Jungle Diary

Day 1- We were exhausted from our 12 hour bus drive. We left at 4 am after a long night out and then got acquainted with our new house mates at the jungle reserve Atalaya. Georgia, Mitch and I met the chef Gloria, the leader Alvaro from Sevilla, Carlos from Barcelona, German from northern Catalonia, Ivan from Madrid, and people from Vermont, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Florida. Because we were so tired we didn't do a whole lot besides going on a short hike to the waterfall.

Day 2- A spry 72 year old named Don Mario led us led us on a hike to collect seeds from trees in an area where there was a surplus so that we could plant them either in the garden or in other areas where the trees had stopped growing. We discovered an area in the river that was fast moving and didn't contain rocks and floated down a few times with great joy.

Day 3- Since it was Sunday our chef had the day off so we were meant to walk 2-3 hours down the road to a nearby town called Polkapato however my friend Mitch and I were lazy as hell and elected to hitch hike instead and we ended up picking up everyone who said they would walk. We enjoyed a great meal of fish but it just didn't cut it so as the others all caught a cab back Mitch and I elected to go for a 2nd lunch and a few beers (huge mistake). We hitch hiked to a town called Patria for one sol which is around 35 U.S. cents. We thought our reservation was about an hour walk away from there and since the cabs were 15 sols we elected to hitchhike instead, except no cars came. It turns out it wasn’t an hour walk away but a tad farther. Having left our house before noon we didn’t think to bring a flashlight or torch. Being that it is a rainforest it began raining and got dark quite early. The walk home turned out to be a 3 hour walk in the pitch black and pouring rain on an awful road, I still can’t believe that happened.

Day 4-Today we went on a hike with 3 Spaniards and a Peruvian on what is known as the monkey trail. One of our two pet monkeys, Paula, followed us on the hike and swung around on trees and had a joyous time. She happened to be the only monkey we saw on the trail. I got a ton of reading done today and after more floating w down the river we headed into to town and had beers. Mary, the lady who owned the store/bar made quite the impression on us and we knew we had to return.

Day 6- Today was absurd. We hiked about ¾ of a mile up the creek to collect driftwood to bring back to the reservation to be used for various construction projects. We soon discovered that we were risking our bodies for driftwood. Down a ridiculous path through a creek with rocks, and trees everywhere we eventually survived and brought the wood back and then helped construct the bottom of our zip line type ordeal which we need to cross the river. One of the monkeys, Chico, came along for the hike and he rode on my neck but ended up pulling my hair when hiking up a cliff with a rope and ladder causing me to get separated from the group. Once we got back we helped construct the bottom part of the zip line and bathed in the river. Our 72 year old hero/owner of the reservation Don Mario or as I properly nicknamed him El Rey de Peru or the King of Peru met us at Mary’s place and had way too many beers, once again we tried fishing but had no luck!

Day 7- We tore down the bathroom in a very dangerous fashion to build a new one. With needles everywhere, wood flying around it felt like a demolition derby. After that we bathed while floating the river and then later in the night we went fishing and we caught a decent size catfish! Unfortunately for the fish he had the hook stuck deep inside and it died on the way back and then we put it in the tank with the turtles it would have been too big for the turtles to catch and eat so perhaps it was a blessing in disguise but who cares we caught a fish!

Day 8-started the day off with locating types of plants to replant them elsewhere, particularly in our garden near the bungalow. The heavy rain made it difficult to work so we called it a day early. It was don Marios birthday and a spry 73 he was, even carving up his cake with a machete. We then discovered that the fish we had put in the turtle tank the night before was taken by another volunteer who fed it to the weasel looking mongoose thing we have. From that moment on we decided that we hated Carlos (we actually loved that guy. For the first time since we arrived at the bungalow we had chicken for lunch and also alcohol which prior wasn't allowed on the premises (this, however, did not hinder us from walking 20 minutes down the road to the town nearby to get drunk on occasion with don Mario whom I believe I have rightly nicknamed el Rey de Peru or king of Peru) after a floating bath we headed to town to continue the 73rd birthday of don Mario by sharing a number of beers. When we returned we spoke in our best Spanish (not good) with Alvaro, Ivan, and German about contemporary politics which mostly consisted of anti-corporatism and the development of Latin America. Having just finished what I believe to be perhaps the best book I have ever read, open veins of latin America (I had previously noticed a Spanish copy in the bungalow and it being a landmark text throughout not just Latin America but the world I wasnt surprised) and discussed the book with our spanish mates. Some of the Americans werent thrilled with our discussion especially with me likely due to the fact that I have anti corporate views and they have historically been linked very heavil with u.s. Foreign policy and today is no different. We enjoyed a bit more rum then headed off to fish but even though I caught one we weren't able to reel it in. Overall it was a great day and we were able to practice our Spanish a ton and bond with the spaniards (carlos and German are from Barcelona, catalonia, and maintain it is not Spain but oh well)

