One Love, Many Beauties

Every time I find myself resting in a new place, I think of how perfect this feeling of exploration is at quelling my homesickness. Sleeping on a first-class bus, on my way to Puno only made me speculate at all the sites I would see while in Puno and only fueled the fire of excitement. One thing that was constant regardless of my resting place was awaking with the same to goals as any other day: to explore Peru and to make a difference. This past weekend on my trip to Puno, the excursion I’ve anticipated most, instead of willing myself to focus on exploration, I was stuck fascinated by the natural beauty of this place.  It wasn’t the older architecture, or the mixture of modern and traditional garb but the areas completely untouched by modern technology that left me in awe. The large pools of water that in the wet season are probably lakes and rivers, the rolling hills that are used for farming that form seamlessly with the snow-capped mountains as their backdrop, all took me by surprise.

As a witness of this beauty I was faced with this other entity growing inside me. Like a tumor that’s benign the vast amounts of sights I saw only fueled this entity growing inside me. As if another physical manifestation for this overwhelming emotion, this tumor was symbolic of my curiosity for the world, the more I took in the more I wanted to see. The beauties of Peru, Especially Puno seemed so organic that I was able to connect with it, and even see some facets of myself, and my life in these natural settings.

Saturday as I drifted across Lake Titicaca I thought of this more. I connected with this lake, somehow identifying with its vastness, its beauty. It's dry season here, and much like me departing from all that I love and know, this lake was missing the rain that keeps it filled of the most essential substance for a lake, water. While I require water the thing that sustains my spirit, love, was how I saw the rain. Without the wet season and the rain that follows it, the geographic greatness that is this lake would dissipate until all the life depending on it would surely be adversely affected too. Seeing the lake functioning is this way I look to my family and the lifestyle I’m fortunate to have as my rain, those significant people and special places, like family and my home, pour into this essential substance, love.

I thought the connections I made on the boat ride between Peru, the people’s lifestyle, and my life would be enough of a revelation. However the sights the islands had to offer only further shaped my appreciative outlook. Uros, the artificially made islands made by the people living on them were fascinating, combining water plant roots, these long reeds, and rope to make a artificially floating island was genius. This was done because they were chased away by others who lived on the mainland, Puno. The people survived by importing goods from the coast and using the same reeds that made the island to drink and eat, as the high iodine content in them had purification properties. 

The island following Uros, the artificial islands, was Taquille the un-artificial island. On this island there was plenty of opportunities to explore the island culture, shop for handmade crafts, and eat some of the freshest Trout ever, that was apparently from the lake. After taking in this island we began our decent from 540 steps. Looking down at these steps oddly reminded me of my family. After reaching about the 350^th step, the point where I could finally see the boat, my escape vessel, my legs began quivering in the most irrevocable way. As if my body had recalled leaving something similarly as beautiful, it was rejecting this experience as it had when I had to say goodbye to the people I loved. I began to laugh at myself, this shaking surely a result of the physical activity was so reminiscent of the emotional state the people I love evoke out of me.

On the boat ride back I tried to decipher and understand why I was feeling this way, why all roads led back to you. It didn’t take me long to come to the conclusion that our bond is so strong that it permeates all my senses, my vision the most detectable. Every sight is tainted with the love I have for you, so now all things worth seeing, all things holding beauty, I associate with you.  This connection with you and the many sights Peru holds only intensify my experience. Baby, thanks for amplifying my experience in Peru without even knowing it you bring me joy 3000 miles away.

With growing love and appreciation for Peru

Mateo