Peru – February 2007 1

Introduction: How this trip came to be

Febraury 2: Madison to Atlanta to Lima

Febraury 3: Lima

Febraury 4: Lima to Iquitos to La Amitista

Febraury 5: Rio Ucayali to Rio Tapiche to Cumpana-Torno

Febraury 6: Lago Campano to Nuevo Progresso to Aguajal

Febraury 7: Yanayucca creek to Monochocha to Tipishca to Iberia

Febraury 8: Iberia to Galicia to the Rio Aleman to San Vicente

Febraury 9: San Vincente to Iquitos

Febraury 10/11: Iquitos to Lima to home

What happens when your father-in-law calls and says I want to take the family to the Amazon this winter, want to go?”

Peru: An Amazing AdventureFebruary 2-11, 2007

The Gilbert Family goes to the Rain Forest

In late August 2006, we received a call from Ed’s father, Hal, asking if wanted to go to the Amazon this winter. As Ed told me later, the line was something like “I want to take the family to the Amazon this winter, want to go.” Of course, it was one of those sweltering Madison August days that made me wonder about volun-tarily going some place hot, steamy, and buggy during the nice, cool winter time but a week later we received the brochure and I was hooked on the idea. It looked like a fantastic idea and the trip of a lifetime. What follows here is a travelogue that I wrote on the way (sometimes the past and present tenses get mixed up but I hope I can convey some of the wonders that we saw and experienced).

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Off today on the greatest adventure of all. So far, the start of a trip like most others. We were up WAY too early so we could get through the rigmarole of catch-ing a cab to the airport, getting through security, and waiting. Hurry up and wait is the name of the game. As my brother-in-law, Paul, says in quoting his father: “If you have time to spare, go by air.” Less than 30 minutes from leaving home and we get to wait an hour until they board the plane.

First stop will be in Atlanta and a 7 ½ hour layover (providing there are no delays). Going from 2?F here to about 45?F in Atlanta in just a couple of hours and by tonight we’ll be in Lima, Peru with weather around 70?F (and around 90?F in the rainforest the day after that). A bit of weather shock, I expect, now and next week when we get home.

This is my first trip to South America and the first further south than one of the Mexican border towns (and that was back when I was 8 years old). 41 years it’s taken me to do something like this. Not that I’m complaining. I enjoy my life and the travels thus far but WOW, this is sure to be the greatest adventure of all!

The flight from Madison to Atlanta was pretty much routine once they’d warmed the cabin enough for hu-man beings, and found some maps to get us where we were going (their GPS was on the fritz). It was after we got to Atlanta that the scavenger hunt to find Ed’s Dad, Hal, and his friend and companion, Doris, made life more interesting. After wandering from Concourse D to C to E, it took an hour but we finally found them and were off on the first part of the adventure.

We went off to find the Marta (Atlanta’s light-rail

train) and figure out how to get to Five Points (Down-town Atlanta) which wasn’t too hard since ALL trains go to Five Points. The Marta is clean, quiet, and fast and it only took about 17 minutes from the airport to down-town. From there to Underground Atlanta (a series of shops and restaurants in the area that was under the via-ducts that were built up when cars first started to get in the way of the trains (c1912) and then to the World of Coke (a museum of coke memorabilia, advertising, etc., that included the chance to taste Coke products from all over the world—Ginger Beer from South Africa, Apple Soda from China and Mexico, and Bitters from Italy along with many more). From there, back to the Under-ground for a sandwich at a diner called Johnny Rockets, and then back through the Underground to the Marta and back to the airport. (Later note: Yes, I took pictures of all of this but somehow I can’t find them in all the rest of my pictures. *sigh*)

We ended up in the longest security line that I’ve ever encountered but it was fast moving and straight-forward and we were able to connect with the rest of the family—Ed’s brother Paul, his wife Cindy, and their daughters, Diana & Jolene—by 1600 for a plane that was supposed to leave at 17:10 but left closer to 18:10.

A 6 hour flight from Atlanta to Lima, spent napping, reading having supper, and we landed in Lima at 00:15 (so, I guess it was now 3 February). Took about 2 hours to get through Immigration, get the bags, go through Customs, find the guide, get to the bus, and drive the 13 miles to the Swissotel and get settled in. Even though it was late, there was a lot to see along the way. Most interesting were the practical-sized vehicles, very modu-lar looking housing, learning that Lima is a desert and it hasn’t rained there in most people’s memories—they get about 2-3 inches a year in mist from the ocean), that Peru is about 80% Catholic, and seeing that we can’t get away from US corporate culture (McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Domino’s & KFC were very obvious). There were some very tasty welcome refreshments (melon, papaya, pineapple, and orange juices) available in the lobby. We settled into a very nice room and opened the window so we could enjoy the night breeze (it was 70?F and NO mosquitoes). It’s summer here now and a far cry from the 2?F we woke up to about 22 hours ago. Time for bed so we can be ready for more new stuff tomorrow.