Day 9- up earlier than usual we collected sand and rocks from the riverbed and dragged them up to the bungalow to create the floor of our new bathroom. We stopped an hour early so that some people could jog to patria (a bigger town than chokochata yet not as big or as far as picopata) mitch and I elected for the 20 minute walk to chokochata to have a few liters of beer and to hitchhike to patria instead. We arrived just before one and had lunch at a quaint restaurant for 4 soles (about a dollar 50.) we had beef rice chicha soup and desert because there is no menu you can walk in and say how big your party is and you get serves very quickly (similar to the non touristy restaurants in cusco). Afterwards we went to one of the couple places in town that had a tv to watch the Barcelona man united champions league final soccer match. We all put in two soles (about 80 cents) and guessed the score. Originally I put down 3-1 Barcelona but changed to 2-1 Manchester because I wanted to root against the catalonians who supported Barcelona (german was not a huge soccer fan but the historical significance of the team in Barcelona goes far beyond sport... Fascism) the final score turned out to be 3-1 Barcelona which is an excellent example at why i hate gambling on sports despite being obsessed with a few of them. After we played soccer then went to the market and got eggs, eggplant, and a few other tools so that Ivan and German could prepare us Spanish omelets and after tasting them I about cried. Tired from the day we went to bed anxiously awaiting our day off the next day.

Day 11- We went to chop down bamboo which isn't native to the environment thus making it harmful to many of the plants indigenous to this region. Mitch and I were led by don Mario or more appropriate el Rey de Peru the King of Peru. The spry 73 year old led us up a tough trail and using machetes we hacked away. Chico our pet monkey joined us riding on my head. We saw jaguar prints multiple times some incredible insects and at the end a wild monkey. After coming back down I found German and Ivan who asked for help transporting clay from the road down to the zipline then from the zipline to our bungalow, no small task and it was tough. Afterwards I found out it was for a clay pizza oven outside our bungalow then we hung by the river then headed to town for beers 6 hours 80 sol beer tab great Laura Carlos German Aussie couple Alvaro Mitch I walk back late dinner fuckin around etc saw massive porcupine humping a shelf Alvaro hit it with a broom and then two minutes later we saw a frog.

Day 12- I worked with German (Herman) and Ivan to begin constructing the pizza oven. We cemented 4 wooden posts on the perimeters and placed decent sized stones in the middle and clay on top and in the cracks. We'll let that dry a day and continue doing that until the clay surface reaches the posts and creates a surface (I really want to make one when I get home) we covered each other in clay and it was awful to get off since it was all over. For the 3rd straight day we got great weather with no rain and tons of sun. We moatly relaxed today but I got some good pictures of some real strange looking grasshopper species I think but am not sure and the return of the massive porcupine! We also made some good plans to build a bonfire on thursday, Mitch and i's last night, we'll also wake up at 430 on Thursday to see the cock of the rock, a famous and beautiful parrot indigenous to the Peruvian amazon and admired greatly by the Inca's. I finished my second book here, the first being open veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galleano and this one being Hugo Chavez presents the Bolivarian revolution which solely consisted of a number of speeches, letters, and publications from Simon Bolivar translated by Matthew brown. Bolivar seemed like an incredibly unique, patriotic, brilliant, and brave individual who liberated Peru, Colombia Venezuela, and Bolivia from the Spanish and later tried to unite the nations to failure, but it did seem like a very genuine idea.

Day 14- We woke up at 4:30 this morning and walked a trail in the pitch black to watch the cock of the rock and the sunrise on the river which was incredible to watch and hear but I didn’t get the best pictures because my camera sucks! Ivan, Mitch and I walked about an hour up the road to a random mine area where there was an abundance of clay. We scooped up three bags of clay and because it was so heavy we really didn’t feel like walking back so we decided to sit on the side of the road and attempted to hitch hike. After nearly an hour we contemplated walking to the town 30 minutes away and having someone call us a cab. I recommended we ask the guys in the bulldozer instead and asking if they could call us a cab. Our friend Ivan proceeded to go and ask the men in the bulldozer and returned with a wonderful proposal. For 20 soles (a little over 7 U.S. dollars) they would scoop up clay and let us sit in the front while taking us back to the reservation. Later we went into town and had a few beers with Mary our sweet Mammita from the jungle. We bought a ton of beers from a few stores and then Mary told us to listen to the radio. We later heard two shout outs from the DJ on the station in the jungle and a while after that we heard Mary, who must have traveled about 40 minutes by car to go to the station, say thanks to us and how nice it was to meet us. She was incredible. We had a party at Atalaya Reservation to celebrate our last night which was a ton of fun. I will miss everyone there so much the jungle was easily one of the most memorable times in my life and was incredible.

