A Thousand Years Before Inca

Part III of our Peru Dispatch is very special to me. The dynamic in Peru is one that is quite unique, with one region completely reliant on tourism and other parts of the country barely connected to tourism. Open up any media piece or marketing campaign on Peru, and what do you most often see? Machu Picchu or Rainbow Mountain, right? Well, that is what makes Part III so special.  This is an area of Peru that is relatively unknown, and few see it. Yet, it is where pre-Inca history is concentrated. Here, you go back in time and see enough evidence to make you question the accuracy of what you knew about history.

My first visit to Chachapoyas was really by accident when I was visiting Peru with my family years ago. An incident on the train to Machu Picchu prevented us from seeing the Incan Marvel that year, yet we were able to get up to Chachapoyas… and wow, I still remember how amazed I was. It was a few months after that visit that I found myself in Chicago in the Mummy Room at the Field Museum. What I saw shocked me – mummies from ancient Rome and the mummies of Peru, now mostly stored in an amazing museum in Leymabamba. The similarities were too hard to ignore, so I started a detailed conversation with the historian involved in the exhibit, who told me that he believes that the Romans and Peruvians of Chachapoyas were interconnected back then as there was overlap in the time both empires existed. I couldn’t shake the words and woke up the next day fully embracing that perhaps geography didn’t keep these empires back.

Well, this time, returning to the north was actually more magical as we met with experts who provided an in-depth lecture on the mummies in the Leymabamba museum and how they were discovered. Seeing the timeline combined with the recently re-opened ruins of Kuelap, combined with the fifth-highest free-standing waterfall in the world, made for what is still one of my favorite parts of Peru. They complement the hidden gems one finds up here; however, these properties and those who run them… their lives are so much harder. They don’t have three flights a day coming here but just three a week, which sometimes makes connecting this part of Peru with the Sacred Valley a real challenge. Rumor has it that a delegation is working on changing this, which is great.

That is why this dispatch is so important. It’s not just a video and a report. It is an open letter to the tourist board and the tourism ministry to engage.

Follow in the steps of South Africa, Colombia, and other active, thriving destinations. Treat the remote parts of the country just as importantly as the known parts, diversify your message, and most importantly, Engage.

The Unforgettable Bridge

Dear Advisor Partners,

I was 18 at the end of my first year of university when I came home for summer break. I had just recovered from an injured Achilles tendon and was on crutches for what seemed like the millionth time. I am not sure what came over me, however, my sense of adventure went into overdrive. Within days of returning to Florida, I went skydiving with a friend. Some kids sneak out of the house to party, and I snuck out to jump out of an airplane… go figure. The landing didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped. The instructor, who was supposed to plant his feet first, ended up being too short, and my 6 ft 3 frame and healing foot landed for both of us and none too gracefully. After grimacing, I asked what any 18 year old would ask, “Can we go again?”, because I wanted to step out on the landing gear of the Cessna at 15,000 feet again!

I thought of that story the entire way up the side of the cliff at Sky Vertical in the Sacred Valley, the subject of Part II of our latest Peru dispatch. We crossed a cabled bridge that made you count the steps just to avoid the feeling of falling, and that was after descending by cable from the starting point to the bridge. We had to go down before going up. It was at this moment when an important thought hit me. I forgot my %$#@ GoPro! It’s a good thing that John Ellis from Ellis Travel House in Portland, a key member of our amazing group, brought his (we included some of his footage in this week’s blog). Up the side, we went one hand here, one foot there, detaching and reattaching our carabiners as we moved from one cable to another during our ascent. Knowing where to place your feet, sometimes in contorted positions, was key so your hands could be placed to help your legs move up.

The adrenaline starts kicking in fully when you look up, and the capsules suspended off the side of the cliff above you get closer and closer. Every now and then, I would turn around to look at the view, even getting the rare sighting of the peak of Mt Veronica to the side of us as we approached our summit. As we summited, another thought hit me.. we get to zipline down to the lobby area from the summit, I wonder how fast I can get going. I know, I’m a nerd.

What a zipline it was, getting back to the starting point, stunning views, a speed of about 30mph, just enough to hear the wind, not enough to be blown off course. The adrenaline was in full force, I didn’t care that I was going to have jello legs in about an hour when my senses returned to normal levels. Like I said, after sky diving, when do I go again?

Enjoy this week’s video, and stay tuned for Digital Founder, my father’s avatar, at the end. He seems to want some attention.

The End of the Beaten Path

Those of you who saw my Peru images on social media know it was one of the most epic adventures ever as we discovered Peru beyond Machu Picchu. This will be a three-part dispatch, so stay tuned as part 1 may look familiar, and parts II and III will look decidedly “BigFiveish.” One of the other aspects that I was most excited about was the introduction of synthetic media to enhance your client’s in-country experiences. I know you are likely asking, what does he mean by synthetic media?

I mean digital renderings of me and my father, aka avatars that have our likeness, both in sight and sound. This adventure allowed us to test the application, and it spurned so many ideas that we are beginning to plot out and design, all for you.  In this video, our avatars make their first appearance. As you watch them, let your imagination run wild.

Our first stop was one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu. Now you will laugh, maybe even cringe, when I say this. As amazing as Machu Picchu is, we wanted to see it first to get that box checked.

That is not to take away from the “how magical this sight is” but rather an acknowledgment that we mark the end of the beaten path with this visit because of how unorthodox our next activities will be.

Check out this week’s video, and make sure you wave to Digital Founder, my father’s avatar.