Welcome!!
Hi! I’m Lara K (or Lark), and welcome to my blog about my various adventures around the world!
I just got back from a year in Peru, serving at a ministry called Esperanza de Ana, a family preservation and restoration center that walks alongside families in crisis. We designed and built a new school building to accommodate their expanding educational programs!
Below, you’ll find updates about my work/travels in Peru, plus other posts about different destinations I’ve visited over the past few years.
For more details about what I’ve been up to since the start of my journey, check out the “About Me” section.
Welcome!!
Hi! I’m Lara K (or Lark), and welcome to my blog about my various adventures around the world!
I just got back from a year in Peru, serving at a ministry called Esperanza de Ana, a family preservation and restoration center that walks alongside families in crisis. We designed and built a new school building to accommodate their expanding educational programs!
Below, you’ll find updates about my work/travels in Peru, plus other posts about different destinations I’ve visited over the past few years.
For more details about what I’ve been up to since the start of my journey, check out the “About Me” section.
LATEST POSTS
Featured posts
Ada Foah aka Paradise
Fernanda leaves us at the end of the week, so she got to pick the location for our weekend travels. Her demands were simple; she wanted to go someplace pretty and relaxing. And so, that’s...
Darjeeling
Darjeeling is beautiful!!! I already feel like I need to come back here to do some hiking. The crew I’m with right now is not exactly the hiking type, so I don’t think we’ll be...
Havuts Tar Monastery
Victoria and I decided that we wanted to go on a Saturday adventure, so we planned a mini-excursion to visit Havuts Tar Monastery. It was on my list of places to go because I read...
A Day in Dubai: The Burj Khalifa
Dubai Day started bright and early… and after an INCREDIBLY restful four hours of plane sleep on my flight from Beirut. My flight landed at 4:45AM, I zoomed through immigration, and I tried to somewhat...
Bath: Roman Baths and A City Frozen in Time
My adventures of blindly following the advice of strangers continued the next day in Bath. Why Bath? I didn’t know. What’s there? I also didn’t know that. My entire knowledge base going in was that...
Macaw Morning
If you’re looking for a relaxing vacation where you can sleep in and lounge around, the rainforest probably isn’t a good destination for you. Well, there’s plenty of lounge time, and you couldn't pick a...
Peru
A Walk Around Central Lima
Following our visit to Huaca Pucllana, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through Miraflores (fancy Lima neighborhood). We walked out toward the water and followed the Malecón, a path along the coast, to Larcomar, a mall...
Huaca Pucllana
Our 7:20AM flight from Cusco to Lima (Peru's capital) had us waking up bright and early the morning after our adventures in Tipón. Jocelyn picked the flight (thanks a lot, Jocelyn) because she and Benjamin...
Tipón: An Inca Triumph of Hydraulic Engineering
We had one final day in Cusco after we returned from our marathon day at Machu Picchu, and I was struggling to decide how we should spend it. There are about a million different things...
Machu Picchu: The Citadel
Now that we've talked about Inka Pachakuteq and the history of Machu Picchu and have explored the outskirts of the site, it’s finally time to explore the citadel! That’s what they call the main area of...
Machu Picchu: Inca Bridge and Intipunku
Machu Picchu day!!! After three days of visiting ruins all over the region, everyone in the group was excited for a day of… visiting ruins! It may seem like you’d eventually get to the point...
Inka Pachakuteq and the History of Machu Picchu
Before I talk about our visit to Machu Picchu, I think it’s important to understand some of the backstory to fully appreciate its awesomeness. Visually, it’s incredible no matter how little you know, but the...
Ollantaytambo
When we left off last time, our good friend Amerigo had just dropped us off in the Ollantaytambo Plaza de Armas after an eventful morning of driving all over the Sacred Valley. We had a...
Moray and Maras Salt Mines
Like any “travel day”, the morning of our day-long transit to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu Mountain, was a bit hectic. Our friend Amerigo the taxi man (who we met...
Cusco Adventures: Q’enko and Saqsayhuaman
Last time, we left off on the side of the road after being released from the world’s craziest colectivo. (This time, get ready for a long post and lots of pictures!) The driver dropped us...
