This was a very special day. I sadly had to bid farewell to the honey presentation and service at breakfast at Palacio de Inka and we then headed to Pisac where William spent the month of June last summer in his Peru Spanish language and cultural immersion program. Pisac is known as the gateway to the Sacred Valley. It’s a small village of maybe 10,000 with lots of English, American, European and Australian expatriates who came here on a spiritual journey and never left.
On the way, we had incredible views of the Sacred Valley and visited an alpaca and llama farm and other places of touristic interest but the best part of the day was Pisac.
We arrived in time for Joven Guillermo to show me around. We saw the school where he studied, the medical clinic where he was treated when he came down with a parasite and strep, the soccer field where he played, his favorite spots Ulrike’s and the Choco Museum and then Puma Chayok, where he lived and where they make the best empanadas in their traditional oven. And they are really good.
But the real highlight of the day was meeting Ernestina, his host Mom. Will hadn’t told her we were coming and she was so surprised and cried crocodile tears as she hugged him at length. She was widowed 27 years earlier when her only child, a boy, was 7 years old.
She told me about how she had taken William with her to visit her husband at the cemetery on Father’s Day while at the time I was in Spain on the Camino with Hannah. She told me that they placed flowers on her husband’s grave and that she cried and hugged William as she mourned her loss and that he hugged her and cried and talked about losing his Mom. Ernestina’s husband had served as the Mayor of Pisac. The main thoroughfare in the town is named after him, Av. Frederico Zamaolla..
And she swelled with pride as she related that their only child, their son, now 34 years, was just elected to serve as mayor as was his father 30 years earlier and as she showed me pictures of her 18 month old grandson who bears her husband’s name.
The more contact I have with people of varied backgrounds and cultures the more convinced I am that we are all the same. We are all composed of blood and bones, covered in flesh, granted life through the Lord‘s grace and of equal dignity. We promised to return for a longer visit with her insisting that we stay in her home as her family on our next visit. It was a wonderful uplifting visit with such a fine lovely woman.
Oh and we also continued our journey of gastronomic discovery with another great meal. This time at the Pisac Inn where I had trout with a garlic sauce on a bed of mashed potatoes and mushrooms with my first taste of Peruvian Chardonnay. Not bad really I had two glasses.
Joven Guillermo had fettuccine not too bad either.
Tomorrow we’re off on our tour of the Sacred Valley.
Hasta entonces, mis amigos!