Jaén, Peru

Probably not many in the U.S. say, hey, let’s fly to South America and go to Jaén, in northern Peru. Maybe they say that about Machu Picchu, but not Jaén. Though, perhaps, if more people knew about Jaén, they might.

Jaén is near the northern part of Peru, which means toward the equator, so wetter and warmer than southern areas.  It’s a pre-Columbian-settled region, so that means the area was populated around 1000-1500 BC, or at least that early. That makes Northern Peru settlements pre-Inca. So it’s pretty interesting, archeology-wise.  You can read more about it here.

But I didn’t spend much time in the city of Jaén when I was there. I spent more time out in the rural areas, particularly in coffee-growing regions. It is also a large rice cultivation area. I didn’t realize Peru was a large rice producer, but it is.

Along the Road

The nearest airport is several hours’ drive from Jaén, through the mountains to the high jungle city. (Route here.)

Generally speaking, driving at night in relatively isolated areas isn’t a fantastic idea. Roads aren’t always marked that well, a flat tire or breakdown could leave you stranded, and you never know when/if help might reach you.

Nonetheless, it was the only way to get where we wanted to go, to stay on a schedule that was reasonable. So, we made the trip to Jaén, leaving in the late afternoon and finishing the last of the trip in the dark.

I have been on far worse roads, the kind where you only know you are still on the road because that’s where the potholes are. And cell service was remarkably strong in some areas, which indicates the region isn’t as isolated as it might appear.

The road twisted and turned, as mountain roads do, switchbacking its way up and down one pass after another. Until dark, there was remarkable scenery – stark granite above, green studded with granite below.

There was some wildlife, notably a few groups of 6-8 small-ish gazelle/llama types of mammals that look like the vicuña, the national animal of Peru. But I think we were not in the right habitat for vicuña, so these were probably a different animal. One of the quandaries of traveling–not knowing the name for what you’ve seen, and not being quick enough to point them out to the driver before the road twists around and you can no longer see the animals, and also not being quick enough to get a photo.

Night Eventually Falls

Before sunset, we saw fog creeping up the valley toward the road, moving fast enough that it had a sort of twilight-zone feeling to it.

A shepherd, and some sheep that didn’t seem at all intimidated by cars, came out of the fog:

And after that, the sun set so quickly that the phrase “night fell” was quite literal. This week’s poem centers on the night road and the mountains at night.

Road to Jaén

Driving at night in the mountains
is better than driving at night in a city.
It lacks the glare and dissembling of crowds,
provides instead a test of one’s spine, one’s willingness
to cast chances on a road that doesn’t deserve them.

The city is a fancy, trapped and multiplied,
lit from within. The other is the measure
of the hero’s journey—the hero, yourself, unwilling.
A man walks his small flock of sheep
up out of the fog which fills the drop-off
beyond the soft shoulder, his dark hair
curled from the damp. Once he passes,
the memory of sun winks out, smothered
by the metamorphic and sedimentary
consciousnesses breathing
over herders, lambs, dogs. Over
a passenger in the back of a colorless sedan,
perched with nothing to hold to
while the road uncoils mercilessly ahead.
That’s night in the mountains:

a jaguar, black spots on black,
sated and dozing, that knows but need not act
on the sweet smell of small mammals
slinking through gaps in granite,
undisturbed by ideas of hunger.

If you enjoyed Road to Jaén

You’ll find more of my poems on this blog or in the collection Stars Crawl Out From Their Caves, which is available in both ebook and print.  

I’m putting out this week’s poem a couple of days late, having taken a few days off for Christmas. I hope you’ve had a great holiday season so far, and if you celebrate Christmas, I hope yours was merry!

Missed a poem of the week? Links to prior weeks are on this page.

Have a great week!