Cusco: The Hidden Gifts of Peru (ft. Huda Alvi)

Really, our lives are made up of many tiny moments,
some seeming louder than others. But the ones that really
move us are really the ones that cost the most
or look the best in photos. They're the ones that
prompt us to open our hearts, release control, and trust
that something bigger than ourselves has the power to shape
and transform us. This is Wayfinder, Life Changing travel. This
podcast goes beyond the guidebooks into the heart and soul
of real life travelers as they journey around the world.
I'm your host, Daniel Scheffler, and I have seen firsthand
how our stories connect us and inspire us. Today, I'm
speaking with Huda Alvi, entrepreneur, traveler and co founder of
The Girls Trip, a company that curates group trips for
women to destinations around the globe. Her story today takes
us to Peru and the ancient city of Cusco, where
what began as a scouting trip soon became a lesson
in surrender, healing, and the happiness that emerges when we
do more than take for ourselves. Hooda right.
I like that you're saying it right.
I love that name. It's just gorgeous.
Thank you. Took me a while to start loving it too.
Why it's hard? You know, your typical immigrant story. You
come here, no one can pronounce it, you feel embarrassed,
eventually learn to love it, and then you can't imagine
being anyone else but your name.
Yeah I like that, So tell me what first got
you into travel.
I remember growing up and like we had a camper
vent and it was so strange. We used to go
camping in Toronto and we were like the only colored
family because my dad had all these dreams of having
an RV and traveling. So yeah, I think the whole
travel adventure bug situation is my dad back in the seventies,
when none of the South Asians used to travel, he
took my mom to Europe for their honeymoon. And I
think you definitely passed the bug along because I've got
two siblings, my older brother and younger sister, and we're
all travel fiends. So yeah, I always wondered how people
stayed in one place for so long when the world
is so big. So it just started early in my
twenties and I never stopped. I never made a big
deal out of it. It just kind of picked up
and went whenever my heart felt like it, whether I
had money or no money. It just became a part
of my life and it still is to this day.
I like your idea about it. Like growing up in
South Africa, although I did a lot of my childhood
in Europe. For South African's travel is always far unless
you're going on Safari, you're doing Botswana andbit whatever. And
if you had money or no money, the desire was
to go and see the world. So I don't know
if everybody feels this way, but I just remember thinking
from the earliest memory that I could have, it was
like I want to go see absolutely everything. I had
a big globe and I would spin it and I
would put my finger down like boom, and I would
just dream. That's probably why you created a travel company.
Yeah. The world is so big, yeah, and it requires
time to see it, and it requires really putting in
and making a disc vision. And I'm going to go
see the world. So when I meet someone like you
that's traveled over one hundred countries, I feel like someone
must be so sort of unattached to things when you
travel that much, because you see the bigness of life
and there's so much to it. So I think that's
the feeling I really like, it's not the travel and
the destinations, yes it is, but the feeling that you
get of stepping out of what is home and getting
into the unknown and discovering parts of you that I
think only comes through this experience of going out in
the world and starting the travel company. I think I
noticed that more watching people come together and form bonds
because they went through something together, a country, different experiences,
really blows my mind still to this day.
Sin Sahoda valued these kind of experiences in her own life.
She and her sister created a way for other women
to do the same, traveling not as an escape, but
as a means for connection and transformation.
The travel company was inspired by because I truly think
more women need to see the world, and it was
born out of an idea that, yes, more women need
to travel, but at the same time, we're lacking this
connection in our day to day lives with other people.
So we created a company called The Girls Trip, which
was really formed in the idea of experience and traveling
debucket list destinations. So what if we created that safe
space for women and especially women in their later stages
of life. How do you break the norm and still
go out and live for yourself.
Who is work takes all over the world, but few
places have left a deeper imprint than Peru.
I've been to Peru three times, twice on a scouting
trip and then one with the girls. Peru is one
of those destinations where people know they want to go there,
but they don't understand the intricacies of what that is.
Peru is an adventurous, out of your comfort zone type
of experience. My first trip to Peru, which was the
scouting trip, I still remember when I was arriving into Lima.
This was my first out of comfort zone trip, and
I did my research, but I didn't want to do
so much where I knew everything that was going on,
so it was really taken by surprise. It was June,
so the weather was hot during the day the sun
was shining, but in the evening it had that like
crisp cool air and people were outside bundled up. The
weather is not your typical vacation sunshine beach. You're talking
about high up in the mountains. The elevation is high.