Cusco Adventures: Tambomachay and Puka-Pukara
I had all sorts of plans for our full day in Cusco. Essentially, I wanted to follow the same schedule as my first time in Cusco because I thought that it was a good intro...
Off to Cusco! And a Visit to Qorikancha
Travel day! Our final morning in the rainforest was another leisurely one. After eating 7AM breakfast, we walked to a boat, boated to a bus, and bused back to the tour company’s office in Puerto...
Oxbow Lake
We got to “sleep in” on our second morning in the rainforest. Breakfast was at 7AM, and we left directly after for our morning excursion. The weather looked mildly threatening, but since it wasn’t raining,...
Brazil Nuts, a Lizard, and Creepy Night Crawlies
After a morning full of macaws, we had a slightly more relaxed afternoon plan. We were heading to another clay lick, this time one that’s frequented by mammals like jungle pigs, deer, and other herbivores....
Macaw Morning
If you’re looking for a relaxing vacation where you can sleep in and lounge around, the rainforest probably isn’t a good destination for you. Well, there’s plenty of lounge time, and you couldn't pick a...
Puerto Maldonado
We’re back in Peru! I know, for a time when travel is all but impossible, we sure do seem to move around a lot. But that’s the joy of the internet! And memories. For me,...
Aqochaka and the Way Home
As well as I slept during our first night in Canta, that’s how poorly I slept the second night (despite having an exhausting day). The major issues were 1. Jocelyn coughed at 1AM, and then...
Adventure Walking
After winging it on our first day in Canta, we started off Day #2 with a very well-defined plan: hike to “that” waterfall. See photo below for details… (Can you find the waterfall?) ...
Canta Adventures!
Now that you’ve seen the final building pictures, you’re probably thinking that we’re finished with Peru and Esperanza de Ana and ready to move on to the next thing, right? Well, yes, we probably should...
Final Building Pictures!
That's right, folks. It's the moment you've all been waiting for, the moment we've all been working towards for over a year now. I could ramble and make you wait even longer, but I think...
The Home Stretch
My final days at EA were full of fun holiday activities, but I had to balance those with the work that was still going on. The construction was in full swing, and I wasn’t going...
Christmas and Birthdays, Peruvian Style
After our weekend of fun in Ica, I only had nine more days before I was leaving Esperanza de Ana! Since we were nearing the end of the year, not only was work busy, but...
Ica Adventures
Freedom! Jocelyn, Julie, and I walked out of EA and practically skipped down our street towards the bus stop, ready for our weekend of fun to commence. Living and working within the walls of EA...
Back to November…
Helloooo! I know, this is probably like hearing from a long-lost friend who you never expected to resurface… but here I am! Alive and well and ready to bring you up to speed on all...
Let There Be Lights!
Remember how excited I was months ago when they started installing electrical tubes? My designs were being put into action, and it was the coolest thing. WELL. That’s nothing compared to what’s happening now. They...
Too Many Things/I’m Tired
I think I’ve maybe had half a second to catch my breath since I last wrote. My gosh, the last four weeks have been insane. I don’t even know where to begin… The first two...
Stucco, Staff Day, and Bamboo Fun
I know what you’re thinking. “Lara, it’s only been a week and you’re writing again? What, is the world ending?” I know, I haven’t been very consistent with this, but my original intention was to...
Zoo-ming Through September
Can you believe September is over??!! I can’t, and I also can’t say that I’m very happy about it. It was a great month! Everything was normal – no crazy modifications to the schedule or...
“Birthday” Weekend and Another Floor!
It’s been a fun couple of weeks! Ever since I got back from the States, I’ve been feeling so much more at ease and like I have some sort of control over what happens each...
Back in the Groove and a Weekend Adventure
I’m back in Peru! I got in late last Monday night and spent Tuesday wrapping my head around the fact that they poured another floor while I was gone. That’s right, we have a 2-story...
Another Team Week… and a CEILING!
Whew! It’s been a while since we last talked, but for once, it’s not because I’m just super far behind on updating you. This time, the delay is because of a much-needed vacation! I’m actually...
We Have Floors!!!
I feel like a broken record, but I'm going to say it anyway. Even after the team from Hudson left, the following two weeks were still chaotic. I'm sure you’re not surprised. More surprising would...
