Blogs from Ucayali, Peru, South America - page 2

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

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

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

Pour arriver a Pucallpa on mettra 2 jours et une nuit de trajet depuis La Union en passant par Huanuco et Tingo Maria. A la Union on a fait la rencontre de Matteo (italien) et Ben (francais) avec qui on fera la route jusqu a Iquitos. Une fois a Pucallpa, il fait caniculaire et la ville est frenetique d agitation, on ira dans la baie de Yarinacocha un village a 15min du centre plus tranquille et on fera un petit tour en barque durant une journee. Apres on attendra le depart de la lancha (bateau) qui nous menera a Iquitos, la premiere est partie sans nous car quand elle est chargee elle quitte le port!!! toujours demander au capitaine seule personne fiable pour les horaires!!! Et donc on s installera dans le bateau suivant et on ... read more

When I finally arrived in Tarma after Three days on Andean roads I found Don Pepe sitting by the dining table enjoying the company of three lovely young women, two looked European, Helen from Denmark and Johanna from Germany who was designing the vegetables bio-garden, the third was Denise the new administrator who replaces Alejandra. I stayed in Tarma two nights, had enough time to wash my clothes and wash Ramon, the dog, and get useful information regarding the journey I wanted to do to Pucallpa. I didn't meet the kids in Tarma as planned because they extended their stay in Huaraz and therefore took a direct bus from Lima. I as usual didn't want to hop to my next destination in the ordinary way. Instead of taking a bus to La Oroya in order to ... read more