Jungle Journal

As for the statue of Pizarro, it is now located off in a corner of the Plaza.  Pizarro was the Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca and founded the city of Lima.  There is a story that says that the statue used to be in the center of the Plaza.  However, the rear of the horse was facing the church, and the priests were unhappy about having their church look at the horse's rear.  So they petitioned the governor and had the statue moved to its present location.

Walking out of the Plaza de Armas, we continued on the Jiron de La Union.  This is a pedestrian only street, which connects to the Plaza San Martin.  The focus of this Plaza is a statue of General Jose de San Martin.  (You can tell they like statues in Peru.)  The General liberated Chile, Argentina and in 1821, Peru from Spanish rule.

When the conquistadors came to the new world, they were always accompanied by some type of priest.  The priests were busy trying to convert the "heathens".  As part of their efforts, the priests often incorporated local customs into their services and when they would build their churches, they would build them on top of existing religious buildings or pyramids.  This would add an instant level of mysticism to the new religion.

The churches in Lima, as well as in the rest of Peru, were built in a very ornate style.  Most of the original buildings, churches included, have been damaged or destroyed by the many earthquakes that occur here.  One of the oldest buildings is, of course, a church.  This is the Franciscan Church and Monastery San Francisco.  Built prior to 1687, it has withstood all the earthquakes, although it has sustained damage.

20 years ago, after one such earthquake, it was discovered that over the centuries, fresco upon fresco were painted on the walls of this church.  The earthquake had an unexpected effect when it knocked some plaster off the walls.  Presto, like magic, fabulous, antique frescos were discovered on the walls beneath the plaster.

One of the highlights of our tour of this church was a visit to the Catacombs dug beneath the building.  The Catacombs are the site of the original burials for the residents of Lima.  Before the church stopped this practice in the early 1800's, between 25,000 and 70,000 people were buried here.  In fact, as we walked under the church, we could still see crypts filled with bones.  Very bizarre!  Then the people forgot about the catacombs until they were rediscovered in the early 20th Century.

An interesting museum we visited was the Museo Rafael Larco Herrera.  Larco Herrera was an archeologist (actually an early pot hunter) who discovered hundreds of ancient sites in the 1920's.  The storage for the museum is open to visitors.  There are shelves literally up to the ceiling FULL of magnificent pots, carvings and other ceramics roughly grouped together into categories like people, animals, food and my favorite, human sacrifice.  There is also an entire room devoted to erotic ceramics.

There is an organization in Lima that helps travelers and explorers in South America.  It is called the South American Explorers Club (SAE).  We made sure we joined as members before leaving for Peru.  While we were in Lima, we stopped at the clubhouse to avail ourselves of their help and information.  The SAE has an extensive library of books, maps and travel reports prepared by other travelers.  These reports are filed by region and date.  We were able to read reports on travel and jungle lodges as well as getting info on the other places we intend to explore, like Machu Picchu. 

Iquitos is actually a small city, with a population of nearly 400,000.  Our main form of transport around the city was via small motorcycle rickshaws called motocarros.  For $.50 or $1.00 we could travel anywhere in town.

One of the recommendations we received from the SAE was to visit the local tourist office for up-to-date information on jungle lodges.  The office has been revamped to provide useful information to travelers.  In the past the office served mainly as an advertising office for the lodges without actually providing valid info.  The new manager had photo books on the lodges, information on prices and even comment books where travelers had recorded good and/or bad experiences.

After reviewing the info, we selected a 3 day, 2 night trip at the Muyuna River Lodge, located 120 km (74 miles) up the Amazon River.  We even arranged to take part in a "cleansing" ceremony performed by a shaman.

On our first day, we took a 3 hour boat ride up the Amazon to the Yanayacu tributary.  The word Yanayacu means ""black water".  The term refers to the dark clear water that is created by the tannins from all the organic matter in the water.  The tributaries are much clearer than the Amazon River itself.

The lodge had eight bungalows made in typical jungle style.  The bungalows were built on stilts, 7 feet high so that they are above the annual high water level reached during the rainy season.  The roofs are thatched and are made by piling layers of palm leaves on top of themselves until a water proof layer has been built.  Other than having private bathrooms, our main luxury was that the rooms were totally enclosed with screening to keep the bugs out.  All the bungalows were connected to the dining room by means of raised walkways.  When the water is high, it comes up to the floors.

