At an elevation of 3400m, the city of Cusco sits higher than any peak in Australia. The rarefied environment of this ancient Incan capital takes some getting used to.

For me and for thousands of other tourists Cusco was the stepping off point for the famed tourist trail to Machu Picchu. But the city also came to symbolise one of the most poignant encounters during my recent visit to Peru.

As with elsewhere in my travels I’d been well advised to stick to the correct path, avoid travelling at night and to stay well clear of the ‘no go’ areas. I’m not one for ignoring good advice, but sure enough I managed to get myself lost in Cusco. It happened whilst I was out exploring, heading back to my hotel on foot and somehow I’d taken a wrong turn.

It was late afternoon and I found myself in a public courtyard of a poor neighbourhood surrounded by a group of locals. Scared at first, I kept walking until suddenly I came across an elderly blind lady, sitting begging by the side of the road.

At that same time, the school day was finishing and the area was soon filled with children.

What struck me immediately was these children, most not more than 10 years of age, all stopped to give what little change they had in their pockets to the elderly blind lady.

As an act of giving it reminded me of my own up-bringing, of a time in Sri Lanka when I was a child and my father taught me not to ignore the poor and to make regular contributions to beggars. My father would put his hand in his pocket and pull out all the money that was there. He would then hand the money to me and ask that I give it to the beggars we were coming across.

For these children in Cusco, their giving wasn’t a forced or coordinated act, it was instinctive. Their generosity was part of who they were and it was notably thankless.

There was no Facebook photo opportunity, no press release, no t-shirt to demonstrate their virtue. These were simple, humble acts carried out by children imbued with the spirit of human kindness.

In our first-world western society we often believe we are the only ones capable of charity. We can, and often do, utilise our wealth to bring much needed help to those in need all around the world. But we should never fall into the mistake of thinking this brings us a monopoly on generosity and compassion.

I found the path back to my hotel but I knew a wrong turn had shown me so much more than I could ever have hoped to have experienced on the well-worn tourist trail.

Anomi