You'll experience some discomfort and I've never experienced travel that
way like I always go to a hot destination. So
I think the weather made such a big impact on
the way I experienced Cusco in Peru. It was cool,
the wind hit my face. I bundled up, and that's
sort of my memory of Cusco. Beautiful. Yeah, it's a
beautiful memory. Hard to put into words when you experience
something like that. We stayed at Selena, which is a hostel.
I didn't pick a grand hotel. I wanted to really
experience the simplicity of what it meant to arrive in
a destination and not be adorned by luxury. So we
picked a hostel. We picked a private room and when
we walked into the room, when you open up the window,
the way that the land is laid out is kind
of like high and low. But it's not flat land.
Right, Yeah, it's like the mountains in the valley.
Right, it's the mountains in the valley exactly. Yeah. Opening
up the window and seeing that for the first time,
I was like, oh my god, where am I. The
feeling was very let's see what this is going to
be about. I had no clue what to expect.
So once you started exploring Cusco, what were you feeling?
What did that sense of not knowing open.
Up for you curiosity. I was very curious, not knowing
what's next, and not that I'm a huge planner, but
I am someone that knows what's next, Like I know
what restaurant I'm going to, I know what tour I'm doing,
but kind of just let it all go. When I
was walking, I was just so curious. I'm like, well,
food do they eat? Where am I going next? What
am I going to see? What does Machu Pichu look like?
Because of the weather and being in the mountains and
valleys in a completely different landscape, that wander and sense
of curiosity I haven't felt often in a destination, and that.
Same openness eventually let hood into a moment of unexpected
physical and spiritual healing.
I remember walking through the main town and I was like,
I want a massage, and so instead of searching it up,
I decided to just ask the locals and people that
were there. Someone off the beaten path recommended some guy
that you go walk over all the way to the
top in the village and he gives the best massages.
I'm like, okay, cool, no clue what to expect. So
I got there and it was this small like I
don't even know if it was a house. There was
no signs, nothing. There was a door. I knocked on
the door. This man came out and he was wearing
this like big shirt. He had all this jewelry on
and he's like, you're here for the massage, no appointment, nothing,
and I'm like, yeah, someone recommended, and he's like, okay.
Com He didn't speak much English. He took me to
this room at the back. There was no massage table,
it was on the floor, and then I had the
most incredible massage of my entire life that I will
never forget. To be honest, that's one of my favorite
memories of Kusco because it was not searched, it wasn't Google.
It was so strong, twisted my body. There was no music,
just silence, no setting the tone, and I came out
feeling like someone just like whipped me back into a
great body. I have this nerve or leg pain that
resurfaces every few years, and I feel like I've tried
everything to figure out what's up with my body. But
I went back to that man times during my trip
and for a good I would say maybe two years. Nothing.
I don't know what it was. It was probably him
being able to heal in ways that maybe had nothing
to do with the way he was moving my body,
but everything to do with the energy he was pouring
into me, and their philosophy and what they believe in
the healing comes from energetic touch and feel, and I
remember going there and just feeling like I was fine
after that. That's the best way for me to describe it.
And I didn't get that like being for a very
very long time. So I will say the experience of spirituality,
whether you're looking to do an ayahuasca ceremony, whether you're
looking to go see a shaman to get deeper within
yourself or go to someone that will heal your body,
those practices in Peru are extremely sacred and something that
I think will really shift the whole travel experience. I'm
highly recommending that. And although mine was in an aahuasca
plant meditation or seeing a shaman, the spirituality of the
men knowing the body, knowing what to do with it,
and feeling like someone's taking care of me in a
way that I've never had before was incredible. So that
was an experience I will never forget.
And as she spent more time in Peru, Huda began
to feel the presence of Pacha mama, the belief that
the earth itself is alive and in relationship with us. Always.
Once you've gone to Peru, you're gonna come back saying
pacha mama, right. And before I even knew what pacha
Mama was, because you know, two three days, I was like, oh,
pacha mama. But I felt the Pacha mama energy before
someone told me about it. The people believe that the
earth is living, so the way that they see the mountains,
the sky, the stones, the earth. It's a part of
their philosophy, their religion. Everything you pour into gives you
life back, that's their philosophy. It's so beautiful, and I
think going back to again, travel changes you, culture changes you.
In North America and a lot of our worlds, individualism
is heightened, it's admired, it's adorned, but in reality, when
you go to a lot of these cultures and a
lot of these countries, the concept of community and people
coming together to help one another out is sacred and
it's absolutely beautiful. They are in love with their food,
their people. They come together, they eat together, they help
you out. They're so loving and kind to tourism, not
because it's tourism for their economy, because they truly believe
that people should heal, and everyone cares about your healing
and the incas the Peruvians. No matter how much time
has passed by, we're sitting in twenty twenty six. We're
a modern world. But when you go to countries like that,
it reminds you that the value system and the people
really carry on those philosophies. It's their duty to carry
you on to their families and their children, and that's
what's beautiful.
