Iquitos

If there is anyone out there who is still following my blog then I must apologize for the three month gap between this and my last post.

Last week was the Peru YAV´s week of vacation in May so fellow YAV Leslie Mcknelley and I decided it would be fun to check out the Amazon Jungle. On Monday we flew from Lima to Iquitos, a city that can only be reached by boat or plane (and by boat it usually takes about a week). Stepping out of the plane felt like stepping into a sauna, a sauna surrounded by incredible green vegetation (the kind of vegetation that isn´t very common in Lima). The city of Iquitos has a very relaxing atmosphere. There were almost no cars on the roads, instead most people drove either motorcycles or mototaxis and we assumed that this was because it is much more efficient to transport several hundred motos versus a few cars on a boat. The people in Iquitos were very friendly and showed this by smiling and waving quite often. Many Iquiteñas wanting to practice their English would say "Hello" or "How are you?" as we wandered around the main square. Since winter is quickly approaching in Lima, I took advantage of this last opportunity to have my fill of ice cream everyday (okay it was more like every hour) in Iquitos. One flavor that I particularily enjoyed is called Aguaje and comes from the Aguaje fruit (a small round orange fruit covered in a dark maroon colored skin that flakes away easily). The fruit itself is not that tasty in my opinion but when used to make ice cream it is delicious. We didn´t spend too much time in Iquitos before heading out to an Eco Lodge where we had reservations for a three day tour (we liked it so much we decided to make it a four day tour) of the jungle. The lodge was about a four hour boat ride from Iquitos up the Amazon river. I knew as soon as we´d arrived that it would be an amazing experience. The lodge is built, like most structures in the Amozonas, up high on stilts so that it isn´t affected when the river is flooded (as was the case when were there). May is the month when the rainy season is ending and the dry season is beginning in the Amazon and this year was particularly rainy. We took the boat right up to a wooden dock walkway (which during the dry season you would simply walk up to). Being at the lodge in the middle of the Amazonas was incredible. The lodge does not use electricity (instead they use oil lamps) and the atmosphere of the bungalows combined with the surrounding environment is very relaxing. In fact, it was so relaxing that I just had to check out the hammock first thing when we got to the room. After being assured by Leslie that the hammock was sturdy, I got comfortably situated in it right before it snapped on one end sending me hard to the ground. We both had a good laugh at that. Our guide, Raphael, took us out on several tours during our stay and we were lucky enough to see many bird species (ask Leslie about that as I was too busy admiring their colors and ways of flying to remember most of their names, though on was prehistoric and looked very cool), three different species of monkeys, several brightly colored green iguanas, several sloths (one of which was hanging upside down and scratching itself), pink river dolphins, too many insects, a few serpents, a few pirañas, and a baby caiman. Of the serpents we caught a baby tree boa (which bit one Austrailian man several times), a whip sanke (I wasn´t actually present for that one), and an aquatic fer-de-lance (only the seventh deadliest snake in the world I was told after being within a couple of feet of it). For me one of the coolest parts of the trip was when we toured a nearby village. The homes are built similar to the lodge over the water and we learned that the main activity of villagers is fishing. We did some fishing ourselves and caught a few pirañas. The villagers, although somewhat timid, were almost all very friendly and inviting. Another incredible part of the trip were the nighttime boat rides as we hunted for caiman. Looking up at the night sky I knew I had never seen so many stars at once in all my life. Words cannot describe it. In general the boat rides were a lot of fun for me. Even if we didn´t happen to spot anything when we went out it was still fun just to be out on the water travelling around by boat. The first day we when out and came to a lagoon where we saw several pink dolphins swimming around and playing with each other. It was amazing to see them emerge from the water and to see the pink and gray of their bodies. We swam in the lagonn for a little while which was also a lot of fun. Another great part of our overall experience was that we met so many very cool people during our travels. Almost everyone staying at the lodge was friendly and we all got along very well making jokes and having a generally good time. It was a memorable trip that I would definitely recommend and myself would like to take again someday.

I will try to get some pictures posted as soon as possible.

My Birthday and More

My last post was written on Valentines Day. Not too long after I wrote that blog I was robbed on a street corner. It was a pretty busy street corner and I was changing buses when I was approached by a choro (theif) who asked me for my cell phone. I figured I was being robbed and became nervous so my only response to him was "¿What?, ¿What?, ¿What do you want?" over and over again. That made him angry so he pulled out a knife and started yelling at me, "Carajo dame tu cellular o quieres que yo corte la cara?" something to the effect of "give me your cell phone or would you rather I cut your face?" Naturally I gave him the phone at which point he hesitated for a second and looked around (as if he were considering whether it would be advantageous for him to ask more from me) and finally told me to keep walking straight and not look back nor come back to where he was. I broke his first rule by looking back at him almost the entire time as I walked away from him (there was no way I was turning my back on a knife). Though I was pretty mad at him as I walked away, I also felt a lot of relief and almost broke into a smile. The reason was because I was carrying about 170 soles with me at the time which is roughly 60 dollars (worth more than the phone). Well, he didn´t get away with that at least (and I get to keep my uncut face). There´s nothing like being robbed on Valentines Day, or as it is sometimes referred to here, Dia de Amistad (Day of friendliness or friendship).

