Reflections of Peru, halfway through our trip

We are halfway through our trip to Peru. There is so much I have learned and observed about the Peruvian culture. Here are some of my reflections:

Bathrooms

The plumbing in all of Peru is weak, so Peruvians do not flush toilet paper, no matter what that toilet paper is used for. Every bathroom has a small trash can next to each toilet to deposit the toilet paper in. This took a little getting used to and, while I have grown more accustomed to it, there have been several “oops” occasions when I have accidentally dropped the toilet paper into the toilet, or my nested paper escapes into the bowl too quickly for me to catch it.

Food

I am a vegetarian, so I was worried about not being able to find enough to eat while traveling. While I imagined turning to skin and bones due to a potential lack of meals, I have experienced quite the opposite. I have had more than enough options at every meal, and everything we have eaten has been delicious. Most meals are full of rice, vegetables, potatoes and juice or coca tea to drink. We have yet to taste a meal we don’t like.

Work

Every day, in every town we pass through, we see and meet incredibly hard-working Peruvians. We have passed men, women, young children and the elderly walking the streets carrying everything from huge sacs of clothes to stacks of wood on their backs. Victor, our tour guide from the rainforest, said he could carry 75 kilos, or 165 pounds, by the time he was 12 years old.

Peruvians are true sales people, as locals try to sell their goods around every city town we have seen. Even children as young as seven or eight years old walk the streets aggressively shoving dolls and ceramic pigs into the passerbys exclaiming, “Dos Soles Señora,” and not easily taking no for an answer.

Education

The lack of education in Peru, especially in the small towns, makes me realize how much opportunity we truly do have as Americans. Today, we passed through a small town on the border of Cusco and Puno. Children in these towns only go to school five months a year, despite Peruvian law that says children must complete nine months of school. The children in small towns such as these have to walk about two hours to school each day, and they need to leave after five months to help their families with work. Twenty percent of Peru´s economy is funded by tourism, and with the country growing in tourism and the exporting of goods, locals are ambitious about a better education system for the citizens.

Animals

There are so many stray dogs in Peru. A few days ago, I did an experiment while traveling Cusco by bus and counted 14 different stray dogs in one minute. Today alone, I saw a house full of caged roosters, a truck crammed full of cattle and blankets tied at the top with chickens inside struggling to get out. The other day, I saw a man continuously attempting to hit a dog with a stick. This dog, who Victor named Mocha, accompanied us on our hike through the rainforest, so we all felt a personal connection with her. When the man could not catch Mocha, he threw the stick at her, missing her body by a matter of inches. I reacted too quickly to hide my mouth-dropped, appalled expression, and the man tried in broken English to explain that the dog eats chickens. I did everything I could to not be rude, so I simply walked away in silence. It was better for this vegetarian to say nothing.

Water

We cannot drink the tap water in Peru. In America, we can order tap water from any restaurant, coffee shop or movie theater we want, but in Peru all water requires a bottle purchase. We cannot even rinse our toothbrushes under the tap, which makes for quick and continuous use of each bottle. To aid to the rapid use of each bottle, we have been at least 10,000 to 12,000 feet above sea level over half of our trip so far. The need to stay hydrated is essential.

Internet

I have yet to find internet, whether it be in a hostel or internet cafe that is as quick as even the slowest internet in the United States. Even as I type this, I have tried several times to upload photos to this blog post and the computer is not allowing me to do so. I have woken up several times around 5:00am throughout our trip to find a computer that will allow me to write a blog quickly and easily. The fury and frustration this creates in me is yet another example of the resources we often take for granted in America.

Overall, the lifestyle of Peru is much simpler than the lifestyle we live in the United States. Peruvians live completely off the land, which makes even our small Chicago apartment seem like an enormous and luxurious space for a couple to live in. Everyone we have met in Peru has been friendly and accommodating. All the tour guides have seemed proud of this land and all its people have been through. I am happy to have the chance to experience the gorgeous wonders of this country, even for the two weeks we are here. It makes me more appreciative of the country I grew up in and eager to learn more about the history that brought us to where we are today.