Travel Log:
Travel Log:
Our visit to Peru has been full of interesting destinations and exciting adventures. So far in our travels we have briefly visited Lima (as more of a point of entrance then interest) which was a somewhat cosmopolitan city which has a striking amount of poor living close to a segregated middle and upper class. It was crowded and unpleasant as far as I could gather from my short time there and my opinion seems to be consistent with those who live outside the area. Lima, as the capital and population center does hold most of the power in Peru and there have been many complaints by our tour guides throughout the trip who believe that the money they pay for taxes are not reinvested into their communities and the political issues they feel most strongly about do not get the proper attention or representation they deserve. Although regions of Lima were nice, I did not feel that it could be considered anything but developing due to the lack of infrastructure and very poor suburbs on the outskirts.
The Amazon was our first real destination. We landed in a small airport in Puerto Maldonado which is located in the Tambopata region of Peru. Puerto Maldonado was a very small town which seemed poor and secluded (with a relatively small amount of tourism or city infrastructure to create job). It seems that the major economic endeavor (or at least the most profitable) for the people was mining, legal or other. These mines were searching for minerals (gold, silver, copper) and, because of the lack of regulations, were a huge problem of the local environment. The problem is actually so extensive that fish caught in the local river, the Tambopata, have levels of mercury unfit for consumption.
In order to gain access to a less impacted and more wild portion of the Amazon we took a boat up the Tambopata river (which flows from south to north and originates on the eastern part of the Andes). We spent one night in a resort about 2 hours up river, but the majority of our time in the Amazon basin was spent at a research center (TRC) which is located about 6 hours from Puerto Maldonado by boat and sits well within the boundaries of the Tambopata reserve. The boat ride up was far from boring: in fact the river is one of the best ways to see wildlife because it allows for a greater scope of visibility compared to walking on the jungle floor, it draws many important species to its shore to drink live or hunt and many of the animals do not consider to boat as something which they need to run away from. The last short stint of the boat ride also provided a little extra action with a sudden, very strong, downpour (this occurred before we docked at refejio)which we noticed raised the river level quite a bit (5 to 7 feet) which in turn eroded the banks and caused trees along the bank to fall in.
Safely ashore the jungle excursions began. Our guide was Oscar, a jungle man who did not usually have anything to say unless we asked him something but would never disappoint with his knowledge of the ecosystem. It is safe to say that without Oscar we would not have been able to make the excursions we did; not only would we have gotten desperately lost and probably became some creatures snack, but we would not have been able to identify the variety of creatures which enjoyed us as their lunch. With Oscar’s help we learned about the different creatures of the rainforest as well as the balanced ecosystem which supports them. We had many excursions, including two canopy tours from which we gained a new vantage point of the forest, and several night walks which showed the jungle at its most active. In all of the excursions there was a sense of danger, exploration and discovery which made the trip a lot of fun. Even though it was the dry season, we saw a lot of rain. Ironically we found that a lot of the animals in the rainforest do not like the rain which resulted in several canceled trips and a failed excursion to a macaw clay lick which was located beside the research center and for which the research center was built. These minor pitfalls did not stop us from having a great time in the Amazon, a place that I am sure all of us would love to return to.
After a week we left the Amazon behind and entered a very different landscape. The “highlands”, defined by the Andes mountains, splits the country’s coastline and rainforest. It is formed by the subduction of the Nazca plate under the South American plate. This tectonic activity not only creates a vast mountain range with many high peaks (tallest at almost 23k feet) but also many active and dormant volcanoes. Arequipa, the next destination, was a great introduction to the highlands and the Andes mountains as well as a good adjustment point to get acclimated to the elevation. As a city Arequipa is quite unique. It was developed by the Spanish in the 1700s and many of the buildings (especially the old churches) are constructed by a white stone called Sillar. The stone was discovered to have great building properties and was able to withstand earthquakes which often occurred in the area. It was in this city where we saw clear evidence of the overpowering influence the Spanish had on the area.