We arrived just in time for lunch and were served wonderful river catfish raised by one of the local families.  After lunch we went down the Yanayacu to a small lake that is created when the Amazon floods during the "wet" season.  We had arrived about three weeks into the "dry" season and the water level had already dropped more than 10 feet.  During the wet season, so much water comes out of the mountains that the level of the Amazon River rises up so far that the flow literally dams up the tributaries and the water backs up forming lakes in their place.

Along the way to the lake, we were treated to seeing Squirrel Monkeys playing in the trees and we caught a quick glimpse of a rare pink river dolphin.  When we got to the lake, we found a quiet spot to fish for, you guessed it, Piranha!

Piranha are small, meat eating fish.  As bait we used raw cut up pieces of chicken and fish.  The piranha are quick but Don caught two and I caught one.  That's the first fish I've ever caught!  We had them for dinner that night, um, um good.

After a night in our cabin listening to the night animal sounds, we rose at sunrise for a bird watching trip.  We saw lots and lots of birds.  Parrots, toucans, hawks, eagles, kingfishers, terns, vultures and an interesting bird called a horned screamer.  This bird had horns coming out of the top of its wings and it really does scream.  You can hear it a long way away.  A lot of the birds were located by their songs. Our guide Luis, was very knowledgeable and was able to locate and identify a large variety of birds.

After breakfast and a rest, swinging in the hammocks on the porch of our cabin, we went on a nature walk in the jungle.  Luis pointed out all kinds of medicinal plants and edible fruits.  He also showed us what trees are used by the native people to build their homes, thatch their roofs, make charcoal (from a tree called appropriately enough, the firewood tree) and make household items.  We also saw some beautiful butterflies, including the huge blue Morpho.

After lunch and another swing in our hammocks, we went downriver to see the giant Victoria Amazonica Lily pads.  These plants grow up to 6 feet across and can hold up to 70 lbs of weight.  They get beautiful purple flowers during the day, and when the moths come out in the evening, the flowers close up with the moths inside and turn white.  In the morning the flowers reopen to release the moths so that they can pollinate other lilies.

After seeing the lily pads, we went to where the Yanayacu meets the Amazon.  At the junction of the 2 rivers small gray dolphins play.  They like the abundance of food that comes down the tributaries so they stay in the area.  The dolphins are only 4 - 5 feet long and have gray backs and pink bellies.  We saw 5 dolphins and one of them even jumped completely out of the water while we watched.  It was very exciting to see them.

That evening we took the boat out with large lights to find caimans.  These are alligator-like reptiles that are nocturnal.  Luis used his light to spot the red glowing eyes and the boatman was able to bring the boat right up to the light-blinded caiman so that Luis could grab him and bring him into the boat.  The caiman was two feet long and had two sets of eyelids to protect his eyes in the water.  He also had the ability to completely close off his throat so that he wouldn't swallow water. After getting a good look at him, we released him safely back into the water.

On our last day at the lodge we visited the local village of San Juan de Yanayacu.  One of the local people had caught a boa constrictor that morning and wanted to show it to us.  It was about 5 feet long and was curled around the man's arm.  He handed it to Don to hold.  They had also found a baby sloth that they planned on releasing in a safe area.  Boy was that cute!

We then visited with the students and the teacher at the school.  When we arrived, the kids were playing their equivalent of "duck, duck, goose" only they called it "perro, perro, gato" (dog, dog, cat!).  The school is a one-room building with 4 chalkboards and about 40 desks.  All the primary school-aged children sit in the room divided into four grade groups.  The teacher writes a lesson on each board and goes from group to group teaching the lesson for that grade.  There was also a kindergarten for ages 3-5.  There weren't very many school supplies available, so the teachers were very creative in using local items like leaves and bark for art projects.

Peru has mandatory education for primary aged students, with about 95% of the students attending.  Secondary school is not mandatory and only about 40% attend secondary or high school.

After lunch it was time to return back down the Amazon to Iquitos.  Good-bye to the jungle

On our last day in Iquitos we toured an area called Belen.  Although this area is a shantytown, during the high water season the water makes the place look like the "Venice of the Amazon".  We hired a canoe to tour the "canals".  Some of the homes are actually floating on rafts.  The area even has electricity.  Imagine living on a raft while still having electricity.  In the central market, there is a side street where vendors sell herbal remedies made from jungle products.  We saw piles of bark, plants, bottles of elixirs and even anaconda snakeskins and animal pelts. For our final dinner, we took a motocarro across town where we ate at a restaurant built on stilts over the river.  We shared a 3 lb river fish and split a large beer for only US $7.00!  A truly great way to end our Amazon adventure..

