We have all imagined the scene right? The traveler throwing their belongings in a bag and leaving at a moments notice for the first chance of adventure even if he is unsure of the path in front of him, where it may lead, and where it will end. We have all imagined the scene… but the last two months I feel I have actually gotten to live it. The last time I wrote in this blog I believe it was the beginning of January and change was certainly easy to find, a new year, new family, a new half of the exchange, the journey was at a turning point and even if I didn’t know it then the months to follow would be some of the most memorable in my life.
It all started one hectic day at the bus stop in Lima, as I was awaiting my bus to Sullana; a small northern city that I believe I had mentioned in this blog before hand, I received a call from my chairman here in Lima saying that for some unknown reason the Rotarians that were going to take me in were not available and so in the blink of an eye I was forced to cancel my ticket pick up my bags and go back home… my trip had been lost and it appeared that the rest of my summer was going to be spent here in the capital. However, being lucky as I have been during my exchange that is not the end of the story, about an hour later I received a call from the same chairman offering me not one but two separate trip opportunities one to the Highland city of Huaraz, and the other to the more tropical city of Pucallpa situated in the Amazon. I am sure an onlooker would have said that my racing around to leave that same day for Huaraz was quite in the fashion of Mr. Baggins. Hopping in a car with a Rotary family and four other exchange students I began my first day of what would be a chain of trips. And how did I finish it? Sleeping peacefully at the doorstep of the Peruvian highlands. That, my good friends, is where my adventure would start.
Huaraz was a very small peaceful town with the traditional culture of the Sierra, it was based on tourism because the local mountain ranges of the Cordillera Negra and the Cordillera Blanca offered a number of tours and foreigners were abundant. The culture in that city is incredibly close to the traditional way of life practiced by the Incas for centuries. The idea of a cyclic relationship with earth and its products like the Potato, corn, and fish are symbolic of how the customs of that empire have been passed down and conserved in the highlands of this beautiful country. Quechua is spoken regularly and most know Spanish as a second language. Seeing the history of its people in the social norms of the city Huaraz was a great cultural stop for us to get to know and understand more of life in the Andes. In total we were there for 6 days, however everyone of those six days was used incredibly and we were able to book tours to several large hiking spots such as Lake 69, a beautiful crystal blue lake at nearly 15,000 reached only by a three hour intense mountain path! We were able to bungee jump from a bridge about 120ft high over a rocky canyon with a small river at its base and we were able to climb down canyons in and through waterfalls. We were able to eat huge amounts of fresh trout, which was the primary dish of the town as well as corn, and potatoes, which here in Peru are absolute staples for almost all meals.All in all it was a fantastic trip and I could not imagine not being able to make a stop in the region of Ancash. Unfortunately my stay couldn’t have been longer, and after six short days I was already leaving back to Lima.
However my stay in the capital was not to be drawn out. I was only able to just shake of a short-term traveler’s rest before heading to the airport. This time my destination was going to be a little bit farther and (if possible) even more exotic because I was going to the tropical Jungle city of Pucallpa. Arriving it reminded me much like home, the warm humid jungle air, the mosquitos already swarming as you stepped off of the plane, it was a much more familiar site to me and from the first minute I stepped out of the airport I know that Pucallpa was going to be special, and by the end it flew higher than my most built expectations could have imagined. I was staying with my friend Colin a Belgian, and our host family, Chelita, Hernan, Erika, and Pia in a beautiful house nearly six kilometers away from the center of the city. It was much more distant and that reminded me or of the peaceful lifestyle I had seen and become apart of back home and in Costa Rica. Truly loving, warm, and radiant people, Colin and I know knew that the hospitality of the Selva was going to be very different than we were thinking previously. We begin eating a lot more meats and fish and several incredibly delicious plates such as river trout, Piranha, fried sweet bananas and so much more. We were in the region of Yarinacocha, which has a beautiful, and captivating range of rivers and lakes situated at its banks. There we were able to spot river dolphins and fish for the famous Piranha. When we were not out venturing in the Amazon we were back at home with the family enjoying a very warm, kind, loving culture where parties and family cookouts were incredibly common. Everybody brought their favorite food or drink and the whole family enjoyed and danced for hours and hours. The warm climate of the Jungle was only matched by the emotional friendliness and warmth of its people.
From the Coast of Lima to the rainy highlands of Ancash, to the tropical sunny shores of the lakes of Yarinacocha and Ucayali, the journey just didn’t stop for me and in every place I had the pleasure of traveling to the last few weeks it reminded me even more just how special this country is, each region has its own customs and traditions but all of the different zones of this country recognize their pride in being Peruvian and for me that is an inspiring idea. The food was incredible, the tours spectacular and the adventuring endless. This is the experience I had always wished for in an exchange year and now as I said earlier I have the pleasure to live it! I could not be happier or more content with all of my surroundings. This country with its foods, dances, histories, and tales is made purely from culture and I couldn’t imagine a better place to be sent to. It is home for me and I am proud to say that! All in all my January and February were full of nonstop travel and the adventure of the last few months doesn’t stop there… two days after my return to Lima from Pucallpa I left for a two week trip to the Northern Coasts of Peru where I would get to spend my days on some of the most beautiful beaches of South America, but to hear that story you are all going to have to wait for my next blog! (I have to somehow keep some interest flowing don’t I? ;)) Take care all of you, and remember, seize everyday, there are beautiful moments simply waiting to be enjoyed! Cuídense mucho y abrazos para todos! Nos vemos pronto! Chau! Y por supuesto Viva el Perú! 😀 
Chucho's Travel: My life changing year in Perú 