February 2/3: Madison to Atlanta to Lima

Photos in Lima

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It’s amazing how early 3:50 is when you spend the night waking up every hour, sure that you’ll miss the wake-up call and the boat…er, bus…and plane! But, up we got, bags finished being packed and down to an early breakfast. I’ll say that any staff that can have a breakfast ready at 4am for 40-50 (our group and another) must be commended. In the bus by 4:50 and off to catch the 6:15 plane to Iquitos.

The flight, less than ½ full, was uneventful as flights go except for knowing we were flying over the Andes. 1 ½ hours, slightly dozing/slightly watching the mountains when they could be seen, and then we were in Iquitos in the time promised.

The Iquitos Airport, which used to be an International one (with flights to and from Miami until 1994) was hu-mid and not as clean and modern as the one in Lima (then again, the Lima airport is owned & managed by a Ger-man corporation). We were ushered into the VIP Lounge which was air-conditioned a bit and had seats on the toi-lets) to wait until they had 2 buses big enough for our tour of 28 plus Hernando.

It took a bit, but eventually we were ushered to the ones—and we got to meet our naturalist guides, Hulber & Victor. It was a colourful and educational ride through the city seeing the street markets and the moto-carros (3 wheel crosses between a motor cycle and an open cart—like a motorized rickshaw), motorbikes, wooden open-air buses, and a few cars & trucks. Since Iquitos is close to 2400 miles from the ocean by river or a long trek over the Andes, the only real way to get anything big (like the bus-ses we were on) in is by the river.

We had a 20 minute walk down a less crowded street than the market area to the town square where we could see the metal house that Gustav Eiffel (he of the Tower in

Paris) built in the late 19th century. We were well accosted by street merchants and urchins who refused to under-stand “no” in any language (and I had a chance to hold a pygmy marmoset, much to the chagrin of Ed and the admonition of Hulber who did not want me to pay a $1 for a picture with it since that would lead to maybe 4 the next week, etc., and get out of hand).

We made it to our ship, La Amatista (The Amethyst), by about 10:00, shook hands with all of the crew from the Captain to the Cabin Stewards (shaking hands turns out to be an important custom in Peru from what we ob-served) and soon set off for open water. The guides call it the “cutest little ship on the river” and it was great. With a dragon-like prow, 3 decks plus a small observation deck above the top deck, room to sleep 31 (17 rooms) plus the crew of 11, it was all decorated with wood trim includ-ing the eagle’s heads on the door of every stateroom. Each room had 2 beds or a double bed (married beds) except for one with 3 singles), private bathroom with shower and were air-conditioned. There were walking staffs, ga-tors (leggings to wear to prevent snake bites when walk-ing), bottled water, both 110 & 220 volt outlets, and bathrobes. The slight vibration of the ship’s engine caused me to remark “and we don’t even have to spent a quarter for magic fingers”. Tonight, the ship will anchor around 23:00 or so at the confluence of the Amazon, Ucayali, the Maranon Rivers.

But before that time, after an introductory lecture about the amenities and safety features on the ship, and a nice lunch in the beautiful air-conditioned dining room—well appointed with carved wood trim and crystal light fixtures—of salad, catfish with a choice of two sauces

February 4: Lima to Iquitos to La Amitista

Photos of Iquitos

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(one like tartar and the other closer to a béchamel), rice, fried potatoes, chicken in a nice, sweet sauce, and two kinds of juice (starfruit and giant grenadine, I think it was called, that is related to the passion fruit). Desert was fresh papaya, cantaloupe and ice cream. Water and coffee, etc, are available 25 hours a day as Victor our guide would say (often).

It was time for a siesta next and time to relax until 16:00 when we had our first chance for an excursion. Two skiffs (flat boats that could hold 15-16 that were powered

by 2-70 hp motors) move a lot faster than I’d imagined. When moving fast, it was cool even in the heat of the days and yet they could slow or stop when a guide (or the boat driver) saw something worth noting and they could get into small tributaries and creeks that I’d never imagined. The river is at its greatest now, this being the rainy season (though there has been no rain yet) and covers more than 20’ on either side more than the dry season.

On this first excursion, we got to see snowy egrets, a 3-toed sloth (see that lump in that huge tree over there!), a wattled jacana, something orange that excited Hulber be-cause it’s quite rare, orioles, yellow-headed caracara, tur-key vultures, 2 iguanas (one very young and green and the other a mature one that was about 5-6 feet long), crimson-crested woodpecker, white necked tern, adolescent osprey, and a lot of green…and water…and trees. (Ed was pleased he could identify a banana tree when he saw it.)

Speaking of bananas—we had a very interesting expe-rience with a family on a homemade raft made of balsa wood (took them 5 days to build the raft) laden with ba-nanas that they were taking to Iquitos to see. If they sell to a middleman they would only get 3 soles/bunch (about $1) for their 200 bunches but if they sell them themselves in Iquitos, they will get 5 soles/bunch. They will then sell the raft and spend 45 soles to ferry the family back home. It will take them seven days total to raft down river and a day and a half to ferry back home up river. Our guide, Hulber, traded them five bottles of cold water, and paid

them 5 soles for a bunch of bananas. They were so pleased with that and gave us some more very ripe bananas and some very small “apple bananas” (about 3-4” long that we ate then and there. MMMMmmmmmmmmmmm. Di-ana and Jolene went over to the raft and we started to pull away as if to leave them there which caused them a bit of consternation.

