The Gwinners: Vinak

It's mid-winter here in Peru. In Lima, that means lots of grey skies and damp weather, with temperatures around 55-65 degrees F. Though, to be fair, we've had lots of days when the sun has emerged for a few hours, which makes a huge difference and is a big improvement over last year.

In the mountains of Peru, the seasons are reversed compared to those on the coast. Winter is the dry season, and basically runs from May through October. The days are clear and bright, and it gets warm enough to peel off sweaters and hang out in a t-shirt. The nights, however, are cold - below freezing. So the temperature contrast between noon and midnight is pretty impressive.

The landscape is very dry and brown during the winter season in the mountains. It's a stark contrast to the patchwork of greens, yellows, and other colors that you get during the rainy season when the fields are full of potato, alfalfa, corn, quinoa, and other crops.

No matter the time of year, the scenery is quite spectacular. It's stark and dramatic. And even the most remote and hard-to-reach areas surprise you with the amount of human activity. Just when you think you are in the middle of nowhere, someone comes walking over a hill or along a path.

Recently, we headed to the mountains southwest of Lima and to a small village called Vinak. It is on a back road that winds its way into the central Andes of Peru and the towns of Huancayo and Jaujau. Reaching those destinations takes about 12 hours of driving from Lima, not because it's so far as the bird flies, but because the roads are narrow, unpaved, and driving is slow. We didn't have that much time (just a weekend) so headed instead for Vinak, which is about 6 hours from Lima. We stayed in a lovely lodge, which is surprisingly busy and active considering how hard it is to get there. The rooms were excellent, and among the facilities were opportunities to go hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. We took advantage of all three...