The next day (Sunday) the family and I went to Chosica to visit the relatives. Unfortunately it´s wintertime in Chosica now which means it can be dark and rainy. That day it began to rain strongly as we arrived and soon there was a huayco running through the city. A huayco is sort of like a small river that runs down the side of the mountain and through the streets carrying mud and rocks from the mountain with it. This huayco happened to cross through the city in such a way that made it impossible for anyone to travel to Lima. Since we were trapped in Chosica, the cousins and I decided to walk down to where the huayco was crahing through to see what it was like. There were a lot of people standing around watching the water rush by and there were boulders that had been carried down from the mountain as well. I realized that the people crowded around the water in the street were wanting to cross this small river even though it was dangerous and there were security people holding back the crowd while a large digger machine worked to try and remove some of the sediment. After some time passed the crowd became restless and finally overpowered the security personell by running into the huayco at the same time. We stayed and watched the people crossing. Of course some slipped and fell (completely soaking themselves) while others only lost sandals. Mothers with babies in their arms were crossing with the help of some police officers that had arrived. The rain eventually let up and we were able to cross the street in the truck and travel back to Lima that night.

Thursday I attended my first ever live futbol match. It was a fun event. I think most people who love sports tend to take it seriously when their team is matched against a rival. In this case there were a ton of police officers and army officials at the stadium to keep the order. The crowd was excited, there were kids lobbing water balloons at the opposing players on the field, there was some kind of riot occurring on the right side of the stadium and several cops chasing people with their batons, and at one point two smoke bombs were lobbed onto the field by angry fans. Fortunately our team won.

Yesterday was my birthday and we celebrated by spending the day at the beach. One of my uncles owns a house in Ancon, a beach area north of Lima, and it so happended that all of last week my extended family from Chosica were staying there. Sunday my immediate family and I joined the rest of the family there for the day to enjoy the beach as well as some of my favorite foods. My host dad Nelson prepared this excellent shrimp soup that is one of my favorite dishes here. We took it with us to the beach house and shared it with all the family. Then I was presented with two delicious ice cream cakes while everyone sang happy birthday to me (first in English, then in Spanish as is the custom here). The ice cream cakes were delicious but then things got even better as we were driving back home that night. Since it was my birthday I was able to choose where we would go out to eat, and I chose Pizza Hut. Many of you will probably read this and wonder why I would ever chose Pizza Hut for my birthday dinner. I say, go live in a foreign country and eat a pound of white rice everyday for several months straight and then you might discover what a true delicacy a deliciously greasy pizza from Pizza Hut is. That night I had left over shrimp soup with my pizza. It was one of the best nights ever.

Two Months of Catching Up

It’s been almost two months since my last post so I figure I better write something. The past two months have flown by really, so I’ll begin by going back to December.

Christmas Eve at around 10 PM I went with my family to Chosica to celebrate with the rest of the family. Unfortunately I was feeling terrible that night (sick to my stomach with a headache and a slight fever). I tried my best to appreciate the new traditions I was experiencing while having some really delicious food served to me. At about five minutes til midnight I was told that I would have to say a few words before the entire extended family after the clock struck twelve and it was officially Christmas. This is a tradition in which many family members participate. Naturally I was freaking out; trying to put something together quickly meanwhile a million fireworks were going off all around us. At midnight the entire town explodes in fireworks in celebration of Christ’s birth. It was an amazing sight, standing on the balcony behind the house and watching the entire mountainside light up. The short speech went well and we all toasted and drank a small glass of champagne before sitting down to a delicious spread. By this time it was closer to 2 AM and I was not feeling any better so I went to lie down until we left around 3:30.

The next day, 26th, I flew to Cusco to meet the other 5 YAVs so that we could spend the next couple of weeks visiting MachuPicchu, Lake Titicaca, and Arequipa. The short version: Cusco is very pretty like everyone says, the lake might be a bit overrated, and Arequipa a bit underrated. In Cusco and Puno I ate some delicious pizzas which, as weird as it might sound to those living in America right now, was a SERIOUS highlight of the trip for me. In fact, I ate almost no Criollo (Peruvian) style food during those two weeks which was excellent! In Arequipa we even found Mexican food that actually sort of resembled Mexican food! Of course we visited a lot of churches, museums, monasteries, etc. MachuPicchu itself is truly a wonder of the world.

After getting back to Lima, I had about one day before the arrival of one of my great friends, Sara Schoneberg! That week we spent hanging out and seeing some of the sights Lima has to offer. We spent a good deal of time together with my host brother Nelson and his cousin Marisa who is currently living and going to school in Norway. The four of us had a great time hanging out together and going to the beach.

The last week of January was the Young Environmentalist Congress hosted by the Joining Hands Network of Peru. The Congress was held in the provincial town of Huancavelica and included participants from Peru, Bolivia, and the United States. We spent the week together, living together, eating together, and sharing some incredible experiences with one another. During that time we all learned a great deal about the issues facing our three countries specifically and, more importantly, how these environmental issues impact the entire world community. We witnessed traditional prayers conducted by the native Quechua people as well as visited abandoned mines that were once used to extract mercury from the surrounding mountains. I made a number of friends that week (most of whom were delegates from the United States, it was indescribably awesome to be speaking with a group of gringos in English). Huancavelica is a beautiful place.
The last two weeks I have been back to work, travelling to Lomas with Nelson in order to plan events for the end of the summer (clean a park, beach day, etc.). I have also been busy translating a number of articles that Nelson has recently written for the www.eldiadelpueblo.org website as well as the Joining Hands website. That’s all for now, I had thought of a lot more to say but it will come to me and when it does I will try to post it immediately. I am also working on posting my recent pictures as well.