Back on the ship about 20 minutes later, we didn’t re-ally have time to shower and change before it was “cock-tail hour” on the 3rd deck. With some tasty treats and live music it was a wonderful end to an exciting day. Tonight the band called themselves “Jerry and the Green Igua-nas”—who knows what they’ll call themselves tomorrow night. Music and dancing made this a real fiesta.

The dinner bell called us back to the dining room for a tasty dinner of cream of chicken soup, chicken salad (with pulled chicken, raisins, lettuce, and tomatoes), a mashed potato & spinach casserole, green beans, catfish with ca-pers, beef stir-fried with onions and tomatoes, and rice (according to Hernando they have to eat rice every day). After dinner, the lights went out and the crew came in with the band, singing “Happy Birthday” in two languag-es to one of the guests with a birthday apple pie. This we all shared for dessert with Lucama ice cream (kind of a cross in taste between peanut and sweet potato or squash).

After this, we were told tomorrow’s schedule which will include three more excursions, more siesta & fiesta, and a short talk about the full route that we are going to take for the rest of the week. I went back to the cabin then for a much needed shower and to do a picture dump and bat-tery recharge and write in this log. We will be awakened at 5:30 tomorrow for a sunrise excursion at 6:00 (providing its not raining) tomorrow. So I’d best sign off now even if it’s only 22:00 and get a decent night’s sleep. And thus ends our first day on the river. The ship stopped at Parana-pura for the night.

February 4: Lima to Iquitos to La Amitista (cont)

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February 5: Rio Ucayali to Rio Tapiche to Cumpana-Torno

We never did hear the knock on the door so it’s a good thing that it takes no longer than 5 minutes to pull on some clothes, scrap our teeth and be out the door and onto the skiff. We pulled away from the ship right at 6:00 and spent the next 1 ½ hours exploring along the Ucalyali River from Yucarudii to Rompeo.

We saw many species of birds including two kinds of Kingfishers, parakeets, parrots, more caracaras, black-necked hawks, sandpipers, and many more. We heard a monkey at one point but never saw it.

The skiff drivers are fantastic. Ours’ name is Euler but he’s called Viejo or Belejo (I’m not sure but they translated it as Sloth Man and I can’t find that translation right now). The other skiff’s driver is Mike or Mickey as the people that were usually in his boat called him. They race the boats at full throttle next to what we feel is a bank thought it is really the flooded shore. They can get into what seem like impossible places and get out again.

The early ride was pleasantly cool though we did not

see as much wild life as we had hoped and it was still a nice experience. We raced back to the ship in time for breakfast. To me the hightlight were the sliced bananas that we acquired yesterday. Corn flakes, eggs, bacon, a spicy salami, toast, etc., completed the meal along with a couple of tasty juices.

Unfortunately, the breakfast didn’t sit well on my stomach (or it might have been the anti-malarial medication we were taking) but when we were out on our second excursion this day I wasn’t feeling great. In fact, I felt downright ill so it was hard to work up excitement for the first sighting of the pink river dolphins (luckily, we had many more opportunities). This ride was also along the Ucayali from Rompeo to Supa. I believe that we saw blue parrots, the first of many orapendulas, and their interesting hanging nests, more caracaras, a couple of different types of swallows and quite a few more.

We did have a pleasant experience when we ran across a family of a mother and her three sons who were out

harvesting yucca. They were standing next to papaya trees (not to be confused with the mamaya trees that always stand behind the papaya—definitely an Amazonian snipe hunt as we tried to decipher Hulber’s rainforest humour). They asked if we wanted some papaya and when we said “yes’ we saw all three kids shimmy up the trees like monkeys to pick and tossed down some of the large fruits.

I hit my bed as soon as got back to the ship and slept through the briefing of where we would be going (and where we’d been) and lunch. Just as well, considering. I rested well into the siesta time and then wandered unto the 3rd deck to watch the scenery. The Ucayali is much narrower than the Amazon and soon we were on the Tapiche as we passed through what is called “The Wedding of the Waters”. The Amazon and Ucayali are brown silt-filled rivers with a PH around 7.8 (the water

Peru – February 2007 6

February 5: Rio Ucayali to Rio Tapiche to Cumpana-Torno (cont)

Photos on the Rivers

runs down from the Andes to feed them) whereas the Tapiche is a black river with a PH of about 4.5 (with the water feeding it from the plains and through the flooded forest—more tannic acid and other acids).

We passed large towns (from 20-40K people) towns that derived their economy from raising water buffalo (a gift from India many years ago) for milk that is processed into cheese.