Yeah. Wow, this is the thing about Peru I think
is so special in the way that you're articulating. It
is exactly how it is meant to be received.
Yeah, you feel it. You can't stop from feeling it.
We'll return to Pachamama and how the earth gives back,
but first a few of Hooda's favorite flavors and food
experiences in the city of Cusco.
Like Astronomy and Cusco. The food scene is incredible. There's
tons of great restaurants. Always necessary to take some sort
of local food street tour. We did a market where
we tried exotic fruits. I had a fruit that I
was waiting to try for twenty years because it used
to be in India and it's called staffel in our language,
but I think it's called custard apple in English.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, Oh my god.
When I saw that, I was like, I need to
have this, So I had three of them. But it
was a great experience. Something I didn't get a chance
to do that I really wanted to do was going
outside of Cusco and there's like villages that you can
go to and be with the incas and cook with
them and some sort of like charitable kind of give back.
See the school, see the kids. Those are always so great.
Machipichu is one of the world's most iconic sacred sites,
and afterhood I experienced it herself, she brought a group
of women back to do the same with the girls trip.
One of my favorite memories is on the train on
the way to Aguas Calientes, which is the town that
you stay in before you go up to Machipichu, whether
you're hiking or taking the train. That train ride again surprised,
like all the girls were in the train. I still remember.
The train ride was so beautiful because you're seeing the
mountains and then all of a sudden you have the
locals that come in that are singing and dancing. And
because I was leading the tour, my positioning of where
I was standing was by the door, and so I
had a whole view of all the girls sitting down,
and the dancers and the local sort of entertainment coming
through and seeing. And I still remember all of the faces,
and I remember that feeling of an unknown culture that
felt so deeply known, because all you felt was love
and music, and I've never experienced that on a train.
I didn't know it was coming, such great memories and
just surprising.
And then came the moment they were all waiting for,
revealed with a.
Twist funny enough, we couldn't see Mancho Pachu. It was hidden.
And if you look at the meaning of Machu Pichu,
Machu Pichu wasn't meant to be discovered. It was supposed
to be hidden because it was meant to be a hidden,
sacred space for people to come, retreat and heal. And
here we are in the new modern world where it's
the wonder of the world and thousands and millions of
people are coming to see it. So when I got there.
There were clouds everywhere, there was no sign, and it
was dark. It was the most beautiful backdrop I've ever seen,
and we couldn't see it, so we had to be
very patient wait fifteen minutes till the clouds moved out
of the way. And it was this beyond magnificent feeling
of watching Machu Pichu appear. And that's life. You can
plan as much as you want, but your life will
reveal itself if you're willing to go there, be patient
and let it come to you. And Machu Pichu was
that experience for me. And when you saw it, you're like,
oh my god, Wow, No wonder this place was hidden
because not everyone gets to experience this profound sense of
awakening if they're not there yet. It's the inner work
that you got to do. And there's a lot of
philosophies the Peruvians have, and I think understanding the cultural
background of Peru helps understanding. You got to respect the
boundaries of the people and why that country is the
way it is, Understanding the history, the depth of what
Machu means to the people, the Incas, the Peruvians. That
type of educational empowerment is necessary and I think that's
what people felt. They got there and they thought something,
but it turned out to be a magical, eye opening experience.
Here who does tips for experiencing Macha Pichu and other
local activities in the Sacred Valley.
You've got two options of the Machu Picchu, so either
you're hiking in or you're going by train. And for
anyone listening, if you're trying to figure out which option
you should do, I think it really depends on time
and the type of experience you're wanting to have. As
someone that had limited time in Peru, maybe like a week,
we chose the option of the train and then hiking
the thirty minutes to see Mancha Pichu, and we still
had a very deeply profound experience. That route. To get
to Machu Pichu, you go into that little town Aguas
Calientthis which is an overnight stay, and that town in
itself is so beautiful. There's a train that runs through it,
there's local restaurants. I would highly suggest for someone to
get lost and wander on their own, whether in a
group trip or a couple or something, to experience the
beauty of that little town. And then you take the
train to Machu Pechu, spend some time there, hire a
really good local guide so you can actually understand the
deep history of Machu Pichu, take interest in it. There'll
be tons of opportunities to take pictures. That's something that
I'm highly going to suggest. And then some of the
tours that we did with the Sacred Valley Tour ali
ent Thambo, the Pisac Market. That's a great tour to
take because there's goods and handcrafted materials.
