During a March 2011 trip to Lake Titicaca in Peru, my husband and I hired a guide for a day and asked him to take us to his favorite off-the-beaten-path towns in the area. What a great decision - that day wandering through the countryside is one of our favorite memories of Peru!

After a visit to beautiful Juliaca, our guide surprised us with an impromptu stop at his friend's house in the rural Peruvian countryside because he knew how interested we were in Peruvian daily life - he thought we would enjoy meeting his friend's family and seeing how they lived. The family generously welcomed us into their home, at one point even showing us their traditional way of weaving alpaca rugs on a loom. This particular rug was being made from baby alpaca wool so it was especially soft. That day we spent traveling through the towns around the Lake Titicaca isn't one I'll soon forget, and I'm so grateful to our guide and the hospitality of his friend's family.