Blogs from Ucayali, Peru, South America

Hier starten mijn verhalen van mijn laatste en misschien wel spannendste avontuur sinds ik in Peru verblijf: bus op van Cusco naar Lima, vlucht van Lima naar Pucallpa, vrachtschip van Pucallpa naar Iquitos (3 à 4 dagen), speedboat op de Amazonerivier naar de grens met Colombia en Brazilië (12 uur), verblijf in Colombia vor een dag of twee, terugkeer naar Iquitos, plan van meerdagenexcursie in de jungle, verkennen Iquitos, en tot slot terugkeer naar Cusco. Het moet hier allemaal een beetje sneller gaan het schrijven, vandaar dat mijn zinnen soms in telegramstijl geschreven staan. De rit op de bus van Cusco tot Lima ging vrij vlot. Ik heb kunnen slapen. 21 uur duurde die rit, met een stop van 30 min tussenin. Peru is kust (droge zanderige woestijn), gebergte (Andes) en selva (jungle). Ik zag ze ... read more

We arrived in Pucallpa in the early evening following a few hours in a taxi from Tingo Maria. This particular stretch of road is one that guidebooks consider to be very dangerous due to hijackings and drug trafficking, they do not write about the stunning beauty of the journey which made for a pleasant surprise as we journeyed alongside a river into which fell many beautiful waterfalls. On arrival in Pucallpa we wandered about to find a hostel, checked in and left in search for the market and some food. Tansy went to sleep early whilst myself and Ryan stayed up with a few beers watching the Peep Show. I figured Ryan would appreciate the disturbing humour, and he did I had travelled from Trujillo through Lima and Tingo Maria to Pucallpa for one reason, to ... read more

I just would like to share my insights into the second language I have been learning. My first to learn was Spanish. When I came to Ecuador and later Peru, I had never taken a Spanish class and I was functioning on the basics that a few kind friends had taught me. Six months later, I am far from fluent, but manage well in conversations with grammar, vocabulary, and pronounciation. I have still slip-ups with reflextive verbs sometimes, with very formal speech, or figuring out this or that conjugation. And no one speaker of Spanish will have the same accent or style of speaking, so I am always picking up on stuff. I have to give myself a pat on the back that the once-dreaded compound tenses have even started to flow out naturally, and I´ve ... read more

I certainly did. I have long identitfied as an ¨environmentalist¨, not only because of my concern for imbalanced global human ecology but also because just seems natural for me to live a lower-impact and simplistic lifestyle. It is interesting to recall the connotations of the Amazon from my life back in the States. Everything from it being hailed as the biggest, widest, most biodiverse, etc. river-rainforest ecosystem in the world; to its destruction for soy crops to make tofu for rich people (I often heard this as a critique of diets that included soy as a protein source- relevant during my 8 years of vegetarianism and veganism). Anyway, coming from a forested region myself (where clearcuts scar most horizons), and being a student both academically and otherwise ecology, I was naturally quite interested to investigate human-forest ... read more

So, what is a lady to do after a mind-blowing month immersed in jungle life? I have been asking myself this same question now that I am back in this wacky city of Pucallpa. Here is an update on my life over the past few days. I have been: -Processing the whole experience way off in the woods (and missing everyone from the camp) -Having classes in Shipibo! This has been delightful as I am learning from a friend. It´s lovely when the universe hooks people up for different transmitions. I am teaching Francisco English, and he is teaching me his first language. Of course, it´s very informal (I´m sure you have caught on by now that this is my mode-of-opperation), and poco-a-poco, but I now know the basics of this beautiful language. Gramatically simple but ... read more

After staying in the logging camp for two weeks longer than I had expected, it was past time for me to return to Pucallpa, or at least somewhere I could e-mail my parents or the university from. Luckily, the opportunity came for me to travel down river with Ireny´s family. From them I got an invaluable glimpse into the lives of rural, selva-inhabiting Peruvians, and my heart was touched by their concepts of family. The adventure started again with the trip back from our logging camp to the ¨last stop¨ camp on the río Nishia, where there was the big field and various fruit trees. I walked with Ácido, which definitely helped to alleviate the waring effects of a five hour hike in substantial sunny heat with a mighty backpack. We stopped to drink and splash ... read more

Little did I know, embarking nearly four months ago to South America, that I would have the opportunity to learn firsthand about the controversial topic of logging in the Amazon. Even less did I anticipate that I would come to know a group Madereros like family, and how much they would teach me. In Pucallpa, it´s hard not to know people. It seems that the abundance of the land here, with her wide stretches of fresh water and ample edibles, is mirrored in the open hearts of the people. One friend leads to another, and I soon found myself aquainted with the entire family of my friend Alejandro. One afternoon, as I sat chatting in the family´s yard, drinking juice with the uncles in the shade, watching copious nieces and nephews playing volleyball, the subject of ... read more

Yarinacocha lake pictures... read more

Hi everybody! Wow! I am finally in la selva del Perú, something that I have been anticipating for months, and I was still caught off guard by the heat here! It hit me in the middle of the night, all of a sudden, on the bus ride from Huancayo. Under a near-full moon and lightning, I woke up from a nap (because I can´t quite sleep on busses) to sweat and humidity, and had to peel off my layers. I was slightly sad it was too dark to watch the geographical transition from la sierra to la selva, but when the sun rose it was nothing but green. I almost cried with relief. The andes are beautiful, but there is something special about places with more than one layer of vegetation. People have been telling me ... read more

Se acerca el examen de Infecto... qué neeeervioooos! Finalmente el examen de Infectología (el segundo y último) está programado para mañana, es un examen del cual dependemos casi todos los estudiantes para aprobar todo el curso (excepto dos marcianos que pudieron aprobar el primero)... en fin, luego de eso podré volar a Lima! So wish me luck!... read more