Amazon Adventure

 The Amazon jungle is the world’s most famous, and arguably the world’s most important ecosystem – the “lungs” of the world are home to a diverse array of flora and fauna which not only make this jungle unique, but incredibly beautiful too.

Some quick Amazon facts that might interest you:

• The Amazon River flows through nine countries
• The Amazon Basin contains one fifth of the world's fresh water
• It contains 30% of all the flora and fauna in the world
• There are 40,000 plant species found in the Amazon; 7500 butterfly species; and over 2.5 million insect species!

Visiting the Amazon was on the top of my to-do list in South America, and communication with Juan – a professional jungle guide – started many months prior to mine and my sister’s arrival in the bustling town of Iquitos, Northern Peru. Emails of broken English and unpunctuated sentences were difficult to decipher, but our dates were confirmed and we had little idea about what else the trip entailed. My only request was that we go far off the tourist track where we could enjoy an authentic jungle experience.

My Amazon trip was not only going to be a memorable and special experience to share with my sister, but a meaningful adventure for the both of us as our parents traveled to the Amazon together in 1987, two years before our dad passed away. This is something that we have always wanted to do together.

Dad holding a blowfish in the Comores

We arrived in the chaotic town of Iquitos after a long and cramped 12 hour ferry trip up the Amazon River from the small Colombian town of Leticia. This part of the river was relatively uncharming. A wide, milky brown river with ramshackle villages dotted along its edges and evident deforestation and agriculture lining its sandy banks.

Juan was waiting for us as the boat docked and greeted us with a wide toothless grin and a big hug and kiss. Surprisingly, he spoke perfect English. He guided us through the bursting crowd who offered taxi’s, hotels, and jungle tours, and whisked us off in a tuc-tuc while simultaneously giving us a run-down of the afternoon’s activities, all in preparation for our early morning quest into the jungle.

We dumped our bags in our hotel and were taken to a bank and a supermarket before going to Juan’s house to meet his wife and seven daughters, and to discuss our plans for the next 5 days. Queli, Juan’s wife, showed little enthusiasm at our arrival and greeted us with a two second glance through her squint eye. We were told by Juan that she was the boss. She handled the finances and arranged all the catering for the trip. We met several of their daughters who lazily hung around the empty concrete house having children and living off Juan’s humble income. We told Queli we were not vegetarians and ate everything (in hindsight this was probably not the best approach) and she furiously wrote down a shopping list as we handed over our money.

Juan is in his mid-60s and has a never-ending amount of energy and enthusiasm. There was never a dull moment in his presence, and from the first moment we met him he treated us like daughters, calling us his “Amazon princesses”.

His face is full of character and deep wrinkles, with bright glossy eyes and a wide beaming smile that told of a colourful and fascinating life. We were looking forward to getting to know this interesting man.

Juan is most definitely a talker. Once you get him going he is unlikely to stop chattering until you either fall asleep or leave the room. Luckily for us, everything he spoke about was incredibly interesting. He is not only an expert in medicinal plants of the Amazon, but has a rich knowledge of the history of the Jungle from its rubber and oil booms, to the tragic plight of the indigenous Indians that used to (and in some places still do) live in the jungle.

That night we riffled through our backpacks and packed only our essentials into one bag. Excited, but anxious about what lay ahead, we fell asleep to the noisy streets of Iquitos and dreamed of the great Amazon.

The taxi ride to Nauta, a small village on the edge of civilization and the gateway to the beginning of the Amazon River, was filled with Juan’s chattering and Queli’s snoring. We reached the Nauta docks and found our boat that would take us to Lake Yarina – our jungle base for the next 5 days.  Nauta is chaotic and lively. Local stores line the streets and sell everything from fake Tupperware to second hand clothing. Queli went off to buy supplies while Juan whisked us off to buy gumboots – apparently trekking in the jungle is impossible without shin-high rubber boots to protect you from mud, stinging vegetation, and millions of mosquitos.

Bathroom-cum-kitchen in Nauta restaurant

We left Nauta on a long narrow boat that chugged slowly down the Marañon River. Juan pointed out things of interest while Queli tried to control our dinner – a live chicken lying in the front of the boat with its feet tied and wings flapping furiously – at least it’ll be fresh we agreed. The Marañon meets the Uyacali River and forms the Amazon River. Our first stop would be this junction – the start of the biggest river in the world.

