Guys! So remember how one of my New Year’s resolutions for 2014 was to seek out what’s special about living in Manhattan and celebrate it? Well, earlier this month, Dan and I did just that. We went on a food tasting and walking tour through Chinatown and Little Italy with Ahoy New York Tours & Tasting. Of course, there are lots of New York tours to choose from, but this one really fit the bill for us: we basically ate our way through these two very famous neighborhoods, with a fabulous guide tossing in lots of interesting historical tidbits along the way.

EATING AND STORYTELLING? YES PLEASE.

As two vegetarians, we were a little nervous that there would be lots of meat-eating on this tour, but I have to say, the food offerings felt really well-balanced. (Plus it helps that Dan and I have a “cured meats” rule: we both love classic Italian staples like salami and prosciutto, and it just so happened that our very first stop on the tour included a tasting of fresh mozzarella and prosciutto from America’s oldest Italian cheese store: Alleva Dairy. Heck yes. In fact, it was so delicious that we ate it before I could get a picture of it. Alas. You’ll just have to take my word for it.)

^^ The tour guide, Alana, was so passionate about not only the food, but also the amazing history behind the shops and the neighborhoods. Little Italy used to be much bigger than it is now – these days the whole neighborhood is mostly a few connecting streets with Italian restaurants that cater to tourists, so it takes some work to sniff out the real, authentic shops. DiPalo’s Fine Foods has been around for over 100 years, and is still family-owned and operated. In fact, the owners travel to Italy constantly to ensure the authenticity of the products they sell – like this gigantic wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano, which beckons me with its sweet, sweet siren call: “cheese . . . mmm . . . cheese.”

^^ Not every shop we visited has been around for a century. In fact, our third stop was Grand Apetito, a little pizza shop that only opened a couple of years ago. You might be thinking, “Pizza? On a food tour? Really?!” And I would have to thought-admonish you, “Yes, silly reader. Really.” Because it is literally the best piece of pizza I have ever eaten – and as a life-long New Yorker and someone with Italian ancestry who grew up in the Bronx, I have eaten more pizza than someone my size should ever consume. The owner calls this “Grandma’s Pie;” it’s a twice-baked Margherita pizza with a special pesto sauce that sent everyone on the tour into raptures.

^^ We concluded the Little Italy section of the tour at Ferrara’s, a famous bakery and cafe known for their cannolis. I tell you, there is nothing like a crispy tube filled with ricotta cheese and chocolate chips to make your life a little brighter. 

^^ Our first stop on the Chinatown portion was actually a Thai restaurant called Pongsri. Now, I LOVE Thai food but it’s really easy for me to get caught up in the sheer vastness of their menu, so I’ll always end up with that old standby, pad thai. We tried a sampling of a few dishes, and I love the flavor combinations of Thai cuisine. Coconut, peanut sauce, stir-fried veggies . . . it’s all good, baby. It was also really thoughtful of Alana and the Ahoy team to have this sit-down in the middle of the tour – we went on what happened to be a really cold day, so it was great to warm up indoors! 

^^ This is Doyers Street in Chinatown. It’s only one block long with a sharp bend in the middle, and was once known as “The Bloody Angle.” From the early 1900s to the 1930s, the Tong gangs shot their enemies here. In fact, hatchets were often thrown at targets from rooftops, which gave rise to the term “hatchet man.” Police said that more people died at The Bloody Angle than any other street intersection in the entire United States. Today, it’s mostly barber shops and hair salons. I love that you can see the water barrel and the Chinese lamp-post at the top of the photo – and that all of the signs are in Chinese characters. Isn’t it colorful?

