On Nov 4 took a flight from Cusco to Lima and from Lima to the jungle city of Iquitos, Peru. Arrived to Iquitos late at night during a thunder storm. As I exited the airport I was accosted by cab drivers. I think they were they only true cab drivers in the city. on the way to the hotel all I saw were motorcycle cabs, thousands of them. Not very safe looking but they commanded the streets.
After a warm, muggy night in the hotel I made it to the boat that would take me 75miles up the Amazon River and then into a narrow creek for 6days at a jungle lodge. Iquitos made its early fame as a rubber town. At one time it was very wealthy and a few shabby looking mansions covered in Portugese tile work remain.
The Amazon is thousands of miles away from the ocean yet at Iquitos it is mighty. It is over one mile wide and even during the dry season it is 50feet deep or more. Incredible power. The rainy season is just starting and the river will rise substantially. I have much more respect for the word amazon. The river is very pure in quality but it is very muddy. We had a chance to swim in its warm waters. I had my googles on and could only see murky yellow for about 10inches. beyond that the water was pitch black....never experienced that before. I feel fortunate to have trekked along some of the raging creeks near Macchu Pichu that end up in the Amazon. The power of nature is clearly evident.
The lodge is remote yet near by is a river village. Very simple but very friendly people, many who work at the lodge. My room was on stilts (the water rises about 20feet or more during the wet season and most of the jungle we visited will be under water in a few months). The walls were screens. No need for even a sheet at night because of the warm humid air. Just moving made you sweat. I dont sweat easily when exercising but during our jungle walks the sweat was rolling off me.
The first thing I noticed about the jungle was how noisy it is. Birds of all types are always singing or cawing and bugs and frogs are constantly singing. The sounds varied so I was glad I had 6days to experience the variety.
During the dry season the animals have lots of space to roam. therefore, spotting animals was difficult and would have been impossible with out our guides. These guys could spot a speck in a snow storm. They were amazing. We saw various types of monkeys, sloths, many birds (huge hawks of many types, song birds, king fishers hitting the water, etc), and reptiles. It took effort to spot all but the hawks and vultures but patience was always rewarded. We took several night walks and spotted tarantulas, tree rats, giant frogs and caimans (a type of alligator). Because the water is so low, we saw many small fish. in some places on the creek, the water looked as if it were boiling from fish hitting the surface.
I spend one night camping in the jungle. Not as risky as it sounds. My guides fed me fish the whole time and I ate pirahna, oscar and something called a monkey fish. It was all excellent. Along with the fish, it was plantains roasted in a fire and pineapple. The only close encounter the whole week was stepping near the only snake seen all week. It happened to be a very poisonous snake and my guide got pretty excited.
During the rainny season it is very easy to see animals since the flooding is enormous, thus leaving very little dry land for the creatures to live on. It is during this time, that the jungle residents have to worry about caimans and jaguars. In the village I saw the hide of a jaguar on villager´s wall. He shot the jaguar dead as it tried to get into his home during the rising water.
Fortunately, we had only two days of rain and this lasted only one hour each time. The one rain had to be over 5inches in less than one hour. I saw how much there was when I watched the guides scooping the water out of the boats after the rain.
It was a very peaceful week. I have a deeper appreciation for the variety of life in this wondrous world of ours. It was fun to get to know some villagers who live in the jungle. They have a very simple life but appear happy and very healthy (fish, vegetables and plenty of fruit must be the reason).
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Trek of a life time
Recently returned from a 10day trek into the mountains of Southern Peru. We began in a small remote town and ended 9days latter at Machu Picchu. Most of our trek was on ancient Incan trails. Once we began we did not see any roads or motor vehicles for 8days.
The hike was very arduous. Up at 5.30 every morning and on the trail by 7. Except for a lunch break we walked until late afternoon. We were either hiking up or hiking down huge mountains. we crossed 4mountains with over 15,000 being the highest pass. we also hiked down to 5,000 feet. we had at least 5days were the hike would be at least the same as going to the base of the Grand Canyon and back. Except this was more difficult. It was steeper and we had to always watch for the rocks on the trail. Over the years of mule traffic the paved Incan roads have been torn to shreds. The trail was often very narrow and always steep. going up was hard but going down even harder because of the steepness. we had 13 travelers in our group and every one said it was more arduous than expected. Along with our travelers we had 2guides, 3cooks and 7 multeers who controled 22mules.
We experienced all types of weather including snow as the pass and steamy heat near the bottom of the mountains. we went from scrubby ground to lush forest and back again. we crossed many raging streams either by courageously wading through them or by walking over rickety wooden bridges high above the water.
