Peruvian Nirvana

            Nirvana exists. Out among the palm and banana trees in the Peruvian highland forest there exists a magical hammock. This hammock, when laid in properly, imbues the user with an unnatural sense of calm. Many who use the hammock find themselves transported to a world without any worries. I spent an entire evening in the hammock and I swear to you, hand on a bible, that I was the closest to enlightenment I’ve ever been in my life.

            This hammock exists between two posts in a semi-constructed wooden lodge. The lodge rests on the crest of a hill; high enough to look out over the tiny river village of Achinamiza. To get to the village (and my perfect zen state) I traveled three hours by car at the foot of several mountains, and three hours up the Rio Huallaga. The ferryman, a Peruvian known only as El Gato, sung nursery rhymes to himself while navigating several ominous whirlpools.

            The village exists in a place out of time. Houses made by hand with barrigona wood lined a central concrete walkway. One paved road and one power line. I did see a television and accompanying cable dish, but I’m reassured the villagers don’t have much time to watch television.

            Anyone who’s ever slept in a hammock can tell you: it’s tricky. Especially for those who like to thrash in their sleep; hammocks are the enemy. It can take hours of wiggling to find the appropriate amount of headroom. In the rainforest mosquitoes consume any inch of square flesh you leave exposed. A hammock in the rainforest thus, is twice as hard to sleep in. You have to get comfortable while also covering as much of your body as possible without simultaneously suffocating yourself.

            I don’t know how or when, but I fell asleep. When I awoke I was slow to realize I’d stumbled in to paradise. I rubbed my eyes and checked for mosquito bites. Assured I wasn’t complete hamburger I looked up and finally saw it.

            Jungle, as far as the eye could see. It circled Achinamiza, infringing on unkempt corners of the town. It climbed up mountains, towering beyond my view. It snaked alongside the Huallaga River, twisting and turning. It hid the many tributaries and waterfalls that tribes just like this one thrived off of. With the sun rising in creamy orange and purple overtones I realized this was peace. This was geographical serenity. I would construct a lodge or buy the existing one if I could share this tranquility with everyone I know and love, but peace is as much a state of mind as it is a moment in time.