Into the Amazon...

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An update on my weekend, which was eventful to say the least!

On Saturday I got up really early and went to the butterfly farm alone, as to go with a guide was 25 pounds, more than my budget for a daytrip. The Lonely Planet guide had basic directions and I got an article from a local newspaper so I had figured pretty much how I was going to get there and how much money to pay. I had to get a mototaxi from the hostel, basically a tuktuk, a motorbike with a box on it, and go to the port near Iquitos which is 20mins away, THE bumpiest and coolest and most exciting and life-risking journey of my life!

I got to the port and there were NO tourists at all, so I stood out like a blonde on a building site. I asked for a boat to the village of Padre Coche, upstream, and they said 5 soles, as there was no one else going that way. I read it should be three, but for the sake of an easy life and 25p I agreed, although was a bit worried as basically this guy could have taken me anywhere he wanted, but he seemed ok. I got on the boat, basically a big canoe with an engine, and rode 20mins upstream to the village.

At the village I paid and got off, and then walked accross the mud into the village (its the end of the low water season, apparently it has risen a couple of metres since last week). There weren´t any signs for the butterfly farm so I asked some kids in broken Spanish and they pointed where to walk, right through this amazonian village in the middle of nowhere, with no other gringos, which was a bit daunting! So I set off on a 20 minute hike through the village and I saw all sorts, hundreds of dogs, chickens, monkeys, and I took pictures of the kids and showed them, they thought it was the best thing ever and giggled like anything! Then I got to the end of the village and this tiny little girl came and grabbed my hand and took me along a jungle path to the butterfly farm, so I gave her some small coins as a thank you and she was thrilled.

The butterfly farm was amazing, I arrived and no one was around but a sign in Spanish saying 'play the drums for attention´. So I sat and banged the drum for a bit and was quickly surrounded by a managerie, loads of monkeys, an ant eater and a tapir. Then the owner, an Austrian ecologist, came and got me and took me to the butterfly tents. We saw all sorts and she showed me them all through their lifecycle and also how they collect the eggs each day and look after them to stop parasites from getting into them and killing them.

One monkey adopted me and sat on my head the whole way round, great - apart from all my photos are blurry because every time I tried to take one that wasn´t of her she got jealous and tugged my ear. So I have some great photos of Tony Pirana (the little monkey) if nothing else! She was raised as a baby by street children, but she got sick and they dumped her on a rubbish pile. A tourist found her and bought her to the farm. If anyone tried to approach me, including people and monkeys, she properly laid into them and bit them. Apparently she is a bit of a pick pocket too, but I was ok as I was loved :P

I figured why the Canadian population is so small for the size of the country, it seems thay are all in Peru!Yet again I met another Canadian, a girl studying ecology who was doing two weeks work experience at the farm. She showed me around and explained how, because they need a license to farm butterflies it also covers all other animals, over the years they have ended up as a home for many monkeys, a tapir, a jaguar and the giant anteater. They all roam about the place and cost a fortune to feed. The problem is that tourists see this place and then go to Belen market and see animals for sale, buy them and take them to the farm so they are ´rescued´ but the farm struggles to keep them all and it encourages locals to sell more at the market. The jaguar needs 15kg of red meat each day which costs 50 soles, as red meat isn´t common here.

The trip back was great, I got a shared boat, a 'combi´, and was the only gringo with a load of the villagers, all heading to the market with their live chickens, fruit and other wares. Three kids opposite me played games with me the whole way, pulling faces and giggling. They loved my cross eyed look, begging me to do it again and again! Got back around midday and a friend I met in Lima had arrived, so we got some lunch at the iron house on the main plaza (it was made in Europe and transported up the Amazon piece by piece and welded together), its great there as they are really friendly and have a balcony looking over the square - and they have fans!

After lunch we both back went to the floating market in Belen, the other side of Iquitos, and found a local guy called George. My friend had also been in Iquitos a couple of weeks before and we had both met George on separate occassions. I think he probably stalks gringos because although we were looking for him, it was he who found us! But he seems a nice guy, just trying to make some soles to feed his 4 kids.