The junction is a massive body of water with three large arms extending in different directions. These three rivers – the Amazon, the Marañon, and the Uyacali, are the ‘roads’ of this part of the Amazon, and hundreds of boats and cargo ships travel up and down them each month, taking food and supplies to villages and communities that depend on this vitally important water source.

At the junction of the Maranon and Ucayali Rivers - The start of the Amazon River

The junction is the best place to spot pink dolphins and it was definitely our lucky day. Countless pink humps and fins broke the surface of the water as we excitedly pointed in different directions. These beautiful creatures live throughout the Amazon but are more common in specific areas where there is a healthy supply of fish. Fortunately, they are one of the few creatures in the Amazon that are not killed for meat, and can’t be used as pets to earn tips from camera-happy tourists who jump at the opportunity to have a photo with the creature, without realising they are keeping this cruel industry afloat.

After a further two hours up the Uyacali River towards the border of Ecuador we turned off the main river and into a smaller, more beautiful river fringed with thick jungle and amazing bird and butterfly life. We passed several small villages where young children splashed excitedly on the water’s edge and watched in amazement as two white girls passed their remote village in a spluttering boat.

We eventually reached our base, hauled our bags out the boat and walked a short distance through the jungle to Lake Yarina. Vladimir and Cecilio were there to meet us in a tiny canoe filled with fishy smelling water. They are decendants of the Yomes Indians who used to live in this part of the jungle, and are caretakers of the ‘bungalow’ we would be staying in. Not only were they incredibly humble, salt-of-the-earth men, but they knew the jungle like the back of their hands, and were expert fisherman as we soon came to find out.

Vladimir

The lake, fringed by beautiful, unspoilt jungle, also had a centimeter-thick layer of green Amazon slime covering it, and in certain places was even bubbling. Lisa and I shot each other a worried glance and tried to calculate how we would get across the lake without sinking. Juan enthusiastically ushered us into the tiny canoe along with Queli and Vladimir and we began making our way across the dubious looking lake.

The canoe sunk deeper as the people piled in, and the slimy green liquid was now flush with the top edge of the canoe. Lisa and I, desperate not to be submerged in Lago Bonnita, worriedly shifted our weight to prevent the water streaming in over the sides. Queli and Vladimir, however, seemed less concerned about the disease-breeding water and made little contribution to our cause.

We arrived at the bungalow safe and dry and took a minute to absorb the jungle sights and sounds that surrounded us. The bungalow, little more than a wooden room with a raised walkway connecting it to the main area and ‘kitchen’, was beautifully basic, but beautiful nonetheless. Juan escorted us to our large spacious room, and we were instantly relieved not to be sleeping in hammocks. This excitement, however, was instantly quashed after Juan casually announced that him and Queli would be in the double bed, and Lisa and I can choose between the two other single beds.

As if sharing a room where the beds were 1 meter apart wasn’t enough, the bathroom wall didn’t reach the ceiling and had no door.

And then Juan dropped the final bomb. There was no running water. But it’s ok ladies he went on enthusiastically on our last day you can have a bath in the village before we go home. Fantastic.

The next four days were mindblowing. Juan woke us up bright an early and prepared us for a our morning walk through the yungle (jungle). Equipped with long pants and gumboots, and greased up with sunscreen and insect repellent we ventured into the thick, humid jungle. Vladimir and Cecilio led the way and used their machetes to clear the overgrown paths. Juan told us interesting facts about the jungle and showed us different plants used for various medicinal purposes. Cat’s Claw for the immune system; Jungle Onion for acne; and Bat’s Claw for cataracts. He demonstrated how termites could be squashed between the hands and spread over the body as an effective insect repellent – with five days of not showering ahead of us, we politely declined. He also alerted us to the ‘Dick Tree’ as he liked to call it – a tree with penis shaped branches, and encouraged us to take a sample home to show our friends and family.

Drinking Cat's Claw water for immunity

The jungle is a living, breathing organism. In every direction there is an insect; a butterfly; thousands of leaf-cutter ants; countless flowering plants; and creeping vines and roots that trip you and trap you at every turn.