^^ Our last stop was at Nom Wah Tea Parlor, the oldest Dim Sum restaurant in Chinatown. We tried their Original Egg Roll which was approximately 1,000 times fresher and tastier than the egg roll that comes with your average Chinese takeout order. Nom Wah has been around since the 1920s, when it was originally a Chinese bakery. I love that they’ve kept the mid-century dining area intact, with furniture and flooring that’s completely original to the era. It was early on a Saturday afternoon when we were there, and let me tell you, it was HOPPING. The place was jammed with people, so Dan and I are planning on going back to have a proper sit-down meal there one of these days. Also, you know a place has legit NYC credibility when Woody Allen’s a regular. (His photo is on the wall! :D)

Overall, the tour was just over three hours and we felt full afterwards – not that grotesque, I’ve-eaten-my-weight-in-cheese-and-now-I-want-to-die kind of full, but the kind of satisfaction that comes after having eaten well. The selections were thoughtful and the portions were generous without being overwhelming. I definitely recommend bringing a bottle or two of water, and being prepared for all kinds of weather! We got lucky with sunshine, but the cold had me wishing that I’d worn a second pair of socks. 

Alana is unbelievably knowledgeable about the food and the area, and was even kind enough to send an email to the group afterwards with the titles of the books she mentioned throughout the tour. It was also great that the tour had only eight people or so – the group felt cozy, and it was so much easier to move about without stragglers dawdling and slowing everything down. It’s also great that they include a map of the places you’ve been, as well as other restaurants and shops they recommend so that you can go back and shop afterwards! I definitely recommend the tour to both visitors to NYC and locals looking for something fun and different to do. 

Thanks so much for a fantastic time, Ahoy! 

The post Best of New York City: Eating Our Way Through Chinatown & Little Italy appeared first on Of Revolt.

Once famous for its bustling nightlife and crowds of young people flocking to the island every year to party till they drop, Ios has managed to broaden its possibilities over the years. Today Ios smoothly blends joyful days on the beach with lively evening entertainment, along with more chilled-out options for those seeking a relaxing holiday.

 In the main town, Chora, you’ll find buildings of typical Cycladic architecture: winding alleys lined with bars, cafes, and tavernas serving not only Greek but also international cuisines. Chora also boasts a plethora of souvenir and jewelry outlets for some shopping.

Another highlight of Ios are the clean and superb beaches: top-notch Mylopotas beach features the majority of luxury hotels. Once you consider the infamous Ios campground, wild Maganari beach, and the long stretch of soft sand that is Ayia Theodhoti, it’s easy to see that Ios has it all. The island is also extremely popular to snorkelers thanks to its rich seabed, and the diverse landscape makes Ios ideal for hiking though trails nestled in dramatic surroundings.

What to See

Palaiokastro Castle
This Byzantine castle used to be an observation point for the locals to watch over the seaway from Istanbul to Crete. Today visitors can admire the castle’s walls, as well as a historical church dedicated to Virgin Mary. The view from its hilltop location is magnificent as you can even see the many neighboring islands.

Windmills 
The traditional windmills adorn the northwestern part of Chora. Some of them have been restored and are available to visit.

Archaeological Museum of Ios 
The museum displays archaeological exhibits from prehistoricSkarkos settlement, most of which are in excellent condition, as well as ancient Roman relics.

Where to Swim 

The island boasts more than 30 beaches, everything from secluded coves to pebbled shores – and the water is always crystal clear. The most famous is Mylopotas, a wide stretch of sand 2km long (approx. 1.25 miles) with sun beds and parasols for rental. Beach bars and water sports are also available for some extra fun. For more soft sand you can visit Koumpara, Gialos and Ayia Theodoti beaches. Nudists (!) can swim at Kolitsani beach and folks looking for convenient amenities should try Maganari. Other beaches, such as Klima and Pikri Nero are only accessible by sea.

What to Eat

When it comes to food, Ios is mainly famous for its cheese, which is traditionally produced in local dairies. Visitors will find a selection of cheese types, such as skotyri (a spicy aromatic cheese) and xino (a white cream cheese), as well as the more common types of hard yellow cheeses – kefalotyri and graviera. Exceptional fava beans, oregano, and capers are also typical products of Ios. You shouldn’t leave the island without tasting tsimetia (zucchini flowers filled with rice) and mermitzeli (a type of homemade Greek pasta). Though any local meat paired with homemade pasta will do your belly right!

