GREETINGS FROM … are short field notes. Friends of OLLI send us their impressions from the road.
Cusco, Peru. Since 2023, we—Anna and Michi—have been on the road in “Greeny,” our DIY fire truck (MB 1017): about 50,000 kilometers from Halifax through North, Central, and South America. There are countries that impress with spectacular landscapes—and then there are countries that touch you deep in your heart. Peru is both. Amid ancient cultures, endless highlands, and unforgettable encounters, we’ve once again realized that the most beautiful memories often aren’t made at famous landmarks, but through the people you meet.
Hello, everyone!
We’ve been on the road since 2023, starting in Halifax, Canada, and have since traveled about 50,000 kilometers through North, Central, and South America. At some point along the way, we also became digital nomads, and today we help young startups grow while on the road—sometimes from a valley, sometimes from a plateau at 4,000 meters.
I still remember one moment from when we were setting up the van: I was lying under Greeny’s undercarriage in the winter, scrubbing it with a toothbrush and brake cleaner, with clumps of grease falling on my face, and Bob Marley blaring from the speaker. I looked at Michi and said, “Do you actually know how much I love you?” Cold, dirty, but content.
Now we’re in Cusco, at a campground where it feels like every traveler in the world ends up sooner or later. At night, the lights of Nueva Cusco shine up the mountain slopes; the old town lies deep down in the basin, and when the wind is right, we can still hear the singing from the Plaza de Armas all the way up here. June is Peru’s month of celebrations: every day there are parades, colorful traditional costumes, drumming, singing, shouts, and laughter. The Inti Raymi, the Inca’s millennia-old festival of the sun, is currently turning Cusco into one giant celebration.
But the greatest thing about Peru isn’t the monuments. It’s the people. We felt that already in Mexico, from the very first minute: a smile on their faces, even though many have far less than we do. A warmth that can’t be bought or faked. In Guatemala, this touched us deeply. Michi came down with dengue fever, and Maria, our teacher at the language school, took care of us like an old friend. She brought us ponche, a traditional Guatemalan punch made from pineapple, coconut, and much more. Ever since then, we’ve been making it ourselves every Christmas. Maria is a true friend today. These kinds of encounters are the reason we do all of this.
Chan Chan near Trujillo moved us more than Machu Picchu.
Peru itself simply overwhelmed us with the depth of its culture. Chan Chan near Trujillo in northern Peru—the largest adobe city in the world and once the capital of the Chimú culture—moved us more than Machu Picchu. You stand alone in the desert, facing a small green valley, and slowly realize: This was once a metropolis. No hustle and bustle, no crowds—just silence and awe. But what touched our hearts the most were the high plateaus: the vastness, the wind, the vicuñas and llamas roaming the landscape as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
💡 Did you know that most of the shepherds on the Peruvian highlands are women? You often see them in their wide, colorful skirts and traditional hats on the windswept Puna plains, and what looks like a picturesque scene is actually grueling work. They tend herds of llamas and alpacas, process the wool, and do so while wearing traditional attire that has remained virtually unchanged for centuries. Strength and tradition in one.
Bolivia was actually supposed to be our next destination, but the current state of emergency makes that impossible. We’re a little sad about it, to be honest. Instead, we’re now heading toward Chile and eventually to the end of the world: Tierra del Fuego. And after that? Back up again. Because we’ll visit Bolivia on the way back.
Hasta pronto, Anna & Michi Overlandbueffel 🦬
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