Page 60 - washington state wine

View from my room at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel.

original torito, which had faced my of- in years past. The motif was immedi- "You mean Maestro Maximo!" while
fice from the garden until cats, possums ately recognizable as the work of in- beaming sideways. I glanced over and
and raccoons knocked it over once too digenous Shipibo women from remote felt no sense of recognition, though
often. The fancier version, with a lad- Amazonian villages who draw sophis- his gentle expression fit my recollec-
der leading to heaven, a rooster (which ticated, intricate geometric patterns tion. His wife talked of his prominence
might keep me alert) and a teensy pot inspired by cosmological visions on in Cusco's art scene and his many stu-
to hold my riches, now watches over my pottery and cloth. Tall piles of textiles dents as he stood silently by, until I
desk from a ceiling-high shelf. covered a backroom table in this small asked if I could take his photo. I started
Cusco shop. I found their very presence to hand him one of my simple frames,
San Blas looked absolutely magical that puzzling, until the proprietor explained but he studied the religious paintings
evening with the lingering sunlight il- that her husband traveled the Amazon, until he found a favorite Madonna and
luminating terra cotta roofs tumbling collecting Shipibo art to help support child. As we laughed and chatted I real-
down Andean mountainsides. One the tribe’s traditions. Choosing just one ized it didn't matter if Maximo was the
memory kept pushing me forward, past piece from the wealth of designs was man I remembered. I'd found a talent-
the desire to enter a cozy cafe for wine the hardest decision of my day. ed, warm-hearted artist whose simple
and ceviche. On my first visit to Cusco, frames would inspire dreams of my next
15 years past, I climbed the hills of San Streetlights glistened against the sap- Peruvian odyssey.
Blas early one morning, testing my al- phire sky as I cautiously minced my
titude adjustment. Spotting an open way down slippery, skeletal sidewalks
door, I watched a serious man studi- toward the Plaza de Armas. Glancing IF YOU GO
ously carving picture frames. Enchant- side to side, I nearly caused a pedestrian
ed, I asked him to make one for me and pileup when I spotted a shop's windows Inkaterra promotes sustainable tourism
watched as he sculpted rows of perfect and walls filled with paintings of virgins with hotels, guides and a dedication to pre-
serving Peruvian nature and culture. The
half-moons in cedar before fitting a and saints in gilded frames. Though the company's itineraries hit all the major high-
rectangle together. That simple frame crowded space was nothing like the lights and its hotels are among the coun-
now hangs in my living room as a work dusty workshop of the past, the frames try's finest. http://www.inkaterra.com
of art on its own. There's no need to fill were the exact same design. I explained
it with a painting or photo; it represents my quest to a woman brushing gold Inca Rail offers luxurious first-class train
transport to Machu Picchu. incarail.com
precious memories of Peru. paint on wooden trim as I burrowed
through stacks to find perfect, un- For information about travel in Peru check
I wanted to stumble upon that work- adorned copies of my Peruvian totem. out www.peru.travel/en-us/
shop once again, but kept getting dis- Caution: If you’re sick, try to stay away from
tracted. I spotted a cloth painting hang- As we chatted, a man I assumed was her antibiotics or keep the dosage low. In my
ing outside a shop that looked almost husband entered quietly and stood to case, they exacerbated the infections I’d
exactly like one I’d purchased in the the side while I haltingly described my carried from the States and helped them
steamy Amazonian port city of Iquitos memory. Translated loosely, she said linger for many months.

60 Wine Dine & Travel Summer/Fall 2015