One of the most memorable experiences of the city tour of Arequipa was the Cathedral of Catalina. Built in the city center the cathedral was a living quarters for a group of Nuns and their slaves and servants. Walled off on all sides, this town inside the city was completely isolated from the outside world. The nuns live their entire life within the walls and are only allowed to leave for every important religious reason (like a visitation from the pope). The reason for this dramatic isolation was probably in an effort to keep the nuns “pure” but the concept of isolation for a lifetime is so strange to me that I have a hard time making any concussion. The concept becomes even more incomprehensible after a tour of the living quarters which were little more than a bed and room for a chair and dresser and no room for luxuries. How is one supposed to properly interpret the bible without some worldly knowledge to apply the lessons and morals that it explains? The nuns (autocorrected to nuts which I guess is just as fitting) spent their day performing the daily tasks of life and in their free time would decorate the area and attempt to get closer to God through prayer and meditation (the order which the nuns at this cathedral belong to is Dominicans).
The next big adventure was the Colca Canyon located a short distance from Arequipa. The expedition was led by Herb, our tour guide for this leg, who described the landscape as we drove through terraced valleys that were created by the Incas and still used today. Because roads (especially paved ones) were only recently constructed the landscape was fairly void of development save a few small towns and “trading posts” which you can find assortments of clothes, snacks and the famed triple tea which contains an assortment of herbs, including the coca leaf (made famous because it is used to produce cocaine but which by can also be chewed with some kind of rock, to give a little pep to our step and, allegedly, cure altitude sickness). The landscape on our way to the Colca Canyon was barren of all flora and seemed almost completely desolate except for the occasional vicuña spotting. The vicuña, part of the camel family, a genus which also includes llamas and Alpacas, are strange creatures with an unusual gallop. They prance, while keeping their head still in a way that the natives describe as “lady-like”. The vicuña’s fur is one of the most sought after and although protected, the wild vicuña are shaved once a year leaving only the white fur on their chest as protection against the cold nights.
A four hour ride from Arequipa placed us at our entrance point into the Colca Canyon. The Canyon was a marvel to behold, with a 4.5K vertical drop to the Canyon floor at its entrance that doubled downstream to create a chasm more than twice the size of the Grand Canyon. The descent was strenuous and, although we didn’t have any casualties, dangerous. Due to the vertical nature of the cliffs and the cracked rock which seemed to only stay suspended by compression from the stones beside them (much like an arch is suspended by the keystone), rockslides seemed common. One of the most striking geological formations was tall walls of columnar basalt which creates hexagonal cylinders which stand several hundred feet. Other than these formations and the great peaks which loomed across from us on the other side of the canyon, the landscape was pretty bland. The major Flora which occupied the region were cactus and other than some birds and a few lizards, the land seemed to be barren.
Our first night was spent at the guesthouse of residence at the bottom of the canyon where we were served a hot meal and rested for the next day. The accommodations were bare minimum but still very impressive considering access from the nearest road was 30 minutes by mule. There wasn’t any electricity and the hot water was only available during the day because the system is solar powered. Amenities aside (that is not what we were looking for at the bottom of the Colca Canyon) the food was good and the family was very sweet.
The second day’s hike along the canyon floor provided a better glimpse of what life is like on the outer fringe of a developing society. The kids have to walk 45 minutes to catch their bus which takes two hours to arrive at the school. Because of the extensive travel time, school is only a couple hours long and is only required until 16. The houses in these communities were all made of Adobe or concert or a combination of the two and usually did not have glass or wood. The roofs were usually tin sheets which, I’m sure, made the buildings very hot. Many of the residents owned animals: llamas, donkeys, chickens and dogs which the children would help take care of. These towns were so small (maybe 10 families) that it would take less than 5 minutes to walk through them. The hike only took an hour or two and we were at our next location of residence before the sun started heating up the canyon. This was also the day that my dad got sick, an illness which passed through all the members of the Gans family except me and my mom.
This next lodge was very comfortable. It had hot water, electricity and a swimming pool to cool off in. Unfortunately it was a short visit and after a dip in the pool and dinner we went to bed to prepare for the hike out of the canyon which began at 3am the next day.
Dad negotiated a donkey ride out of the canyon and left the three brothers and mom to climb out (with Herb of course). The trip began in complete darkness and we wouldn’t see any sunlight till three hours in (an hour away from the top). The only light source we had were handheld flashlights; the lack of visibility made the trip even more treacherous and the only solace was that it was impossible to see how far the drop off the canyon side was. About ⅓ of the way up the mountain I started to hear a faint whistling sound. At first I thought it was Jordan and Aidan who were ahead of me but I soon realized that it was a group of donkeys with their owner. My mom and I were in a bad spot on the trail when they passed, with a steep drop on one side and the canyon wall on the other. Second before we were faced to face with the caravan I found a small out-crop in the cliff wall and called for my mom to join. Just as the faint whistling was upon us, she tucked into the nook. It was still pitch black and I doubt that the donkeys could see us as they passed, their heads down. Needless to say, a collision would have been very bad, and we were lucky to escape unscathed.
The rest of the hike was tiring but uneventful and just as the sun was illuminating the bottom of the canyon we reached the top. We also learned that those donkeys which passed us on the way down were picking up sick dad, and even with our large head start we only beat them to the top by a couple minutes. After dad dismounted his donkey we all took one last look at the Colca Canyon and departed for our next adventure.
The next leg of our journey began with a bus ride from Arequipa to Puno which is located on the shore of lake Titicaca. While slow, the bus ride provided with a chance to see the topography of the land and a glimpse to how people, largely untouched by tourism, live. The towns we passed were little more than a congregation of mud huts, very few having any amenities like electricity or water. Observing the lives that these people were born into helps put into perspective how frivolous many of the problems in our life are. It is sad to see that people are worried about the car they drive, or the shoes they wear when people still live in desperate poverty and are lucky if they can provide a meal for their family. It also places a burden on those of us who live a life of comfort to care for those who have so much less, not because we are indebted to them personally but because it is only through good fortune that we obtained these luxuries.
Napping for most of the bus ride, I arrived in Puno well rested and excited to see the lake. Puno sits on the western end of the lake and is the largest town in the province. While Puno seemed to have very little to offer us, the lake was both a visual wonder as well as a geological one. Located at 12000 feet, lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. It is immense and spans the border of Peru and Bolivia. The natives of the lake speak a language called Amara which is still used and is often the preferred dialect. We met our guide at the train station, a local to the area and a retired mountain man named Henry. He showed us to our hotel room for the night and gave us the plan for tomorrow before departing to allow us to get some sleep.
We awoke the next day for breakfast and took a shuttle to the boat that would transport us around the little islands within the lake. Our first stop was the famed floating islands, man made anomalies found only in lake Titicaca. As the boat sailed through what seemed to be a sea of reeds we marveled at the boatloads of fish caught by the locals. We also took this time to practice some Amara which I found to be very different from other languages I have heard. Starting basic, we learned the word for hello (how are you), “Camisa Rocki”, and I am doing well, “Waliki”. As we continued, the reed ocean opened up into a bustling harbor full of boats and, as we approached one of the islands, we saw a family of smiling faces all yelling “Camisarocki” we answered Waliki and were invited onto their island to learn more about their culture and customs.
The island we landed on was home to a small community of three or four families. They were part of a larger community that encompassed the floating island community as a whole who lived on the dozen or so floating islands. Many of the family members had spent their entire lives on one island, only venturing to the markets to buy and sell goods. Although not as extreme as the Nuns in the Cathedral of Catalina, this was another example of drastic isolation.
The leader of our island community gave us a description of how the islands were created (translated by Henry because the people of the island don’t speak English or spanish). The island was constructed by cutting the root of the reeds out of the bottom of the lake then piling and interweaving them layer upon layer. As the roots of the reeds search for water, they grow together to create a solid mass that keeps the island together and afloat. The houses on these islands as well as the boats were also made of the reeds (These catamarans were constructed by weaving the reeds together in tight bunches). As proof that the islands really were floating, the family took us to their “fish farm” , a circular hole cut in the center of their island with a net full of live fish. After the tour, we sat down with the family and learned more about how the floating islands came to be. The leading tour guide told us that his people’s ancestors were actually native to the Amazon and migrated to the lake many hundreds of years ago. The floating islands were created in an effort to separate themselves from people who might wish them harm and placed them closer to their food supply.
