Cusco – I’m on top of the world

The first part of my day trip to Pisac was the most challenging… getting over my fear of the colectivo. The colectivos are the local buses which are the primary mode of transportation between towns and cities in Peru. They are technically not buses, but large shared vans, and they are privately owned. They also do not run on a specific schedule or have specific stops. Basically you need to be able to communicate a little bit in Spanish to know which colectivo to take, and you need to know how to ask for a stop. There is also not a specific correlation between the number of seats on the colectivo and the number of passengers – which is how I became friends with Angelina, Nicola and their grandmother as we were squished together in the front row, along with their little brother. This is the beauty and benefit of ‘travelling like a local’ – you actually meet local people who will help you with your Spanish (while laughing at your pronunciation) and tell you when to ask for your stop. I will always be grateful to the kindness shown to me that day, by those 2 little girls and their grandmother. There are two tips or lessons that I would like to share for anyone visiting Peru. First, the views in the Sacred Valley are breathtaking and I highly recommend doing a couple of day trips to explore the area fully and use the colectivos to get the full experience. However, be prepared for the windy, twisty and very narrow roads to not be acknowledged in any way by the colectivo drivers, in terms of what this Canadian would consider a reasonable speed. Just focus on the incredible scenery and take slow, deep breaths. The second lesson is that when you find the correct colectivo, do not say to the driver “Para llegar a Pisac son diez soles, correcto?” (To get to Pisac is 10 soles, correct?) because they will say si, si so very quickly and push a young man out of the front row (despite your protests) and settle you in very quickly. I thought it was because of my pale skin or maybe my age but I found out on the trip back that it was because the colectivo to Pisac is normally only 6 soles 😉 Honestly, the entertainment I received from my young friends was worth the extra soles.

Something both sweet and interesting to me was that Fernando was really concerned that I was alone and that I did not have a guide but I understood that a guide was not necessary at the ruins and I reassured him that I would be fine on my own – which I was. But it did make me aware of being alone while I was exploring the ruins and it made me notice that almost everyone else was either a couple or family with a personal guide or was in fact with a larger tour group. In fact, the only other solo person that I met was a young man from Italy. Being alone, or more specifically noticing that I was alone, would have made me feel uncomfortable a few years ago, somewhere between self-conscious, nervous and scared. I would have assumed that everyone along the way was looking at me and my aloneness, feeling sad for me. But that day, as I climbed higher and higher to reach the highest viewpoint, I felt both capable and confident. Capable that I could make it on my own, as I have learned that I can do many hard things on my own, and confident that actually no one else was looking at me and my aloneness, feeling sad for me. Wandering the Pisac ruins was a lot ‘more’ than I expected for a few reasons. First of all, they are much more expansive than I realized with many stairs, plus steep and narrow inclines. It was much more of a ‘hike’ than I anticipated and I was very grateful to have layers and brought a lot of water. Second, I got caught in a fierce but brief rain (bordering on hail) storm at the very top and was again grateful for my layers, but more so for the tiny shelter and the company of Giovanni, the other solo traveler. Thankfully he spoke a little English and we had one of those weird, intense personal conversations that you can have with a complete stranger, as you know that you will never see them again. On my long list of ‘things that I am grateful for’ is the company of Giovanni during a bit of a scary storm, and more his kind energy and helpful words. As a solo female traveler, you have to always be aware of your surroundings and safety but Giovanni immediately put me at ease and was such a comfort actually. And the last thing about about the ruins at Pisac that I did not fully anticipate was the truly magical energy. Now this may be too ‘woo-woo’ for some readers but in the past year and a half of travel, I have discovered that there are some places in the world that hold energy and if you are really open and truly present, you can feel it. Sometimes it can be quite overwhelming and other times, for me anyways, it can be so incredibly heart-warming to feel hundreds of years of love and laughter and tears and prayers. The ruins at Pisac definitely hold a lot of powerful energy and even if you do not believe in the ‘woo-woo energy’ stuff, the history is remarkable and the views are breath-taking – well-worth the time and energy to experience both.