UJ #9 - Adventure in Peru

EXPAT
Andreas
Holland
"MY LOVE OF THE ANDES AND OF THE OPEN AIR WERE WHAT CONVINCED ME TO WORK
IN THIS SECTOR".
Andreas Holland
Where were you born and where have
you lived?
I was born in England, but when I was 2 I
went with my family to live in Paraguay. We
went back to England when I was 12 years
old. In 1979, when I was 27, I left England
again, with my partner Rachel and our first
child Quino, who was 2, to go back-packing
for six months in Peru, Brazil, Paraguay and
Bolivia. We travelled around Peru and just
stayed. We also lived for a short time in Australia
and now alternate between Peru and
Catalonia.
Why Ollantaytambo?
It’s unique, beautiful and its people are marvellous.
How did you decide to work in the adventure
tourism sector, and particularly
trekking?
My love of the Andes and of the open air
were what convinced me to work in this
sector. It has always been a challenge,
training my collaborators and developing
new routes; that’s what makes it so
interesting.
By
Carolina San Roman
What did you do before you travelled to
South America?
My first job was as a mathematics teacher
in a London secondary school.
Why did you decide to move to Peru?
I fell in love with the country and its people,
and I decided to move here because I wanted
to explore the Peruvian and Bolivian
Andes.
How did you become interested in tourism?
Once I was in Peru, with a growing family,
I looked for a way of making a living and
at the same time indulging my passion
for Andean history and culture, the Andes
themselves and my interest in showing the
wonders of my adopted country to the rest
of the world.
Where in Peru have you lived?
I’ve lived in Ollantaytambo and in Cusco.
What is your favourite trek, and why?
An eighteen-day route across the whole of
the Vilcabamba Range. You visit Huancacalle,
Ñusta Hispana with its fabulous Yuraq
Rumi, Choquetecarpo, Q’elcamachay, Mayuyoc,
Pacchar — where you rest for a day
and enjoy a pachamanca — Batea Paquisha,
Lasuñayoq, Collpa, Huayraqmachay, Ichupata,
Jaime-Pablopata, Chusquiñay, Anccascocha,
Chancachuco and Ollantaytambo. Just pronouncing
those names makes me want to go
back!
What makes Peru an interesting destination
for adventure?
Peru’s the perfect country for adventure; it
has some of the world’s most impressive
mountains and thousands of kilometres of
routes for trekking. Its rivers are tremendous
and unforgettable and its three regions,
Coast, Highlands and Jungle, make
it simply uniquely enchanting.