I am writing this from beautiful Machu  Picchu,Peru. It is part of the latest Magical Mystery Tour that TTG and the lovely Kathy are participating in. It is truly among the most thought provoking and beautiful things we have come to. I hope I get it right. 

We started in Quito,Ecuador which was our doorway to the Galapagos. Driving from the airport at night was a tad depressing. One conjures up a vision of beautiful colonial architecture  of which there was plenty. But we also saw the poverty in a beautiful country that caused one to think. That while we were ensconced in a five star hotel Iin the old town of Quito. 

The next morning revealed a square filled with hundreds of people ranging from hawkers to families looking for a deal or at least sweets of some sort.

Stalls filled every side street with everything from hardware supplies to 20 pounds sacks of animal crackers. Go figure. There were several churches that were chock a block with altars and gold beyond belief. The country like Peru is overwhelming Catholic on and in both places people  practice their religion. 

We are soon on our way to Galapagos. Ironically the airport code is GPS. We approach the islands after a two hour plane ride. The similarities from the air to the Hawaiian islands are striking. Sans Waikiki and endless hotels and condos. Various modes from buses to launches  to Zodiacs get us to our home for the next four days, the Isabela II. We are diverse group of 28 from various colleges and universities. The largest group was from Hollins College with a current enrollment of 1200, all women. 

We trekked across several islands over the next four days.

We snorkeled and just sat and pondered. We got up close and personal with seals, seal lions and birds of every description. Even some moms of sea lion and chicks let us get a few feet away. We followed Darwin but we also discovered remoteness both physically and spiritually. Watching Mother Nature at work creating families and colonies. Things like maternity and a lack of ant real predatory action almost showed life as it should be or maybe ought to be to be. We have a lot to learn.

We had  several presentations of the islands, sometimes over a scotch. Meals were an occasion to mix it up and listen to a bunch of different points of view.No put downs but just expressions. Some opened up and some remained reclusive but as the days passed people did a stupid thing. The opened up and of course yours truly was in the middle asking questions and trying to engender ease. It actually worked. 

Most striking were our guides. They worked one month on and one month off. They spoke with pride and love of their home. Their far off gaze at the beauty of their environment was contagious. It engendered a serenity not often found. There are about 35,000 people who live on two or three main islands. Tourism is big business and growing. I really hope we don’t screw this up.  

I could go on about all sorts of flora and fauna. Especially blue footed boobies but I could never do it all justice.

We will just rely on memory as foggy as it gets sometimes. Hopscotching from GPS to Guayaquil  to Quito to Lima where we said good bye to most. Literally! The hardy few were seeking more adventure in the Andes. 

The Lima airport is only four months old and the amount of passengers was startling. There we were introduced to the best amenity by far. In Peru,senior citizens. have preference by law. Whether it is a line for customs or a table in a restaurant, we go to the front. 

We landed in Cuzco, the capital of the ancient Incan empire. 

On the road after spending the night at a hotel that was a former convent, we started to climb, and climb and climb by coach and train. Along the way we encountered Work In Progress. The countryside is inundated with homes that are half done. It might have a first floor but the second was open air or just some jutting rebar. Why? They cannot afford to go any further. Day laborers or free lancers have no credit history. They try to accumulate whatever surplus they can and that goes to putting a kitchen, a toilet or even a window or two. 

Poverty in both Ecuador and Peru is pervasive. Most of their economy is based on tourism. COVID was not an inconvenience but a stab in the heart. That being said, one it not uncomfortable with the poor as much as much more cognizant. We have so much. 

Arriving at Machu Picchu is like waiting to open a present. After  seeing a bend in a walking trail you come upon a sight that is beyond belief. This was a sacred place to live in and be part of. The sophistication and utility of the construction is mind blowing. The scope is from temples to store houses for food  situated precariously on sheer mountain cliffs. 

We lived in the middle of the the Rockies for many years. Not even close. From Cuzco to Macchu Picchu is about seventy miles. I could not even imagine doing this on foot although there is a trail that hardy hikers do take. Soaring and sheer mountain faces almost guard the entrances or at least serve as warning. 

I could rhapsodize for pages but I don’t want to bore you with my amateur slide shows. Suffice to say this has been not so much life changing but more refreshing thoughts and ideas that get lost in my vapid life. You think about how  this all came to be be. You are hit in the face with needy and hardship. You understand how simple and satisfying life can be. You wonder about how far afield one can get. Most of all is we do not have the monopoly on smarts. People without instruments and earth movers created majesty with their own hands and heads. Life in the islands is the the same as it has been for millennia. We are still only a dot in the history of our world. That’s a good thought to leave on. 

As always 

Ted The Great

Factoids:

The Incan Empire numbered around 10 million in 1500. It was defeated and destroyed by the Conqistadors who numbered around 500. All for gold and silver in the name of saving souls for Christ. At least that’s their story and they are sticking with it. 

There are over 9,000 different species on GPS. Around 1500 are endemic. Some only exist on one island and not any others. Giant tortoises can grow to almost 1,000 pounds and do not need to  eat or drink for almost 6 months. Great food source for sailing ships on long voyages. 

Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos while on a worldwide voyage on the HMS beagle. It was 1535 and he was 26 studying for the priesthood. He only spent 5 weeks exploring the islands. He would research and contemplate for almost twenty years before publish the “Origins of Species” 

Machu Picchu was built in the middle of the 1400’s. It took around thirty years. It was abandoned in 1535 and no one really knows why? Several sites were left unfinished.  

Poverty in South America is around 27%.This is people living under $6.85 per day. Extreme poverty which is 10%, is defined by people making $3.65 per day. The worst countries are Mexico,Brazil and Venezuela. The continent  has substantial natural resources. Political instability and corruption make any sort of foreign investment difficult at best.  Thing are getting better but very, very slowly.