I like to think of myself as a daring, adventurous person, someone who can travel to exotic places and stare down danger -- much like the heroines of my books. To be honest, though, I’m really not that brave. I’m more at home sitting with my dog in front of my computer than tramping through jungles or other primitive lands. And I never start a day without drinking my favorite coffee, taking a long, hot shower, and washing and drying my hair.
So you can imagine my family’s reaction when I announced that I was heading to Peru to research the second book of my Crusaders miniseries, To Protect a Princess. They were even more stunned to learn that I wasn’t taking a tour or sticking to the main tourist destinations. I was joining a group of medical missionaries and heading into the remote villages high in the Andes Mountains. Despite my family’s incredulity, I got my vaccinations and medication for altitude sickness, packed two-weeks’ worth of clothing and toilet paper into one small athletic bag (and yes, the travel hairdryer fit!), and off I went. 
First, the negatives: As soon as we flew into our base town at 13,000 ft., I got altitude sickness, a case so bad my lips turned blue and my blood oxygen dropped to 71%. All the Diamox and coca tea in the world didn’t help. Unlike one of the doctors in our group, I escaped hospitalization (barely), but for the entire time I was in Peru, I staggered around, out of breath and suffering badly. I also got the dreaded Montezuma’s revenge (or whatever they call it in Peru), which kept me sidelined the day we visited Machu Picchu. In fact, I lost ten pounds on the trip. Add to that the cold, dribbling showers, freezing temperatures, brutal high-altitude sun, the joy of wearing the same clothes for days on end... Well, let’s just say this was not exactly Club Med.
The positives: Oh. My. God. Mud huts and alpacas. Sheer mountain drops and ancient ruins. Women wearing bowler hats, babies strapped to their backs with blankets, and multiple layers of skirts. Hundreds of types of potatoes. Pigs and sheep in the streets. Laughing children with those darling ruddy cheeks. Villages so remote the people didn’t even speak Spanish.
It was the trip of a lifetime. Not only did I get tons of realistic details for my story, but I met an amazing group of medical professionals who truly could be the heroes or heroines of my books.
And despite -- or maybe because of -- the hardships, I’d love to go back. I discovered that I like visiting off-beat places. I like stretching myself, yanking myself out of my comfort zone, seeing how people in other countries live. I like feeling that I’ve helped someone and done some good in the world. And maybe I’m not as adventurous and stalwart as my heroines are, but I like knowing that I can live simply for awhile -- even if I did cart a hairdryer through the Andes.
So what about you -- have you ever roughed it on a trip? Would you like to go on a trip like this, and if so, what would be the one thing you couldn’t do without? Where would you like to go?
If you’d like to see photos of my trip and learn more about To Protect a Princess, the book that launched this life-changing journey (out right now!), please visit my website.
