Thomas Wolfe - said " You can never go home again!" What I think he meant was that as we live our lives we are changed and we can never return to the way we saw things before the new experiences occurred. That applies to travel as well...
When I return from a trip, I come home with a fresh perspective.
It is a chance to look again at my habits - of - life and see in a fresh perspective what I might want to
change.
For one, I want to know what is going on in the world – but
it is so easy for me to become compulsive about seeking out excessive news programs. In Peru, I checked headlines, read a little…
and that was all. At home there are newspapers,
in depth investigative reports, internet, TV, radio… Now that I’m home, I resolve to not once
more overdose on ‘news’ just because it is available.
When I am at home, with a kitchen loaded with good food, it is
so easy to “go hunting for a little snack” – In Peru we ate a good satisfying breakfast,
a midday “comeda” and a snack in the evening for “Cena”. I wasn't aware of feeling hungry and I lost a
few pounds! Can I follow this pattern at
home? I am full of resolve.
In Peru, when we needed to travel, many of our excursions
involved walking- far more than at home.
Here my car beckons to me from the driveway. “Take me” it says… I do walk the dogs– I am active in my garden –
Part of the problem at home is that my city is not designed for walking to the
places that I need to go… When I do walk – I see more, often find interesting people to talk to, and feel good about myself.
Perhaps the issue is really how I choose to allocate time.
There are opportunities for new adventures every day here as
well as Peru.
Routine schedules eat up
my day…
“Come on, John, what can we do
today to change the routine?” What fresh experiences are just waiting to be discovered?
Will I keep my good resolve? Will old habits draw me back? Judging from past experiences. i would say - partly, probabily... but not entirely. Travel does change the way I see the world.
For right now I can say that I experience the most 'culture shock' when I come home. I like the stimulation of travel and I feel a little "ho hum" to come home... Oh well - Adventures come in all sizes and flavors... I just have to be open to seeing them...
Video link of the week: We shared breakfast with an Australian couple in Cusco... They recommended this video series - After watching them - I do too!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOKWcH1zBl2kfnCwyyZWk5MW28lgaNa7L
A sampling of photos from the many I brought home
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| Judy working her way along a challenging section of one of the Inca trails. |
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| A friendly Quetchwa woman we met on the trail |
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| Those Inca folks knew how to make a trail that lasts! |
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| Hats give clues to identify- The women with tall white hats are "mestizo" (part Spanish, part Indian), the others belong to distinct regional groups. |
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| Massive Inca stones - each stone shaped to fit exactly - no mortar required... The large stone is over 3.5 ft. in length and shaped without metal tools. |
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| A friendly merchant |
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| Trail side llamas and sheep |
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| Fiesta parade dancers - (note they are wearing masks) |
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| Ollantaytambo with ancient ruins on opposite cliff - Ancient Inca town in continuous habitation since Inca times |
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| Incan grain storage structures on South facing mountain side |
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| Fruit merchant |
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| Salt evaporation ponds |
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| Pre Incan spirit portal site - high on steep mountain side |
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| Our street in Ollaytamtambo - note running water in stone lined ditch, and stone walls contracted by the Inca |
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| Ruins of Incan fort... Never attacked by Spanish |