We Have Walls!!!
I barely had a chance to settle back in after coming back from the States. My first day back at work was a Tuesday, and by the next Sunday, the next team was here. Talk...
June in a Nutshell
Remember when I said that I was going to post weekly blogs? Well, if you don’t, then please, continue to not remember. If you do, whoops. As you can see, things aren’t exactly going as...
All of the Things, All at Once
Are you tired of reading updates where nothing has changed? WELL, then today is your lucky day. Things are happening! My gosh, and it’s such chaos that part of me wishes FEWER things were happening,...
Same Old, Same Old
There’s a reason why I haven’t been posting every week. Well, there are two reasons, and they’re rooted in the same thing. First, I’ve been so busy that every moment not occupied by work is...
Ready or Not, Here May Comes…
The last couple of weeks have been overwhelming, hence why I haven’t been posting recently. Last time, I wrote about trying to maintain a work-life balance. It wasn’t going very well then, and it hasn’t...
Work-Life Balance
The weeks keep flying by, and if all of my drawings were ready and we didn’t have a deadline, that would be okay… but of course, my drawings aren’t ready, and the construction start date...
Return to Office Life
This week was rough. I know I said that the team week was hard, but I think I’m going to update my previous statement to say that the week after might be worse. At least...
The First of Many Team Weeks
What. A. Week. Practically every evening last week ended the same way. The other girls went to their rooms/to bed at 9:15PM. I tried to stay up to get things done (like my journal or...
Power Outages and Earthquakes
This was quite the eventful week! Work-wise, it wasn’t much different than last week. I spent more time hunched over my computer and slightly less time pulling my hair out. At least that’s an improvement,...
Down to Business
Does anyone have brain re-forming tips? Because my brain has turned into a pile of mush and I kind of need it to be functional instead of mushy. Last week was my first full week...
Welcome Back to Peru!
Hooray! Welcome to Peru (again)! I've been here for about a week now, and I'm already feeling settled in which is good. It is a little strange to think about the fact that I'm going...
Life Update
Hi friends! If you’re thinking it’s been a while since you last heard from me… yes, it has. It’s been a crazy time for me! As you know (though from my much-delayed blog posts, you’d...
In Case You Were Worried That I Fell Off a Cliff…
I'm happy to inform you that I didn't, and I'm sorry to have worried you. I know you haven’t heard from me in a while, and as you might guess, we have a LOT to...
Goodbye, Peru
My flight out of Cusco left at 7:30AM, so I dragged myself out of bed at 4:30 and was out by 5, just to be safe. I had hardcore travel anxiety about every single part...
Last Day in Cusco
I didn’t have a very ambitious day planned for my final one in Cusco. Originally, I had been thinking that I would do a day trip to one of the towns close to Cusco like...
Moray and Maras Salt Mines
My train left Aguas Calientes the morning after Machu Picchu Day at 5:30AM. UGH for early morning wake ups. I forced myself to stay awake for the ride though because this time, I had a...
Machu Picchu
When my Machu Picchu day finally came along, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, of course I was beyond excited to visit the place I had been looking forward to seeing ever since I...
Ollantaytambo
After my day of visiting ruins, I decided to spend the next day… visiting ruins. I had a train to catch to the town at the base of the mountain where Machu Picchu is located...
The Travel World
After my mountain biking struggles, part of me just wanted to call it a night at about 6PM. The other part of me was saying, “Lara, you only have one more day here. Make the...
Tambomachay, Puka-Pukara, Q’enko, and Saqsayhuaman
After visiting Qorikancha, my adventure really began. I wanted to see the four major ruins outside of the city. They’re all within about 16 km of the city center (road distance, not direct distance), so...
Qorikancha
My plan for Cusco day #2 was ambitious, to say the least. I always make a massive list of things that I’m going to do and then manage to get through MAYBE half of them....
Bienvenidos a Cuzco!
I know I’ve been silent over the last few days, but no need to worry! I didn’t fall off a cliff or anything. The problem is with the way that I do “vacation”. If I’m...
