work

/ Jo Bird

Peru is famous for the ancient Incan ruins. Rightly so. No matter how many sites we visted I never ceased to be amazed at the extreme effort that was required to construct the walls and terraces. The tools were primitive but the manpower was not lacking.

Saqsaywaman is known for the sheer enormity of the rocks. Without a doubt they were huge.

Pisaq had endless terraces used for farming. We were told that they reconstructed the terraces each year to rotate the soil.

Machu Picchu deserves it’s own post. But anyone who has ever witnessed something breathtaking knows that pictures will never do it justice. Just imagine, an entire city in the middle of the jungle, built on top of a mountain 500 years ago. The most physically challenging part of our trip was climbing to the top of mount Waynu Picchu, which overlooks Machu Picchu. The way up the mountain is a rugged and steep Incan staircase, and by stairs I mean rocks. They have installed rope for help on the way up and down.

The view of Machu Picchu from atop Waynu Picchu.
This is me, feeling thrilled at top of this mountain.

The Inca people may have spent their lives in hard labor, but not much has changed for the current Peruvian people. If you click on this picture you can see how high up the side of the mountain the farms are. To get a general idea of the magnitude of the mountains just use the buildings in the valley as a scale. No small task for the people to climb the mountain each day to work on the farms.

Everywhere they go these women carry the alpaca wool and spin it into the thread they use for clothing. In society as we know it here in the United States and in westernized civilization we take the path of least resistance in most of what we do. Successful ideas and products are designed to make our lives easier. Our bread is sliced, “hand-wash only” articles of clothing are taken to the dry-cleaner, our pizza is delivered and even our pharmacy has a drive-through.

Here is my point: I am grateful that I don’t have to break a sweat each day just to survive. The freedom of modern convenience gives me opportunities to spend time playing with my children, preparing a good meal, or reaching out to others. Laziness is not an option for the villagers of Peru and I pray that laziness will never be the reason I don’t take advantage of the opportunity of time available to me.

8 thoughts on “work”

  1. What a beautiful place! We really do take our modern life for granted, don’t we? That is something I rarely think about….thanks for making me do it this morning.

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  2. Hey Jo, I am so excited to read more. Your ideas instead of chronological order is really great. I think I may enjoy this way a whole lot better! How truly humbling to read all of this. I would love to actually have a conversation with you about this. We will have to get together when I get back.

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  3. I really appreciated your point about being grateful for our time. We don’t have to live like them in order to be grateful for the things we’re given. What a beautiful trip. I too cannot wait to read more!

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  8. Jo, I think you need to change the name of your blog because your adventures and insight are anything but average! I look forward to reading more about your trip.

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