Just outside of Cusco. Whould have visited Suksee Woman, a
citadel known for its massive stone walls dating back to
the fifteenth century.
Sometimes when you go to these experiences and excursions, you're
expecting something grand. I will forever remember going to the
place and just seeing stones, and the guide that we
had with us walked through these massive stones. The stones
are a big part of the culture. Machu Pichu is
all built out of stones, right, so the stone is big,
again implementing that Pacha Mama philosophy of how ancient these
stones were and something that we would just overlook a
stone but it has cracks in it or deep cracks
in it, like who cares? What does it mean, but
he made a stop. Look at this massive stone. Take
our hands, feel the stone, put our fingers and go
through the cracks to explain the deep history of what
these stones meant, because they believe again, the mountains, the stones,
the earth, the land, the people all come together. But
that's one of my AHA moments for sure. And Peru
like just walking with this guide that was telling us
about a stone and how the cracks shape the way
that the stone formed and how beautiful it is, and
that's kind of like us humans, right, The cracks kind
of make us who we are and beautiful. So as
you can tell, I'm someone that deeply feels and it's
not that I've always been that way. It's a combination
of travel and experience that's allowed me to get more
open with my feelings and open more as a person.
But I will tell you after that, I don't think
I can get a stone the same way. This stone
is no longer a stone to be and we still
do this, like when we're traveling, we'll be like, look
at that stone, So the stone, this random man walking
on the street, crisp and cold weather in my little
fur jacket. Those are my AHA moments.
It feels like you and our podcast have similar goals
and values to provide a sort of peak into how
travel can transform us, right, which is so wonderful, Like
it's life changing. Yeah, So what does it mean to
be a sort of conduit for others to have these transformations.
I think there's a level of happiness that you reach
that has nothing to do with yourself anymore. I think
I'm at that part of my life. I'm forty now.
I've done a lot of things for myself. I've made
myself happy, I've chosen myself. I've not chosen myself, and
I think starting the travel company and sharing my travels
is a way to get into the hearts of other
people that are longing for the same feeling. Even now,
when I share on social media, I'm always very cautious
of being able to express more thoughts and deeply reflective
thoughts about travel versus here's the restaurant you need to
go try, here's a tour you need to take. I'm
trying to still figure out how to storytell in a
way that moves people to do more with their lives
and more with what they're seeking for. So now I've
realized that The happiest you can be is by providing
other people happiness. By giving into someone else. You can't
replicate that because it has nothing to do with self.
That's what makes me happy, and that is something that
I want to continue to teach my kids, and that's
what I want to continue to do in my life.
I think some people travel to escape. Everyone's doing their
own thing, no judgment. If you're listening. If travel is
an escape for you, you come back to the same
life you come back to. You more so importantly is
to treat travel as a part of opening up the
wounds or the healing, or the curiosity, the experiences that
will transform your life in a better way. You travel
so that you can have a higher perspective on life,
so that you can come back and change, so that
the people that you go there and meet can influence
you in a way. That you have an experience here,
it's meant to change you. So yes, go ahead and
travel and change. Let that experience profoundly affect your life.
And I highly encourage you to, whether you're a traveler
or not. Don't overplan and let the moments take you
by surprise, and that's where you'll feel happiness. That's where
happiness lives.
As Fooda reminds us, Peru is not just a place,
It's a feeling with an energy that can only be
experienced once you're Then it doesn't ask you to arrive
with a plan. It asks you to arrive with curiosity,
with respect, and with a willingness to live in harmony
with the land and the people who call it home.
My message to future travelers to Peru is to feel,
to experience the love of the people and the deep
rooted philosophy of Peruvians and the natives, which is that
the earth is living and life and everything around you
has deep meaning. Let Peru and let this experience deeply
impact you in a way that you haven't experienced travel before.
Let Peru do what Peru needs to do.
For Huda, this journey wasn't about checking off another wonder
of the world. It was about allowing herself to be
transformed and then embracing the quiet happiness that comes from
being able to share that gift with others. Thank you
for joining us on our first season of Wayfinder, Life
changing travel. Wherever your path leads Next, may you travel
with reverence for all that surrounds you, and may you
leave every place and every person a little better for
having met you. Wayfinder Life Changing Travel is a production
of Iheart's Ruby Studio. I'm your host Daniel Scheffler. Our
show's executive producer is Sierra Kaiser, with supervising producer Meredith Barns.
Our story producer is Ryan Amador, with post production by
James Foster and editing by Sierra Spreen. Don't forget to
subscribe to Wayfinder, and please rate and review the show
wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening.