Viaje en el Rio Amazonas

Down the Amazon and into another world
By KARL SICKAFUS, Special to the Local News
08/17/2008

Well, you get a week full of experiences, images and memories that could never be adequately put in words.Two companies -- Overseas Adventure Travel (www.oattravel.com) of Cambridge, Mass., and Jungle Expeditions (www.junglex.com) of Iquitos, Peru -- teamed up to expedite our week in the Amazon basin.We boarded our boat in Iquitos. Most of us knew nothing of the Amazon basin other than what Hollywood movies we had seen. Our tour companies provided us with a guide and a naturalist, both from the local region. They tried to find villages to explore that had never before been visited by their boat.Our guides reminded us many times they would not be able to tell us what we would see or experience, as every voyage is different. They spot different wildlife with every group they take down the river. They also encouraged us to be flexible, as schedules could change at a moment's notice.It will rain. You must be willing to get up early and stay up late to enjoy the various excursions. You will get bitten by mosquitoes. Bring malaria pills. Cameras stop working from the heat and humidity. You may get sick -- as about a third of our group did. Don't drink the water.Our first landing introduced us to San Fernando, a small village of nearly 30 people. The children at the school were quite entertained by these strange pelacara ("face peelers") from the States. They had never before seen a bald person. One gentleman in our group, sporting a gray beard and gray hair, was thought to be Santa Claus. Back in Iquitos, we purchased school supplies and other items to give to the villages we would visit.After sharing the supplies with the children of San Fernando, our guide presented a gift to the village elder. In the Amazon rain forests, the machete is the most important item anyone can own. The machete that the village elder was using had no handle, as it had long ago broken away, along with much of the blade. Many tears were shed as we exchanged machetes.When our boat turned west and headed up the Rio Maranon, we prepared for our first jungle hike. Preparing means donning snake gaiters, long clothing and mosquito repellent. Snake gaiters are the equivalent of wrapping a tall piece of leather around your ankle and shin. A few weeks prior to our visit, our guides had hired two local families to bushwhack a trail into the rain forest. Our small excursion boat pulled up to a spot on the edge of the river. There, two men stood next to a log staircase they had just finished building. The staircase led up the muddy bank to the beginning of the trail.This walk took us deep into the rain forest. We found the fer-de-lance snake, the most dangerous snake of Central and South America. Our digital cameras captured the dead leaf-mimic frog, bullet ants, wolf spiders, cane toads, silk spiders, 6-inch centipedes, and a three-toed sloth with its baby.We boarded our small excursion boat and headed up the Cano Creek, near Nauta. This was a special excursion for the hearty birdwatchers in our group. By the end of the week, this small group had logged more than 120 bird species.Later that afternoon, we visited a shaman. Many of the villages along the Amazon have a local shaman, or medicine person. He or she practices medicine through the use of herbs, roots, concoctions and conjuring up spirits.The shaman we saw had a young apprentice who was training to become an herbalist so she could help the people of her village. The shaman and assistant performed a short spiritual ritual for the benefit of our health.The next day's jungle walk allowed us to see not only the beauty of the Amazon basin, but also the ugliness. We rounded a corner to be shocked by the scene before us. Stretching for what seemed like a mile was an area that had recently been illegally cleared by a foreign company's bulldozers. All of the lumber had been stripped away, and nothing was left but an ugly scar.We learned that the log poachers were caught in the act, their equipment was seized and the loggers were jailed. But the damage is done. Our tour company tries to symbolically help the local villagers revitalize this area by having each tour group plant some trees. We participated, but it seemed like too little, too late.Our next experience was to cross a canopy rope bridge. This was actually a series of rope bridges, totaling nearly a half-mile. The bridges were strung from tree to tree, more than 100 feet off the jungle floor at their highest point. It was not for those with a fear of heights. But it netted another slew of bird species for those keeping count.That afternoon, we tied up our excursion boat at the village of Monte Alegre. There, we split into two smaller groups and headed off to have lunch with two host families in their homes. We spent a good bit of time talking with them through our interpreter.They were astonished to see bald heads and facial hair. They asked if we had oil refineries in our towns. We talked politics and asked how they vote for their leaders. We then assisted our hosts in preparing for the meal. We laid fresh-cut banana leaves on the floor as others arranged the dishes and food on the leaves. We all sat on the floor, accompanied by our hosts, and shared one of the most memorable meals of a lifetime.We had patarasch (Tiger Catfish), yuca cocida (boiled tapioca root), maduro asado (grilled plantain), sajino asado (roasted peccary) and macambo tostada (roasted macambo seed). We drank te de hierva luisa (lemon grass tea) and cocona juice (yellow tomato juice). After our meal, we went to another village very close to Monte Alegre. There, our guides had arranged for more than 20 villagers to bring their boats and dugout canoes to the edge of the river. The villagers allowed us to paddle away in their canoes to enjoy a small tributary called San Regis Creek.Late that evening, we boarded our excursion craft, accompanied by some high-powered spotlights, and headed off into the night. We went up the Pucate River to find nocturnal wildlife. We saw large fishing bats, an Amazon tree boa and a young caiman, which our naturalist brought on board for a closer look before releasing it. Early the next morning, we packed a picnic breakfast and toured the Rio Yanayacu de Pucate. We were looking for the fresh-water river dolphin. We found a nice shady place along the bank to have breakfast while watching the dolphins playing in the river.On our way back to the main boat, we stopped to participate in piranha fishing. Each member of our party had a stick with a string, hook and raw chicken.As soon as the chicken hit the water, piranha by the dozens took the bait. Catching them required no skill, as you basically snag them.Eating them is another story. For those of you who enjoy picking at blue crab for an hour, only to harvest a thimble full of meat, you should enjoy piranha.After lunching on our fried piranha, we went back out to the middle of the river and jumped in for a nice swim. Yes, we were somewhat anxious. Some of us felt fish -- or something -- touching our ankles and toes. Later that afternoon, we sent a party of ambassadors from our boat into a small village and invited them to visit. They brought back two families who were somewhat anxious to board the big boat. We gave them a tour and then sat with them in a large circle of chairs.The custom when introducing yourself to a stranger is to give your name, age, and then how many children you have. As each member of our group introduced themselves, it was clear that our visitors could not believe the number of people who did not have any children. They thought we might have medical problems.As our guide was translating an exchange between one of the village men, he suddenly buried his bright red face in his hands, saying he didn't know how to interpret the last statement. The man, genuinely concerned about our lack of children, indicated his village had a local tea to help men father children. He was more than happy to bring us some. When we asked what they called this concoction, our guide said, "Well, loosely translated, it means underwear ripper."On our last full day on the boat, we visited the city of Nauta. This city has a large outdoor market where many Riberenos ("river people") come to sell their harvests and wares.Live turtles were turned over on their shells to prevent escape as they were sold. Piles of fish innards littered the ground as vultures and dogs scavenged for the morsels. We found a man who had a pet rhinoceros beetle, one of the largest beetles in the world. There were tables piled high with fresh chicken sitting out in the heat and humidity. Stacks of beautiful brown eggs were piled high.We found a dark and dusty bar with a dirt floor, where we enjoyed a nice local beer.Yes, we brought home some trinkets, but we also brought back memories that will last forever.