Third World Travel: A Week in Peru

You haven’t heard from me in over a week, but I have a very good excuse: I’ve been in Peru! Full disclosure: I wrote this post a week ago, but literally haven’t had a second free at the computer since I returned. I hear Machu Pichu is incredible, but I didn’t visit. Nor did I journey to the southern metropolis of Lima. I didn’t see the Andes, or the Amazon. No, I spent my week in the department of Tumbes, near the Ecuadorian border—a region of roughly 250,000 that’s barely earned itself a place on the map, let alone the Internet.

My good friend Robyn has called this place home for the last year, serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in nearby Pampas de Hospital, a town of 4,000 that only has running water for a few hours each day, and two paved roads (one of which was recently completed). Cuerpo de Paz placed Robyn in Pampas as a health volunteer, teaching community members about the dangers of AIDS and (a bit) about American culture. This is the real Peru.

As I sit in the bus station awaiting my malodorous chariot to the developed world (Guayaquil, Ecuador) to catch my flight back to the States, I see life in the third world pass me by. After just five minutes at the station, it’s clear just how much I take for granted—I see mototaxis rushing customers around town for 1 sol (about 33 cents), corrupt policemen making their rounds, a pair of emaciated dogs, and a small herd of chickens. I see a man crossing the busy Pan American highway while holding an infant and digging for nasal gold (picking your nose is perfectly acceptable in Peru). I see homes with walls of bamboo and mud. I see countless kilos of refuse. But I don’t see tourists.

The city of Tumbes is no tourist destination—in fact, several guidebooks (and plenty of Internet resources) specifically warn against stopping there! Bus passengers pass through on their way to Lima, some 20 hours to the south, but few people who end up in Tumbes do so intentionally. Think Tijuana, but without the Gringos. The city is dangerous (Robyn wouldn’t let me out of her sight the entire week), but my journey to this developing city makes me appreciate the opportunities we have so much more. I know quite a few people, like myself, who would benefit from living here, if only for a week.

Robyn’s site, Pampas de Hospital, is even further removed from the Western world. Her host family shares a bathroom with several neighbors, filling the tub once a day so the neighboring families have enough water to bathe (using a bucket), drink, and use in their kitchens—which would surely violate every NYC health code imaginable. The schools teach English, but I didn’t meet anyone actually able to speak the language, and some students drop out in their early teens, though attrition rates continue to drop. Uneducated children will stay for life, while those fortunate enough to attend college or technical school will be the first to leave, taking their knowledge and valuable skills to Lima.

But this simple, luxury-free lifestyle brings the town together, with a community unlike any found in the States. The people of Pampas are among the most generous I’ve ever encountered, opening their homes to me, making sure I was full enough to burst (Robyn’s family killed a duck in my honor), and making it clear that my visit, let alone Robyn’s, wouldn’t be forgotten. I showed them pictures of Manhattan, as they looked over my shoulder in awe. We are so incredibly fortunate to live in a country where potable water comes from a tap, where people celebrate diversity, where vegetables make it to the dinner table each and every day.

While I wouldn’t suggest vacationing in the city of Tumbes, the department (like a state in the US) as a whole is incredible. Nearby Punta Sal is quite possibly the most beautiful beach town I’ve visited, and the town of Mancora, while technically in the neighboring department of Piura, is swarming with surfing Westerners, there to take advantage of incredible swells and excellent weather year round. If you’re in need of a “serious wake up call,” consider dropping by the city of Tumbes for a few days. I’m sure Robyn would be more than happy to show you around.