Zoe Mouchritsa lives in Athens and specializes in finding the best and brightest things to do in this lively city and throughout Greece. After completing a B.A. in Applied Informatics and Multimedia in beautiful Crete, she jumped full time into blogging and is now editor for WhiteAndBlue.gr. Thank you so much for contributing to Of Revolt, Zoe!

The post A Guide to Charming Ios Island, Greece appeared first on Of Revolt.

And although it’s been passing by with such speed that I can hardly keep up, life has been lovely lately. Here, a few snapshots of what we’ve been up to:

^^ Laundry is my favorite household chore. (My second favorite chore is grocery shopping. #gremlinfacts) The fact that our building has a washer and dryer in the basement is nothing short of a miracle. About 2/3 of these socks were still soggy when they came out, hence their time on the radiator (not gonna lie, the other third was for pure decorative purposes to fill out the photo). And if it wasn’t already obvious, the point of this picture is that we Coyles are a colorfully socked people. ^^

^^ I purchased our Christmas cards before Halloween. I am now in the process of customizing the envelopes with adorable stamps because I’m crafty like that. ^^

^^ This is me and my woof friend Rocco. I love him. He loves me a whole lot too, though you can’t tell by his face in this photo. I’ll have you know that he plopped down in my lap like that without me having to coerce him with treats. (Thanks to Brianna and Mark for saving him and being great woof parents. Shelter pups rule.) ^^

^^ Surprise cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery! These were sent by Rachel, a fan/Twitter friend of Dan’s, who lives in the U.K. and is basically a magical person. I mean, really! On top of that, she even knew of my love for all things pistachio so there’s a pistachio cupcake RIGHT THERE IN THE BOX. It’s also perfect because it continues the Thanksgiving cupcake tradition we started last year. Thank you so much, Rachel! ^^

^^ I get to do this every day. Like, for money even. (No, I don’t mean take pictures of people’s butts. I mean teach yoga. This is Child’s Pose, okay? It’s how we start class. Chill your bones.) Sometimes I can’t even believe my own luck. ^^

^^ A lovely sunset, as seen from my bedroom window. Even though I’m not a particularly religious person, I really like that there’s a little church on my street (the pointed tower you see in silhouette). It’s just so quaint and pretty, and it makes our noisy Manhattan street feel a bit more like a sleepy neighborhood in a small New England town. Just, you know, with 24/7 samba music. For funsies. ^^

The post Scenes from Life Lately appeared first on Of Revolt.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Yesterday was my first time ever as hostess, and I didn’t burn the turkey. It was not only edible, but juicy even! Plus, my apple pie is so bomb. In honor of my second-favorite holiday, here are five things I’m thankful for:

1. My amazing husband (who did all of the dishes ALL DAY LONG, like the wonderful human being that he is)
2. My wonderful family
3. My fantastic friends
4. My incredibly rewarding, fulfilling job and the awesome community that is YTTP
5. Pictures of baby animals on the internet

Okay, love you, bye!

The post Happy Thanksgiving! appeared first on Of Revolt.

So I’ve lately become Pinterest-obsessed. OBSESSED, I tell you. To the point where Dan and I will be sitting on the couch together, marathon-watching whatever TV show we’re currently into (right now it’s American Horror Story. Jessica Lange kills me. Forget Helen Mirren, I want to age into Jessica Lange. The woman is 64 and doesn’t look a day over 42. Those cheekbones! Stunning.), and I’ll be furtively sneaking peeks at my phone, refreshing the page over and over to see the latest pins.

It’s a sickness, and I am not ashamed.

Anyway, one of my favorite topics to search (after squee-inducing baby animals and bitchy SomeECards), is – you guessed it – travel. It’s pretty much the ultimate travel porn site. Lots of pretty pictures of lots of pretty places? SIGN ME UP.

