (average elevation 2,328 meters / 7,638 feet), I felt like this every single day for the first six months. It was not a pleasant adjustment. Walking up even a modest hill here feels like climbing a staircase that never quite ends. But this time, no mild headache, no dizziness. I think my brain has finally decided to live with the elevation.
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Oxapampa - Looking Beyond Tourism: Finding a Real Hometown in Perú
March 21, 2026
I spent a week in each of Villa Rica and Oxapampa. These are my finalists for a new hometown. Both of these towns are in the Selva Central of Perú. In other words, they are on the Amazon side of the Andes in about the middle of the country. Selva refers to the jungle or jungle region. In Perú it refers to the entirety of the Amazon region/tropical rainforest/dense jungle. It can also, in slightly different forms, take on slightly different meanings. For example, silvestre refers to "wild" as the natural wildlife in general. Salvaje refers to "wild" as in untamed/undomesticated wild animals. Anyway, enough Spanish for one blog. So, yes, now into my 4th backpacking journey of South America and I've narrowed my list to those two towns. Keep reading to learn a bit more about each.
References: My Villa Rica blog, July 2, 2025
My Oxapampa blog, April 8, 2024
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Juanjuí — A Selva Town That Just Works
March 17, 2026
Juanjuí, Perú - I've been here several times before and I like this town. It has nothing special, no historical architecture, no archeological sites, no anything. It's just a riverside town that is calm, relaxing, full of friendly people. The streets are not congested, the drivers are not laying on their horns, in fact, they use them very sparingly. The main plaza is pleasant, and the linear park is mostly finished with new ponds with fountains and lots of open grass space. I've written other blogs about Juanjuí which include the history, so I won't bother with that in this blog.
References:
Juanjuí, Perú - Feb. 8, 2023
Juanjuí, Perú - Aug. 14, 2023
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Lagunas — A 350-Year-Old Amazon Town Still Alive
March 13, 2026
Lagunas, Perú - population probably somewhere around 10,000 (depending on source, 7,000 - 15,000). It is located on the Huallaga River east of Yurimaguas. Yurimaguas is the end of the paved road in the Amazon region of north-eastern Perú. From Yurimaguas, you take a boat to Lagunas. Lagunas traces its origins back to 1670, when Jesuit missionary Juan Lorenzo Lucero founded it as Santiago de la Laguna. It was established near a natural lagoon and inhabited originally by local indigenous groups, particularly the Cocama and Cocamilla. This makes it one of the earliest mission towns in the Loreto Amazon, predating many better-known regional centers.
Reference: Loreto News Journal
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Where the Highway Stops and the River Begins
March 9, 2026
I was in Moyobamba for about a week, and this was my fourth visit. I like Moyo, but as with my previous visits, the mototaxis are just overwhelming. I had this town on my list of possible new hometowns, but I've removed it. As much as I would love to live here, I can't. The noise and congestion, the chaos and stink, those mototaxis cause make it impossible for me to consider this as a new hometown.
After visiting Moyobamba, I spent 2 full days in Tarapoto. Not because I like it, but because the place I stayed - a 2-bedroom apartment - was quite nice. I've visited Tarapoto twice before, and it's never been on my final list of potential new hometowns. It's dirty - littered streets, sand/dirt in every street and building up and piling at every corner, chaotic traffic with those damnable mototaxis being the root cause. And it's quite hot, with high humidity, very uncomfortable, and sweaty.
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