Tag: Machu Picchu

The Company We Keep

JUNE 29, 2021 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

Growing up, you one day hear when someone says or implies “life is not easy”. You believe it. The song also says, “no one ever promised you a rose garden”.

Yet, when it’s good, it’s really good. You know this to be true on some big scale perhaps or in simple moments just as a small child starts out being comforted by the time simply spent with him or her. They are in awe at the magic tricks adults seem to perform in their presence with toys or a simple game of peak-a- boo.

Viñales, Cuba

One day you get it. You could be anywhere with a certain person, and you could be having the best time and technically not doing anything. You know the people, including yourself, are making life more interesting. In our way we are causing what is seemingly nothing to mean something. Adversely, a dazzling venue or event can lack so much luster when you are not clicking with anyone in the room.

You know all of this to be true when you could be sitting outside just about anywhere, having a refreshing drink, eating ice cream, or getting caught up in a conversation and maybe even forgetting to eat. Next thing, you and your present company realize the two or more of you have gotten hungry. Next, you end up just about anywhere, in a place that is perhaps too overpriced (no matter) or a unique hole in the wall which you could have never preplanned.

These are the relationships I lean into at home and mirror in my connections abroad.

This especially speaks to my time with other travel volunteers and tourists. One random traveler meets another (that’s me) and there’s the combination of simultaneously experiencing new people and new places in what is sometimes quite the random life. Even the mundane moments play out differently.

I recall leaving Arequipa to get to Cusco. Before starting my second South American volunteer selection, I decided to go to Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. (I would end up sightseeing with other volunteers later as well between enjoying the nightlife and everyday life, but I wouldn’t know that yet.)

The random circle gets a little wider when traveling with a friend. As a collective I’ve also made some interesting connections.

The circle grows and you find yourself having dinner with another person from Europe, North America, South America etc. who was probably just a stranger 3 hours ago and the odds go up exponentially when you more so go the hostel or local homestay route.

There is always something to do but being around your crowd of family or friends or just one other confidante, we know there does not necessarily have to be anything to do at all.

Part 2 of 2 – Agitated Tours aka the Misadventures and Adventures Reaching My First Wonder of the World

Continued from Yesterday
June 30, 2019 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

Back to the trekking part of our mission. This included our journey on the bus to the bus drop off for our hiking, lunch, sites along the way, dinner and settling into our overnight lodging to get a bit of rest before our Machu Picchu visit the next day: The long bus ride led us around some mountains that very much reminded me of those cartoons with a vehicle traveling around cliffs just wide enough to fit it. Dinner was included in the package. Our trek would consist of a 4-hour walk to Ollayantambo, which was closer to 5 hours.

The curiosity was spilling over from the Argentinian young ladies sitting near me during dinner. I was waiting for the questions to begin. I know we looked quite different from each other and I get it and I more so welcome the appreciation of my journey versus quiet presumptions. Certain questions appeared to be more the norm during the touristy parts of my journeys rather than during the volunteer portions, although I was questioned there as well. I am good with being the ambassador, to represent all the brown American girls that can be backpackers too, but admittedly it sometimes does get tiring. You know how people are individuals and what not but it’s nice to represent as well.  It’s also nice to be admired and respected as well for having some adventure in your heart and it’s quite fun to gradually share unexpected answers with people, as they try to find clever ways to ask where you’re from, why you’re traveling, what you’ve done and as you let them know that yes, you know Spanish. Quite crafty to show up in places you weren’t necessarily expected to be, when you were not even trying to be crafty at all.

Continue reading “Part 2 of 2 – Agitated Tours aka the Misadventures and Adventures Reaching My First Wonder of the World”

Agitated Tours aka the Misadventures and Adventures Reaching My First Wonder of the World: Part 1 of 2


June 29, 2019 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON
part 2 continues tomorrow

Of all the places that I planned on touring and that I had the pleasure of seeing during my time in Peru, Machu Picchu could not be missed. I was determined to visit this Wonder of the World and was nearly 100% certain that it was going to happen. I believed this every time I heard Pisco volunteers talk about all the various treks to get there and their recent experiences. All the other tourist attractions I sought along the way were more so decided upon, once I had arrived.

The most popular trek I heard about was the Inca trail, a 4-5 day hiking trail in which you would mirror the path that the Incans did regularly. The Salkantay trek (Salcantay trail), that could include horseback riding, hiking and camping was another popular one. I didn’t feel as if I had a lot of time, so I embarked on what was known as the 1-day (mini) Inca trail. This involved touring and getting most of the way to the train line in which we would leave our bus and hike for about 4 to 5 hours to Ollantaytambo. We would have dinner (we had eaten lunch during a stopover on the bus) and we would spend the night in one of two no-frill hotels and continue up to the Machu Picchu the next morning. Even this mini Incan trail proved to be a bit strenuous for me. The 4-hour walk grew longer. Thank goodness to a Chilean, (now mostly Facebook) friend who would help me on one particularly steep juncture and thank goodness for coincidences which I will expand on later. (Additionally, having heard there is no such thing as mere coincidences, I can appreciate that what seemed just circumstances really did turn out to mean a lot more). At the time, however, I would be thanking all my lucky stars for what eventually unfolded.

I bonded with 3 Brazilian guys that were a part of my tour group. Well, mainly I spoke to their “spokesperson” – who I suppose was the most outgoing one (the others would just smile and nod).

Primarily, I recall there being one large group of us heading towards Machu Picchu until they separated some of us out. First, they did it between two buses. The 3 Brazilian guys and a few other people were with me. Unlike us, most everyone on this trek was on holiday from Argentina or Chile. Similarly, I met a lot of Argentinian and Chilean people in various parts of Cusco, throughout my entire stay there. There were a lot of other various visitors – but just recalling especially that these two countries were well represented. That’s understandable, proximity wise. It also makes sense that I’d have a lot of interesting memories around them. 

It was a wonder how they were dividing us up. I am not sure about the specifics behind it, but our group had fewer people and I almost felt like we were with the less popular tour leader. How that popularity was noted was beyond me. He seemed fine. My other thought, like another tour I had taken in Arequipa, was that they wanted to keep the Spanish speakers with one tour guide, and to put us, the mostly non-native/second language Spanish speakers with the other. I speak Spanish, as a second learned language. (which is interesting because they can’t just casually ask if I would prefer to go here and there, thinking that I will be welcoming about it. I end up coming off as indifferent). However, I’m guessing that may have been their best generalization of the easiest way to divide us up. Hotel choices were a bit similar, as far as just overnight lodging. Again, I remember there seemed to be fewer people assigned to my hotel versus the second choice that was a part of the trek package. That split was further random. The Brazilian gentlemen were not staying in my hotel and there were a couple of guys from Argentina staying in mine, as we three made plans to finish the hike up the rest of the way the following morning. (Everyone would do this from their respective hotels). Still, to me it would have made sense to just divide us more equally in half to make the groups manageable.

What if that was the intention, but people chose not to be with my group leader. I continued to find him likeable. I recall him being booed a little over dinner when he did his announcements. The mystery remained unsolved.

Read more: Conclusion continues tomorrow