The Story of Ben: Máncora, Peru – South 04deg06’18.5” West 081deg03’21.8”

“Allo, mai friend, where you from? United States? Oh, I live there, 3 years, in Alaska. Where you live?”

As far as broken English conversations go, this one was pretty normal. A skinny Colombian man named Kenny had approached us on the sandy beach of northern Perú trying to get us to come into his “delicious Colombian restaurant.” I did my best not to commit to conversation…we continued walking, avoided eye contact, etc. But his last question stopped my mind in its tracks. In his less than perfect English, he had asked me “where do you live?” and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t have a response for him. I haven’t lived in Ohio for 2-plus years, and my home in Bolivia has recently been snatched away and I am now actually, for the first time in my life, homeless. Of course I know I always have a place in Cincy, but I am currently without any place to call my own. And that is an incredibly liberating feeling. Writing about it here brings the huge smile back to my face.

The hair in all its glory. Please note similarities with Jesus mural on the bus behind me

This is our fourth night on the beach in Máncora, Peru. And when I say on the beach, I really mean on the beach. We found a hostel whose foyer is made of sand. From the front “door,” one can spit in the ocean at high tide. No lie. The constant crashing of the waves is incredibly soothing, especially at night and in the mornings. Our days have consisted mainly of getting up early, having some coffee on the beach, walking on the beach, napping on the beach, playing in the thundering waves, eating delicious seafood on the beach, napping again on the beach (this time in a hammock), maybe reading a little on the beach, heading a few blocks inland to find some dinner, then back out here to the beach for hookah smoking, beer consumption, great music and excellent people. It’s true, one of my fellow ex-volunteers has brought an entire hookah along with him and we are all very thankful for that, it’s a fantastic way to share the evening with a big group of folks. We are eleven people from all different places and from all different groups in Bolivia. My friend Naya and I were in our third years as volunteers, others had been in a year or so, and one of us had only been in country for about 8 months. It’s a great mix of PCV personalities.

Beach jogging with Anna & Emily

Tom and I catching some waves

Hitting the Hookah

Currently as I type this we are seated around the hookah and a few people have expressed interest in being contributing writers to The Story of Ben…so here are some thoughts from a few friends:

Hey Ranza Ganzas and friends, I’m a friend of Joseph Ben Ranz, name is Anna. I’m a big fan of Ben and his company for the following reasons: Ben has great hair. Better than it’s ever been in all his life, I’m sure. Ben makes super, very good French toast. Ben bathes more than the average peace corps volunteer, but he doesn’t mind when we smell. Ben asks good questions. Ben is a good man. I’m glad he’s my friend. –Anna from Charlottesville, Virginia (see "Fun With Tom & Anna" link on the left)

Hi everybody! I’m a friendly Hoosier and fellow ex-volunteer with li’l Ben. If it weren’t for the beach, the transition back to the US of A would be even more difficult. But here we are, enjoying each other’s company, the wonderful Peruvian sun, and the freedom of short-term unemployment! –Emily from Goshen, Indiana

So long and thanks for all the hard work. Good luck deciding what your life will consist of during the next two days. You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here… So where else would we go to figure out the rest of lives, or at least the next step, than to the best beach on the Pacific side of the lovely South American continent. Here we are soaking up the sun like Sheryl Crow and relaxing in a hammock and listening to waves crash on shore to clear our minds. One step closer to the answer and much less worried about what that may eventually be. Chowabunga dudes! –George from Gary, Indiana

Hello Ohio!!!!!! This is Naya aka The Little Mexican (as Ben likes to call me). Just wanted to give a shout out to the state that the Mr. Ranz comes from. Cute lil’ story about Ben and I, he is the first ever mid-westerner I have met. Yes, it was 2.5 years ago that we met in that fateful Miami hotel as we started our adventure to Bolivia. He was the first volunteer as well that I had met and oh what a ride it has been. We now part ways on this oh so sweet beach town finally going our separate ways. A quick shout out to Coleman, it was a pleasure meeting you and hopefully I’ll see the Bens again live and in action in Ohio one day. Good night and good luck! -Naya from Ventura, California

That was just a small sampling of the excellent crew of people with whom I have crossed paths over the past 2.5 years or so. It truly has been a pleasure to share this Peace Corps experience with such excellent folks. I look forward to staying in touch and going to visit them at their homes of record as well as enjoying their company in Cincy for perhaps a Christmas tree bonfire or a Harvest Home Parade. You are always welcome.

Jump Photos!

I truly can’t remember the last time I swam in the ocean. The last few times I’ve been on the beach it’s been in Oregon or without a bathing suit…not very suited for swimming. I honestly think the last time was when I was in Ecuador back in summer 2002. Well, whenever it was, suffice to say that it has been far too long and I don’t intend on going that long again. We came this far north to escape the cold and cloudy beaches of southern Peru and it was well worth the 16 hour bus ride. It’s hot and sunny during the day, perfect for swimming and cool at night, just enough that you want a sweatshirt but you’re not shivering. The ocean is incredibly refreshing…I almost forgot that it was going to be salty. We’ve spent hours battling the waves and mostly losing. It’s a good workout and wears you out so that afternoon nap is all the more satisfying, especially with the ocean spray falling over you. We’ve also managed to get a few beach runs in. Jogging is something else that I haven’t managed to do in a long time. So it’s been a trip of relaxing, tanning and enjoying. Needless to say, I am super contento.

It is with a bit of sadness that I report that we will probably be shoving on tomorrow, along to the next adventure in what will probably become a long string of them. We are looking to head south to a town called Huaraz, which lies high in the mountains of central Peru. There is excellent trekking and beautiful views of snowcapped mountains all around. So that’s what we’ll probably do. But the beauty of all of this (as my friends alluded to above) is that there are no real decisions to make or deadlines to worry about. We are free in every sense of the word, free to do whatever we please, to travel wherever we please, answer to no one but ourselves. Cheers.