Despacho, Wild Bathrooms, and the Pumahuanca Climb

At the end of our first full day at Samadhi Retreat, we were told we’d be doing a Despacho ceremony. We were advised it would last about two hours and that we should wear comfortable clothes. The goal, they explained, was to ground us in the Andean tradition of honoring the land.

Now… I’ll be honest. I was a little wary. Not opposed—just cautiously curious. So before I get into what happened, I’ll give you the quick internet definition I looked up beforehand.

A Despacho ceremony is a traditional Andean spiritual offering ritual practiced by Indigenous people in Peru, especially in the Sacred Valley. It’s a ceremony of gratitude, balance, and intention offered to the earth and the spirit world. The tradition comes from the Quechua and Q’ero people, descendants of the Inca, whose worldview centers around living in relationship with Pachamama—Mother Earth—and the surrounding mountains and spirits.

So that was the official explanation.

Then we walked into the Moon Shala. In the center of the room, our ceremonial guide—called a paq’o—had created a beautiful offering circle on a cloth. The cloth was tie-dyed. And… it had elephants on it.

This is where my skeptical squirrel brain kicked in. There are no elephants in Peru. But hey, I’m in the Sacred Valley. When in doubt, go with Sacred Valley ways.

Our paq’o was a beautiful woman whose name she absolutely told us, but if you know me, you know I will not remember it. We sat around the circle while she spoke about Pachamama, and the way she said that word—Pachamama—was mesmerizing. I could have listened to her say it for two hours.

She then introduced us to coca leaves, explaining that they have many properties and are used for prayers and communication with the spirit world.

Each of us took three leaves: one for the lower world (our ancestors), one for the middle world (our current life), and one for the upper world (the gods). You stack them together to create a k’intu.

Then we went around the circle. Each person said their name, invoked their tribe—the people past and present who shaped them—shared their intentions, and expressed gratitude. Afterward you blow gently onto the k’intu and place it in the center of the circle.

Once people started invoking their tribe… the tears started flowing and now I understood why this was two hours. “I’m not crying, you’re crying.” Honestly I think everyone cried.

We then added offerings for Pachamama that the paq’o explained one by one. Somewhere along the way I stopped noticing the elephants on the cloth. At the end, the offerings were bundled together and I was told the paq’o would return them to the earth. — Back into the black dirt, as Fernando calls it.

The Pumahuanca Hike

Tuesday started early. We loaded into a bus and drove about 45 minutes to the start of the Pumahuanca hike, passing through the town of Urubamba before reaching the trailhead.

The hike follows a river and climbs toward high mountain passes and Inca ruins, gaining about 2,000 feet of elevation. And remember—we were already starting at altitude.

After the bumpy bus ride, the women in our group were already swaying side to side like human bobbleheads when someone asked Fernando if there was a bathroom. Fernando looked at us very seriously and said, “Yes, of course.” Then he added, “The wild bathroom.”

It took a minute to process that, but soon everyone scattered in different directions in search of a discreet tree.

Fernando had assured us we would be one of the few groups on the trail that morning, so I found what I thought was a nice secluded spot a little off the path. Down into the woods I went, dropped my pants, and assumed the classic hiking squat position. White backside proudly facing the Andes. And then, to my left, a man appeared with a very large dog.

We locked eyes. He was surprised. I was surprised.
But unfortunately I was mid-stream. The dog started barking. The stream immediately stopped. For a brief moment I considered sprinting away without fully pulling up my pants, but then I noticed the dog had a muzzle on, which gave me just enough time to regain a little dignity. Eventually.

Before starting the hike, Fernando had us create another k’intu. We held three coca leaves between our fingers, blew our intentions into them, and sent them into the river. Then we started walking. Within about five minutes I realized I had not spent nearly enough time on the StairMaster at the YMCA this past month.

As the climb continued I got hotter and hotter and started shedding layers into my backpack. Earlier on the bus people had been talking about the show Naked and Afraid, so as I was stripping off jackets I joked that I might end up naked pretty soon. My friend Jonah responded immediately. “Then I’m going to be afraid.”

The hike itself was absolutely beautiful. We followed the river through what felt like a magical forest valley. Along the way we saw Puma Rock, a formation where the head of the rock juts out like a puma ready to pounce.

Of course we were hiking with a group of yogis, so people began doing impressive yoga poses on rocks in the middle of the river. Since I’m not even that graceful in a yoga studio with flat flooring, I decided performing tricks on wet rocks was not in my skill set. But it was impressive to watch.

Everyone in the group was encouraging and supportive, and eventually we all made it to the top where the Inca ruins sit overlooking the valley.

There Fernando handed each of us a flower and had us form a circle. We faced the person next to us and breathed together—yes, a little hippie—but honestly it felt kind of magical. The idea was to look into the other person’s eyes and acknowledge them, to see them and feel connected.

I was looking deep into Kim’s eyes feeling very peaceful and loved when I suddenly said “Kim… stop making me laugh.”

Rachel then looked back at me and just smiled. — Yep. We’re going to be best friends.

We also spotted sheep, which someone declared a very good omen. At that point we were open to all signs of mountain magic.

It took us over two hours to climb up, but somehow only about 30 minutes to come down. Gravity finally decided to cooperate.

Back at Samadhi we had to move quickly because lunch was waiting—and the food here has been fantastic. But even more importantly, Barb and I had massages scheduled.

Jonah joined us and the three of us walked into the spa room, only to discover three massage tables separated by screens. The masseuses stepped out and we were instructed to get on the tables.As we stood there processing the situation, I looked at Jonah and said, “Jonah… it’s time to be afraid.”

We all walked out of there feeling blissfully relaxed, though slightly nervous because Ali was teaching yoga at 5 PM.

Ali will be the first to tell you she’s a power yoga teacher, and after that hike none of us felt particularly powerful. Thankfully Ali must have sensed the same thing because she led us through a lovely restorative yoga session instead. — Thank you, Pachamama, for wearing Ali’s legs out.

The day ended with a beautiful dinner and a celebration for Grace’s birthday, complete with an amazing cake topped with strawberry cream icing.

Honestly I didn’t think the day could get any better. And then… strawberries on top.