Visiting and learning about these floating islands was an experience unlike any I have had. These people lived so differently and even with their isolation and poverty (more lack of luxuries then poverty) they seemed happy. The community mindset seemed very socialistic and we later learned that the leader of the island communities invests the money made through tourism into public works projects like solar power for the members within the community. After purchasing some goods, we were convinced to take their boat (the one they had made from reeds) across the harbor to the community center. The boat was rowed by the leader of the island and his brother and, although slow, one could not help but marvel at the craftsmanship. Jordan and I got a chance to row the boats ourselves and realized how hard it was to get the hang of (although with some training I think we could have done pretty well in the local boat races). Upon arriving on shore the Gans family continued our trench across the island to our home stay on the peninsula north of Acora.
The boat from the floating islands to the homestay took over an hour which either tells the story of the size of the island or the speed of our boat. On our journey to the peninsula we passed many boats which floated only inches above the water, weighted down by the plentiful bounty of fish they caught. Henry told us that they consumed only a portion of the fish, and the rest were sold or traded in the market for goods like potatoes and clothes. The fishermen and hunters on the island relied almost entirely on what they could catch and sell (as well as tourism but which was limited to only a couple months of the year) in order to provide for their families.
On the boat ride to the peninsula we were taught a few more words in Amara (most of which we immediately forgot) before docking. We were treated by our host’s husband, a small man with an aged face who wore a black top hat, black pants, white shirt and black jacket. He was very sweet in his welcome and showed us to our temporary home. His wife, the namesake of the house Maria de Flores which we stayed in, was equally aged and wore an equally traditional attire. She greeted us warmly and showed us to our quarters before preparing our lunch. It was now Aidan’s turn to become sick and to be polite, Jordan and I finished what he didn’t eat. We spent the afternoon touring the town; a collection of small houses, usually with a garden and some livestock and a picturesque view of the lake. We learned from Henry that there had been some efforts to develop the land but the locals banded together to preserve it. Henry explained that this was becoming more common as the locals see what development has done to other communities (especially the mining companies which promise new infrastructure like schools and roads in exchange for access to the land) which usually results in the locals getting the bad end of the bargain. While the trend of preservation by community members continues throughout Peru there is worry that the next generation, who grew up with the prospect of leaving their community to live in the cities, will sell their family’s land and, by doing so, lose the rich history, customs and culture of the generations before.
Before dinner Henry took us on a walk along the dirt road which passes along the edge of the peninsula, up onto a vista point from which we could see Puno in the west and large, snowcapped peaks on the other side of the lake (probably Ancohuma and Qalsata) which loomed in the distance. The location was owned by the community and was visited in celebrations and spiritual gatherings. As the sun set on another beautiful day, we made our way back to Maria de Floras for dinner.
Animal List
- Roadside hawk
- Capybara
- common brown tree frog
- Night monkey
- Kingfisher
- Caman
- Fly catcher
- Macaw (scarlet, blue and yellow)
- Black vultures
- Bats
- Turtle
- Morpho butterfly
- Brown agouti
- Poison dart frog
- Purple wondered (spider)
- Blue Scorpion
- tamarin
- spider monkey
- swallow tail moths
- Butterfly
- Crested frog frog
- Praying Matus
- Bat(small brown)
- Peceri
- Capachen
- Whip scorpion
- Tarantula
- Lizard (green head)
- nol lizard
- Spider monkey
- Howler monkey
- Emerald Tucana
- Tucan
- orupati
- Caterpillar
- Leaf cutter ants
- Army ants
- Red bird
- Hummingbird
- Millipede
- Orb Weaver spider
- Dung Beetle
- Big brown Beatle
- Bullet ant
- Translucent butterfly
- Spiny spider
- Mock spider
- Grease
- Falcon
- Black hawk
- Egret
- Great blue hero
- Tara Tara
- Brown wandering spider
- Snail
- Watseen
- Harlem beetle
- Long nosed bat
- Tiger fish
- Striped fish
- Cat eyed snake
- Common forest spider
- Owl eyed butterfly
- Frantiando bird
- Red capped cardinal
- Swallows
- Stick bug
- Blush butterfly
- Gianni hen
- Svincs butterfly
Prints:
- Tyra
- Jaguar
- Tapir
- Ocelot
- Deer