A Draught of Inspiration
Ollantaytambo diva cooks up change
Tue, June 26, 2007
The cool thing about traveling in Peru the Adventure Divas way is that, while you do some of the “touristy” things that you wouldn’t want to miss, you get to burrow into the culture in extraordinary ways through the divas you meet. For example, we were in this gorgeous little town below the Sacred Valley of the Incas and on the way to Machu Picchu called Ollantaytambo. To get there we bicycled across much of the valley – which is high, over 10,000 feet - then hiked down through an ancient Salt Mine to the much lower river valley where we got a ride to our charming (and by that time, welcome!) digs for the night. The next day we lunched with our first and only non-Peruvian diva, Sonia Newhouse.
Sonia is a wonder. She made some cash by selling her pioneering frozen health foods company in London and has now settled in this little town where she’s dedicated her life and resources to improving the lives of the (largely impoverished) women in the high mountain villages surrounding the Sacred Valley. She’s doing this in many ways, but one is her Hearts Café, a yummy little restaurant on the town plaza. “All of the profits go to help local women,” she says matter-of-factly, and with warmth. There are vast social and economic discrepancies in Peru, not to mention government indifference. The indigenous Quechua women need everything from birth control to Spanish lessons to shelter from abusive men. Sonia asks the women of the community to prioritize their needs, then, all together, they get after solving problems. So if you are going to Peru, don’t just dash to Machu Picchu, hang out in Ollantaytambo for a couple of days and pick up some divalicious food, and a full draught of inspiration, at the Hearts Café. Anyone know of any other restaurant-divas around the globe?
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This trip sounds like such a fabulous way to travel - you definitely see more than if you just stayed on a bus! Sonia sounds incredibly inspirational as well - it’s so brave to just take off and go somewhere with a mission like that!