One of my biggest regrets (if you could even really call it that) when it comes to our 2011 tour through Europe was our omission of Spain. Now, I’ve actually been to Barcelona, back in 2005, when my friends and I made a weekend excursion there whilst studying abroad in France. Even just those three days were enough to make me wish we’d had a much, MUCH longer stay. Of course, as broke college students traveling through countries where the exchange rate didn’t favor us, we ended up staying in some cheap, sketchy hostel, though if – ahem, when – I make my grand return to Spain, I’ll definitely choose one from amongst these gorgeous Barcelona hotels.

I’d definitely hit Barcelona again – the wild architecture of the city and the carnival that is Las Ramblas are too fantastic to never see again – though I’d also add in Madrid and Sevilla. More than anything, though, I’m dying to see the Moorish architecture in cities like Cordoba and Granada.

Supposedly a great deal of the beauty of Moorish/Islamic art is based in its sacred geometry – the idea that certain shapes and proportions are particularly meaningful or symbolic. I don’t know much about it, and I don’t think I need to in order to appreciate its inherent worth.

Besides, did you see that recipe for gazpacho? Delicious! (I pinned it twice, for good measure.) (No, I didn’t.) (Help.)

The post Dreaming of Spain appeared first on Of Revolt.

Since returning from Bolivia, life in Ollanta has been relatively relaxing (I guess anything can be considered relaxing, though, after you drive through roads with broken glass, boulders, and people rioting!). While it may seem like Claire and I have simply been hiking and taking in the sights of the Sacred Valley for the past two months (not entirely false), we have also been volunteering in a rural community, Pomatales, teaching English at the local elementary school. On the surface this may sound like a typical teaching experience, but the location of the school made it pretty unbelievable.

To get to Pomatales, we hopped in a Colectivo headed for Urubamba/Cusco. After about 8km, we were dropped at a small bridge for the town of Pachar. At this point, we sat and waited for one of the three teachers to come pick us up on a moto. Once on the moto, we drove about 30 minutes up through the Andes on unpaved roads to finally arrive in the tiny town of Pomatales. At first we thought our transit was a pain in the ass . . . then we started asking where our students lived and how they got to school.

Elisban, one of my sixth grade boys, walked everyday from the town of Soccma, which sits an hour and a half further up the mountains. Beltran, an adorable fourth grader, walked every day from the small town of Rayan, which is so high above Pomatales, it takes him three and a half hours to make the uphill hike back home every afternoon. I soon learned that the majority of the students of Pomatales make similar treks through the mountains every day, but they just think of it as their walk to school.

Unfortunately, because of the commute and various duties these young kids are expected to complete for their parents, many students did not attend school regularly. On market days especially, we were lucky if 25 of the total 40 students were present. Claire and I quickly stopped complaining about our commute and really anything else.

With our time in Ollanta coming to a close, last Monday we had to tell the teachers and students of Pomatales that Wednesday would be our last day. When we showed up on Wednesday, we walked into a “Despedidia,” or a good-bye party for us. All of the students lined up based on grade, and to start the party students came forward and recited poems in Quechua and castellano. After the recitations, each and every student individually came forward to thank us, give us flowers and hand-written cards, and give Claire and I both a big hug. Everything about this was heart warming and made me want to stay. It only got worse when the teachers began to ask the students if they wanted us to stay, to which the students responded by yelling and begging us to stay. Talk about pulling at your heart strings!

After we left Pomatales, touched by the fact that they threw us a goodbye party and gave us so many beautiful flowers, we ran into the mother of a sixth grade student, Luis. Luis’s mom told us that he had been very upset we didn’t have a proper goodbye party because there was no food. A week later, Luis and his mom came to Ollanta, and brought a full lunch to properly say goodbye. Such a great kid.

The funny part is the meal was cuy. Now, Claire and I have been doing whatever it takes to avoid eating the much-loved Peruvian delight that is guinea pig. In this situation, there was just no way out of it. We sat down and each ate half of a cuy. To be honest, it wasn’t half bad. Once you ignore the full rodent sitting on your plate – four little legs and all, similar to how a full fish would be served – it tasted like a strange mix of chicken and pork.

