Anna Harkey is a second year doctoral student in the Archaeology program. She has been in Khonkho Wankane, Bolivia and various archaeological sites across Peru studying Andean archaeology, with a focus on the Late Intermediate and Inca - Colonial periods (roughly 11th to 16 th centuries CE).

As part of her research, Anna visited several major tourist attractions and several other places off the beaten path. She finds that Cusco is “expensive and crawling with tourists (but don't let that stop you; it’s still worth the visit)” but “Chincheros and Ollantaytambo—both a couple of hours outside Cusco—are impressive in their own right.” Above all, “Kuelap, the largest archaeological site in the Chachapoyas region of Peru, has the all beauty of Machu Picchu but without the swarms of tourists.”

For culinary exploration, Anna recommends “Reineke Fuchs in La Paz, Baco in Cusco (be sure to try the fudge cake with red wine sorbet), and in Khonkho, fry bread any time its offered.” Also, one should “not leave the altiplano without trying llama jerky.”

For future travelers, Anna ruefully remarks, “in places where it might snow, it's a good idea to bring waterproof boots!” A useful Aymara phrase is "Kamisaraki? ("How are you?")… "Waliki!" (“Good”) is the standard reply. She also counsels, “dirt happens; get used to it, and the things that don't go as planned really are the most memorable.”

To talk to Anna more about her travels and research you may reach her at harkey (at) berkeley (dot) edu.