Blog - Peppercornimages Blog

Beauty and Poverty in Peru

Jan 14, 2015

At 5:30 in the morning, Sandra McGirr, a Canadian nurse and co-‐founder of DESEA Peru and Vilma Florez Huayllapuma, a Peruvian nurse who grew up in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, pulled up in an old pickup truck with a cracked windshield. We would be spending the day driving to tiny communities high up in the Andes so that Sandra and Vilma could visit families, check on their health and monitor the water filtering systems that DESEA installed. DESEA is a small NGO that focuses ...

Dhaka: The Day Rana Plaza Collapsed

Jan 29, 2015

April 24, 2013. A hartal (strike) prevented me from traveling outside of Dhaka so I decided to visit Korail, the largest of Dhaka’s informal settlements, by taking a tuk-tuk and then crossing Gulshan Lake by boat. Three million people are estimated to live in Dhaka's slums.It turned out to be the same day that, in another section of Dhaka, Rana Plaza collapsed, killing more than 1100 people. The world focused its attention on issues of building standards for factories. ...

Singapore: Tradition in the Modern City

Apr 30, 2015

Think of Singapore and the image that comes to mind is a modern city-state with tall buildings and a vibrant economy. That image would not be wrong. It is the world’s fourth largest financial center and the only Asian country with a AAA credit rating. It is also a place where 80 percent of the population lives in publicly built housing.That would only paint part of the picture. There is also a history of deep cultural traditions, some of which are in ...

New York City: A Tribute to my Father

Mar 11, 2015

I grew up in New York City. No matter where I've lived since then, I will always consider myself a New Yorker. My father taught English as a Second Language at night and introduced me to his students, people from every part of the world. It is probably what started my travel dreams. I did not grow up in Manhattan, but in the more affordable borough of Queens, part of the "bridge and tunnel crowd." Going to Manhattan as a child meant an exciting ride on the subway to "The ...

At Home with the Dogs: Bringing Nutmeg Home

May 21, 2015

I grew up in an apartment in Flushing, a part of New York City. We were not allowed to have a dog or cat. So my first pet was a turtle named Chopper because he ate chopped hamburger meat. When he died, the funeral consisted of being placed in my father’s Parliament cigarette box and being unceremoniously thrown down the incinerator chute. I screamed, so my father lit another cigarette. Aside from my first dog, Winston, my dogs have all been from Humane Societies ...

Living and Cooking in Lima

Feb 24, 2015

When I was visiting Peru last month, I had what I though was a strange request for the wonderful bed and breakfast at which I was staying. Would it be possible to find someone to take me to Lima's slums? Without pausing, Lilian Delfin of Second Home Peru told me of Haku Tours, a local tour company that uses the proceeds of its tours to help people who live in shantytowns. In the central neighborhoods of Miraflores and Barranco, Lima looks one way. Solidly built apartment ...

Nairobi Neighborhoods

Mar 19, 2015

I just returned from Nairobi. Nearly ten years ago, it was there that I visited my first African slum. Actually, the first time I tried the people I was with would not even let me enter Kibera in Nairobi; merely stand on the outside looking in. Too dangerous, they said. I felt embarrassed, like the archetypical gawking Western tourist.Since then, I’ve been back to Kenya many times and have visited many neighborhoods in its cities. Originally, I had not known what ...

Bali: A Tribute to Ketut Karni

Feb 05, 2015

Eight years ago, during one of my first trips to Bali, I was walking along a beautiful river gorge that runs from the outskirts of Ubud. By accident or serendipity, I had the good fortune of meeting Ketut Karni. The sun was setting when, all of a sudden, I became violently ill. I knew I could not make it back to Ubud before the sun was completely down and I saw a few houses up on a hill in the small village of Bangkiang Sidem. I managed to make it along the dirt road to ...

A Walk Through Paris

Mar 26, 2015

Paris is one of the world’s most beautiful and interesting cities. In recent weeks, France has has experienced several tragedies, in Paris and elsewhere. A walk through Paris is a walk through history, food and art. This post is a tribute to Paris and to the joy it has brought to people who live there and those who visit. It is one of the places that I can walk around for hours with my camera, not worrying about where I am or where I am going. Discovering ...

Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Feb 17, 2015

Today is Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras and New Orleans is celebrating. Ten years ago this August, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast devastated New Orleans and the surrounding areas. I spent a lot of time in Louisiana in the months that followed. Despite the tragedy, Mardi Gras went on the next February. Was there every any real question that it wouldn't? It is such a strong part of the city's tradition. And it has kept going on. The pain came out through humor -- floats that ...