Over the last few weeks the story of the two Americans who disappeared during a bike trek around Peru became international news. CNN, ABC, Fox News, the Huffington Post, and many other news outlets, including Peru This Week, ran the story, only to learn that the missing couple was safe aboard a riverboat heading toward the Ecuadorian border.

Fortunately, the couple (Garret Hand and Jamie Neal from California) was found safe and happy, as they explored the remote northern regions of Peru. However, the news of their disappearance hung around like the morning fog in Lima, only to lift later in the day, revealing a sunny ending.

The uproar began after one of the “missing” American’s mothers began to worry about her son’s whereabouts after weeks without contact. Of course, mothers have the right to worry about their children, especially when they are traveling abroad in a country that is only recently recovering from decades of violence. But the damage was done, and the Peruvian tourism industry may be the one to feel the backlash of this month-long saga.

Jerry Atrick wrote:Well, there were two messages on his facebook timeline relating to his "disappearance" which have been deleted, presumably by himself, so perhaps he just wants his privacy.