The Power of Three

The Father - The Power of Water...
From the vast dry deserts of Chile to the subtropical rainforest in Peru, it is the power of water to shape and colour the landscape and to dictate and define settlements that is evident along every route. Immense desert mountains have deep cuts in their cliff walls from the paths of ancient snow melts, and the rivers scar and snake through the valleys allowing for settlment only where they please. Wherever there is water, there is life - though particularly noticable in the desert and rural areas, is the distance of the poorer regions from the water.

The Son - The Power of Modern Media, Advertising and Communication...
Travelling into the more remote and rural areas of Chile and Peru living conditions noticably deteriorate. A typical town is an odd cluster of clay-rendered one or two room 'shacks', with recycled corrugated iron roofing held down by rocks. It is not however, a rare site to see sticking out from atop of these corrugated iron roofs, a cable TV satellite dish. Even in the smallest and most remote town a myriad of soft drink advertisements blanket the sides of homes and buildings and a soft drink costs only slightly more than water. And even where there is no electricity, there is the familiar ring of mobile phones to be heard.

And The Holy Traveller - The Power of The Tourist Dollar...
To the locals we are the 'Gringos', we are the wealthy tourists. For the Gringo, the price of products and services sky rockets - sometimes even 100's of percent - a generally the Gringo pays, and pays willingly. I certainly have and I certainly will. The more Gringos there are, the higher the prices, and the more evidence there is of the potential of the tourist dollar to transform cities, towns and villages. Like many, many other Gringos - we trekked down to the bottom of Peru's Colca Canyon and stayed the night in the 'Oasis'. The Oasis, initally natural rock pool formations enjoyed only as dictated by the river and weather conditions - now a builtup area with man made pools, complete with palmtrees, available to please us Gringos all year round.