Day 15- On the last day we were exhausted from the night before so after work I took a nap. Chico, my favorite monkey in the world came into my bed and was cuddling with me. He then began looking through my beard and eating/licking particles out of my beard. Shortly after the much bigger, more aggressive female monkey Paula came and started fighting with Chico on my bed. After I split them up Chico had a massive monkey boner which was hilarious. After one last dip in the river Mitch and I said our goodbyes to everyone and then caught a miserable 12 hour bus back to Cusco where I sat on the floor half the time. Our bus got raided so that the police could search for coca leaves and after one bag was confiscated from a lady she shoved the cop in the back and he whipped around with a night stick and I thought he was going to hit her but thank God he didn’t (In Seattle he would have!)

Celebracion de Feliz dia de Mammita!

 This was perhaps the cutest thing I have ever seen. A bunch of different groups of kids with help from the male workers organized, dances, presents and more either to their moms or to the female workers and volunteers. speeches

Bullfights =(

When someone tells you there is going to be a bullfight an hour and a half away via bus I don’t care where you are you have to go right then! After an uncomfortable bus ride from Cusco to Urubamaba we arrived right at the arena.

For only 4 Peruvian Soles (About $1.30) you could receive entrance and a seat to watch the fights. Unfortunately they proved to be very disappointing. It wasn’t that it wasn’t entertaining when there was action but it was clear on about half the fights that the bulls wanted no part of each other, and to be fair why would they since they were such massive creatures? Occasionally the fights were fast and riveting action but others consisted of two-three men attempting to egg the bulls on into a fight without making them too mad at themselves. The second or third fight was the first one that was a complete lack of action and seemed rather cruel to force these animals to fight. This prompted me to start a chant, which I may copyright I’m not sure yet, that consisted of “No mas, proximo! No mas, proximo! No mas, proximo!” which means no more, next. I think it created a tad of enthusiasm in supporting the cause that this animal fight is cruel, show us the next one!

Canyon de Colca y puke and rally

After getting off the boat from Puno to Arequipa the gentleman we bought our bus tickets from met us on the dock and informed us that there was a strike that evening and we had to take a different bus, one not as nice, an hour earlier. We quickly packed up back at the hostel and then headed to the bus station. At this point it became extremely evident that we had no bus tickets and our tourism agent, so to speak, was off to negotiate with the bus driver. Good news was that he had five seats available, however there were six of us! This meant that one of use has to sit up front with the driver which I volunteered to do. At first I thought great, the driver and I sitting up front together jamming out to some Peruvian flute band music, however, that changed quick. We stopped not once, not twice, not three times, but FOUR times to pick up hitch hikers and they all sat up front with us... lovely!

Either the deepest or 2nd deepest canyon in the world depending on who you ask is Colca Canyon. Located around 3 hours outside the beautiful old Spanish city Arequipa, Colca Canyon is a phenomenal scene.


First stop on out trip was condor pass, where condors came so close to us it seemed as if they may land on our heads. Their ability to glide so effortlessly was astounding and beautiful to watch.




Word of advice to people who want to go hiking, do not go out drinking the night before and bring beer onto the van on the way, because this was a mistake we made. With little sleep, we hiked all the way down the canyon and dove into the river for a shower before crossing a bridge and hiking up another half an hour to our bungalows for the evening. The following day we hiked up to what was known as the capital of the canyon, but aside from a decent sized church and about 50 families the city was very empty. We found a number of fascinating plants including some reminiscent of cocaine which turned out to be used for lip stick and not for Saturday nights. After passing a waterfall we met some traveling nurses on the path. Fortunately for comic relief a Frenchman from our group had a rash on his leg from a plant on the path. The nurse took one look at it, went into her bag and pulled out a needle. She gave him the shot right in his ass, he gave her cash and that ended the greatest transaction I have ever seen in my life. A few moments later we arrived at "Paradise" or as I would describe it, a place with a fairly small pool, no electricity, and mud floors (I did love the place though)! Having tuna later for dinner did not turn out in my favor. We were to be woken up at 430 AM and wouldn't you know, just prior to that time I woke up and instantly puked on my roommate Matthew! I proceeded to puke a few more times before gathering in the group and taking off. On this 3rd and final day of hiking we had to go straight up the canyon, brilliant considering the tuna effect I was feeling. We were following another Frenchman who I liked to refer to as "El corona de Francia" or the crown of France, because of his ability to smoke copious amounts of cigarettes and consume irregular amounts of alcohol in between and during these hikes. About ten minutes into the hike he looked exhausted, leaned to the side of the path onto some rocks, waved us on, and proceeded to smoke a cigarette. Sheer brilliance. I was so impressed I wanted to cry and clap standing up like I did during the royal wedding.