After siesta time, I’m glad I was feeling better, as we went off on a third excursion—this time along the Tapiche River from San Vicente to Naranjal. Enough people opted out of this third trip so that it was only Paul, Cindy, Diana, Jolene and MaryLynn (from Pittsburgh), Hulber, and Belejo (I’ll choose this spelling from now on just cuz) in our skiff (the other was full).

There was another sighting of pink river dolphins

that I think yielded at least one decent picture of one breaking the surface of the water. They don’t jump fully out of the water like their gray cousins and have very small eyes so that they’re nearly blind (doing a sonor-like navigation), and travel in schools of 3-6.

We were able to get off the main river a couple of times. The first time didn’t yield much but the second was to see the large Victoria Amazonia lily pads—some up to 3 feet across. The underside of these huge plants and the flowers they produce are well protected by long prickers that can give the same reaction as a bee sting. It was ust fascinating.

We saw another large iguana and another 3-toed sloth some time today though I can’t remember which excursion it was on. No rain again—in fact it was a very hot sun with very little cloud cover.

Evening brought more music on the 3rd deck—this time the band was called “Jerry and the Three-Toed Sloth” and they played music from Paraguay, the Andes,

Mexico, and Liverpool. Dinner was pleasant and I ended up sitting with a group of non-family which was fun. Dinner consisted of Cream of Asparagus soup, a salad of shredded hearts of palm, avocado & tomatoes, white asparagus, catfish in tomato sauce, and a chicken picante. Dessert was a rich chocolate cake and rum raisin ice cream. The food was good but the conversation better.

Now, I’ve showered, downloaded pictures, recharged batteries, and written of the day. Tomorrow’s excursions include a sunrise breakfast trip, a trip to a village and a jungle hike. It is definitely going to be interesting day. The ship stopped at Cumpana-Torno for the night.

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The knock on the door was heard this morn since we had set an alarm AND both woke up before it went off. We were on the skiff by 6:30 and off to explore some very narrow tributaries. The vegetation was much thicker here than on previous excursions. For the next two hours plus, we saw many examples of bromeliads and epiphytes, fungus and lichens, and termite’s, ant’s, and wasp’s nests, and even a cream-billed toucan high in the trees.

Breakfast could not have been more alfresco since they stopped the boats in the middle of Lago Campano, a large calm lake. Out came a basket for each of us that contained a tangerine, a juice box with peach juice, two sandwiches (1 ham & cheese or mixto as its called locally and the other chicken) with fresh tomatoes. The dining stewards were with us and coffee or tea was served and cereal bars passed out just in case something wasn’t to our liking. On this tour, no one is allowed to go hungry (since it seems they feed us about every 2 or 3 hours).

After the repast, all baskets collected and the coffee & tea stuff put away by Jorge (who is not only a dining steward but also the ship’s bartender who I hear makes a great Pisco Sour), we were off again. Our skiff driver, Belejo went full throttle when he could which is great fun. Another 40 minutes or so on a narrow canal seeing magnolias, banyan trees, and orchids, mistletoe and much more lush, green vegetation.

We will have an hour to relax and change before we go off for the first excursion on Terra Firma to visit a village

and learn more of the people and their culture and lives and so I’m taking time to write here as I can.

W e visited the village of N u e v o Progresso ( a l s o known as the Village

of 100 beds) and had a chance to see a bit how the river people live. We found out that the families are

large (sometimes between 9-12 children) here and close (everyone in the village was related). We learned how farina is made by mashing the pulp of overripe yucca and collecting and cooking the starch. We visited a school where the children, 15 of which were schooled there 9 months out of the year with a teacher supplied by the

state, sang to us and we sang to them. We saw ducks and chickens throughout the village and a few very skinny dogs. We saw corn dried in the rafters of a house and had an opportunity to help the local economy by buying some of the handicrafts—hand-carved animals, seed & shell necklaces mostly. Ed and I picked up a pair of dolphins. So, other than being very, very hot, it was a very pleasant experience and extremely interesting. We’re traveling with a group of intelligent, inquisitive, well-educated people and its not difficult to learn when people ask good questions that spur others to ask more questions.

After siesta, it was time to go into the jungle on foot to try to see monkeys. We were warned that the terrain was rough and muddy and the atmosphere wrought with mosquitoes and fire ants. Plus, we were told to wear our gators (thick vinyl squares that Velcro to the lower leg to help prevent snake bite).

Even though I will always say that it was worth the trip in, I’ll admit that the greatest victory for me was that they didn’t carry me out on a sedan chair/litter. I didn’t do too well, being stupido enough to think I could keep up with the faster group. Eventually, I stopped and said that I would wait for the slower group. About the time they caught up I couldn’t catch my breath (like an asthma attack and I’ve never had one). Hulber asked if I wanted to go back and I asked if we were more than half way there. He said we were and I was under the impression, as was everyone else in the group, that we were going to loop around. Turned out not to be true but I didn’t know that and I kept going. Eventually, when we did

February 6: Lago Campano to Nuevo Progresso to Aguajal

Peru – February 2007 8

turn around, I needed a lot of help from Kate, one of the other passengers, and Mike, the other skiff driver (and my Guardian Angel). We were told the trail would be a mile and it was more like three (guess that’s a Peruvian mile). Oh, well, I got to see a blue morpho butterfly and up til then no one else did besides Kate and me. A few of the ones that made the whole hike got to see a couple of monkeys and I guess the howler monkeys were really something to hear, but in general no one seemed excited about their finds. Hulber, Hernando, Belejo, and Mike were all very concerned about me but like I said, I made it out under my own power even if I did have to stop a lot.

