Chinchero

So we were fortunate to actually travel this country, and perhaps the best way to understand Peru is by train, on some of the highest and most beautiful rail lines on the planet.

Perurail and Belmond do an absolutely marvelous job, and until the Chinchero airport is built, which is a story for another day, You'll usually start those adventures where the trains don't go.

Lima, on the coast.

The capital, with 10 million people.

So let's wrap up with how to visit Peru and leave it better.

First, put your money as close to the sources as you can.

Local guides, family restaurants, community homestays, artisans selling their own work, like the Pancho Weavers of Chinchero and the Salt Families of Maras.

A fair trade tour costs about the same as a generic one, and the difference is who gets to eat that night.

I've let it all go.

I've done my Ts and Ks where my mouth is literally ready for the words, and then I'm going to go speak it." And when I was speaking it, I started with what is the beginning of the story? Because the beginning of the story for me, I had a reading from my teacher in Chinchero, Peru.

His name is Puma.

He told me at the end of 2023, and it was like an Eat Pray Love moment.