Peru! I am here!
I’ve wanted to travel to this country for so long. It is one place that I’ve felt has called me. Peru is endlessly fascinating with its coast, mountains and jungle, its indigenous cultures, colorful tapestries, unique food, rich and complicated history….. and the mysteries of the Amazon rainforest.
I came here on a kind of whim, getting my ticket one week prior to the trip. I’m traveling with my friend, and roommate, Juliet. She is an actor from England and a fellow intrepid. With a spirit of exploration, we are both up for whatever this enchanted country brings us.
Our objective is to know Peru as fully as we can in these three weeks, and to invite indigenous communities to participate in the Hearts of the World project. (Http://heartsoftheworld.org)
What is in the heart of someone who has spent their entire lives in Amazon? Someone who lives immersed in the wonders of nature– far removed from the Western world and capitalism?
How can we find these communities, who’s traditional culture is still intact?
Can we avoid the tourist-trap promises of ‘authentic Amazonian experiences’ and break through to the heart of something real?
This spontaneous journey to Peru is what I call a ‘connect the dots adventure,’ one of my favorite ways to travel. I put the word out to my community on Facebook, asking people for connections in Peru and explaining our intention. Many responded and now with this handful of contacts, we ‘dot…..dot…dot….’ all the way to our unforeseen destinations, ‘playing it by ear,’ unfolding the journey as we go.
For me, traveling like this is so much more exciting than a fully planned itinerary. We don’t know what will happen, where we will end up. We have our objective and we do our best, follow our noses (and our guts), connect with local people as we go, ask them what they know, and we make it happen~ whatever happens…. so here we go!
We don’t know what the mysteries of Peru will bring us, but the sweet, biting, jungle breeze beckons, and the adventure in our hearts pulls us forward~
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