On Faith

Faith played a big role in our trip.

Faith for one thing, that the bus we were riding in would not sail off the mountain cliff that dropped inches from our left/right (which bus? Every bus. Every single bus we took for three weeks). Faith that whatever we were eating wouldn't make us sick. Faith that the shower water would run hot, or at least warm.

Beyond these trivialities though, faith was everywhere in Peru and Bolivia. There were the cathedrals with their statues of saints dressed in silks and accented with gold. There were hilltop temples covered in candle wax from yesterday's prayers. There was a cave-like room in Copacabana's cathedral where people melted candles and shaped the wax into the objects they most desired, then stuck the wax to the walls of the church to ensure the reception of their prayers.

(Candlewax prayers over Lake Titicaca)

This was a different faith than the one I'm used to. It was more a blending of Christianity and ancient, native beliefs. Statues of the Virgin Mary were decorated with ancient Andean symbols of fertility. New cars were blessed by a priest but also showered with offerings of alcohol. In the spirit of this faith then, and as a summing up of my time in Peru and Bolivia, a few things I believe:

(Blessing a new car)

* I believe that I never seen so many people in traditional, indigenous dress. No one in Germany actually wears lederhosen, for example. Japanese girls wear jeans, not kimonos. Where we were though, the traditional dress among women is something of a source of pride.

* I believe that Lake Titicaca is just about the most beautiful body of water I have ever seen.

* I believe that llamas/alpacas/vicunas are really, really cute.

(C'mon, tell me that's not cute!)

* I believe that Inca Kola absolutely deserves to be the #1 soda in Peru.

* I believe that there is another Machu Picchu hidden in those hills. Absolutely. People are discovering new sites of ruins every year. Those woods are dense and there are so many hills... just a matter of time.

* I believe that La Paz is the messiest, most chaotic, most awful city I have ever loved.

* I believe that the more of the world I see, the more I realize that I have seen nothing.