Back on the ship FINALLY, I downed a couple of bottles of propel and took a shower. It’s a good thing I know the symptoms of heat stroke so I stopped whenever I felt nauseous or shaky. I never did stop sweating though, and even if I changed to a bright red for a bit, I did okay. We made it up for tonight’s band, “Jerry and the Chunky Monkeys” and then to dinner. I ate lightly, avoiding the lasagna and stuck to rice, chicken, the tomato/mozzarella salad, and zucchini. Dessert was

a passion fruit pie (very cheesecake like) and chocolate ice cream. (I nibbled some of Ed’s.).

We were told our schedule for tomorrow which includes a long morning trip (8:30-13:00) with a picnic lunch packed and brought for us. There is an option for another forest walk, this time with commentary on the flora we’re seeing and the relationships between the flora and fauna, or we can go on another boat ride. I think I’ll opt for more time on the boat. After siesta, we’ll get to go on a fishing trip and then after dinner, a night boat trip. So, off to bed we go, ready to continue the adventure tomorrow. BTW—no rain the rainforest yet. Guess it’s cuz I’m here. (I once went to Ireland during the rainy season and had 9 days of sun out of 10.)

February 6: Lago Campano to Nuevo Progresso to Aguajal (cont)

Finally, a day we get to sleep in—7:00 for the knock on the door for breakfast at 7:30. Although both Ed and I were up before 6:00 and up to the top deck to watch the sunrise with Paul (Cindy joined us later). There isn’t a lot of variations in breakfasts but they’re tasty and get us started nicely.

After a pleasant ride, where we got to find a bunch of long-nosed bats that were camouflaged so well to the bark of the tree that they were pretty much invisible. I’m amazed anyone could catch sight of them. We were told that they eat about 800 mosquitoes an hour at night. We dropped most of the party off for their nature hike while a handful of us opted to stay on the skiff. Ed, Paul, Cindy, Diana, and Jolene went on the hike and said they enjoyed it. Hal, Doris and I along with 4 others decided we’d rather go for a boat ride.

The first thing we did was backtrack a bit because Belejo thought he saw something. Luckey we were that he did since we got to see three Monk Saki Monkeys high up. One wandered away but we watched the other two until WE got bored and decided to explore elsewhere. We got to try something called “Monkey Ice Cream” or pacae or ice cream bean. It is a long, golden pod filled with large black seeds (about the size of a great northern bean) encased in a white, fleshy pulp that is similar in texture to a mango only fuzzier.

One of the fun moments was to pass by a small

homestead where we saw a small boy standing on the shore surrounded by a swarm of butterflies. Suddenly, with no worries whatsoever, he tore all his clothes off and jumped into the river, swimming with joy.

We found a large lake which was interesting for its lack of vegetation—hmmmmmmm, not really lack but sparsity. Belejo nuzzled the boat into a shady spot after a while and we just talked to Hernando, Jorge, and Belejo. After a bit, we returned to where we’d left the others and all joined up again, in a swarm of mosquitoes. With about 14 per skiff, we set out to find a shady spot without skeeters to have lunch.

They’d packed a nice lunch of pork roast, hard-cooked eggs, salad, palmetto, potato, breadsticks, a juice box, and bananas. It was a pleasant and tasty experience being able to be so far in the middle of nowhere without a care in the world.

We seemed to race back to the ship, sometimes going so fast we almost didn’t make the turn and Belejo had to back up and kind of do a Y-turn. We were soon back on board and the ship was moving to the next stop while we had siesta time.

The afternoon fishing excursion was definitely an experience. I didn’t catch anything though I had one almost out of the water when it let go of the meat. Our boat caught about a dozen piranhas (black, white, and red-bellied), a small catfish that was about 10” long and something I can only call a sardine. Ed caught the first for our boat—a red-bellied one. The bait is pieces of raw beef and there were moments when it felt we were just there to feed the fish as they nibbled the meat off our hooks. This is a bad time of year for fishing since there is so much land that is flooded, the fish have a lot more territory to roam in and a lot more to eat.

We had a nice fast ride back to the ship and beyond, still able to catch sightings of many birds including

February 7: Yanayucca creek to Monochocha to Tipishca to Iberia

Peru – February 2007 9

scarlet macaws, a black-crested heron, blue & gold macaws, and others. A one point a trio of scarlet macaws flew overhead, the sunset catching the colour beautifully.

Once back on the ship, which was docked at a small homestead, we had fun watching 2 small girls take a dugout out to try to catch a big, black chicken that was swimming away. Yep, it really was a chicken—I wasn’t the only one who saw it.

