The best travel moments happen when you least expect them.
That’s what I learned when my husband and I made an excursion to the village of Manco Capac, situated on an island in the Amazon River.
Our intention was to spend the morning strolling through the tiny town, getting a brief glimpse of village life. We had no expectations and no plans.
Then we stumbled on to a school just as the children were getting ready for their Independence Day parade.
The kids immediately crowded around us, tugging at our clothes, smiling shyly, pulling us into their classrooms. They all wanted their photos taken and loved seeing the digital image displayed right back at them.
When the parade started, someone grabbed a couple of chairs, setting them up where we’d have the best vantage point for viewing the festivities. The teacher told the kids to sing extra loud for their special guests, and he motioned to us.
The kids acted out the story of the liberation of Peru, then marched all over the schoolyard, waving tissue paper flags.
It was one of those things that could never be replicated for any tour, and you’d never read about it in a guidebook. But that brief morning with the kids — laughing and singing and hugging — was one of the happiest, most genuine travel experiences I’ve ever had.
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