Goodbyes and Airport Musings
I don’t know that I’m ever going to get used to this feeling. The feeling of “where did the time go?” and “I feel like I just got here, but now it’s time for me...
More Weather and Water Shortages
The weather situation here has just gotten worse since the last time I wrote about it. It’s even getting a small nod in the international news, and when that happens for a weather-related event, you...
Princess Day
What a crazy week! I’ve been trying to get as much of the electrical stuff finished as possible, but I’m running out of time, and there’s so much to do! Then yesterday, I gave a...
Weather Chaos
There have been some crazy weather-related things happening here recently. You may recall that I mentioned some “huaicos” (mudslides) a couple weeks ago when we went into Pucusana for dinner. I said that there’s been...
Current Emotional State: Complicated
This is my second-to-last weekend at Esperanza de Ana, and today I’m really feeling the weight of that reality. I finally feel like I’m hitting my groove here. I’m part of the team. I have...
More Electrical Work
Thank goodness it’s Friday because I’m ready for a break! All of the thinking I’ve done this week has taken a toll on me. I know that sounds pathetic, and it’s not like my time...
Return to Office Life
I don’t know that I’m really cut out to be a teacher. The last three days have proven to me that I like kids a lot more when I’m not spending all day in a...
First Day of School!
School started today! Our schedule has completely shifted now, and it’s going to take a little getting used to – mostly because eating times have shifted and that changes everything. Here’s how the new schedule...
Pucusana, Pizza, and Picarones
I’ve been loving our little weekend adventures! For the last few Saturdays, we’ve been sleeping in, taking some free time in the morning, and then going somewhere and doing something together in the afternoon/evening. It’s...
Staff Training Day
Today was a VERY long day (also, apologies in advance that I have very few pictures from today, so I’ll attempt to be somewhat entertaining to make up for it). Since this is the last...
Library, Trip Planning, and Water Aerobics
It’s been mentally exhausting couple of days… Yesterday morning, as predicted, I finished the library cataloging job! It’s exciting that I actually estimated my finish time correctly because estimation is definitely not one of my...
Prep Week!
Happy last week of summer break! Remember those days growing up? One more week to fit in every last bit of fun because life is basically over once school starts. Well, lucky for me, I...
Last Day of Summer School!
Can you believe it? Today was the last day of summer school! I’ll admit that part of me is a little sad, but a bigger part of me is excited for no more late nights...
Birthday Party and Aliens
Yesterday was another long and tiring day! I started writing this last night, but I was doing the whole fall-sleep-and-write-nonsense thing, so I figured that finishing it would be better left to today. Wednesdays are...
More Robots and Cities!
I had a nightmare a few nights ago. I don’t remember a lot of the details, but I do remember being in a car with my mom, driving up a very steep road. When I...
More Robots
If I never have to solder another connection, it will be too soon. The fact that I’m going to have to do it again on Monday means that it’s DEFINITELY happening too soon. I’m going...
Esperanza de Ana
Now that I’ve been here for almost a month, I figure it’s time to finally get around to explaining what exactly Esperanza de Ana does. This is a description of their work from the website:...
Bear Boats
The more I think about it, the more I realize how much the team week threw me off. I’m currently feeling a little stressed and overwhelmed, and I was trying to understand what is different...
Robotics Class!
We started the robot project today! It went so much better than I was hoping for, and thank goodness for that because my expectations were incredibly low. We had the oldest kids (C4) in the...
Lima Sightseeing
This weekend has been completely packed. I didn’t get a chance to write yesterday because it was crazy from morning to night… we didn’t get home until after 11PM! I, of course, was a total...
No More Vinifan (For Now)!!!
You’ll never guess what happened today… we finished wrapping all of the notebooks!!! I seriously thought there was no chance of us finishing before the end of the week, and I’m still not completely sure...
Field Trip!
Today was so much fun!!! We went on a field trip with the team and ALL of the kids. The morning was the usual: make coffee at 6AM (my least favorite thing to do), run...
Beach Day!
The view from my beach chair The mission team arrives tonight, and they’re going to be here for the next week. Since we’re going to be running around the entire time they’re here, Debbie decided...
Castle Model
Okay this is going to be another quick one because I am super tired. If I don’t fall asleep while writing, we’re going to call that a win. At this point, it’s not feeling promising....
