Arriving in Puerto Maldonado Avianca flight 809 touched down with a bounce and a squeal in the Amazon basin’s booming metropolis called Puerto Maldonado. The gateway to the Amazon. The edge of civilization. The almost frantic braking of the plane gave us a sense of the short runway the pilot was working with. We slowed and made a single turn and parked at the airport. A blast of humid heat, as though opening the oven while checking on the Thanksgiving turkey came through the plane. Our first indication that we were in one of the remotest parts of the world was the single other plane docked at this two-slot airport. Instead of the 10-mile moving-sidewalk maze that defines most other airports, we walked a mere 50 feet from the plane to the baggage claim. This airport
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