The Amazing Stuff

For years, 83-year-old Don Luciano Chuman wandered the streets of Ferrenafe, Peru, looking for safe places to sleep. Like many homeless people, he was rarely able to change his clothes or take a shower, so he was covered in filth for most of his life.

Many people avoided him, but the people at the Peregrin Evangelical Church decided that they couldn’t stand by and let him suffer.

Chuman wandered through the town for years without bathing or changing his clothes.

Facebook / Municipalidad Provincial de Ferranafe

His main concern was finding a safe place to sleep.

The church community banded together and provided Chuman with a shower, haircut, and change of clothes. But in the end, they gave him so much more than that.

They also gave him some money to get him back on his feet, and arranged for social services to provide him with food on a regular basis. He was also examined at a local hospital.

Here he is after some much-needed TLC.

Facebook / Municipalidad Provincial de Ferranafe

These people came together to provide him with the love and care he so desperately needed.

Facebook / Municipalidad Provincial de Ferranafe

They bathed him…

Facebook / Municipalidad Provincial de Ferranafe

…and gave him a haircut.

Facebook / Municipalidad Provincial de Ferranafe

Things are looking much better for him now.

Facebook / Municipalidad Provincial de Ferranafe

(via Elite Daily)

After uploading these photos to the town’s Facebook page, news of the charitable act quickly spread throughout the world. People everywhere lauded the selfless act as an example of how every community should treat their poor and homeless populations. All people are deserving of kindness and compassion.

An incredible group of female officers from Peru’s traffic division have dedicated themselves to saving the lives of abandoned animals found on the streets.

Known as Esquadron Orejitas, or “Little Ears Squad,” the women use their own personal funds to finance rescues for the cuties they find and provide them a second chance at the happy life they deserve.

This is the initial group of traffic officers, but the special team has now doubled in size.

Facebook / Escuadron Orejitas

The team is led by General Javier Avalos, and he says that each officer is fully trained in the unique challenges they’ll face while canvasing the capital city, Lima.

Facebook / Escuadron Orejitas

The organization also has a hotline for residents to alert the officers to any case they might have missed.

Facebook / Escuadron Orejitas

The squad has earned plenty of attention for their life-saving mission since starting earlier this year.

Facebook / Escuadron Orejitas

Locals have dubbed the organization the “most respectable squad in Peru.”

Facebook / Escuadron Orejitas

Each rescue is first taken to the closest veterinarian where they are given treatment for their wounds and are often also sterilized.

Facebook / Escuadron Orejitas

Once it has been cleared for good health, the unit puts the rescued animal up for adoption.

Facebook / Escuadron Orejitas

So far this year, they’ve helped find forever homes for 60 stray cats and dogs.

Facebook / Escuadron Orejitas

(via ITV)

Thank goodness they’ve stepped up for these poor animals. You can find more photos and stay tuned for more incredible stories over on the team’s Facebook page. I’m sure this is just the beginning for these heroic officers.

Check out more awesome animal stories in the links below:

When you travel, you can always rely on the safe route, taking the well-beaten path and keeping things nice and predictable. In Peru, that might mean a guided tour of the country’s historic ruins and natural wonders.

Or, you could spend a day scaling the cliff faces in the Sacred Valley, spend the night in a bubble clinging to the cliff side, 400 feet off the ground, and zipline back to Earth the following day. Your choice.

What we’re talking about is a real option for the more adventurous types out there. Tourism company Natura Vive offers climbing and zipline getaways in Peru’s Sacred Valley, allowing even inexperienced climbers the option of scaling near-vertical cliffs and having a high-up adventure.

To get to the pods, you have to climb up the cliff.

Natura Vive

Although it looks daunting, the climb is actually suitable to people with little or no climbing experience. Iron rungs, called stemples, make climbing up the more sheer areas easier. This ladder-like addition, called a via ferrata (literally, “iron road”), makes the climb much more accessible. In addition, each climber is outfitted with safety gear and attached to a lifeline. Guides, all trained in ropes and vertical rescue, also accompany each group.

It’s a 400-foot climb.

Natura Vive

If you’re still not convinced, consider the fact that the minimum age to participate in this trek is nine. If a nine-year-old can do it, you probably can, too.

Still, it’s probably not the best if you don’t like heights.

Natura Vive

Don’t worry. Everyone is locked in with harnesses and ropes, and guides accompany guests to ensure safety.

After all that climbing, you come to the hotel where you’ll be spending the night.

Natura Vive

The “hotel” is made up of three pods that can sleep up to eight people altogether and offer panoramic views of Sacred Valley. And yes, they have bathrooms.

The platform on top is perfect for really taking in the view.

Natura Vive

It’s also the perfect spot for the most scenic meal of your life.

Natura Vive

The skylodges, as they’re known, are far less rugged than they might seem. Besides being spacious, they also come with dinner, breakfast, and wine, and have room for beds, a dining area, and a bathroom. The bathroom features a dry, ecological toilet and sink. They have their own lighting, too, which is completely solar-powered. For pods dangling from a cliff face, that sounds pretty decadent!

And the beds are surprisingly luxurious.

Natura Vive

Imagine falling asleep like this…

Natura Vive

…and waking up to this.

Natura Vive

(via Lost At E Minor, Daily Mail)

In the morning, guests come back down to the surface by either rappelling or ziplining, and return to the nearby city of Cusco. If this sounds like your kind of adventure, you can check out the details on Natura Vive’s website.

Looking to go off the beaten path for your next vacation? Look no further: