The one road into Q'eros is quite rugged but with its implementation years ago, it has dramatically changed the communities way of life.
A very classic scene above the Sacred Valley with a llama, the agricultural fields, and the most famous peak Veronica looming behind
The ultimate car suffer test. After completing our 9 day trek around Illampu and the Camino del Oro, we finish in a remote mining area...2 land cruisers pick us up and shuttle us on the anywhere from 9-24+ hour drive (depending on road conditions and rainfall) to Guanay on the Rio Beni. The road is devastatingly rough, and I think I might have had a concussion from nailing my head so hard on the roof. Also, we emanate some pretty lovely body odor after hiking through the mountains and rainforest for 9 days, so putting 9 people in a car made for 5 is a test of our zen abilities. The road passes through "no man's" land. You drive through a lawless mining region where the earth has been stripped of many resources. It is remarkable gazing out the windows at the permanent scars left behind by humans on our planet. It really gets you thinking. I can't quite imagine or comprehend what life would be like here....living in this environment...possibly going against your moral compass in order to feed your family. Or, is this where pieces of my computer or car came from? Did I just aid in scarring this landscape and promoting human rights abuses?....... The moral of this picture and story? This is the way to travel. It opens your eyes, makes you question things, alters your perspectives, invigorates your inner activism, smacks you in the face (literally and figuratively), puts you in true discomfort....and this is truly where the greatest learning takes place. So when you travel...get out there!
