“…not till we are completely lost, or turned round – for a man needs only to be turned round once with his eyes shut in this world to be lost – do we appreciate the vastness and strangeness of nature. Every man has to learn the points of compass again as often as be awakes, whether from sleep or any abstraction. Not till we are lost, in other words not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations.” – Henry David Thoreau, Walden
The Andes
Smelling the Flowers in the Andes
I had the opportunity to visit a farm deep in the Andes around an hour’s walk away from the closest town and almost five hours away from Huancayo by car. I’ve found that rural areas always have a certain beauty about them and the view from where their farm sits almost seems like the majestical land around Machu Picchu.
Ciro Castillo Rojo Lost and Found
These days, the Peruvian news is all about Ciro Castillo Rojo. After more than 200 days of being lost in the Colca Canyon in Arequipa, Peru, they have found his lifeless body intact at the bottom of a cliff, 1400 meters below a viewing point in the tourist area. They recognized him by his clothes, … Read more
Mishaps in the Andes as Reminders to Be Grateful
Last Friday, we were ready to leave for a short trip to Trujillo to start apartment hunting on the Peruvian coast. We woke up to news that day about avalanches blocking the central highway. The highway would be closed for five days and bus prices shot up from $3 to $30 per passenger as private … Read more
Symbols of Love
This week we’re celebrating Huancayo’s 439th birthday and the festivities started off with a fashion show in the main plaza, displaying and commemorating typical Huanca attire and regional costumes of the Andes. As part of Huanca clothing before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, sleeves (maquitos) were not only practical, but also a decorative addition … Read more
“Hurry, They Haven’t Found Me Yet.”
In early April, a young couple in their twenties disappeared in the Colca Canyon in Arequipa, Peru. On April 13th, they found Rosario Ponce López severely dehydrated. She had been eating insects and drinking her own urine to survive. They are still searching for her boyfriend, Ciro Castillo Rojo, to this day. The mystery of … Read more
About to Get Soaked
When it comes to corporal punishment in the Central Andes of Peru, domestic abuse is still typical and it wasn’t too long ago that there were more extreme measures at schools. Parents wrap broken egg shells on the child’s hand with wool dipped in brandy, and then light it on fire. The alcohol produces a … Read more
The Protest
My parents, being the best-est parents in the world, came to visit me for my birthday. It was a tight 3 days they were going to be here and as much as I wanted things to go perfectly, things never seem to go as planned in Huancayo. (As a side note, I have decided that … Read more
A Thousand Miles
I have spent a lot of time lately, walking. I used to know a guy in Japan who would walk for miles and miles, just wandering, and I always wondered how he did it. How can someone not bore themselves to death just walking around the city for hours on end? He would come back … Read more