#peru — BLOG — davidmmcglynn

Peru: Finding Connection & Community in the Andean Village of Huilloc

“Now is the time to know that all that you do is sacred… now is the time for you to deeply compute the impossibility that there is anything but grace” – Hafiz

Huilloc is specifically outstanding for its charming textiles with genuine designs. It sits at 11,480 feet above sea level and is part of the network of weaving communities in the region of Cusco. From their ancestors, the people of Huilloc inherited a rich tradition of textiles that they still carry on. They continue to weave a range of textiles following the knowledge, techniques and usages of their ancestors. The women have preserved this unique and ancestral tradition of weaving by hand colorful designs. On their looms, they make some of the most beautiful and exquisite weavings in Peru. In the textiles, they depict images of the world in which they live including the flora and fauna of the place. They weave into the cloth images of cougars, condors and the huallata (wall-ya’h-tah) birds that are typical of the place. The bird is so important that people perform a dance in their honor that is much celebrated in Cusco in its different festivities. The dance, like the bird, is called huallata. In contrast, men dedicate themselves to helping Mother Earth produce.

Part of what we wanted from our Peruvian adventure was to have authentic, immersive experiences with the indigenous people. Opportunities to meet people who have lived there for 100’s of years, to ask questions about their lifestyle, their culture and their beliefs, have conversations and experience unique moments and travel to places beyond the typical tourist attractions & monuments.

This is not uncommon for me. I’ve done this my whole life. If you’ve read some of my other posts, you’ve spent a night with me on the streets of Kuala Lumpur interviewing people and taking photographs. Or spent the day with me as I drove around with a devout Muslim taxi driver in Kuala Lumpur showing me the sights while having conversations about life, politics and our beliefs in God. You’ve visited a fishing village in the middle of Tonle Lake in Cambodia to see an elementary school and what real-life refugee living is like. I have hundreds of these experiences written down in my journal, big & small.

Peru would be no different. It’s how we ended up in the small village of Huilloc. A small community of Peruvians who speak Quechua, 12,000’ up the Andean mountains at the end of a narrow, dead-end dirt road. They decided to open up their homes and their hearts to people around the world, like us, who are willing to come and learn more about their culture and their way of life. My goal is to share my adventure with them in hopes that other people will look for their own connections with different people around the world too…

David McGlynnMarch 7, 2021#journaling, #dailypracticejournaling, #dailypractice, #traveljournaling, #travelblog, #benefitsofjournaling, #manifestyourlife, #peru, #Andeasmountains, #Huilloc, #HuillocPeru, #Huillocconnection Comment

Peru: Retracing the Steps of the Incas To The Cloud City of Machu Picchu

“It’s an irritating reality that many places and events defy description. Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu, for instance, seem to demand silence, like a love affair you can never talk about. For a while after, you fumble for words, trying vainly to assemble a private narrative, an explanation, a comfortable way to frame where you’ve been and what’s happened. In the end, you’re just happy you were there – with your eyes open – and lived to see it.” - Anthony Bourdain

To say I was excited & filled with anticipation on the day we waited in that bus line to take the final leg of our long journey to arrive at the entrance of Machu Picchu would be an understatement. My excitement was palpable. My excitement was sheer joy. JOY. WONDER.

…I felt like a 10-year-old boy walking through the crowds, wanting to push my way through the crowd in excitement, the way you feel on Christmas morning as child when you tear the wrapping paper off the gifts Santa has brought.

Around the first few corners, up tight staircases, to finally catch my first few glimpse of the world-famous site was magical… and it took my breath away. I just kept taking pictures, in a sea of people… at first, really, really bad pictures… and almost missing the moment, witnessing it through my camera lens and not right in front of me. I had to stop. Breathe. Focus. And be present in the moment.

David McGlynnFebruary 25, 2021#dailypracticejournaling, #dailypractice, #journaling, #traveljournaling, #benefitsofjournaling, #peru, #machupicchu, #manifestyourlifeComment