I had wanted to see the floating village and the lily pads beyond the market earlier in the week but didn´t want to go alone with George, but since there were now two of us I was really excited to see everything. So after wandering around for a bit we found George in the market and went down through the floating area of the market (which will begin floating in the next couple of weeks as the water rises), and then he took us on a canoe accross the river to the village he lives in. When the water comes up in a couple of weeks the land will dissapear and all the houses will (should?!) float.

We arrived in the village in the evening and the kids were all enjoying playing in the evening sun and it was just so relaxed. George took us to see the giant lily pads which one of the kids works at keeping clean, so we gave the child some soles for his work and for showing us. George explained that the ponds the lily pads are in are full of electric eels, so the child has to be careful not to get electrocuted - hazard of the job I guess!

Then we went on into the centre of the village, and were the centre of attention for the kids who love having their photos taken. They had a spider monkey which wrapped its tail around my arm, but I felt a bit sorry for the poor thing as it had a leash on its neck it was trying to pull off. We took it in turns to take photos with the children, and everytime we showed them the pictures they roared with laughter!

There are three villages next to each other, George´s is called San Francisco! George took us to see his village´s meeting point, quite a big building which is also used as a school. He said there is a village meeting once a week and if you don´t go you are put in the village jail for 24hrs, which was literally a wooden crate at the edge of the football pitch!! Also, the village pays 100soles (about 25 pounds) tax to Iqiutos and 11soles a month for electricity, again, if you don´t pay to the village you sit in the crate. If you want to build a house there, you go and see George and if he likes you he will sell you a spot but your new neighbours have to agree too. Then you can build your floating house, you have to do that in the wet season, and it shouldn´t take you more than a week! George showed us a plot we could have but we decided our craftmanship wasn´t good enough to build a floating house in a week so we sorrowfully declined!!

Then we headed back to the floating market and met some of George´s friends, and were invited for a Aguadiente, basically rum made with bark and honey and VERY strong, we both managed a couple of sips each, but ended up buying a little bottle of it, and it seems it was good for bad stomachs as I felt much better the next day!

Sunday morning my friend left very early to go downstrea, and at 8am I got a boat up the Amazon to the Chilluchaqui lodge. I was the only gringo, but before leaving we quizzed the company on who else would be there, they said three other others but all Peruvians, but one speaks english and the other two are a married couple. Sounded ok, and it was, the older couple said I was the same age as their daughter and so I think they took to me, and the other was a boy of 27 who was really keen to talk to me in English and practice words all the time.

Dad you would be proud of me, I put the years of fishing instruction you gave me to good use! I went piranha fishing, I caught some and then we ate them. Now you can´t beat that. You fish, but I fish with added danger! I was the only one willing to handle the piranha, but I think it helps that I am used to handling fish anyway and removing hooks, so I could see pretty quickly that if I got my fingers in its gills it couldn´t snap me.

We went on a night walk through the jungle and found tirantulas, bull frogs and all sorts of other things. Then today we went for another jungle walk and we saw monkeys up in the canopy, and spent about three hours hunting for sloths of which we finally found two! Then we went in a boat up the amazon and found the pink river dolphins, and I was allowed to jump into the river (yes, the same one the piranha are swimming in, I checked I wasn´t bleeding first!!) and swam among the dolphins! They were quite shy, so they stayed underwater once we were in with them, but brushed up against us, which was amazing!

Sorry its a long one, but a lot has happened in a couple of days! Back in Lima tomorrow and I will try and upload some pictures then as the internet is free at the hostel and the connection is much quicker.

xx

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Photos

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Jungle lodge

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Catching piranha

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Piranha

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Sunset

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Bull frog

Comments

[Becki]

Wow!!
It sounds like you are having the most amazing time!! You are a million times braver than me going off on your own. Keep having fun!! But be safe!! Becki xx