Top Ten Least Favorite Things About My Trip To Peru

Even though the 12 days in Peru was one of the best vacations, there were moments that can't be classified as favorites.

1. The mosquitos and giant bugs on night 3 on the trek flying around while we were waiting for dinner.
2. The watered down lemonade and hot chocolate on the trek
3. Saying goodbye to new friends on the trek
4. Not being able to pee outside of the tent at night and walking to the bathroom.  There were no rules against it but when there are 5 tents lined up and possibly 12 people that could wander up, it's best to use the facilities.
5. The young, obnoxious college students in other groups (our group was awesome) being loud, drinking at stops and smoking at the top of Saltankay.
6. The high school student on the plane from Puerto Maldonado to Lima.  They were LOUD, talked the entire time and gave me a such a bad headache and I was about in tears by time I got off the plane. 
7. Thinking we were short on time at Wayna Picchu and rushing back when we had plenty of time.
8. Driving around Lima without headlights on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. 
9. Not seeing any parrots at the parrot clay lick. 
10. Trash along the trail and John says it was women's toilet paper (of course boys wouldn't leave their TP). As we closer to Aqua Caliente the amount of garbage and the number of trash bags John filled up increased.

The Medicinal Trail and Farm

One of the activities that we did during our stay at Refugio Amazonas is the medicinal trail and then across the lake to tour a farm.

Usually a shaman gives the tour of the medicinal trail but he was on a house call in another area.  Our guide, Jose Luis, was very knowledgable of the plants, their uses and what they cured and had considered becoming a shaman but  that would require living off the land, deep in the forest and not talking to anyone for 2 years.  We nibbled on a leaf that was used as Novocain for dental work, we drank cats claw which does miraculous things probably due to the alcoholic content and making the person relaxed and happy. 

 After the trail we took the boat across to the other side to the farm.  On the farm the gentleman raised many fruits to sell at the market. The farm grew a large variety of items including star fruit, papaya, sugar cane, banana's and fruits I had never heard of, like breadfruit.

star fruit

Jose Luis pounded on the sugar cane and it produced liquid

Don't remember what this is

The seeds are used for dye

Banana's

Papaya's

The tour was very interesting and we weren't asked for to tip the farm owner for the tour (which I kind of expected).  I'm sure he is paid by the tour group or receives a monthly stipend from the lodge for allowing groups to tromp through his farm.  Instead of payment we gave him a round of applause for a thank you.

The Peruvian Amazon

Johann at the Run Tall, Walk Tall blog, asked if I was actually on the Amazon River.  Besides knowing that I wasn't on the actual river, I didn't know on a map where I was in comparison to the Amazon.

I was on the Tambopata River, a tributary of the Amazon River. Of course it's not specifically on this map but it is off the Madre de Dios in southern Peru.

We were down river from Puerto Maldonado, which is where we flew into.  You can see on this map the location of Cuzco (close to Machu Picchu), Puerto Maldonado and the Brazilian border

Rainforest Expeditions has three lodges and we stayed at Refugio Amazonas. 

The trail map at Refugio Amazonas. I certainly hope this isn't to scale because it seemed like the canopy tower was very close and the non-parrot clay lick was much further away.

Brazilian Nuts in Peru

Jose Luis, our guide in the jungle, said the brazilian nut trees exist because squirrels are forgetful.  To understand how this is possible, you need to first know about a brazilian nut.  You've probably all see unshelled brazilian nuts.

But did you know they look like a coconut with about 20 individual nuts inside the coconut casing?  It also takes 14 months to grow one nut from pollination to maturity.  John is standing at the nut cracking table and you can see the large brazilian nut casing with the remnants of the shells from the actual nuts.

To watch people trying to get to the nuts was incredibly amusing.  First, generally a man would take the machete and try to lodge the blade into the nut.  It would take numerous tries before the blade would actually stick.  Next, they would bring the nut stuck in the blade to a hard surface, like a tree stump and continue to pound away at it.  Almost always the nut would come unlodged from the blade, roll away and the nut cracker would start again.  Finally, after repeated attempts, the nut would burst open like a piñata and the nuts inside would scatter across the ground. 

For squirrels that lacked machetes and opposable thumbs,  there is a small opening in the capsule where the squirrels can gnaw open the casing and get the nuts inside.  After eating a nut or two, the squirrel needs to save the rest for another meal and buries the nuts but it forgets where he buried it and it grows into a tree.

The trees are gigantic and grow to be 160 ft tall.  We climbed stairs 100 feet up to a canopy stand and gazed out across all the tree tops and the brazilian tree stood tall and much higher than the tops of all the trees below it.

Nuts are gathered by hand in South America with more of the exports coming from Bolivia and not Brazil.  It is illegal to cut down a brazilian nut tree which is why you may see them in odd locations.  With the age of the trees living to be 500-1000 years old, it is hard to image there is a concern with ongoing tree population.  Where the nuts are heavily harvested for export, new, young trees aren't sprouting to replace older, dying trees.

