Losing your Zen in the Sacred Valley

April 8, 2019

What Machu Picchu giveth, Cusco taketh away.

I watched TV this morning while having breakfast. Noticias Latinas Peru (in case you’re curious). Here’s the stories in the order they were reported:

Ø A guy’s motorcycle was stolen at gunpoint and the whole thing was caught on video. There was a 20 minute segment about this to (no joke) to include an interview with the guy, a plea to the public to return the bike and a replay of the video about 10 times

Ø A 2 year old and 12 year old were found dead in their apartment, their mother is suspected of foul play (so sad)

Ø There was a small riot when fiscals (I think this is a tax collector but just guessing) visited a town – 5 policemen are considered heroes as the fiscals were taken out of the town in a car guarded by chicken wire

Ø There was a gun fight at a construction site – something about a territory dispute (all caught on video)

Ø A kid got really sick after being bit by a really weird, creepy venomous worm

Ø PPK has been extradited back to Peru and is being held in captivity at home (Bet ya $5 he gets out his back door). I had no idea who PPK was before this news show but they referred to him as PPK so I guess I can too; and

Ø The Lima police are manning up for Easter Weekend (Really? I’m so confused)

Seriously. This was in about 45 minutes. Would you like coffee with that?

Now I tell you all this for a couple of reasons.

One – I was glued to the TV and found this fascinating.

And two – so when I tell you my phone was stolen in Cusco, it won’t really seem like that big of a deal.

Yes friends, my phone was taken out of my bag in Cusco while I was trying to find a churro. (I’m going to have to revisit this churro thing.) So, if you’ve been trying to get in touch with me over the last week or so now you know why you haven’t heard back. Now to pour salt on the wound, my phone was with Google and tied to my primary email account which I am also now locked out of until I get my phone back up and working (in possibly 1-2 more weeks). In the meantime, if you need to get in touch please email me at buddhaandboots@gmail.com. I have a Bolivian phone number in case of emergency but email is easiest for now. I can also get you my new What’s App if you email 🙂

Now, should you ever find yourself in need of an existential crisis – losing your phone while abroad is an excellent way to trigger one. In my case, it involved not one but two complete meltdowns however thanks to great friends, a backup phone, a Peruvian SIM card (and then a Bolivian SIM card) and a fabulous tour guide who stepped up to help (Able you are amazing! If you are ever in Cusco please let me know so I can get you in touch with Able. Fantastic human and amazing guide), I have made it to the other side. Lesson learned: Zippers folks. Use them.

Now I know what you’re going to say – why didn’t you do Find My iPhone? Well, I did. Or I tried…

It’s a long story but just picture this – its 9pm on a street outside of town and there’s this white girl standing in the street with Find My iPhone on her laptop and three policemen knocking on doors on the block where the phone was last seen and asking if they have my phone. Yes, please take a minute and picture this. If I wasn’t there I wouldn’t have believed it but that’s what happened. After the police told me that we were on the nice people block and the next block was the bad people block, I decided that it was time to let go of the phone and get the hell out of there. While I can’t say we didn’t try (the police were exceptionally kind and helpful), I did not get an honorary Peruvian Police assistant certificate for my efforts. I however did get a nicely typed police report in Spanish and a ride to my hostel in the super cool Policia Tourismo truck. Want to look cool pulling up at your hotel next time you travel? Try hitching a ride in the tourist police truck. You’ll get more looks than the day after prom.

Any with that, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Here’s photos 🙂

Ollantaybambo, Peru:

Y’all eat this stuff, just sayin’…

My historic hotel near the Machu Picchu train station.

Day tripping between Ollantaytambo and Pisac:

The Moray terraces

Quinoa in the wild.

(Ok, on a farm but at least not in a bag).

Veronica Mountain (with glacier).

It’s likely the glacier will disappear in our lifetime.

Maras, Peru – home of the Salinas de Maras (salt pools)

The Salt Pools (the salinas). The entire community has access to these ponds and farms them as a co-op. They also share in the profits from the entrance fees paid by the day trippers.

And the wildest part is all of the salt ponds are created from this small stream that starts deep inside the mountains. (No one has ever seen the source).

Pisac, Peru:

Stayed at a beautiful B&B called Melissa Wasi. Stunning and peaceful, located in ‘Gringoville’, Pisac (yes really). The owner was a man named Chito who retired from Unilever in Lima and purchased the property 15 years ago when it was a cow field. He’s now a little oddly on the quite side while his son has hit spiritual gold in hosting Ayahuasca ceremonies. Even Chito referred to it as a business these days. Hmmm…..

The start of Sacred Valley and the Pisac ruins:

Sights around Pisac:

The famous Pisac ‘market’. Seriously, how much of this stuff will actually ever sell? I can understand the food vendors but if I’m told there is another famous ‘market’ that I have to see that only sells souvenirs I’m going to ask for a refund….