Finding the magic in unexpected places

So things are getting interesting here in Peru... you might be aware that Machu Picchu is currently unreachable due to protests which puts a spanner in our plans as we were due to go today!

I actually have no idea what the plans are instead as our guides scramble to see what our options are. Funnily enough, I feel ok. It reminds me of California in 2013 when everything big was also closed - Alcatraz, the Grand Canyon etc. Richard and I saw none of it but we still had an incredible trip.

Yesterday was a bit of a game changer for me. In the tiny town of Ollantaytambo we arrived unable to check into our hotel, just a tiny market and a 3 hour wait for company before we were being given a tour of the local sacred site.

High above the town however, 4 of us spotted something interesting and a path to get up there. So instead of sitting around or doing more shopping, we decided to explore. We couldn't all make it up the high rough terrain, but I made it to the top and was able to look down on the incredible view.

It felt so good to be creating my own path again, exploring off the beaten track. Later, as we listened to the tour of the historical Inca site, a friend and I broke away to find our own magic. We came across locals, stood with their foreheads to the ancient stones holding them with arms out. So we tried that for a while. Next, we found a group, arms outstretched praying to the sun (the top is the sun temple), a man drumming and singing. We joined in to see what that was like.

Finally, I suggested we find a quiet spot to watch the mountains, sit in nature and find our own peace. And that's what we did. My friend asked me why I came on the trip, "was I looking for a great spiritual experience?" Yes, I had to tell him, I think I was.

But the more we are lead and surrounded by tourists, the harder actually it is to tune in and connect with myself or anything deeper. So in a way, not spending the next 3 days in the tourist path of Machu Picchu could be a blessing. Perhaps we will go somewhere else and experience something different. In California in 2013, I ended up unexpectedly getting engaged. This summer, a cancelled flight led us to a wonderful holiday to Sardinia. Changing plans, can bring great things.

So today, as I write this without knowing where I'll be for the next few days, I feel sure something good will come of the interruption. That maybe leaving the traditional path is exactly what the group and I need right now. And also to release my expectations of what this trip is about. As I often say at my own events "you cannot push the river, it flows by itself".

And that's the invitation for today; to stay open to what unfolds. I'll let you know...

photos: spiritual site at Ollantaytambo / climbing our own path / view back over the town / sunset over the apu

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