Music tonight was by “Jerry and the Red-Bellied Piranhas” and we had some dancing assistance by three young sisters from the homestead we were docked by. Margarita (12 years old), Lucinda (8 years), and Maria (5 years), all enjoyed dancing with us as well as the Orange Crush and popcorn they got to share with us.

Dinner consided of a salad of fresh spinach, tomatoes, white asparagus, and cucumber, a casserole of corn, hard-cooked eggs, and ground beef, the piranhas we caught, fish steam in banana leaves, some kind of chicken, saffron rice, barley juice, and an orange cake that was topped with an orange flavoured dolce con leche frosting.

15 minutes after dinner we got to go on the night excursion. If we thought Belejo was a wonderful boat driver during the day, he is incredible at night. We had a hand-held spot-light that Hulber would flash from shore to shore until he saw glowing eyes. We saw a night hawk, some fisher bats, a 3-yo white caiman that some of us,

including Diana, Paul, and I got to hold, a red-bellied dragon fly, and some incredibly small frogs. But the most amazing part of this trip was the canopy of stars (I cannot remember seeing them so 3-dimensional before)

and the sounds. Just sitting still a couple of times in the dark with the skiff’s motors stopped, as we listened to the ever-changing symphony of the rainforest.

Oh, yea, speaking of that—another day and night with no rain in the rainforest.

Tomorrow, another village and more exploring as we begin our journey back towards Iquitos. Already? Seems too soon.

February 7: Yanayucca creek to Monochocha to Tipishca to Iberia (cont)

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Our first activity after the standard breakfast was a talk by Hulber on the 3rd deck about the lives of the Riberneros (or river people). He spoke of food to start with and that took so long that he barely got to transportation and never got to education or government although most of it was explained by the end of the morning.

Goods either grown or raised or gathered by the Riberneros include fish, yucca, chickens, eggs, watermelon, papaya, bananas, pork, cheese, rice, corn and pacae (among other things). Some is seasonal like rice that cannot be grown in this season.

After the take we went over to the village (pueblo) of Galicia—population about 255. We learned much about their government, daily schedule, and education. The village has a governor who is elected every 2 years by a democratic vote. Usually 3 people run and it can be men or women. They can vote when they turn 18—in fact, it’s compulsory to do so until they turn 60 when it becomes optional. Failure to do so will result in a fine of doing community service.

We visited a house and spoke to the head of the house and his wife. He is 29 and built the house when he was 18. He had been married at 16 to a widow who was 39 at them. He makes farina form the yucca and sells it. He is well-educated, having gone to the town of Requena for a secondary education and expects his son to do so, too.

Their day starts at 6:00 and they eat the morning meal at 8:00. They work until 14:30 or so to break for dinner and pretty much need to be within mosquito netting by 18:00.

The school had 50 students from kindergarten through 8th grade. We got to enjoy songs by them, learned to count from 1-10 in Spanish and taught them the same in English. We sang our national anthem in response to theirs (good thing most of us have been to baseball games). They have a large church and the community is 90% Catholic with the other 10% made up of any denomination where a missionary succeeded more than another sect did. They have no priest but there is someone in the village that is trained to do baptisms, marriages, and funeral rites. Interestingly enough, as the government of the state supplies teachers, they also provide free health care (all children have five immunizations before they are a year old), and free birth control with the education on how to use it (pills and condoms).

There is neither AIDS here nor crime. Land disputes don’t happen. Possessions aren’t that important. In the center of the village is a large soccer field where our guides and some of the crew went to in order to play when we had lunch. (They said it was their way of supporting the local economy—they bet on the games and lose.)

February 8: Iberia to Galicia to the Rio Aleman to San Vicente

Peru – February 2007 11

We got to shop in a craft market they set up in their community hall. More carvings and necklaces, along with baskets and other small handicrafts were for sale and we were encouraged to also help the local economy.

Back on board, lunch was wonderful once again with much fresh vegetables and fruits, fish and chicken and even some of the farina that they bought for us in Galicia.

After siesta, we took the skiffs out again and saw very little in the way of wild life but much in the way of beautiful scenery. It wasn’t a wasted trip, though, since we got to stop at a homestead and learn how yucca is harvested. The planting is from cuttings off the the tree that grows from the roots that are the edible part of the plant. The tree is first hacked down by machete and then

the roots are pulled up—about 6 to 7 9” yucca per plant. The boat purchased the yucca that we watched being harvested.

The band this night was called “Jerry and the Yucca Plantation Band” and the music was as lively or moreso than ever. The band’s members are the Cabin Stewards (who were actually hired because they were good musicians and then taught to be cabin stewards), the guides, and from time to time one of the boatmen, Mike. Hulber, Hernando, and Victor all take part in the show, too. They have guitars, zampone, a small guitar whose name I forget, a box for percussion, and maracas.