After the goodbye meal, Luis and his mom took us to ruins that are rumored to be the site of an ancient Inca church. My stomach may have felt a little weird by the end of the day, but spending this time with Luis and his mother, and seeing how grateful they were that Claire and I had come to help Pomatales was truly amazing.

Having finished teaching in Pomatales, with little time left in Ollanta, Claire and I decided to finally hike the very touristy Moray, Maras, Salineras trail. Almost all tours through the Sacred Valley make a stop at these three cities before arriving at Machu Picchu. The easy way to do the hike is to start at the Moray Terraces and hike downhill through the town of Maras to the Salineras Salt Pans.

Feeling young and athletic, we decided to hike uphill in the opposite direction and hike back down, 24km in total. The Salineras Salt Pans are just about a 30-minute hike from the road where you get dropped off in Colectivo. To enter the site it costs 7 soles. From here, it is an hour to the town of Maras, which we just walked through, and another hour to Moray Terraces. To enter Moray it will cost you another 10 soles, unless you are Claire and I who are desperately trying to hang on to our college days and entered as students for 5 soles.

Moray was absolutely unreal. The absurd precision and perfection of the circular terraces is mind blowing. I may or may not have left Moray Terraces with a newfound belief in aliens. I just don’t understand how the Incas or anyone other than aliens could have created such perfection. [Editor’s note: I totally agree. Ancient alien technology is/was definitely a thing.] Moray was definitely worth the price of admission, but if you are looking to save some money, I’d say you can skip the Salineras.

Aside from tear-jerking goodbyes and a newfound belief in aliens, I have been prepping for Bolivia. Hope you’ve all enjoyed Peru, and next time I check in I’ll be coming from somewhere (could be anywhere) in Bolivia!

The post Alison Wanders // Of Roasted Guinea Pig and Goodbyes appeared first on Of Revolt.

All right, all right. So Maryland and West Virginia aren’t really “The South” as we know it from TV, what with its charming drawls and sprawling antebellum architecture. But it’s south of New York and besides, “Scenes from a Few of the Mid-Atlantic States” just doesn’t have the same sexy ring to it.

Anyway, Dan and I took a road trip to these two states back in August and because this year is LITERALLY FLYING PAST ME (I know that this is not just me. Everyone agrees that 2013 shall go down in history as the year that could not wait to be over. And yet, I’m having a super great year and I don’t really want it to be over. Odd-numbered years are sort of my jam), I am just now getting around to blogging about it. 

So here she blows! Photos and recommendations from our long weekend, two months ago. Enjoy.

^^ Tootsies on the dash and the open road. My nail polish looks fabulous, if I do say so myself. (Color is Jelly Apple by Essie.) ^^

^^ Arriving in historic Thomas, West Virginia. Most towns call themselves “historic” because they have no better claim to fame, but Thomas is, quite literally, historic – walking down the main (only!) street feels like stepping back in time. It was a coal mining boom town in the early 1900s, and while it’s a sleepy little place these days, the shops along East Avenue have been lovingly and carefully preserved. ^^

^^ Miners & Merchants Bank, the only bank in town. ^^

^^ We stayed at the Purple Fiddle Hostel & Guest House (again, the only one of its kind in town, which you’ll notice is a trend around those parts). Don’t you just love the giant red faces on those beautiful sunflowers? ^^

^^ Snacks at Tip Top Coffee Bar, which were almost painfully delicious. When we arrived in Thomas, we stopped first at the Purple Fiddle Cafe, where Dan was playing, figuring we could drop off his equipment and grab a coffee there. We asked for coffees at the counter and the girl goes, “You don’t want our coffee. Go to Tip Top, out the door and to your right, about 40 paces. They make the best coffee in town, like a real Brooklyn cafe.”
The reasons I loved that were twofold: one, because every store in town can be described by the number of paces to get there. And two, because it was literally the best coffee I’ve ever had outside of Paris. Far better than any Brooklyn cafe. ^^