After puking 4-6 more times throughout the hike we finally reached the top. After a grueling trip in the van back to Arequipa, we then boarded our 12 hour bus back to Cusco..........

Lago de Titicaca

The highest navigable (whatever that means) lake in the world is Lake Titicaca, take that Tahoe! Lake Titicaca is a massive lake bordering Peru and Bolivia. On the lake lies one of the most fascinating pieces of architecture; the floating islands. Years ago outside of Puno city on Lake Titicaca there was an unusual amount of rain. The solution? Create your own islands of course! Using what they call 'Totora reeds' the Uros tribe, who predate the Incas mind you, the people living near Puno literally wove flood resistant islands that floated on the lake. I thought it was wonderful, and as our tour guide pointed out if you didn't like your neighbor well hey just cut him off your island and there would be no more disputes! Today the island is extremely touristy with a couple of restaurants, and the locals desperately attempting to, almost forcing you to buy some of their goods. The architecture and the engineering of the place still blew me away and I loved it although some of the people in my group were a bit annoyed. I rode a woven boat across the islands while two ladies rowed about eight of us across. Not only was this physically impressive but the boat was fascinating, which like the islands themselves are woven out of plants.







After riding the woven boat across our more modern boat took us to another island called Amantani. On Amantani we docked and a group of local women were awaiting us and essentially bid on, or were assigned to some of the tourists. A very sweet middle aged lady took my friend Matt, a lovely British lady named Eve, and I to her house. She prepared us an incredible vegetarian dish and after we rested we went on a hike with our group. After the hike our house mom gave us some traditional clothes which we put on and we headed to a fiesta where I did my best impression of what many would refer to us dancing (twas not pretty).





The morning after consisted of us waking up at 6:30, having another vegetarian meal and then heading to our boat to head to the third and final island of our tour; Taquile island. On Taquile Island we took a beautiful hike and enjoyed a nice lunch with an incredible view of the lake and surrounding islands.

Machu Picchu... a day I will never forget and never want to repeat

I absolutely loved Machu Picchu. The end of the Andes and the beginning of the Amazon is home to one of the eight wonders of the world, the ancient society of Machu Picchu. The views were unbelievable, the history shocked you, and the architecture and engineering of the Incas baffles you. However, this is NOT a family vacation, I repeat NOT. If you are based in Cusco like I am or travel by plane into Cusco here is the ridiculous route you must embark on to capitalize on the complete Machu Picchu experience. First you take an hour and a half ride on miserable roads in a crowded van, yay! Once you arrive to your destination, Ollyatantambo you must take an hour and a half train ride to Aguas Callientes. From there you should wake up at 3 am the following morning and take a bus up the mountain to Machu Picchu. Once you are there, you want to quickly acquire Huayana Picchu tickets so you can hike that while you are there. You will also want to hike Machu Picchu of course and from there potentially to the Gran Cavern which although miserable to hike, was fascinating. I say it isn’t a family vacation because you are hiking a ton and you will feel it the next day. We also opted to hike down instead of take the simple bus ride which was awesome but my legs are still crying,

The experience itself was once in a lifetime and I can’t express the euphoria I had once I reached the top of Huayana Picchu and viewed Machu Picchu (after walking through Machu). Why on earth was this society, 10,000 feet in the air even here? It’s hard to say but the best reasons seem to circle around Protection from invaders or the ability to study all types of astronomical phenomenon. The Incas had stones arranged such that during the summer solstice it would shine right through these two thin rocks on that day and that day only. Perfectly marked stone compasses, and stones that outlined the Milky Way perfectly only begin to scrape the surface of the Inca’s incredible history. On top of that the llamas strolling around get checked on by veterinarians every two weeks, better health care than most Americans!

I ate a guinea pig, sue me

Don’t judge me for eating Cuy (Guinea pig) it was highly recommended and I didn’t know it was going to look exactly like a rat with the head and everything. Aside from that it tasted like fish and chips.