And We Did It Our Way!

So we are writing this blog in my journal while sitting on summit of a small mountain after an easy half hour hike on a tranquil Sunday morning. Although we are probably close to 13,000 ft of altitude, the sun is bright and warm and perfectly compliments the cool air and slight breeze. Our view over one side of the ridge is Chivey, a small mountain town in the department of Araquipa, in south-central Peru and the location where we began our hike. The city itself is beautiful. Dirt streets with a combination of mud or brick homes, thatch roofs, and probably more cows and alpacas than cars on the street. Today is the start of another festival or maybe the end of yesterdays (there are too many to tell) and there is a parade marching around the Plaza de Armas (central park). Although from our distance they are only dots on a picturesque painting, the traditional music radiating from the band is a perfect serenade for our spot of contemplation. On the other side of the ridge we have the beginning of the Colca Canyon, the second largest canyon in Peru. This part of the canyon is considered more the valley as each side of the walls gradually climb through ancient Inca terracing showing off an array of colors from the different fruits, grains, and vegetables growing on each individual level. The plants are contrasted by the 600 year rock walls and irrigation systems (still in use) and the whole thing is like looking through a portal back in time. It is absolutely amazing!

What is more amazing is that in the two hours that we have been here, Brooke and I have been totally alone. Actually this shouldn’t surprise me, as this seems to be the case every where we travel. Whether it is swimming with turtles in the crystal clear waters of the Galapagos, walking down the soft dark sand beaches of El Salvador, or overlooking a stunning lagoon in a volcano in Nicaragua, the description all seems to include the word deserted. It is always just the two of us! For some of the extraordinary spots we find ourselves in I could spend another 10 days meditating on the reason we are alone and still not come up with an answer. For others I have finally realized; no one really travels like the two of us. Chivey is actually one of the largest tourist destinations in Peru yet other than a couple of tourist here and their on the street or at the bus station, we rarely come in contact with them. They all seem to be part of tour groups booked from Araquipa (the second largest city in Peru three hours away), staying in the same hotels, eating at the same restaurants, and patiently waiting their turn in line to step up to the next lookout to take their picture. Don’t get me wrong, the hotels I am sure are nice, bug-free, and warm, the lookout is probably unbelievable, the food, safe and tasty and probably lacking the animal innards we often find on our plates. But while wonderful in its own way, it is just not the real place. Even if the tourist happen to stay with a host family (which is better), the family has seen so many tourist that slight aspects in the way they act and in the amenities that they have, are changed.

We on the other hand we have been incredibly lucky. Through our connections with local Peace Corps volunteers or local CouchSurfers, we have been able to break though these tourist traps and see a slightly different life than your average traveler. Although most locals and other travelers do not understand it, our severe budget (averaging $16 combined per day) has helped us out as well. It keeps us in the markets and on the streets, eating and shopping where the locals eat and shop. Through our projects we live in the small communities we are helping for sometimes more than a month, working, eating, and playing the way they do on a daily basis. We get to know the real people as work side by side and become more than just a dollar sign, we become friends. In Chivey, we were able to link up with PCVs who live in the city and in the surrounding villages. They are the ones that directed us to this unknown little hike we are on now. They are also the ones that took us to a celebration the day before where we watched their communities put on displays of traditional music, dance and food. Not for tourist, but for themselves. The same way they have been doing it for hundreds of years.

Before arriving in the department of Araquipa we were on the coast checking out the famous (and very touristy) Nazca lines. While these hundreds of years old gigantic pictures that are drawn in the sand are a major highlight for average tourist, our highlight was a bit different. After viewing the amazing lines, instead of taking the luxury overnight bus that most travelers take, we started walking down the desert road with our thumbs out. After not too long a trucker stopped for us and twelve hours later we were spending the night 50 km from our destination on a “comfortable” bed of sugar pallets in the back of his trailer saving us more money and giving us a story of the strangest place we have ever slept. The ride was wonderful as we had twelve hours to really get to know Hernandez (our trucker friend), learn about Peruvian food, culture and life on the road. He was able to learn how diverse American is, that Americans are not just what he sees on TV (they still run the Jerry Springer Show here), and feel really good that people find his culture so interesting. In the end we shake hands and both think to ourselves; life is really good.

So while I know not everybody has the time, the resources, or even the luck that we have had on this trip. However, if it is possible to just skip one or two of the lines for the “must see” incredible views or the next amazing church, and just find a way to get off he beaten path to connect with the locals, I guarantee you will walk away thinking the same thing. Man, life is really good.