^^ This gave me a throw-my-head-back, deep belly laugh. Who needs a glass when you can put the citrus right on the can? Heretofore referred to as, “West Virginia style.” ^^

^^ My cute guy doing his thing at the Purple Fiddle. In addition to seriously delicious sandwiches and a whole heap of craft beers, the cafe serves what they call “karma soup.” Anyone who’s hungry and doesn’t have money to eat can ask at the counter for a bowl of karma soup and it’s free, every time, no questions asked. Good karma, indeed. ^^

^^ Frederick, Maryland was all pretty town house after pretty town house. I loved this one especially for its crimson door and Mini Cooper (my fave!) parked out front. Every time I pass a place like this I think, I could live here. ^^

^^ One of the coolest things about Frederick was the abundance of murals gracing the sides of its buildings. This one actually startled me at first, when I turned a corner and came upon it. The painted man has “Mona Lisa eyes”: you know the ones, they watch you and move when you move. The white shapes behind him aren’t ghosts; they’re his wings. And if you haven’t read the Gabriel García Márquez story “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings,” you should just stop whatever you’re doing and go read it because it will break your heart in all the right ways. Go ahead, we’ll wait. ^^

We stayed overnight in Thomas because of Dan’s performance schedule there, but both Thomas and Frederick are perfect towns for lingering in for a few hours and then passing through. The shop owners keep regular hours and they all do only one thing, but they do that thing very well. Towns like these are small and simple and lovely, like a daydream you had on a cool, cloudy day, and it’s not easy to find this kind of America anymore.

The post Scenes from the South: Maryland and West Virginia appeared first on Of Revolt.

Welcome to the second installation of Alison Wanders, the new column on Of Revolt! Alison Nabatoff recently graduated from Princeton and has set off on an incredible journey through South America.

Hello again from Incan rock quarries and the Pisac Market!

In the past two weeks Claire and I have strayed a little from our typical days and weekends filled with hiking around the Sacred Valley, and have instead ventured to one of the more mainstream sights. This change might have to do with the fact that after our last hike we were absolutely physically and mentally exhausted. Thankfully, the difficulty didn’t take away from how incredible the hike actually was, leaving me wondering how the hell did the Incans did it.

This last hike, like many others, started in Ollantaytambo, and led to Las Canteras, which is an Incan rock quarry two hours uphill from town. The two quarries are where the Incans went to carve and ultimately carry the rocks that they used to build the town of Ollantaytambo. After having done the hike up and down, seen the unbelievable size of these rocks, and realized that this was all done thousands of years ago without modern technology, I might be starting to believe in aliens – I mean, I could barely walk at a leisurely pace there and back carrying a padded backpack containing my camera and water bottle.

While the rock quarry was eye-opening to the astonishing technologies and work of the Incan Empire, the real draw to this hike is definitely the small cave hidden within the quarry containing ancient Incan skeletons. On one hand it’s a little creepy . . . but on the other hand, there are very few places in the world you can find such an authentic, natural scene. Here, almost 800m above the town of Ollanta, lie these remains that you can get as close as you want to without paying an entrance fee, looking through a glass screen, or having crowds push for the best view (though to respect the site you are asked to not touch or move the bones. But who really wants to test their luck with the spirits of the Inca Empire anyway?). For the anthropologist in me, this was a dream. As for the mental and physical exhaustion, Claire and I decided to ignore all advice to camp at the top, and instead hiked up and back all in one day. Turns out the advice to camp and return the next day rested really should have been taken. Live and learn, friends, live and learn.

