On February 6, 2 days before I was to fly to Peru, there was a huge flood in the village where I was headed, Pisaq. I saw photos on Facebook and wondered if I was going to have to cancel or postpone my journey. I contacted Nicholas from the Air BnB and he told me that it was possible to get to his place via another road.
The River Kitamayo behind the market rushed into the town causing severe damage to many homes and shops. The main road to the Rinconada area is closed and the alternative is very muddy. I wondered how the taxi was going to get through. It is amazing to see the motos, the vans and the taxis navigating this road and so far I have not seen anyone get stuck. It is mostly one way and they pull over to allow each other to pass.
The mud and water continues to flow into shops in the village. The workers are doing their best to build a wall and there is so much mud shoveling going on. It looks like it will take quite a while to recover.
So I have to tell this story of what happened the first day I arrived and went to the market. Well, I didn’t find out till 2 days later that my passport was missing. I looked everywhere (I thought) 10 times, over and over, where could I have put it. This is the first time I secured insurance on a trip to Peru. I learned the last time, the hard way, by losing my phone. I figured it was worth it. So I called the insurance people to start a claim just in case it didn’t show up. I spent a rather sleepless night thinking I would have to make an extra round trip to Lima and spend a few days getting a replacement.
The next day I went and filed a police report. Then I went to the market and talked to my friend Ernesto. He told me there was a radio that broadcasts to the town and a friend of his was willing to make an announcement the next day. They could also pass the word to the head of the moto-taxi drivers to see if I left it in one when I went to the village that day. I offered a 100 soles reward. I tried to let go of the anxiety it was causing inside of me but didn’t do a very good job. I kept hearing the words of my latest song, “plant some seeds, give ’em some water, out in the sun and watch them grow.” It just wasn’t that easy but the tune kept repeating.
The next day, I was getting my daypack ready to go and inside in a back pocket was a money belt. I picked it up and felt it and low and behold, there was my passport. Thank the Goddess!! I was so relieved. And I got off with just a warning. I would think I would know how to be careful by now but lessons keep coming and mercy was shown.
The photo of the veggies? They’re organic and came from the Mercado Verde that happens every Thursday at Nidra Wasi. So fortunate to get organic produce here.
All for now.