The Beginning of Kid City
Time moves incredibly quickly here. I wake up, I blink, and it’s time for bed. That’s a good thing though, right? That means I’m keeping busy at least. Ha… as if that’s something I was...
Another Day of Capturing Escaping Toddlers
I think Tuesdays might be the most exhausting day of the week. I have 4 hours of classes on Tuesdays, which is also the case on Mondays and Fridays, but Tuesday afternoon includes the two...
More Bricks and Maps
I can’t believe it’s only Monday. The whole “work every day” thing is starting to mess with my head to the point where I have no idea what day of the week it is anymore....
Sunday Work Day
It's starting to seem like we have a seven-day work week here. I don’t think there’s been a single day since the very first day that I didn’t do something work related. I’m happy to...
Errand Day
We had a big errand day today, and it was one of those unfortunate errand days where everything goes a little (or a lot) more slowly than you’re expecting, it becomes impossible to finish all...
Scavenger Hunt in Chilca
Every day since I arrived, the weather has been beautiful here. The sky has been overcast which blocks the hot sun, and as a result, the temperature has been easily bearable. It’s around the mid-70s,...
Prep Day and Churros!
I had a much-needed break from teaching classes today. Wednesdays are fun/play days (as if every other day isn’t also all fun and playing) which means beach trips/movies/free time to play outside. I luckily didn’t...
Is It the Weekend Yet?
I’m exhausted. So far, one of the main things I'm getting out of this year is a massive appreciation for actual teachers. My feet hurt from standing, and I only had 4 hours of class...
First Day of Summer School!
Happy first day of summer school! This was my first day experiencing a schedule that’s more structured and closer to the school year schedule, though that still has some differences from what we’re doing now....
Work on a Sunday
For the last two days technically being “off” days over the weekend, we certainly did a lot of work. I think that’s the teacher life though. You work whenever you need to in order to...
Chicken and Chilca
I survived my first work week!! Woo! I know, not that impressive considering it was only one day, but let me have this little celebration anyway. Week #2 is definitely going to be much more...
Let’s Get Down to Business
After having some time to relax and settle in yesterday, today we got to work! The morning started off at 9AM with a staff meeting… in Spanish. I’m going to put my comprehension at maybe...
¡Bienvenidos a Perú!
Welcome to Peru! Somehow, the trip here felt like an eternity even though I had a direct flight from Miami. I’m definitely happy that I didn’t have to come all the way from Pennsylvania in...
Peru, Here I Come!
After two long, relaxing months at home, it’s finally time for me to get going again! I’m currently sitting in the Miami airport, waiting for my flight to Lima to start boarding. You may recall...
Patagonia/ARGENTINA
Casa Rosada and La Boca
It’s our last day in Argentina, folks! Mike and I had an evening flight back to New York which gave us most of the day to do some last-minute sightseeing. I was excited because it...
“Random Buenos Aires” Tour
Welcome back to the world’s longest day! I’ve already talked about our morning of wandering and visiting Recoleta Cemetery and our tour of Teatro Colón. When we left the theater, it was only 1:30PM! We...
Teatro Colón
We left off last time as Mike and I were headed to Teatro Colón, the national opera house, for a tour. In case you didn’t know, I have a theater/opera house obsession… and while I...
The World’s Most Beautiful *fill in the blank*
Instead of spending another day aimlessly wandering the city, like on our first day in Buenos Aires, we attempted to formulate a plan to make the most of our only full day in the city....
Welcome to Buenos Aires!
Since it’s been a while since my last post about Mike’s and my trip to Patagonia/Buenos Aires, let me reacclimate you. We just finished 7 days of hiking, hiking, and hiking, and by some miracle,...
Argentina History: 1900s to Present
Last time, we talked about Argentina’s transformation from a land of indigenous tribes to a Spanish colony to an independent republic. It entered the 20th century in the middle of a very prosperous golden age....
Argentina History: 1400s – 1800s
Welcome back to Argentina! I know it’s been a while... I’ve put off this post because I had to do some research, and that's always a bit more time-intensive than when I primarily have pretty...