Changing our ways a bit, we decided to check out the world-famous Pisac artisan market. While the official market day for tourists is Sunday, we went on Saturday to look around town and stay the night. Given the status and popularity of the market, we assumed there would be some other things to do around town to occupy our Saturday. I’ll tell you right now, our assumption couldn’t have been more wrong. There are ruins that you can hike to, but they don’t offer day passes. Instead, you either have to pay 70 soles for a pass that allows entrance into 4 “Sacred Valley Sights,” or 130 soles for access to 10 tourist spots in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. The problem was that the first expired within two days of purchase, and the latter within 10 days. For the traveler short on time who wants to see the main tourist attractions, this isn’t a bad deal, but for two girls who like to wander without a time table and are quickly learning the less-traveled, less popular paths are much more worthwhile, this wasn’t the way to go.

Instead, we drank a few Pisco Sours, the prided drink of Peru which is made up of the local liquor Pisco, lemon juice, sugar, and egg whites (strangely tasty), overlooking the much less popular Saturday market. By 5pm Pisac was a ghost town, replete with black cats, deserted stores, and a central plaza of abandoned market tables. Finding a place for dinner was a strangely impossible task, in which we had to walk four blocks out of town to a local chicken spot.

The next morning everyone came out of hiding and the plaza was completely packed with tents and tables that stretched down numerous side streets from the Plaza de Armas. After walking for a bit you begin to notice that almost all of the tables are selling the same products: scarves, bracelets, bags, local clothing, alpaca goods, ceramic works, and of course, silver jewelry. The main attraction at the Pisac market for me was the silver jewelry tents, where I made out with a beautiful coca leaf ring and a pachamama (mother earth) necklace. While both are beautiful, they were being sold by about 50 different shops, so the unique artisan aspect of Pisac was somewhat nonexistent in my opinion. Nonetheless, Pisac has been the first market I have been to where you can find such an abundance of jewelry.

Pisac is also one of the few markets where bartering occurred at extremes. For example, at the Urubamba and Ollanta market you may find a 50-cent difference after talking to the store owner; in Pisac, the ring I bought was originally priced at 90 soles and I made the final purchase at 50 soles. While some people may appreciate the art of bartering, I felt as if everyone was trying to scam me out of money. At one point I just wanted to scream, “what is the actual price of this because I’m willing to pay.” Maybe I just need a lesson in patience though, who knows. Overall, Pisac has both pros and cons, and while I don’t recommend going for two days, checking out the market for an hour or so is definitely worth it.

If not to buy merchandise, it’s worth a trip to stop and try the storied empanadas. Made in huge, dated ovens, I bought three empanadas, vegetable, chicken and cheese, for 10 soles, and wanted an endless supply once I finished. There are tons of different places to buy empanadas, so stop in anywhere and then walk around eating an empanada to look like a local and get some street cred. I leave you with a warning though – you will get addicted. If you think you can pass on the empanadas or simply fear the addiction, the Urubamba market is much more authentic and avoids the touristy feel. Urubamba sits between Cusco and Ollantaytambo, and every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday boasts a huge market that spreads over five blocks and is where locals go to do their purchasing. While it doesn’t have the jewelry, it is worth a trip for those who are looking for a taste of a true Sacred Valley market. Here the people wearing traditional garb aren’t looking to take a picture for money as is the case in Pisac, but instead are simply grocery shopping or enjoying a meal.

In the next two weeks I will be moving into an apartment and venturing to Bolivia for a few days to visit Lake Titicaca, so stay tuned!

The post Alison Wanders // Of Markets, Quarries, & a Skeleton or Two appeared first on Of Revolt.

Hello, ye readers! Today is exciting because I get to introduce you to Alison. Alison is a recent graduate who, instead of buckling down and getting a job, ran off into the wilds of Peru to, you know, hike, eat chocolate, and hang around. Woman after my own heart, she is. 

Alison will be contributing about twice a month here on Of Revolt, and I’m stoked to see her photos and read her tales of journeying across South America. Here’s the first installation – enjoy!