So while it's great that the trees aren't logged and the South America countries can produce income from just the nuts, major harvesting of the nuts is still a detriment to the environment and the continuation of the brazilan nut tree.

The Hoatzin's and Other Birds in Peruvian Jungle

According to Wikipedia there are 1879 species of birds in Peru.  We certainly didn't see that many, especially since the parrot lick was parrotless. We did see quite a few birds and the guide was able to identify the birds as they were overhead.  I don't just mean he would say that's a macaw but he named it from the birds call- it is a scarlet macaw.

The river is where we saw the most birds, like this blue billed bird (don't know the real name)

and this hawk

but my favorite are the hoatzin's. Before  the hoatzin's came into view I heard them first. A low groan and then I saw one.  The hoatzin's remind me of Beaker from the Muppets with big eyes and crazy,wild hair.

When we came up to the next bunch of birds I was excited because there were four birds all together.  One flew up into the trees and the nest was still full.  And another flew away and yet another.  15 birds must have been in that one area and they just kept flying up into the trees.

Of all the birds I saw, these were definitely a favorite.

The Parrots That Weren't There

This blog post is in honor of my new friend Rafaella. Rafaella is a young lady from Lima and I met her at the parrot lick in Peru.  To get to the parrot lick we hiked from the lodge 10 minutes to the river and took a 20 minute boat ride upstream and hiked another 45 minutes to see all the birds in the poster John is pointing to.

What we saw was this.  What's that you can't see all the birds?  That's because there were no birds.  We waited and waited for the birds to arrive.

Rafaella (who I didn't get a picture of while in Peru) was waiting patiently with her mom hoping to see birds.  Needing to do something after I took pictures of the blank wall and this curleyq on the plant,

I showed Rafaella the on camera picture I took of the macaws the day before

and I offered for Rafaella to look through the binoculars and she spotted a lone parrot in a tree.  Nothing terribly exciting for our time at the salt like with the non-existent parrots.

To communicate with Rafaella I did the caveman grunts and pointed to things because I know zero spanish and since I had only heard her mom speak english I assumed Rafaella didn't speak english.  Imagine my surprise an hour later when I learned she spoke english and spoke it VERY WELL.

From that point forward I spoke to her in english and asked her questions and learned she's about the same age as my neighbor and niece.  I got my first penpal when I was 10 years old and thought the three of them could also be penpals and got Rafaella's address in Peru.

I wrote Rafaella when I got back to Arizona and today I received her reply.  I suppose I should rename the title of this post to 'The parrots that weren't there but my new friend was.'

R.O.U.S's Rodents of Unusual Size in Peruvian Amazon

The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies.  It's a classic, one that everyone should be able to quote at anytime.  If you too are a fan of The Princess Bride, you'll know all about the R.O.U.S's.   Outside of a snake slithering in the grass (it looked quite huge too), the first animal I saw in the Peruvian jungle was a rodent of unusual size aka R.O.U.S.   At first I thought it was a wild pig but hairy.  Our guide explained it was a capybara...a giant rodent.  Luckily it didn't have a giant rat tail and wasn't chasing me wearing my princess buttercup dress.

The next animal was the caiman.  Like an alligator but a lot smaller.  Now maybe this was a young one but all the ones I saw weren't that big.  Regardless, I wouldn't want to go swimming with one.

Speaking of swimming, people can swim in different areas but need to watch out for the anaconda's.  Our guide said he'd only seen one 2 or 3 times in his life and we were fortunate enough to see one on our kayak trip.  Our guides were wonderful looking for animals and spotted this little guy warming up in the tree and singing trust in me while his eyes dilated and made crazy designs.

People used to swim in Lago Condenado, also known as Oxbo Lake, but when it became a protected area people no longer swam in it.  I personally think it's because of the piraña's we saw in the water eating the crackers we were feeding them.

Around the lodge we saw monkeys jumping from tree branches and I saw a red howler monkey too.  It was sleeping in a tree by where we were eating lunch and the lodge brought out their telescope. It was amazing seeing the monkey just sleeping there.  We also saw another rodent running around the lodge grounds. It looks like a size of a squirrel here but it was the size of a small cat.  I wouldn't be surprised if these came into the room which is open to the jungle.  They are probably the reason we were told to lock our food up in the lockers.

I didn't see any animals in the room but our friends Scott and Michele were in the next room and Michele said she heard something eating in her room.  It should have been eating the termites that were building a nest in their bathroom which crashed down all on their bathroom counter leaving termites and yummy looking larva all over the counter and floor.  The termites can build a gigantic nest in a couple hours.

At Oxbo late while Jose Luis our guide was paddling us around, we also saw these little bats hanging out on a log.

