Peru

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Peru is one of the world's great centers of civilization. Our exploration of Peru began here in Lima, the political capital.

The following are some notes on one of my favorite trips. In the summer of 2003 I spent some time exploring Peru (hiking parts of the Inca Trail & the ruins of Machu Picchu) and exploring a part of the tropical rainforest along the Amazon River in Peru.I hope you are inspired to visit some of these wonderful places or, more importantly, take an interest in trying to conserve them.

June/July 2003 Trip to Peru and the Amazon

The jungle covered citadel of Machu Picchu (Ancient Peak) was discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. The towering granite peak behind me is Huayna Picchu (Young Mountain) . Visiting this refuge for Inca royalty was a breathtaking experience in every way.

The photograph below was taken as we reached the very tip of Huayna Pichu - a hike not recommended for those with claustrophobia (the trail is very steep and narrow) or for those with a fear of high places.

Sitting on top of Huayna Picchu with Machu Pichu, looking very small, below me. Note the road leading up to the citadel - a series of hairpin curves for the bus with not an inch to spare on either side. The views were stupendous!

A tropical rainforest by definition is located within 25 degrees north or south of the Equator and is characterized by high rainfall, high humidity, and high temperatures. Around Iquitos, the rainforest is 3 degrees south latitude and gets more than 200 inches of rain per year. Temperature is mid to high 80s with 80-90% humidity.

One of the best ways to quickly and relatively easily see a great deal of the Amazon area is by staying at one or more of the lodges . The 3 Explorama Lodges (near Iquitos) where we stayed were all very different - spartan accomodations in bunkhouses with no electricity (Explorama and Explor Napo) to luxurious accomodations with all the comforts and conveniences of home ( but thankfully, no TV) at Explorama Inn/Ceiba Tops . What all of the Explorama properties have in common though is that they strictly adhere to an ecotourism type philosophy, seeking to provide an incredible experience with a minimal impact on the environment. They accomplish both goals beautifully. Many of the people working there (including the owner) have been there since the inception of the company in 1964. Would you believe that the founder of the company (1964), Peter Jensen,was meeting visitors at breakfast while having his own coffee pointing out the interesting things about the food we were presented, much of which came from the ribereno communities and the rainforest. He was often there late at night visiting with us or participating with the musicians. I f you would like to learn more about this wonderful company, go to the website below. I can not recommend it highly enough. You can do all the booking yourself.

I can't wait to go back! If you need testimonials from an immensely satisfied traveler, call me or e-mail me.

We boarded boats for our journey down the Amazon in Iquitos, Peru . There were many people (from all over the world) visiting this area that takes up over half of Peru's land mass: the Amazon basin. Iquitos, in the northern Amazon, is the gateway city to this part of the Amazon jungle and rainforest and the traditional center from which explorations begin. The only way you can get in and out is by boat or by plane.

The city (town) is about 2000 miles (up river) from the mouth of the Amazon which is the Earth's largest river. Along with its tributaries in the Amazon Basin , it holds about 20% of the planet's fresh water. Based on available information as to its source in Peru, the Amazon travels 4000 miles until it reaches its mouth in Belem, Brazil. Sadly, you can see some lumber mills in the Iquitos area where many of the majestic trees from the rain forest are processed into pulp.

RAINFORESTS ARE STILL BEING DESTROYED AS IS THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE WHICH THEY CONTAIN.

While cruising up or downriver, we were able to observe how people live along the banks as well as see (and hear) some of the wildlife along the way.

The people living along the banks of the Amazon are called riberenos and during our travels along the river we could not only see many ribereno settlements , it was not uncommon to be invited into their home while passing by. The home was usually a 1 room structure on stilts with a thatched roof. 5 or 6 children of various ages seemed to be the norm.The riberenos cultivate and harvest a variety of plants and feed themselves with these in addition to anything they can catch in the forest or the river.Every ribereno community we visited had a schoolhouse and a soccer field. Though education is mandatory through the 6th grade, it is unenforced. We visited a school and spoke to teachers. The classroom conditions are basic, to say the least. We found out about a wonderful program - the Adopt-A School Program which the Explorama lodges manage and support. The 1st impulse for the visitor upon seeing how bare some of these classrooms are is : how can I help? This program provides a way for visitors to help provide school supplies and equipment even after we have returned home. If you would like more information about this exceptional program which was started in 1994, please see

Cruising downriver, we often passed what looked like small islands made up of floating plants many of which included water hyacinths. The same ones that were imported to the United States years ago for ornamental purposes. Some unfortunately got into our natural waterways and grew uncontrolled, clogging many of our canals and lakes. Millions are spent annually to rid them from these bodies of water.

30% of all modern medicines are said to have their origin in the tropical rainforests. At the Explor Napo Lodge we were shown a medicinal plant garden and a shaman or curandero (this is the Spanish word for a traditional healer) described many of the plants and their uses.

The ReNuPeRu Garden curandero showed us one of the most important plants in South America - coca - from which cocaine is extracted. Coca leaves have been cultivated by the Andean Native Americans for thousands of years to increase stamina and at the same time decrease hunger and fatigue - important characteristics for people who live at high altitude environments. The leaves have a high caloric content and are very rich in calcium (important considering few milk products are available in the area). Tea made from coca leaves was available at every meal while we were in Peru. We also observed people chewing the leaves whole.

During our stay at Explor Napo Lodge, we took a boat ride along the Sacusari (a tributary of the Amazon) and up the Napo River to see one of the items on my "must see before I die " list: the giant lily pads of the Victoria amazonica - and it was in bloom too! The flower is beetle pollinated. This one was more than a yard in diameter! I learned (the hard way!) that the bottom of the leaf (which is purple) is covered with very large and very sharp spines.The flower opens after sunset and is white in color. The scent attracts beetles which become trapped in it overnight when the flower closes. The following night, the flower opens (now pink!) releasing the pollen covered beetles. Amazing!

The following are a few pictures taken while hiking through the jungle or along the Amazon River.

What an experience - to finally encounter the critters I've had in the lab for years - in the wild!

We went out into the forest at night (I would not recommend you do this without a guide) looking for insects and other arthropods. As soon as night fell the jungle seemed to come to life with a myriad of 6 and 8 legged creatures.