Peru – The Amazon Jungle

This is a continuation of my accounting of my time in Peru.  As I mention in all my Peru articles, I found the people of Peru to be genuine and warmhearted and treasure the time spent in their presence, especially in places far from the hustle and bustle of the bigger cities. It was much cheaper back them, but if you look, you can still find great deals. 

The Amazon
As the internal flight on the older smaller plane touched down, I noted that the Iquitos airport was not much more than a small air strip.

The plan was to stay for 2 weeks in the Amazon area with some time deep in jungle near the ACEER (Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research) Foundations operations. Most of my remaining time in this area would be at an undisclosed jungle location learning from tribal elders, what most people today call Shamans.

My guide to the jungle lodge held a sign bearing my name and it was not long before I was on a small row boat with an engine for the 3 hour journey on the Amazon River from Iquitos to the lodge where I would spend the next several days.

I was not expecting more than a roof over my head and a cot and that is exactly what I received. That did not bother me for I prided myself being the girl whose journeyed the road less traveled. I was not, however, prepared for the size of the bugs that filled these open air accommodations. It was nightfall when I got to my room and with the dim light of the oil lamp I swatted what I can only describe as a large cockroach type insect that I had ever seen. It quickly ran under my jacket and up my arm. I was probably more shaken then that creature as I threw off the jacket in some spastic dance contorting my body while making a face that showed my distain for the experience.

The feeling stayed with me for hours and let's just say that after this bug experience I was determined to protect any and all orifices from future invasion, ensuring that my socks were over my sweat pants as well as tucking my curls in a cap and reusing the earplugs supplied on the plane before retiring that evening on that small bed. I took my time meticulously ensuring that every inch of that mosquito netting was tucked neatly under the mattress.

The next morning I awoke with new enthusiasm as the sun greeted me. As I entered the community room for breakfast, I met the others with whom I would spend the next several days exploring this area. I was paired with a German husband and wife whose son, Peter was living and working in Lima. Peter was about 35 and this trip was for his parents who were visiting him from Germany.  His mother and I laughed as we tried to communicate with the few German words I spoke and Peter's translation of German to English for me. Peter and I hit it off and I think back with great fondness remembering his father taking on the role of adopted dad, patting the back of my head when passing. They made me feel like family as I am reminded of my good fortune always meeting so many good people while traveling. 

 

The early part of the days were usually spent hiking close to the lodge as we learned about the jungle, the ecology and the medicinal qualities of the plants, trees and insects from local tribesmen.

It was not uncommon to spy colonies of leaf-cutter ants toiling as they formed highways with one direction sporting fresh cuts leaves on their backs transported to their hillside home-front while the opposite lane’s ant's backs were barren as they traveled toward the leaf piles for new supplies.

It would rain for about an hour each day at mid morning and depending on where we were in the canopy, we may or may not feel the droplets hitting our heads. We could still hear the sound of the rain hitting the tops of the canopy and the few drops that gently made their way down to the forest floor were gems, cooling us down.

One of my biggest treats was walking across suspended bridges that rose over 120 feet above the ground. These walkways were up to 1700 feet long, constructed for ACEER, visiting biologists and other researchers. 

The afternoons were reserved for boat rides to neighboring villages for fruits and other supplies. We even got to fish for Piranha one day using nothing more than a stick, string, a hook and a piece of rotting meat. It is a white flakey fish and was quite tasty grilled over an open fire.

The best part of the jungle was the sunsets. I've never seen skies so orangey-red melting into the water. Just being on the water at this time was magical not only to the eyes, but the nose as well as the sweet smell of the flowers permeated and intoxicated our nostrils. 

The downside of this part of the world, in addition to giant version of bugs that look like cockroaches was the fact that all your clothes were forever damp. Ah, and there was of course the wonders of the outhouse and the shower. The outhouse was situated a good 50 -100 feet away from where we slept and for good reason. It was all wood and very dark, so I limited my use to daylight hours to could avoid something biting my bare ass.  As I opened the lid, all I could see was the river. That’s right we were “going” right into the Amazon River.  The shower was also river water, but thank goodness it was about 5 feet upstream, cold and very brown.

Aside from the small bits mentioned in the above paragraph, I wouldn 't trade this once in a lifetime experience for any other.  I was sad to see Peter and his parents depart when we arrived back to Iquitos as I had grown close to all of them.

While in Peru I visited Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, Titicaca, the Amazon and other cities, so look for those posts in this series.  

Wishing you your own Travel Awakenings,
LeeZa Donatella

Here are some links to items I enjoy, that you may find useful 

Travel Accessories
Great Travel Backpacks
Luggage

All my Books  available on Amazon 

Other authors books that have helped me on my journey.

The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz

The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield

The Essential Rumi  by Jalal al-Din Rumi

Carlos Castaneda's books

Leeza Donatella is an author, speaker and teacher

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