Was the effort worth it__ Absolutely! We viewed emerald green canyons that could easily enclose the Grand Canyon. All around the canyon were snow capped peaks that reached over 18,000 ft. As you peered into the canyons you could see farm lands perched on the sides of the steep mountains. These farmers were truly removed from civilization. They had long walks to get to markets, in many cases a three day walk on the narrow Incan trails. We passed through some very small villages. the people all had warm smiles, and appeared to be well fed. a sign of this was all the dogs we saw. they appeared well cared for and very peaceful. It was obvious from the homes and the clothing that these folks were very very poor. Fantastic scenery isnt everything-
The highlight of the trip was a day spent in the ancient Incan mountain village of Choquequirao. At one time it was one of the greatest of the Incan cities. It is perched high above the river valley, at least a mile up. Although it is only 15% excavated, the vegetation swallows up everything in about 3yrs, there was still much to see and much to be amazed about. everthing is made of stone and of high quality. the key spiritual site is a circular top of a hill that has a commanding view of the valleys. the city is surrounded by terraces that reach all the way to the river valley. the terraces consist of 6ft rock walls and then about 7feet of flat area. the terraces that we saw were not fully uncovered yet there were 40 that we could see. just walking down the length of these and back was an effort of strength and balance. The extent of the work to create this city perched high on the mountain is fantastic. it is said that 60,000 men were building at any one time. What made our visit so unusual is that only about 300people a year visit this site. If there was a road way to the site and if all the vegatation was removed it would be a world wonder, rivalling that of the pyramids in Egypt. A week after our visit we made it to macchu Picchu. It is an incredible site on its own but not as expansive and as peaceful at Choqueirao. I couldnt believe the volume of tourists at Macchu Picchu.
I have many pictures of our trek and they hopefully will show the beauty of the little visitied Andies in southern Peru.
After a rest day in Cusco, I spent a day travelling by air to the jungle of northeast Peru. I am now in Iquitos which is on the Amazon River. It is a sea level so breathing is a lot easier after spending a month at high altitude and the weather is warm and muggy. A nice change from the dry cold.
Right now I am waiting for a tour guide who will take me 80miles up the river to a remote camp. we should get to see a lot of wildlife. i will be there for 5days and likely out of reach of the internet.
The hike was very arduous. Up at 5.30 every morning and on the trail by 7. Except for a lunch break we walked until late afternoon. We were either hiking up or hiking down huge mountains. we crossed 4mountains with over 15,000 being the highest pass. we also hiked down to 5,000 feet. we had at least 5days were the hike would be at least the same as going to the base of the Grand Canyon and back. Except this was more difficult. It was steeper and we had to always watch for the rocks on the trail. Over the years of mule traffic the paved Incan roads have been torn to shreds. The trail was often very narrow and always steep. going up was hard but going down even harder because of the steepness. we had 13 travelers in our group and every one said it was more arduous than expected. Along with our travelers we had 2guides, 3cooks and 7 multeers who controled 22mules.
We experienced all types of weather including snow as the pass and steamy heat near the bottom of the mountains. we went from scrubby ground to lush forest and back again. we crossed many raging streams either by courageously wading through them or by walking over rickety wooden bridges high above the water.
Was the effort worth it__ Absolutely! We viewed emerald green canyons that could easily enclose the Grand Canyon. All around the canyon were snow capped peaks that reached over 18,000 ft. As you peered into the canyons you could see farm lands perched on the sides of the steep mountains. These farmers were truly removed from civilization. They had long walks to get to markets, in many cases a three day walk on the narrow Incan trails. We passed through some very small villages. the people all had warm smiles, and appeared to be well fed. a sign of this was all the dogs we saw. they appeared well cared for and very peaceful. It was obvious from the homes and the clothing that these folks were very very poor. Fantastic scenery isnt everything-
The highlight of the trip was a day spent in the ancient Incan mountain village of Choquequirao. At one time it was one of the greatest of the Incan cities. It is perched high above the river valley, at least a mile up. Although it is only 15% excavated, the vegetation swallows up everything in about 3yrs, there was still much to see and much to be amazed about. everthing is made of stone and of high quality. the key spiritual site is a circular top of a hill that has a commanding view of the valleys. the city is surrounded by terraces that reach all the way to the river valley. the terraces consist of 6ft rock walls and then about 7feet of flat area. the terraces that we saw were not fully uncovered yet there were 40 that we could see. just walking down the length of these and back was an effort of strength and balance. The extent of the work to create this city perched high on the mountain is fantastic. it is said that 60,000 men were building at any one time. What made our visit so unusual is that only about 300people a year visit this site. If there was a road way to the site and if all the vegatation was removed it would be a world wonder, rivalling that of the pyramids in Egypt. A week after our visit we made it to macchu Picchu. It is an incredible site on its own but not as expansive and as peaceful at Choqueirao. I couldnt believe the volume of tourists at Macchu Picchu.
I have many pictures of our trek and they hopefully will show the beauty of the little visitied Andies in southern Peru.
After a rest day in Cusco, I spent a day travelling by air to the jungle of northeast Peru. I am now in Iquitos which is on the Amazon River. It is a sea level so breathing is a lot easier after spending a month at high altitude and the weather is warm and muggy. A nice change from the dry cold.
Right now I am waiting for a tour guide who will take me 80miles up the river to a remote camp. we should get to see a lot of wildlife. i will be there for 5days and likely out of reach of the internet.
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