Chorillo del Salto and Strolling Around El Chaltén
Our final day in El Chaltén was also our final day of hiking... our seventh in a row. The fun wasn’t completely over - we had a flight to Buenos Aires the following day, but...
Laguna de los Tres
Our only full day in El Chaltén was dedicated to the hike to Laguna de los Tres. It’s the most popular hike in the area, is listed as “difficult”, and is supposed to take 8...
El Chaltén and Laguna Torre
Our stay in El Calafate was especially short the second time around. We arrived at about 10:30PM, went to sleep at 3:30AM because we apparently love to self-sabotage, and caught a bus to El Chaltén...
The W Trek, Day 4 – Mirador Las Torres
Our final day in Torres del Paine started bright and early… if by bright you mean dark because the sun wasn’t up yet. We had about 9.5 hours of hiking ahead, and we needed to...
The W Trek, Day 3 – Lake Nordenskjöld
Our third day of the W trek started out much better than the second. There was no wind in the forest where we were camping. I didn’t wake up terrified of blowing away. Nothing disturbed...
The W Trek, Day 2 – French Valley
I had possibly the worst sleep of my life after our first day of hiking in Torres del Paine. The day was windy enough to make you feel like you were going to blow away,...
The W Trek, Day 1 – Grey Glacier
Torres del Paine National Park is well-known for two major treks. One is called the W, and the other is the O… very creatively named for the approximate shapes of the trails. Based on our...
The Road to Torres del Paine
My alarm jolted me awake at 5:15AM, and it didn’t take long for the feelings of soreness and tiredness to sink in. Ugh. Mornings are the worst. Especially early mornings after long days of hiking...
Perito Moreno Glacier Trekking
Our first full day started out bright and early with a 7AM bus pickup from our hostel. In writing that, I realize that 7AM isn’t actually that early, but on vacation after a day of...
Welcome to Patagonia!
I know, I know. I practically just welcomed you to Peru, and now we’re in Patagonia? What is this? Confusing, that’s what. But here we are, and if you ever want to hear about Patagonia...
Poland
Wieliczka Salt Mines
I left Auschwitz around 4PM and took a bus back to Kraków. I had plans to leave Poland the following day, and I still had one thing I wanted to do – visit the Wieliczka...
Auschwitz II-Birkenau
As I explained in my last post, Auschwitz was actually a camp in many parts. The two largest were Auschwitz I which I talked about, and Auschwitz II-Birkenau which is probably the most well-known. Auschwitz...
Auschwitz I
Poland was added to my "must go" travel list during a visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. Before that, I don’t think I’d ever thought twice about Poland, but I was standing there, looking...
Kraków Ghetto and Wawel Hill
I didn’t have any big plans for my second day in Kraków, so I allowed myself a leisurely morning before setting out to investigate the random collection of things I had on my “to see”...
Kraków Old Town
My next stop after Warsaw was Kraków (kra-kohv) in southern Poland. I was sad to leave Warsaw behind, but at least I still had more time ahead in Poland. I wasn’t ready to move on...
Warsaw Museums
I spent a lot of time wandering aimlessly around the streets of Warsaw, partly because I was recovering from Iceland and partly because sometimes it’s nice to simply wander. You know me, though. I also...
More Warsaw
Last time, we left off in the heart of Warsaw Old Town, Old Town Market Square. Now, let's go to the edge of Old Town and the old city walls. Starting in the 14th century,...
A Walk Around Warsaw
My flight landed in Warsaw (Warszawa in Polish, pronounced like "Varshava") at about 6:30 in the morning. I wanted to collapse from exhaustion, but I still had a whole day ahead so that wasn’t an...
History of Poland, 1797 – Today
When we left off last time, Poland had just been partitioned for the third time, resulting in ALL of the Polish lands being given to other countries. Poland was gone. Clearly, considering that Poland is...
History of Poland, 996-1797AD
Are you ready for a Polish history adventure? I hope so because this is a long one, but in order to understand the Poland of today, I think it’s important to know the history behind...
Welcome to Poland!
I know it feels like we’ve been in Iceland forever, but in realtime, it was only a week (ha!). My Icelandic adventure ended a bit anticlimactically… with a 16-hour stay in the airport. My brother’s...
