The Final Blog?

Now that we’re back home in California and I’ve had a moment to reflect on our experiences, I felt that a some type of concluding commentary was called for. I guess the first question is: was the trip a success? Definitely. Cusco turned out to be an excellent choice. The scenery, the people, the architecture, the Incan ruins, the infrastructure, even the food all contributed to make this a wonderful place for us to stay for an extended period of time. We also made a number of friends which greatly furthered our ability to get to know the city from a perspective not shared by most tourists.

Was the time spent productive? Incredibly. Not only did we all learn a lot more Spanish, which has obvious practical applications, but both I and the kids learned about another culture, an experience that not only expands our knowledge of the world but, I hope, will help them to better understand and empathize with the situation of others. In my opinion there is no higher calling than the expansion of our boundaries. Some may say (and some have said) that I have a problem with boundaries but I think the problem is the boundaries. I want to take advantage of the opportunities we are offered and not forgo the opportunity to live life to the fullest.

Was the trip too expensive? Actually, as Mary keeps reminding me since our return, we were much cheaper to support in Peru than back home. Obviously, not everyone has the money or the time to leave town for months at a time but for others it is simply a matter of choices. The personal is the ideological and there’s a tradeoff between expanding your horizons and controlling your life and that of others. I always find myself driven toward the expansion of knowledge, of experience, of love, of laughter, of life. That’s why I feel that travel and education are the only two real reasons for going in debt. Is that new car or flat-panel television or ATV really going to enhance your life or provide enlightenment or, conversely, does the acquisition of yet more material items simply weigh you down? Those things will be either forgotten or left on the mental insignificance pile in the long run while living life directly, gaining experiences and sharing experiences with friends and family all contribute to who we are. I'm a believer in karma which, at a very basic level, simply means that you are what you do. If you sit around watching TV and eating junk food every evening, then that is, literally, who you are and what you do. Similarly, if you are always expanding your horizons, learning new things, reading good literature then that, correspondingly, is who you are. Our horizons have been expanded as a result of this trip.; Zak has spent 1.7% of his life in Peru; does that make him 1.7% culturally peruvian? I’ve spent .3% of my life in Peru and Maya has, to date, spent a full 3% of her time on this planet (at least in this lifetime) living as a Peruvian which, from the perspective of this social scientist, with a bent toward nurture over nature, makes her the most "Peruvian" of the three.

Of course, if one's horizon is going to be expanded, one has to be aware of whats going on. That’s why this blog has been such a valuable tool for me. Socrates once noted that an unexamined life is not worth living and while I think he may not give proper importance to the more basic and visceral pleasures of life, I think that, to a large extent, he is right. These missives have helped me to organize my thoughts and reflect on our experiences and how our boundaries have been expanded.

Will return to the Peruvian Andes? Indubitably. One reason is that in addition to the intrinsic beauty of the place, this area is one of the best adventure-travel destinations I know of. Not only is their world-class white-water rafting, there are an incredible network of mountain-bike trails, incredible hiking, mountains that inspire summit fever just by looking at them and, in addition to the mountaineering, the place is ripe for the development of some sublime rock climbing in superb settings all without the crowds and kitsch of similar "resort" towns in the U.S. While there are plenty of tourists in Cusco, particularly in their winter, by eschewing the familiar and seeking out the novel, there are many places to go to get off the beaten path. Then there’s the aesthetics. The place just has a good vibe. While in Peru, I was able, to a large degree, to escape the crass commercialism and chain-store consumerism with which we are constantly assaulted in the U.S. I’ve come to believe that the only unequivocal truth worth following is not religious or political (which is quite a statement from a political scientist) but the aesthetic. It's the attention to natural, architectural, and human beauty, at a more tranquil pace, that contributes to a much greater aesthetic appreciation of life.

Is this really the final blog? Probably not. We’ll probably continue to post various experiences of the Braunwarth family as our lives continue down their winding paths. Feliz Viajes!