Dan Will Travel

One of my two key objectives in my Peru trip was to see and try to experience the Amazon.  Even though over half of Peru’s total land mass is the Amazon, it seems totally removed from the balance of the country. When we think of the Amazon, it usually is tied to Brazil, but Peru has some major portions, and seems to be doing better at the preservation aspect.

My research led me to Amazonia Expeditions, an eco tourist facility and research center.  They have two facilities, one 4 hours by speedboat up river from Iquitos, the other 2 hours further up.

I have been to jungles and big rivers before, but nothing quite prepares one for the SIZE of the Amazon.  Now this is flood season, but just viewing from one tree line to the other is far wider than Lake Washington is without Mercer Island.  It surely is 3-5 miles in width, and this is in Peru well up stream.

There are random villages along the way, but really very few and none have road access in or out.  All movement is on the river.

We are up the Tahuayo River, also large but nothing like the Amazon.  The flooding started in April and is still quite evident, as all ground is covered in about 6’ of water.  Buildings are built on stilts and the lodge facilities are connected by walkways above the ground. All travel everywhere is by boat, which is not true in the dry season I am told. It as magical traversing a trail in the jungle totally by boat.   (And easy on the legs for sure!)  Add the dimension of canoe travel in a deep jungle at night far from the lodge and it is more than magical.  Some might say scary, but the guides know the area so well.

Unlike Africa, the wildlife is chiefly very small, but quite interesting.  We went 2+ hours by boat to a place that was above the water level to hike in to see poison dart frogs. They called the area it “terra firm,” I would change that to “terra sorta firma,” as there were some major quagmires to work through. The frogs are amazingly colorful, but in total maybe 1” in size.  They are quite rare, and live in the water of Bromeliads, but our guides eventually found them.  The highlight was the fact that two of my group of four sighted an Ocelot. (wild spotted feline about 50 pounds in size)  Unfortunately I was not one of the two, being about 30’ behind them on the trail.  Neither guide had ever seen one so they were quite excited!

So far, I have seen various monkeys, 3-toed and two-toed sloths, caimans, pink and grey dolphins, lots of frogs, tarantulas, and of course, tons of great birds.

Today I am off to the research center for the final two days.  I have now finished day 3 of 5 with no hot water for showers, and I am already dreaming of where I will find one. As my final day is direct by boat from the river lodge to Iquitos, (6+ hrs) then fly to Lima, (2 hrs) then Houston, (6.5 hrs) then Seattle, (4.5 hrs) will that hot shower be the lounge in Lima, Tuesday night, or maybe not until Houston Wednesday AM, or, god forbid, not until home Wednesday afternoon?  I do not care how hot it may be in the jungle, cold showers are a bit too aggressive of a wake-up call.

Lima is a city of 10 million people, with even less mass transit than Seattle. So, the biggest challenge is just getting around.  Nearly every vehicle is a taxi, none with meters so each trip is negotiated.  That itself is not an issue as the rates are very inexpensive, but the trips take a long time.  I saw stop signs and such, but I do not think any of my drivers did, as they often traversed tiny side streets and of course did not stop or even hesitate in crossing major streets.

There are a reasonable amount of historic buildings to see, but not nearly what one would expect due to the periodic, major earthquakes.  Like Athens or Rome, it has the sporadic ancient ruin right in the middle of the city as well.  When the one central expressway backs up, at least they have street hawkers walking between the cars selling sodas, water and such. We should add that touch for our clogged freeways.

If you plan a Peru trip, I would give Lima about 3 days, and put it at the end if possible.  There are some good museums, shopping and dining, but all are going to be impacted by the challenges of just getting there and back.

OK, off to the jungle!