Couple seeks insight into healing with Peru travels

For most Americans who have heard of Machu Picchu, the words denote something mystical, magical and unreachable. That is, unless they’re thinking about the Peruvian restaurant of the same name on Fifth Street.

For Lynchburg residents John and Sharon Franklin, on the other hand, the “real” Machu Picchu — the ancient archaeological site built high in the Andes mountains by

persons unknown — has become almost a regular commuter stop.

“How many times have we gone to Peru?” John Franklin said recently. “To be honest, I’ve lost count.”

They plan three trips in 2010, including one in June described this way on the couple’s Web site, www.

wellbeingabounds.com:

“We visit ancient archaeological wonders of the Inca and pre-Inca civilizations, such as Machu Picchu, Pisaq, Saqsayhuaman and Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca empire. We visit Tres Cruces de Oro to celebrate a spectacular sunrise ceremony with Don Theo. Included is a three-day trek in the mountains above the Sacred Valley, soaking in hot springs and exploring the ‘back country’ of Peru. We work with sacred plants for healing and insight. Our friend and expert guide, Pepe, accompanies us on this journey.”

It all sounds like something lifted straight from the National Geographic Channel. Of course, as the Franklins freely acknowledge, such excursions have become almost commonplace these days.

“Peru is just full of tourists at certain seasons of the year,” John Franklin said.

And Machu Picchu, once accessible only by horseback (or, I suppose, llama-back), can now be reached by rail. Moreover, there is a world-class tourist hotel within a few miles of the place.

Nevertheless, this is still rugged country. Machu Picchu is currently closed to most outside visitors because of a recent series of avalanches and mudslides that sent part of that 21st century railroad back to the Stone Age.

“That happened to us once,” Sharon Franklin said.

The Franklins first went to Peru for health reasons — not their own health, but that of the dogs, cats and other creatures they served as a husband and wife veterinary team.

“We wanted to get beyond just treating the symptoms,” John Franklin said. “We wanted to learn more about the healing equation.”

So they attended a North Carolina workshop run by a Peruvian healer named Alberto Villoldo, and their lives took a definite turn to the south.

“We wound up going to Peru for the first time with Alberto, and it opened up a new world for us,” John Franklin said. “We learned about well being from the Peruvian point of view. There, they delve into the emotional reasons for an illness. What’s bothering you? What’s stressing you?”

The Franklins also became advocates of certain

medicinal plants found in the Andes.

“When a plant is synthesized and turned into a pharmaceutical drug, a lot of its power can be lost,” John Franklin said. “We experienced some of these plants undiluted.”

The Franklins eventually sold their veterinary practice and are now all about Peru and alternative healing. Plus, John recently wrote a novel, “Gift of the Jaguar,” that he hopes will impart some of the Peruvian wisdom he has gained via fiction.

“The book has been described as ‘magical realism,’” he said, “but I think it’s more realism than magic.”