Blogs from Iquitos, Loreto, Peru, South America - page 6

This blog entry details our journey from Vilcabamba in Ecuador to Iquitos in Peru. It is not a very common route and is definitely off the Gringo Trail. Backpacking at its best! For other tourists, we have a summary of where to go, duration and costs below the bulk of the entry. The two of us and Darran left Vilcabamba at 7:00 in the morning on a bus headed to a town called Zumba close the the Peruvian border. This leg of the journey took us through beautiful green valleys and ridges. We stopped for a small brunch of rice, beef and potatoes in a village called Palanda. Palanda has a beautiful town square, filled with palms and other exquisite plants. It was rainy and misty and we passed quite a few remote settlements. Arriving in ... read more

Late morning on the final day aboard the Cabo Pantoja feels oddly like the last day of junior high in mid-May. For one thing, the sky is empty of clouds and the sun is out for the first time since we left Iquitos. There are only about fifteen passengers left on the top deck and, like the last day of school, there is an atmosphere of pleasant finality. Everyone is taking down hammocks, repacking bags, and getting ready to depart at one of the last few villages. With a good chunk of floor space opened up, kids are running around and playing - having finally been liberated from the impossibly confined torture of the first few days. But mid-May in the Midwest was never so hot and humid. The only ones not participating in the last-minute ... read more

Rosencrantz: "We're on a boat." Guildenstern: "I know." Rosencrantz: "Do you think Death could possibly be a boat?" Guildenstern: "No, no, no. Death is not. Death isn't. Take my meaning? Death is the ultimate negative. Not being. You can't not be on a boat." Rosencrantz: "I've frequently not been on boats." Guildenstern: "No, no. What you've been is not on boats." Rosencrantz: "I wish I was dead. I could jump over the side. That'll put a spoke in their wheel!" Guildenstern: "Unless they're counting on it." Rosencrantz: "I shall remain on board. That'll put a spoke in their wheel!" Tom Stoppard - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Human Cargo With Iquitos behind, the Cabo Pantoja cruises up the river into the night. I stand at the front of the top deck and lean over the railing ... read more

So I made a survey for the youth in El Porvenir -- something to collect information about the youth population. The survey is meant to collect a bit of everything: basic personal info to personal attitudes on education and future dreams. And, hopefully, also pick up on any similarities/differences in attitudes between those in the youth group and those not (as this would be the basis for further qualitative, evaluative research on the impact Kallpa has had in El Porvenir.) Recently, we just finished up meetings about the plan of action for this research, and when/how the surveys should be distributed. ….Afraid yet I am going to write this blog all about the powerpoints, last minute scrambling to translate 16 page documents and three-hour meetings? Fear not! I do, however, welcome you to the sexy jungle ... read more

"Tienen linternas?" asks the girl. "Unh?" I reply, rubbing the dry mucus of sleep from my left eye. It's 8:30 in the morning. I don't speak proper Spanish until a full hour of morning consciousness has elapsed. A cup of coffee helps, too. "You have flashlights?" the girl repeats in English. This is Magaly - a girl we have seen working back and forth between here - the tour agency office - and the hotel. I think back to Colca Canyon where Ross, Anna, and I contemplated climbing the wall of a canyon without the assistance of artificial light in the wee hours of the morning. "I've been lucky without one so far." I look at Luis. "Do you have one?" "Nope." "Nope," I say to Magaly. "Well, you're going to need them. There is ... read more