It´s true....WE WENT TO THE JUNGLE

Madeinusa.... I just finished watching it and every thing else on the DVD. What a spectacular film. And proudly madeinperu. So much of the cinematography reminds me of Carata. The music, the landscapes, the adobe homes, even the annoying buzzing a bothersome fly makes when it swarms near.

Mena wants to feed our aging cat poison, to put it out of its misery. But it’s not miserable. Sure, its arthritic bones struggle to climb the wooden shelf and up the wall to walk along the roof beams. But killing the cat and replacing it with a new kitten? De eso no me meto.

It’s been a weird week back to work since having an adventure in the Peruvian Amazon. Let me catch you up to speed- Holly visited- we’ve been friends since 4th grade-

I had a couple of days off for semana santa and knowing that our vaca days are scarce we’ve learned to take advantage of every possible day out of site! So a group of pcv’s were anxious to visit the selva. The original plan was to travel from Chiclayo-Tarapoto-Yurimaguas-Up the Amazon River (for 2.5 days in boat) to the city of Iquitos. Although enticing, that didn’t work out. There was an incredibly good offer to fly- $92 roundtrip Lima-Iquitos.

What a hot city. Your sweat sweats. Accompanying us was another vol, Bryan. We arrived at 130am in the city and checked into the worst hotel you’ve ever seen. Let me retract that….I’ve seen worse, and will continue to encounter far inferior places in my travels.
Bryan and I went out for water- and were greeted by 2 fabulous prostitutes on the street. What do you expect on Monday night at 2am? At least the beer was good at THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS-inevitably the largest attraction for gringos in the city.

Much had been said about Iquitos before the trip. The more people I talked to the better it sounded. Imagine visiting the largest city in the world that is navigable by road. Due to its location in the middle of the Amazon, one must arrive by boat or plane. After seeing the city I understand the buzz. It’s unique in its own way but not very accommodating. Like most Peruvian cities it lacks a lot of infrastructure and personal convenience. The noise levels were obnoxious! Literally brought to new levels. Because cars need to be brought by boat, 99% of the vehicles are “mototaxis”, motorcycles with an extended 3 seat cabin. I affectionately call them “deathtraps” and they are everywhere in Peru but centralized in Iquitos.

Holly and I joked about it being THE LOUDON MOTORCYCLE WEEKEND everyday. When the bikes pilled up at stop lights idle, they created so much noise that any conversation needed to be put on hold until the next moment of relief.

So we ate some good food and took in some of the sites around the city like the Belen market (where hallucinogens like san pedro and iawaska, cocaine and animal parts are sold), and the floating city of Belen. We took a day trip out to a mariposaria (butterfly farm) which was awesome. This ¨zoo¨ is owned by a Peruvian/Australian couple who were totally into saving nature’s animals. A little too much…brings up memories of THE ISLAND OF DR. MONROE. or somethin´. we hung out with monkeys, birds, a giant anteater, large rats, a caupir (sp?), a leopard, and of course many butterflies. I learned a lot about these tiny creatures.

We left on a Thursday morning to stay at Tahuayo lodge on the Tahuayo River a tributary off of the Amazon. It was a comfortable 3 hour ride by speed boat to the lodge. Once arriving we moved into the elevated rooms (given the river level) and met our guide, JT who would take us out for the next 4 days. The meals were excellent, as was our guide, who successfully managed both English and Spanish questions from Bryan, Holly and I. He was willing to help us plan our itinerary from early morning to late night. We went out on hikes, took a swim with river dolphins, spear fished piranha, swung through the canopy on zip line, took canoes out for night trip, had a holistic session with a local shaman, and visited a dry land national reserve. The mosquitos were memorable. luckly we dosed ourselves in spray. the last thing i wanted to bring back was malaria. ps the antimalarial meds aren´t as bad as everyone says..least i didn´t have any wack dreams. only a voracious hunger!

We had a long conversation one night with Dolly the co-owner. She’s definitely the heart of the organization. I completely understand her stories and challenges with the local government over property, regulations, laws and crooked police and judges. As a volunteer in Peru, it doesn’t take long to familiarize oneself with the system. Have it be good or bad!

Their staff really went out of their way in accommodating us for the trip. It won’t go unforgotten. We have many great memories of the few days there, and pictures to last a life time. This region of the country is unlike any other place I’ve visited. The general environment of the lodge sparked my interest in learning about plant and animal species. Lastly, we made some new friends with a group of students and teachers from Seattle. The students we pleasant and respectful to everyone! What lucky high school kids! I wish I had that kind of experience back than!

see the pics!!