Travels to Peru
2025 will be a different year for us on the farm. I will start writing more this year is one thing! I will write another entry in a couple days with on farm news. But for now:
Here are some excerpts from my journal of my travels to Cusco, Peru from January 31- February 10th 2025.
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“In this world, time is more transparent. Different layers of history are stacked on top of each other. All visible. stories of the past are still told. Animals have sacred spirits. Places have meaning. Plants have powers. These rocks hold secrets.”
“What we lack in North America is such a concrete and visible connection to the past. We do not have great pre-Columbian cities still partially standing like the Mayan cities around Mexico or the Inca empire such as what can be seen around Peru. I am in awe.”
“It [in Cusco] all begins around 11,200 feet in the historic district and only goes up from there. The hill on the northern end of the city very steeply takes you up a few hundred more feet. It is a spectacular terracing of buildings, cobblestone streets, rock walls and red terra cotta roofs. The Spanish influence is in your face while the Inka empire is the foundation under your feet.”
Cusco’s buildings creep up the mountainside.
“I loved feeling the ancient walls in the historic streets of Cusco, running my fingers over their smooth and cool surfaces- feeling the seams of two lines of stones coming together- it’s almost as if the rock was made soft and pliable like clay and then joined in the most perfect and artistic way. The resulting seam of those 2 rocks can have a subtly curved side or a few stair like angles just to show all of us, what can humanly be possible. The most perfectly built walls are voluptuous and smooth. Ollantaytambo and Saqsaywaman corner stones are grandiose yet tantalizingly sculpted. The rocks are forever embraced together- they will stand for eternity as long as our earth remains.”
“The still standing agricultural terracing of the Inca empire is a sight to behold- as well as an inspiration to what can be done on steep land. The food here is as fresh and delicious as the finest restaurants in the world. This is the birthplace of potatoes, quinoa, maca, coca, unique varieties of corn, Kiwicha, cassava, among many others. Immediately, coming from the North America winter, the taste of in-season produce is exciting as it is greatly nourishing.”
“Traveling really shakes things up. Especially for me, my world is mostly constructed of cheese and grounded by the daily chores of milk cows.”
“To be leisurely is an art, especially when in a new place. Then there is the need- to be open to new experiences, and have the ability to see with new eyes- takes even more practice.”
“Creatures and people of a place- have a subliminal pace. Peru has an obviously slower pace. Slow down. Look at the dogs-they have their own city within a city. And they wear clothes! How unusual but really wonderful to see them in such nice clothes!
“There are stark differences between the Andes and the Appalachians. The Andes shoot out of the earth like they are still in motion. Are they making a sound as they rise upward? I think I hear something. In the Andes, you must crane your neck upwards to see the whole mountain, which becomes a lush green wall from the valley floor to the foggy heavens above. The Appalachian mountain’s spirit, in contrast, is old, tired and worn down to its core. Like an old wise man, who has seen it all, these ancient rivers and creeks slowly meander over his body, taking what is left of him away.”
“Macchu Picchu: I look over at the next mountain, and in between, there is a raging river 2,000 ft below- mountain water flowing with a mighty force. In this moment, I realize how pictures cannot capture depth. A picture is flat and cannot convey the emptiness I feel when looking from one mountain to the other. I take a full breath of air. The fog continues to wisp in and around mountain tops, playing a constant game of what is visible and what isn’t. The wind passes through me and with it, pulls some breath from my chest. The mountains give and take. A condor flies above. My breath is supporting each wing.”
“The Incas made places in nature sacred and I find this fascinating, a face seen in a cliff, a place to rest to take in the view, or an opening in tree stump or rock becomes a place to pay respect and give an offering. These are called Wacas. To enter the mountains, you need to ask permission. Sometimes permission is not granted and you need to walk away. How do you know? I guess you need to figure that out.”