Hola amigos! My name is Alison Nabatoff and I will be stopping in time and again as a guest writer here on Of Revolt. I was raised in a suburb of Washington, DC, and this past spring graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Anthropology. While many of my fellow Princeton grads took the first train to Wall Street after graduation, I had a slightly different destination. Whether it was my strong desire to travel and explore the real world outside what is known as the “Princeton Bubble,” or my acquisition of a degree in a field that employers don’t find particularly practical, I’ve decided to travel through South America for the next eight months with my friend Claire. Though Claire and I may not have any marketable talents and are pretty much unemployable, we make great travel buddies (maybe I’ll add that to my resume when I get home in 8 months).

First things first, for those looking to take a trip to South America, flights can be incredibly expensive. Since I am a recent college grad traveling the world for eight months on my life savings, an expensive ticket wasn’t in the cards. After some intense research I came across TACA/Avianca airlines which had flights that were about half the price of the competitors. While the prices are very dependent on when you choose to travel, I was able to buy a one-way ticket to Cusco, Peru for $450 as opposed to $900. I should also note that that not only were there no checked baggage fees, but there were also full-fledged dinners, blankets, pillows, and even free alcohol! Lets just say I am now a walking spokesperson for TACA/Avianca.

After arriving in Cusco, Claire and I started our adventure by traveling to the small town of Ollantaytambo, which is in the Sacred Valley of Peru. Many travelers may have heard of Ollantaytambo, or Ollanta as the locals call it, because you must pass through the town to catch the train to Machu Picchu. Anyone seen the movie Cars? Ollanta mirrors that town in the movie. If you haven’t seen Cars, this probably makes no sense, so go watch it, it’s a great movie.

Anyway, we took what is called a “colectivo” which is the most popular and by far cheapest means of travel in Peru. Unfortunately, since our attire and totally clueless facial expressions screamed tourist, we were charged about double the actual price for transport from Cusco to Ollanta. Learning the costs of various things like market food, transportation, and clothing takes a bit of time, but we have adopted the motto of “live and learn,” which we revert to every time we are ripped off.

While there are some struggles when it comes to transportation, once you arrive in Ollanta you are immediately surrounded by beautiful Ancient Incan culture. The town itself sits in a valley with the Incan fortress on one side, and ruins of a storage facility on the opposite mountainside. While guarded by these two marvelously maintained sites, much of the town within the valley is also built using old Incan structures and rock walls. Beyond incredible Incan architecture and ruins, the nature within the sacred valley is, for lack of a better word, majestic. The rolling Andes mountains stretch to the horizon in all directions and the sky is a pure blue that is unmatched in the States. Incredibly enough, you can drive about two hours up the mountains from Ollanta and be in a glacier, and then descend down for two hours to a town called Santa Teresa and be in the jungle. In no more than 5 hours you will have worn long sleeves and pants, a winter coat with a hat and gloves, and a bathing suit. Let’s just say the packing for a trip like this, which many more adventurous travelers take as the way to Machu Picchu, is quite a challenge.

Claire and I have found the best way to take advantage of the absolutely incredible history and geography of the Sacred Valley is to hike. There are countless hikes at varying degrees of difficulty, almost all of which promise a combination of mountains, glaciers, lagoons, Incan ruins, ancient terraces, and much more. If I were to tell you there were multiple photo moments that would be grossly understating it. I usually return with hundreds of pictures, documenting each and every moment of the hike because there really isn’t a view that doesn’t deserve capturing. The photos you see here are from the hikes I have been on thus far, all of which started in the town center of Ollantaytambo.

Since I will be stationed here in Ollantaytambo for the next two months, there is much more to come about this peaceful town. Before signing off though, I have to take a moment to draw attention to La Esquina, a small cafe located within the town square, or “Plaza de Armas.” La Esquina features a menu somewhat catered to tourists passing through to Machu Picchu, which includes a peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwich, falafel sandwich, a combination salad bowl, and most importantly some incredible deserts. As a food lover, I don’t think it gets much better than the falafel sandwich with the warm chocolate bread to finish the meal off.

Until next time!

The post Alison Wanders // Hiking in Peru appeared first on Of Revolt.