The noises are mesmerizing. You can hear hooting and whistling in one direction, and howling and barking in the opposite direction. The amphitheatre of sounds and smells keep the senses alert with anticipation, and we had our eyes peeled anxiously waiting for the chance to spot the next exotic specimen.

As the sun warmed the damp jungle the humidity rose, and the insects came alive in their millions. We have spent a lot of time in the African bush, but the insects in the Amazon are on another level. They crawl over your feet and up your arms, and drop off leaves and branches into your hair and onto your face. You have to constantly swat and wave your arms to avoid becoming a giant insect infested organism.

I felt something crawling up my neck one afternoon and alerted Lisa who screeched loudly, and jumped a foot into the air as if I had an anaconda wrapped around my neck! It was a small millipede, but Lisa’s reaction was justified after Juan told us this cretin commonly crawls into the ear and feeds off the brain. Just another little jungle surprise.

The trees and plants in this part of the world seem to be on steroids, and are bigger, taller, thicker and more impressive than I have seen anywhere in the world. Trunks 4 meters wide rise into branchless towers and spread a magnificent canopy over the jungle. Thick strangling vines and elastic creepers hang off trees, and giant ferns provide a platform for mosses, fungi, and countless insects to live on.

The Amazon is famed for its unique wildlife and each year thousands of people visit in the hope of getting a rare glimpse of a jaguar, pink dolphin, sloth, capybara, or the beautiful macaw. We were incredibly lucky on our trip, and thanks to the expert skills of Vladimir, Cecilio, and Juan, we saw pink dolphins, a sloth with its baby, several species of monkeys, a fer-de-lance (the deadliest snake in the Amazon which Vladimir swiftly beheaded with his machete), flocks of stunning blue and yellow macaws, and countless other beautiful birds and insects.

Fer-der-lance's head on Vladimir's machete

The morning’s walks were rewarded with a hearty breakfast of huevos ranchero with chips, sauteed potatoes, rice, or stale bread, and Bovril smelling coffee. After five solid days of eating eggs neither of us could look at one without feeling queasy.

Queli was a great cook and used a lot of spices and seasoning in her food. Lunch was a plate of rice with whatever meat was available. Vladimir and Cecilio had slaughtered a wild boar a week before we arrived, and Queli promptly decided what better way to show us the jungle life than eating smoked wild boar at every meal? Hence our regret in not saying we were vegetarian, especially after witnessing the local jungle smoking process.

Occasionally we’d walk into the kitchen to help chop or peel, but couldn’t help but notice the rotting fish remains, fly infested organic matter, and rancid dish water that sat millimeters away from our soon-to-be breakfast or lunch. We decided that helping out in the kitchen was not in the least bit helpful and simply resulted in us losing our appetites.

Piranhas getting smoked

There was no room to be fussy or precious about one’s comfort in the jungle. We ate everything that was given to us; slept alongside the interesting nighttime sounds that came from Juan’s ablution visits (and then dealing with the aftermath that remained thanks to no flushing toilet); and went days without washing while slowly itching away layers of skin thanks to the building up of grime on our constantly greased up bodies.

From day one Lisa and I sacrificed our precious drinking water to wash our faces and brush our teeth, but as the days went on and our bodies got itchier, we decided to sacrifice another bottle for the sake of our health. Leaning over the tiny hand basin, and in the most interesting of poses so not to completely wet the floor, we managed to pour a little water over our arms, chests, and backs and scrubbed like hell with the strongest soap we could find. This bought us a few hours of relief before we had to leave the room again and cake ourselves in greasy lotions.

The afternoons were hot and lazy, and were one of the few times we could sit on the wooden deck and not be eaten alive by mosquitoes. The heat rendered us incapable of reading or writing, but we resorted to lounging in some most uncomfortable cane chairs, and spent hour after peaceful hour staring at Lago Bonnita while chatting to Juan and listening intently as he relayed to us stories from his fascinating life.

Lazy afternoon chatting to Juan

When the heat subsided we went piranha fishing on the lagoon with Vladimir and Cecilio (cue very small canoe and advanced balancing techniques). As the sun dipped lower the light on the lagoon and its surrounding jungle was absolutely beautiful. The middle of the lake was so tranquil and peaceful, and the only disturbances came from an excited Cecilio when he caught a piranha, or from a flock of noisy green parrots as they flew overhead.

