Our tour of Peru ended too soon. The
camera in my mind and my physical camera are overflowing with images that I
will enjoy revisiting. Though I won’t remember a hundredth of what I’ve experienced,
I will forever remember how I felt. The majestic beauty of ruins of ancient
Machu Picchu, the bizarre life of living on floating reed islands in Lake
Titicaca, the simple, sweet gesture of a momma opening up the outer folds of her
wrap to show us her tiny babe. The people are always what I remember. The
passion they exhibit when showing us their city or corner of the world makes me
wonder if I could display the same emotion for a foreign visitor.
Son Caleb and I had the chance to
“recover” from our tour of Peru with a mini vacation to Dominica Republic.
Niece Jena Beth was celebrating her one year anniversary at a resort in Punta
Cana. Her husband Jared had to depart for work, and since we were “in the
neighborhood”, we flew in to do some sun and sand time before returning to the
real world. It was a perfect plan.
Sprawling on lounge chairs with palm
trees waving overhead, we discussed alpacas and Incas and the merits of powdery
soft beaches. Our resort seemed to have a million employees and each one made me
think they were happy to have a job. Remember this island suffered a huge blow
during the hurricanes this fall. When I asked taxi drivers and hotel staff
about the damage, they were proud to report that the repairs had been done
quickly and tourists weren’t inconvenienced. This is an island coming into the
world in a big way with old and new literally across the street from each
other. Driving into Punta Cana, a tiny home caught my eye. More of a shack, the
blue abode had laundry dangling on a wire from the roof to a tree limb. There
were a couple of goats tied under the same tree. I glanced in other directions around
this tiny home and saw several giant retail box stores looming a stone’s throw
away. The contrast was hard to wrap my mind around.
Hopefully we travel to experience a
different world; otherwise it would be easier to stay home. I was reminded on
this tour of a few things we take for granted everyday of our all American
lives. One, hot water. Just to expect hot water to be available from any tap is
a gift. The bonus is soap and a towel. #Thankful Two, being able to flush
toilet paper. Maybe TMI, but much of the world does not have the septic systems
that we enjoy. Waste bins are overflowing and someone has to handle that trash
removal. Before you gag, remember to be thankful for your sewer. #Thankful Three,
money. I try to follow my own advice and use my debit card in an ATM to get
some local currency for “walking around money”. I withdrew over 600 Peruvian Soles
to stick in my wallet. It hit me that was about half a local teacher’s monthly
salary. It was about $200 US. Walking around money for most of us. #Thankful
I saw the world through my son’s eyes.
We laughed and got tears and experienced something that had purpose and
meaning. We planned it and made it happen. It was wonderful. In this season of
thanksgiving, I’m blessed to travel and hopefully I can share my experiences
with readers, for this I’m thankful. #Thankful