The Nazca people created over 150 drawings on the desert floor.  They created fish, birds, trapezoids and other shapes.  The amazing thing is that these designs are not visible from the ground, only from the air.  This has created much speculation about the people.  One thing for sure is they were great mathematicians and could calculate the size of these shapes without being able to see them.

While we were flying, the pilot would do his best to let everyone see the figures.  He did this by spinning around in tight circles and by banking the plane sharply from side to side.  Kim was the only person on the plane not to lose her equilibrium.

That night we took the first of our long distance, overnight buses.  The ride was actually quite pleasant and we slept most of the way.  Getting on board was something else.  The bus was delayed 3 hours as the original bus was involved in some type of accident and never arrived. 

We awoke in the city of Arequipa, a large, but nice city located at the base of several dormant volcanoes.  The tallest stands at over 6000 meters, over 18,000 feet tall.

We have just returned from an excellent day trip into the mountains to the Vicuña Reservation. Vicuñas are a type of camelid, also related to the llama and the alpaca.  While the latter are domesticated, the Vicuñas are wild and only found in the Peruvian Andes.  We were very lucky and saw two herds.  Their coloring and size are similar to the pronghorn antelope we have in Arizona.

The reserve is at an elevation of over 3,800 meters (nearly 12,000 feet).  On our tour we stopped for breakfast at a restaurant that was at 4,225 meters.  The Andes are incredibly tall and the temperature was on the cool side.  We have already bought alpaca sweaters to help keep us warm. 
Outside Arequipa are two canyons which vie for the title of deepest canyon on earth.  We had hoped to see them and judge for ourselves, however, we have run out of time and have to move on. 

Tonight we are taking another night bus to Lake Titicaca.  We were just warned that the temperature there is unseasonably cold, almost freezing.  Guess we'll be wearing our new sweaters a lot.

The base of reeds that make up the raft eventually reach about 4 ft. thick.  There are over 100 rafts on the lake.  The rafts themselves are a variety of different sizes.  Some may hold 3 or 4 families, while others actually have stores, restaurants and even a Post Office.  These larger rafts eventually get so thick that they actually sit on the floor of the lake.  The tops of the rafts are soft and springy, so walking on them is like walking on a waterbed.

On the island we visited, the homes were all made of totora reeds and the residents support themselves by selling trinkets and giving tours.  There was even a shaky lookout tower built on the island.  After climbing to the top and swaying on the platform, we were treated to a bird's eye view of the island and those of their neighbors. 

Later in the day we took a tour to explore an old Inca burial in funerary towers called "chullpas".  These are round towers built of impressive interlocking granite blocks, and rising up to 36 ft tall.  The ground around the towers is littered with thousands of pieces of broken pottery.

When we returned to the city we found that it was market day.  In addition to the regular daily market, traditionally dressed indigenous locals come from miles around to sell their produce, flowers and woolen items.  They set up stalls or spread their wares right on the sidewalks and streets outside the main market and bus terminal.  The women literally disappear behind piles of potatoes, corn, onions and other items. 

June 18, 2000

Today we took a bus to Cusco, the gateway for Machu Picchu.  We splurged and took a tourist bus as we were told it would stop at various sites and ruins along the road.  As it turned out, other than a stop for lunch and another at an interesting 17th century church, the only time we stopped was when we insisted on it.  The bus driver, as it happens, was in a hurry to get home to celebrate Father's Day with his family.  Peruvians celebrate both Father's Day and Mother's Day the same as we do.

The drive itself was very interesting as we crossed over a 4,335 mts. (13,000 ft.) pass and then followed the Vilcahota River into the valley above Cusco.  The Vilcahota is one of the furthest tributaries of the Amazon River.

Later in the day, we approached a town at which we were to visit another church.  But when we arrived we found a full blown festival going on.  The driver didn't want to stop, but we insisted.  The festival was Raqchi, and it only happens once a year.  Indigenous people from all over the department (state) come.  There were traditional dancers from each region.  Crowds of people sat watching the festival from their perches atop the Inca terraces. 