Fishing with Cecilio

We returned in the early evenings to a beautifully lantern-lit bungalow, where Queli made us delicious chai tea and coffee for dinner. This was mosquito territory now, and we swatted furiously at our faces and legs trying to get some sort of relief form the persevering nuisances. Juan and Queli seemed particularly unfazed by the ongoing slaughter and simply sipped on their tea as they lazily swung in their hammocks.

One of the highlights of our experience was going on the lake at night. Not only were there no mosquitoes on the lake, but the sky was a canopy of brightly shining stars, and the jungle around the lake was filled with fireflies and luminous insects that glowed and flashed in an attempt to attract mates. Different jungle sounds erupted around us, and the magical atmosphere with its tranquility and peacefulness will be hard to beat.

On our last day we were ready to leave. The experience had been incredible, but we had had enough of mosquitoes, enough of itching, enough of being dirty, and enough of eggs and wild boar. We looked forward to our last night in a local village and said our fond farewells to the wonderful Vladimir and Cecilio.

Castillo village was a relatively well developed village with a school and a football field. The rest of the village was made up of several basic wooden platforms with roofs (houses) where families up to as many as ten people lived together in one large room with low walls and no windows.

We stayed with an elderly man and woman who ran a small shop from their front door selling only warm cokes, beers, cooking oil, and cigarettes – the village essentials. Hoards of children crowded at the front door to stare at the strange looking white people in their midst’s, and we handed them each crayons and notebooks to which they responded with utter jubilation.

We were shown to our room – four paper-thin walls about my height where a single mattress could only just fit in. This was the bed we would share Juan told us. At least there was a mosquito net, what more could we ask for?

The afternoon was spent chatting to the family and Juan, and trying to find some small amount of relief from the relentless jungle heat.

At last it began to cool down and Queli announced that our first bath in 5 days was now ready. It was as if someone had told us we’d won the lottery – our smiles stretched from ear to ear as we jumped up excitedly, and the elderly family members burst into fits of laughter. The day had finally come. My skin was now itching so badly that I was on the verge of buying warm coke to scrub off the sweat and sunscreen. We were led through the kitchen and shown into the bathroom, well, kitchen-cum-bathroom, more an extension of the kitchen where a small bucket of clean water waited for us amidst dead bloody chickens and rotting fish bones. Soap and water had never felt so good. 

Our first bath in 5 days

Clean and fresh, we wandered over to the river’s edge (back to the junction where the Amazon River begins) and watched the most beautiful sunset as we recollected the past few days’ events and laughed out loud at all our experiences.

The late evening was spent swatting away mosquitoes as Juan insisted on giving us each a (drunk) tarot card reading. Trying to hold back our laughter, Lisa was warned against a lesbian stalker, while I was told of an Italian woman that will enter my life. Hmmm, I guess marriage is off the cards then?

It was time for bed, and time to escape the chances of being eaten alive by insects or swallowed by the jungle’s heat. Our bed was uncomfortable to say the least. The sheets stunk of old Vienna sausages which prompted Lisa to douse the entire room in Teatree oil (resulting in my sinuses almost being burnt). The room was barely long enough to fit my body – my feet were pressed up against the one wall, while my head touched the opposite wall; the heat was unbearable, and the mosquito net was so good that it wouldn’t have let an amoeba in, let alone a mosquito, resulting in us battling to breath.

After two hours of tossing and turning we were just falling asleep when the religious congregation next door decided it was a great time to start banging on drums and singing the most unmelodious songs late into the night. Jesus Christ. All we want is some sleep.

What an incredible experience. We had been in our own private jungle paradise, not another tourist in sight, and in the company of local Peruvians living the way they live and enjoying their customs and routines. We ate with Juan, Queli, Vladimir, and Cecilio; cooked with them; shared a room with them, and experienced authentic jungle life. The Amazon was everything we imagined and more, and the sheer kindness, generosity, and enormous spirit of Juan and Queli made this an unforgettable experience, and the trip of a lifetime.

If anyone is planning on visiting the Peruvian Amazon and is looking for a similar experience please contact Juan Maldonado at amazonjuan2000@yahoo.com - you will not be disappointed!

I love this quote my sister wrote me in my journal:

"Nowhere - That's the place we want to be. One must escape from the world's somewhere's into our very own nowhere"