We sat with Victor and Hernando for dinner tonight (which was tomatoes stuffed with veggies and ham, beets, broccoli, rice, spaghetti with an alfredo sauce, chicken in a veggie/tomato sauce, and lemon meringue tart with four choices of ice cream), and learned even more about them and the crew. After dinner, Victor announced that tomorrow’s schedule would include a ride in a dugout canoe, more shopping, instruction from the Cabin Stewards on how to make towel origami (each day, after the morning excursion, we have been treated to a different creation made with one of our towels, left on one bed—a bowtie, a dog wearing my glasses, a shell, a flower, and a candle), an overview of where we’ve been, a cooking lesson, and a tour of the engine room and kitchen. No more excursions after the canoe trip since we still have a long way to go to get back to Iquitos. We’re supposed to dock around 23:00 tomorrow.

So, we just finished day five, and still no rain in the rainforest during rainy season, but a zillon other experiences and memories. Some things have been impossible to catch with the camera and I have no idea how long they’ll stick in my memory without a picture but it was been the trip of a lifetime and worth every second.

February 8: Iberia to Galicia to the Rio Aleman to San Vicente (cont)

Peru – February 2007 12

Peru– February 2007 13

Today, after breakfast, we were to have the opportunity to take a ride in a dugout canoe. I tried on a life vest that we were required to wear but it had no chance of fitting and my hip seemed to be very sore, possibly from slip-sliding in the mud the other day. There was no way for me to bend well enough to get into a dugout. Cindy opted out as well along with a handful of other and we stayed on shore in San Vincente and watched, laughed and took pictures. Doris & Hal got to be together in one of the larger dugouts. A few tipped over and Ed ended up swimming to shore.

After that experience, we were given a choice: wander through the village on our own, head back to the ship, or go swimming. Ed chose to wander since he’d already had his swim and I chose swimming with 4 others. We drifted quite a bit downstream and there was no way of climbing back on the skiff so Hulber set up a rope to tow us back. Unfortunately, about half-way back, I had trouble balancing on the life vest that I had underneath me (that Hulber insisted that I at least hold on to) and the rope and lost hold on the rope. Mike once again came to my rescue (my Guardian Angel this trip), and he shucked shirt and shoes and dove in and swam back with me, holding my hand—we both kicked and had an arm free to swim with, to shore. The swimming was fun, cool and refreshing.

No more off-board excursions now since we have about 192 miles to go to get to Iquitos.

We got to have a cooking lesson with one of the

two cooks from the ship. We learned to make Juanes (named on behalf of St. John). It took cooked (al dente) white rice, hard-cooked eggs, raw eggs, ripe Spanish olives, fresh oregano, chicken that was cooked and stewed with onions, garlic, black pepper, turmeric, and chicken broth, two Pijao leaves (a very flexible leaf—can substitute ginger leaves or corn husks), and a branch of balsa wood. First, pour broth of chicken into the rice and mix in the oregano. Break raw eggs and beat firmly. Add the eggs to the rice mixtures. Take two leaves and bend over and lay them on top of each other at a 90?. Put 2 scoops of rice on the leaves, make a depression in the middles, put a piece of chicken, a hard-cooked egg, and one olive in the depression and cover with rise. Bundle the whole mixture and tie with a piece of the balsa wood (or cord). Boil, immersed in water, for 30 minutes. This was part of our dinner for later tonight.

Lunch today included causa (mashed potatoes stuffed with tuna fish), a curried shredded chicken, rice, salad of avocado, native corn, pepers, pineapple, and lettuce, a beef stir fry, and a purple corn drink called chicha. (Boil purple corn with the skin of pineapple. Add sugar, lemon and cinnamon to taste.) (Also, take note, of a native recipe for a diuretic—boul skin of pineapple for an hour and add a pinch of cinnamon.) For desert, we had sapote (an orange fruit with a large pit much like a mango but tasting more like pacae, rum raisin ice cream and a pineapple cake.

No one really knows how he did it but Hal somehow

February 9 San Vincente to Iquitos

February 9 San Vincente to Iquitos (cont.)

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found a cruise that served ice cream with every meal and had popcorn every night with the cocktails and music. Since Hal has always had a passion for both ice cream and popcorn such that all in the family know about it this seems fitting.

Siesta today found us up on the top deck with books, our headsets, and the MP3 player. I ended up dozing after all even though I thought I wasn’t that tired. I awoke to a sudden change in temperature and the wind whipping up and a voice saying “Bring it on!” We were sure we’d finally get rain. We seemed to be passing through a thunderhead but somehow, my strange luck prevailed, and though we could see the rain near by, and we all rushed to the rail to watch it, we passed it by.

Or it passed us by.After siesta, we received our lesson in towel origami making all the animals that they did in our cabin every day plus a sixth one, a shirt. After this, a review of the trip with maps in hand, and then a tour of the parts of the ship that most people usually don’t see. The engine room the water purification system, and the kitchen. The ship has one engineer who keeps track of the 375 hp engine and the backup generators. There are the two cooks who each have a couple of years of cooking school training. With the help of the Cabin Stewards and the Dining Stewards, they serve up to 31 guests (we were 28) plus the 11 crew. No automatic dishwasher but the rest of the equipment is modern.

