In a town with a population of less than 3,000, this may
seem like an easy task. With the help of our friend and local Rhomina,
Stephanie and I quickly found out – there is more than one blind man that hangs
out near city hall. Let me fill you in on the back story…
Steph’s grandmother, or known to all of us as “Granny”, has
had a faithful companion and helper named Alejandrina for more than a decade. Alejandrina,
who now goes by Alita, grew up as a poor Inca girl who sold flowers on the
streets of Urubamba to help her family. Over time, she made her way to the
United States, but much of her family remained behind in Peru. She was over the
moon to find out that Stephanie was going to be visiting her childhood
hometown, as she herself has not been back for years.
Alita had one simple request for Stephanie, “please find the
blind man at city hall”. A little confused at first, Steph asked Alita to
clarify and she went on to explain that her cousin still lived in the town and
spent most days sitting outside of city hall visiting with locals – and is a well-known
figure in the community.
Steph agreed to look for him and quickly solicited help from
our La Capilla (BEST hotel ever) host
Rhomina. Steph figured, and I agreed, it could be a little awkward for two
gringas who don’t speak a word of Spanish to a Spanish-only speaking blind man.
Fortunately, Rhomina was eager to help so the next day during her lunch break
she agreed to meet us in the Plaza de Armas and seek him out.
As we entered city hall through a group of watchful security
guards, we were pleasantly surprised to quickly find a blind man sitting in one
of the offices. Steph and I were delighted until witnessing a quick exchange in
Spanish, we could tell from body language that this was not Alita’s cousin. He
was, however, a very helpful blind man that pointed us in the direction of his
friend and fellow blind man, Victor. Apparently Alita’s cousin was now employed
at the town library next door. Excitement arose as we knew we were one step
closer to finding him.
The three of us quickly walked next door, up the stairs and
sure enough – found VICTOR. It all happened very fast, but you can tell from
the photos and video that we really hadn’t thought things through once we found
him. Fortunately, Steph had the quick wit to call Alita and put her on the
phone. Witnessing the moment of joy in Victor’s face when he heard Alita’s voice
for the first time in three decades was priceless. His smile lit up Urubamba.
While Steph and I shared tears of excitement, we were privileged to witness an
exchange of relatives thousands of kilometers apart, yet one family in that
moment.
After a quick catch up, he handed the phone back to Steph
and shared with Rhomina how surprised and happy he was. When Steph hung up with
Alita, she followed her instructions and gave him some money. Smiles ensued as
Victor immediately stood up to embrace Stephanie, then Rhomina and finally me.
It was a lovely moment to be a part of and we were all so grateful to
facilitate the meaningful connection. We were on cloud nine for the rest of the
day and still smile when reminiscing about our time in the Sacred Valley – there’s
no doubt this was one of the highlights of our journey thus far.
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