June 20, 2000

Today is our second day at Machu Picchu.  We're  sitting on a spur of Huayna Picchu looking out over a vista that includes Machu Picchu and the Urubamba river.  We've been here since 7:30am and have had the place pretty much to ourselves.  The tourist hordes are just now starting to arrive, but from our lookout, it is peaceful and you can hear the river and the birds singing. 

We arrived yesterday in Aquas Calientes by train.  There are only two ways to get to Machu Picchu. By train or by foot on the Inca Trail.  From Aquas Calientes we took a bus up the mountain to MP. 

Our first view of these magnificent ruins was pretty much the view that you see in all the classic photographs.  It is a massive place that one could spend days exploring.  There are hundreds of rooms.  Some have exquisite stonework, others have hidden niches and still others are maze-like.  All of it is awe-inspiring

.It is built in the saddle of a huge mountain and grasses cover the steeply terraced hillsides.  It was rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham.  The Spanish Conquerors were apparently unaware of the city which lead to speculation that the city had been abandoned prior to their arrival.

In the center of the complex is a terraced pyramid that is bordered on one side by the central plaza.  The plaza holds the "Temple of the 3 windows".  This building is considered to include the most exquisite Incan stonework.  The huge carved stone blocks are perfectly fitted together so tightly that you can't slip a knife between them.  There is no mortar, just a perfect fit.

After a marvelous time at MP, we are off to visit the Sacred Valley.  As the Peruvians say, Ciao.

The next day we were treated to the longest parade we have ever seen.  I couldn't say what the length was in people but it lasted for 12 or more hours.  The people were all attired in traditional clothing and had musicians following them.  Some danced, some waved and others just walked.  But it went on from morning till night.

For dinner that evening we decided to have the Peruvian delicacy "cuy".  Translated, that means guinea pig.  It is a traditional dish that is roasted or fried and served whole.  We ordered ours roasted and had to wait an hour for it to be served.  During our wait we were entertained by Quechua musicians playing traditional music on flutes and stringed instruments.  When our cuy arrived, it was attractively laid out on a platter with a tomato in its mouth.  The waiter asked us if we wanted to take a picture but we declined.  He then took it back to the kitchen and quartered it for easier eating.  Oh, and he removed the head.

The next day was Inti Raymi.  This is a celebration of the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere.  It is an Incan holiday which was banned by the Spanish after their conquest.  The Incas would celebrate the day by chanting all day long.

The present holiday was resurrected by the City of Cusco in the 1970's and is celebrated as a pageant.  Nearly 200 people portray Incas in various roles.  The finale is the mock sacrifice of a llama.  It was the greatest of all the Inca festivals.

Inti Raymi (click here to see photos) is one of the reasons we travelled here.  It is a celebration like Mardi Gras, people everywhere, parades and parties.   We started the day early in order to watch the "opening ceremonies" at a church that was built atop a holy Inca pyramid.  The "Incas" came out of the church and filled the courtyard with their colorful costumes.  The main event in the morning was when the Inca Ruler made an offering to the Sun God.  By getting there early, we had a great vista to watch the show.  Our luck in this regard held all day as we were able to get good viewing spots along the procession route.  The pageant then moved from the church down narrow walkways to the main town square.  Later in the day, the whole show moved 5km out of town to the ruins of Sacsayhuaman (sounds like sexy woman).

The ruin itself is spectacular just for the quantity of large boulders cut and fitted together by the Incas.  In the midst of the ruins, the pageant continued surrounded by thousands of onlookers, including us.  We were all perched along the ruins and the terraces looking down on the show.  In addition to the pageant, the festival put on by the local people was a show in itself.  Carnival rides, clowns and food vendors (we decided to pass on the congealed noodles) going on throughout the day and into the night.  We didn't have the stamina to last through the whole thing.  It was an amazing sight, definitely worth braving the crowds.

The next day we moved on, by means of a 20 hour bus and taxi ride across the Andes to the city of Ayacucho.  The ride was over very rough, narrow "roads", through great vistas.  The roads themselves were exciting as they had no guard rails and were not even wide enough to pass other vehicles.  We traveled up to the Altiplano at nearly 12,000 feet, then dropped down into valleys that were only hundreds of feet above sea level, then climbed back up.  Up and down, that was how the day went until we finally arrived, thankfully in one piece.