On a Trip...: Pablo’s 63rd Birthday Extravaganza

This weekend Cole and I had our first out-of-San-Bartolo adventure. We had intended to go to Ica for the wine harvest, but apparently the city has recently experienced a large sewage spill and the town reportedly smells awful. Luckily the smaller town of Lunahuaná was also having a wine harvest festival. What we thought would be a mellow day on the way to see the Islas Ballestas turned out to be a day of lucky break after lucky break that added up to one heck of a way to start our Peruvian exploration.

To get to Lunahuaná, we had to catch a bus on the Pan-American Highway to Cañete, where we could catch a series of shared taxis or microbuses to Lunahuaná. We were hanging out on the side of the highway trying to get a bus when a privately rented van stopped to pick someone up. Before we knew it, we were invited along to Cañete (I think they heard us saying where we were headed), since there were two extra seats. It turned out that the van was rented by a family celebrating their patriarch’s 63^rd birthday by visiting the wineries in Lunahuaná!

Instead of having to make several vehicle changes, we rode all the way to Lunahuaná with the family. When we arrived, Cole and I started to head off to explore on our own. Within a few minutes, the family caught back up to us to introduce us to a friend of theirs who could take us on a winery tour. At the time, the family was trying to take a group picture, so we offered to take one for them. Somehow we ended up in the picture with them and from there we were swept up in the birthday celebrations—we spent the whole day with the family wishing Pablo a happy birthday: First in the town, then up to a winery to smash grapes, followed by a wine-tasting, after which we were treated to a shrimp lunch and then given a ride back to Cañete!! It was a pretty awesome way to spend a Saturday; the family was great fun and welcomed us with open arms. We also got to see parts of the town that I doubt we could have found without them.

For me, the day in Lunahuaná was a great example of:

1. Something that would never happen in the

—Would any of you pick up two scraggly looking foreigners on the side of the highway and then include them in your birthday festivities and buy them lunch? I don’t think I would. But how awesome that there are places in the world where that can happen!

2. Why it is better for me to travel with a male companion—I remember reading my friend Andy’s blog when he was in Southeast Asia and thinking how I could never do many of the cool things he was doing because they would be stupid and dangerous for me as a solo woman traveler. I hate that that’s true; I want to be able to do everything my male friends can, yet I think this is an inequality better let be than fought. Hopefully eventually the world will change, until then I’m not willing to risk my safety to take a stand. Fortunately, travelling with Cole has vastly expanded the list of things I can do! Hop in a private van-full of strangers (friendly-looking strangers, but strangers none the less)? Sure! Arrive in a sort-of sketchy town after dark? Sure! Drink with people you’ve know for 6 hours? Sure! It’s a very welcome change to be appropriately cautious while travelling instead of constantly haunted by scenes from Taken.