One evening we took a night hike and saw creepy crawlies like the pink toed tarantula

And these very gross whipless scorpians.  Or maybe they were tail-less.  Regardless, I didn't see the appeal in them and wouldn't want them for pets.

One of my favorite things on the night hike and I don't have a picture of it the leaf cutter ants.  Just like in A Bug's Life, these 4 little ants were carrying pieces of leaves larger than them walking on a branch. I'm easy to please and these 4 little ants with 4 leafs walking with the leaves was a highlight of the jungle for me.

Tomorrow I'll share the birds I saw in the jungle. 

Just Like Jungle Book: The Peruvian Amazon

When I started blogging about my Peruvian vacation, I explained there were two parts to the vacation.  Part 1 was the 5 day, 4 night hike to Machu Picchu.  Part 2 was 5 days, 4 nights in the jungle in the Peruvian Amazon, the rain forest.

We flew straight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado and the climate difference between the two locations was noticeable immediately.   Living in Phoenix, Arizona, we have almost no humidity except a couple months and even then it's not much when compared to other places, like the rain forest. I knew it would be humid but I didn't know it would be really humid. 

The boat we took to the lodge

On the Tambopata 

We booked our trip with Rainforest Expeditions and stayed at the Refugio Amazonas lodge.  Rainforest Expeditions picked us up at the airport and took us to their office where we repacked luggage to only take what was required and we were loaded onto a bus. I wish I had pictures of the homes we passed.  The homes weren't even shacks.  They were more like 2x4's with plastic tarps.  I don't know if they ate there or what or maybe, hopefully, they were temporary shelters for the field workers.  After the bus ride we climbed into boats for a 2 hour boat ride.  Our plane arrived late which meant we were arriving to the lodge late and wouldn't be able to do our caiman hunting unless we did it on our way to the lodge.  We did see baby caiman and momma too.  

A caiman sunning himself.  Or is it a herself?  I can't tell with that smile

We finally arrived right before dinner and had our orientation.  Wear bug spray, put snacks/food in the lockers and don't go into the jungle without a guide otherwise you might get lost.  To be honest I was very miserable that first evening.  It was hot.  I mean very hot and humid and sticky.  The bugs were attacking me and I was NOT a happy camper.  I wondered what the heck I got myself into.

The lodge supported ecotourism and being one with nature.  There was electricity in the main area twice a day and the rooms were lit with kerosene lanterns.  The soaps were biodegradable and made brazilian nuts and smelled wonderful. The rooms had three walls with the 4th being open to the jungle and you sleep under mosquito nets. Imagine falling asleep to the sounds of the jungle where dozens of things come to life at night and it is right next to you.  Literally.

Our room number and the light for our entry and bathroom

Out beds, mosquito nets and the outside jungle with our clothes hanging out to dry

I slept well under my mosquito net and woke up the next morning with a better mind set than the evening before.  Day 1 of the jungle adventure begins.

Bring on the drugs: Altitude, Diamox and Coca Leaves on the Way to Machu Picchu

I knew physically I would be able to handle the 5 day/4 night trek to Machu Picchu but what I didn't know is how would I handle the altitude?

I live in Phoenix which is a whopping 1100 ft. When I drive up to Flagstaff, which just under 7000 ft, I get a headache.  Last year John and I went camping up at Flag and not only did I have a headache, I was extra sleepy, my breathing was shallow and I slept in till 8am (a very rare occurence) and John thought I died during the night.

I researched medications and chose to take Diamox to help with the altitude sickness.  One of the possible side effects of Diamox are the same symptoms of altitude sickness so it's recommended to test the drug prior to requiring it.  I didn't test the medication and hoped for the best. I started taking it as directed a day before I landed in Cusco.

The very first indication I had that I was in altitude was a flight of stairs.  Up to that point it didn't occur to me that I was at 11,200 ft in Cusco.  I didn't have a headache and wasn't any drowsier than one would expect after 3 flights lasting almost 24 hours including layovers. I started up the steps and quickly realized I wasn't in Phoenix anymore.  I stopped, caught my breath and swore under my breath.  My legs, lungs and ego hurt and I wasn't even hiking yet.

Diamox will not make the hike any less physical and won't change the fact there is less oxygen the higher up in altitude you travel.  It should help you with some of the side effects like headaches, pins/needles, shortness of breath (within reason), fatigue (uhh, not really) and swelling of hands and feet.  I didn't have issues taking diamox and still had headache and pins/needles in my feet but I imagine had I not taken the medication, it would have been worse.

The coca leaves were interesting. Some people didn't like them but to me they tasted green.  I had some shortly after getting off the plane because I was curious.  Like a cow, I chewed my leaves and didn't throw up, die or get high.  On the hike Hector, our guide, explained he put a wad in, chewed them some and kept it on the side of his mouth. Having something leafy sitting on the side of my mouth didn't work for me and I spit them out within 5 minutes.  After that my gag reflex kicked in and I couldn't put any in my mouth.

