Slowness, stillness, sadness.
Slowness, stillness, sadness.
The feeling sat uneasily within me for weeks.
Over the weeks I spent in Cusco and the Sacred Valley, I had a lingering feeling. Walking the cobblestoned streets, hanging out in the leafy plazoletas, living amid the ruins of ancient Andean civilizations, a stubborn emotion swirled in my gut but I couldn’t quite understand what it was.
The present-day old city of Cusco - a protected UNESCO World Heritage - was built by the Spanish colonists. It sits on centuries-old stacked stone walls (no mud or cement used) built by the Inca civilisation. Out of ancient sun temples rise up churches and cathedrals.
In the Sacred Valley, enormous concentric circles are perfectly etched into the mountains. The Incas documented their knowledge on textile, but the colonists burnt it all. So what these circles were used for, we have no idea. Some say agricultural lab, some say alien landing. It could be mass rituals, or something far beyond our imagination.
I was simultaneously reading Samarkand, a book about 12th century Persia, which had made great advancements in astronomy and science. But when the Mongols conquered, they burnt down all the libraries and labs - and all that ancient knowledge with it.
The feeling sat uneasily within me for weeks, until the train back from Machu Pichu on which I typed this newsletter, when it finally exploded to the surface.
When the Spanish colonised Peru, the Incas are said to have abandoned the sacred city of Machu Pichu deep in the Andes. They blocked access to the trails so the Spanish could never reach there. It is the only ancient Andean / Incan site that is known to have survived the colonial invasion.
I can’t quite describe the magnificence of the stone houses, condor temple, sun temple, and astronomical observatory that still stand at Machu Pichu, surrounded by layers of stunning mountains. These ancient civilisations were so embedded with nature - the earth, the sky and water - that everything was built to protect and respect it.
As our archeologist-guide explained, Machu Pichu - despite all its glory - isn’t considered the Inkas’ finest work. Cusco was the seat of their empire, and from the ruins of Sacsayhuaman above the city, one can only imagine the splendor of the city in the Inca times. One can only imagine, because almost nothing remains of it.
Someone coined the term ‘solastalgia’ to explain the profound feeling of the loss of nature around us. What I’ve been feeling in Peru is some version of that. It is the melancholy of our collective cultural loss as a species. The loss of the ancient knowledge of nature. The loss of nature-centric cultural traditions we’ll never have the chance to understand.
And it’s a loss we continue to experience - as we watch Palestine, Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan and more - destroyed by the same flaws of humankind that caused the destruction of the ancient civilisations.
Sitting on the train, as it slowly crawled through the Andes, I felt the melancholy for what it was.
August recommendations
Conscious travel recommendations, eco-friendly finds and meaningful opportunities, as well as articles, books and films that’ve inspired me.
Travel:
I spent a busy but intellectually stimulating summer on the Harvard campus, wrapping up my Master’s in Sustainability. I had four more weeks to turn in my research on climate adaption solutions in tourism, and had to be based somewhere before I travelled to Peru. So I decided to book a long stay in Cusco - working on my capstone research every morning and evening, and exploring a bit of the city by day. It brought back so many memories of my digital nomad life!
Here are some places I’ve absolutely loved slow travelling in:
Goa in the monsoon: Nothing like staying in an old Goan-Portuguese house, reading and writing to the sound of rain, going waterfall hopping, and jumping in seasonal swimming holes! See my offbeat guide to Goa in the monsoon.
Cape Town: Before we went into that unprecedented lockdown, Cape Town was the last place my partner and I digital nomad-ed in. I have such fond memories of those 3 months - climbing Table Mountain from all sides, catching outdoor film screenings, and attending music gigs in the townships. See my recommendations for epic things to do in Cape Town.
Cusco: The past few weeks in Cusco and the Sacred Valley filled me with sweet nostalgia for my life in two bags. I’ve missed the feeling of living somewhere new, with even mundane things like figuring out laundry and a SIM card becoming an adventure. See my slow travel recommendations in Cusco.
Read:
I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a book as much as Samarkand, by Amin Maalouf. Through the life of Persian poet Omar Khayyam and his magnum opus, The Rubaaiyat, he gives us glimpses of the history of 12th century Persia. I read the book over a month (a daily escape from my research work), and savoured every chapter.
I borrowed A Himalayan Love Story from my local library in Himachal, with no great expectations. Set in Uttarakhand, it weaved a beautiful story of love, loss and caste, among the hill people - something I could relate to from my own travels (and growing up in the state). The author Namrata Gokhale’s storytelling is so relatable and captivating that I was reading the book even in long immigration lines!
Watch:
One of the most powerful documentaries I’ve seen lately is WOMB - Women Of My Billion - directed by my schoolmate Srishti Bakshi. She embarked on a walk from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, to raise awareness about violence against women in India. It’s hard hitting and moving in ways I didn’t expect.
A sweet film I watched on my flight is Past Lives - written and directed by Celine Song. It traces the lives of two kids from Korea, one of who migrates out with her family. Over 20 years later, they meet in New York - and talk about ‘in-yun,’ the Korean belief that you’re destined to meet some people in your life.
Check out:
I launched my first series on YouTube! Routes of Resilience is a 10-part series of docu-films, featuring community-focused and gender-based climate resilience solutions on a local level. Part 1 features the journey of Tirthan Valley’s first women guides - and I’m thrilled to share that it’s been selected for screening at the Mountainfilm Festival in Bosnia & Herzegovina!
We’re celebrating one year of my self-paced course, Get Paid to Travel the World With Purpose, which is now a 180+ strong community of travel creators! With a focus on meaningful and conscious travel storytelling, 30+ students / alumni have gone ‘viral,’ scored travel collaborations, been featured in popular media, and written for well-known publications. Get 30% off on the course till 31st August, with the code ONEYEAR / 1YEAR.
My stories elsewhere
Stories I’ve written recently, as well as social media posts I’d love for you to check out.
Freelance:
My second Lonely Planet book contribution!
Blog:
Instagram:
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