We went down to begin packing the bags and got most of it done by 18:30 in time to be up for the band of “Jerry and the Dugout Canoes”/ Lively music and dance, so much so that we really didn’t want to stop. Since the bartender/dining steward, Jorge, and the other dining steward, Carlos, along with the Cabin Stewards/musicians, Edgar & Erilar, all multi-task, it would be a bit too much to expect of them.

The last dinner on board was chicken salad, fish soup, mushroom soufflé, rice, catfish in a rich white asparagus sauce, pepper steak, and an ice cream cakeroll for dessert. After dinner, the whole crew, dressed in uniforms including hats & ties, came in and were all introduced to us. Besides the ones that we’d met thus far, was the Captain (but not the other pilot, Jose), and we went through a wedding reception-like line shaking hands and hugging or kissing or all at once. It was amazing how personal the care was. They learned our names, spent time talking to us when they could, our rooms were attended to three times a day, and plates removed as soon as we look done eating. It was a wonderful experience all around.

We went to bed pretty early after the last bit of packing was done and were up at 5:30. Our bags were out the door by 5:45 and breakfast by 6:00 so we could catch the bus that would take us to the airport at 6:30. We were settled into the VIP lounge and the less humid atmosphere of the air-conditioning but had about 30 minutes to shop a bit. We couldn’t resist the opportunity and found some nice things to bring back. Too soon we were winging it back to Lima.

The flight to Lima was uneventful and we got back to the Swissotel in good time but it was too early to check in. Hernando suggested a couple of restaurants nearby and we decided to go to a seafood place called Alfresco. 5 others chose the same option so we went together. They weren’t really open yet but after Hernando talked

to them they agreed to open up for us and even gave us all free Pisco Sours for their trouble. Yep, I wrote that correctly. They gave us a complimentary drink while we waited. When it came time to order, most of us ordered the house special Ceviche (fish, shrimp, and onions marinated in lime juice) and it was great as was everything that our party ordered.

After lunch, we wandered a few blocks, through a liquor store and a drug store (some of the people we were with were going on to Cusco & Macha Pichu and hadn’t gotten anything for altitude sickness yet so it seemed a good time to do that), and then wandered over to the pyramid that we’d walked around the week earlier.

The Museo de Sitio Huallamarca was an interesting place. A small museum of artifacts found on the site of what had been a temple about 220 years ago, then a burial ground for two separate sets of peoples, and after that a home for the Incas. Our guide, a young lady who is studying tourism at the University, walked us through

the whole site including to the top of the pyramid. Finally, hot a bit tired, we wandered back to the

hotel—and decided a swim was in order. This ended up a bit chillier than expected as a cool afternoon breeze came up but was still refreshing and we had the pool almost to ourselves. We swam for about 45 minutes and found we still had an hour and a half until the farewell dinner.

Instead of wasting that time, not knowing if we’d ever be back to Lima again, we found that for $21 USD we were able to hire one of the hotel’s cars, getting a driver who spoke very good English, to try to see some of the city that we hadn’t seen yet. We did our best to describe where we’d been and though some of our route was the same as the week before, some was very different and well worth the time.

We had just enough time to make it to dinner after the tour and arrived before anyone else. Hernando proudly pointed out the beautifully appointed private dining room that was set up for us. Dinner was quite good with some nice choices. We tried to choose the most

February 10/11: Iquitos to Lima to home

Peru– February 2007 15

Peruvian choices that we could. We skipped the Pisco Sours that were passed around and enjoyed the meal of causa, ceviche, grilled asparagus, broiled sea bass, and a wonderful lucuma soufflé (more like a mousse as far as I could tell) for dessert.

During the breaks between courses we were treated to four different folk dances, danced by a group of six young and talented dancers dressed in bright costumes (a different costume for each dance). The dances showed different cultures of Peru from the Incas to the Ribineros to the Andean people to the Spanish influence. Watching this reminded me that elements of folk dance really do not differ too much around the world as I was reminded of Morris Dancing, English Country Dancing, or other types of folk dance in parts of their dances.

Dinner over, we made our good-byes to the people we had lived with for the past week. These were the people we had just experienced the greatest adventure of our lives with and parting had some pangs of sadness knowing it was over.

I finished packing and climbed into a bubble bath until it was time for Ed to shower and for us to get the shuttle bus back to the airport. Our flight out wasn’t until 1:25 (though it actually left closer to 1:50) and it was only 22:30. Again, the trip wasn’t very memorable though I didn’t sleep as soundly as Ed did. Getting through Immigration and Customs in Atlanta only took about 50 minutes and we got to hurry up and wait another 4 ½ hours til our flight home. I suspect it will be good to be home but I’ll dream of Peru and Amazonia for some time to come.

This travelogue created by Sue Gilbert. Photos are by me, used with my permission. Contact me via email if you want more information.

Photos from the Final Dinner

Photos from the Huallamarca Historical Site

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