The proprietor of Casa de Clara, Clara, runs a no-nonsense one day tour of the ruins surrounding Trujillo. Our small group of three piled into Clara’s tiny, VW Beetle and spent the day touring around Huaca del Luna, Chan-Chan and the Temple of the Rainbows. What her car lacked in safety and aestetics Clara more than made up for in archeologic knowledge and local background. At each site it was clear that Clara is a regular on the Trujillo archeological circuit, not only did she know the sites, but she also knew every security guard and tour guide on the property. She navigated our group around the crowds and gave us a much more thorough tour than the other groups …

Rugged and tough, these low profile light trail shoes lived up to the Vasque reputation. My fourth pair of Vasques, these shoes are supportive and comfortable. They’re lightweight and at the end of the day, whether hiking uphill or through city streets my legs are never tired from hauling the boots around. The boot is supportive enough for hiking with a light pack, but since its a low profile, it lacks the necessary ankle support for heavy backpacking.
Fit:
My feet are very narrow and I have high arches so I’m difficult to fit in a boot. The fit is excellent and I’ve replaced the bottom with my custom made orthopedic without problems.
The shoe itself is breathable …

Over 5 months on the road and this is the first review we have written for a hostal. Princess Maria was simply a breath of fresh air. The cheapest of all of our accommodations in Ecuador (about $6 each) we had only intended to stay in Banos one night but quickly extended our stay. The owners were always present ready to supply any and all visitors with whatever kind of information that might be needed or just to hang out and practice some Spanish.
Aside from being a cheap hostalling option, Princess Maria provided us with everything we needed for our stay in Banos. We had a private room with a private bathroom and all the …

ExOfficio Polo – This is undeniable my best shirt. It is a polo shirt and can look quite ’smart’ with the right pair of pants but since it is completely wicking I can even work out in it if I wanted to. Naturally, I don’t work out in it, but as hot as it might sometimes get this shirt still performs well and is thick enough to still be comfortable in the winter time. The shirt really doesn’t show its wrinkles once I put it on but the thing that puts this shirt over the top is that it has a zipper breast pockeet. While this is normal for an ex-offico shirt it’s not quite standard …