The coca leaves do not make you high but you will test positive for a cocaine test.  After returning I read up on the coca leaved and learned you'll test positive for a drug test for 72 hours.  I didn't see a scientific study on this though.  So if you are a flight attendant, work for the FAA, have a drug test for work coming up, don't risk drinking coca tea or eating the leaves or candy and stick to vitamin I, IB Profin.

All Aboard. Taking the Backpacker Train from Machu Picchu

Our trek included the train from Aqua Caliente back to Cusco but only at a specific time, 6:15pm.  If we wanted to go back to Cusco earlier, we'd need to change tickets and pay the increased fare of the backpacker rate to the upper class.  Steerage is ok with me and I had more time in Machu Picchu.

Unneedingly, we rushed thru Wayna Picchu to get to Aqua Caliente and get our laundry that we had washed at the hotel.  We knew it wouldn't be cheap to get our laundry done but wouldn't have time in Cusco arriving at 10pm and weren't sure there would be sun in the jungle for laundry washing.  We got back in plenty of time and had to wait for our laundry to finish anyways.

Back to the train ride, we boarded the train and the announcer said something like you'll get a snack with your fare.  I thought that was awesome because I like food and thought on the backpacker train we wouldn't get a snack.  I dosed off and the next time the announcer said something I looked up and saw the cart and put down my tray.  The lady pushing the cart, put the cart at the end of the aisle, slammed up my trey and walked to the end of the train.  I guess I didn't get a snackum afterall.  Some music and  story started and blah, blah, blah I wasn't paying attention.

The music picked up more and this colorful creature came down the aisle jumping around and making faces.  Wait, that was a animal face or something I was seeing.

A wild animal wearing a circus costume jumped around and got the crowd involved.  I did not want to be dragged out into the aisle to dance and fortunately I wasn't.  When I make a fool of myself I want it to be my choice.

The announcer said something about a fashion show and I thought this animal is NOT a fashion show. Next thing I know the woman, who didn't feed me a snack, was at the front of the train demonstrating how to wear this beautiful scarf different ways.

 She was beautiful and was enjoying the fashion show much more than handing out snacks to those in steerage.  She made it look so easy to change the clothing into many looks.

But the fashion show wasn't just for the women(well actually it was), there was a male model too.  He also was an employee of the train and was more modest and shy.  He was embarrassed to be the center of attention and having all these women hooting and hollering for him.  The more the women hollered for him, the more embarrassed he became but I couldn't help myself.  I often embarrass John when I show my playful (he would think annoying) side and John slumped further in his seat as I cheered the male model on.

What I thought was going to be a boring train ride that would let me take a nap, turned into a fun, enjoyable trip back to Cusco. Who would have thought riding a train in Peru would be so fun and eventful.

What to expect for campsites on the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

If you love camping like I do, you love the serenity and the fresh air and communing with nature.  All is right in the world when I'm camping.  If you were to take me from the camping environment and throw me back into the real world dealing with crowds, noise and people, I'd probably have a nervous breakdown dealing with reality.

The Saltankay pass trail and camping is like putting a frog in water and turning up the heat. The water never increases temperature fast enough for the frog to sense the danger and jump out.

The first night on the trek our group was isolated from the other groups.  We knew the groups were camped in the same general area but we didn't see them, didn't share meals or the bathroom and we certainly never heard them.  It was just our little group getting to know each other on the mountainside.

Outside our camping area

Inside our shelter.  Our groups tents lined up

Nothing but us, the horses and the mountains

The second night the camp site was more established.  We walked by the other campers playing football(soccer) on the way to our site. Once to our site we didn't see the other campers nor did we hear them but we knew they were very close.  Our camp area had a little store, three bathrooms, a shower (cold), an area for the cook, rooms for the guides and an area for us to eat. 

A friendly game of football

Our tents lined up and waiting when we arrived

The third night was like a KOA campground including the drunks.  All the groups were put into a small area and the tents were on top of each other.  The store at the campsite looked like it also had a full bar which was heavily utilized by the young college students.  After eating I stood by the campfire for a bit and enjoyed the music playing and the disco light and called it a night.  Although at 10pm the music stopped the noise didn't. Some young man was very emotional and probably very drunk and cried and sobbed for quite a while.  At 1:30am when I got up to use the restroom the campers had long went to bed but three people, probably all guides, stood around the bar laughing and enjoying the evening.

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The garbage men took away the piles of garbage

One of the eating areas held 2-3 groups

The last night we were in a hotel in Aqua Caliente.  It was nice having a shower but it would have been better if the water was actually hot. I was forewarned about the train that came by at 10pm and again at midnight and wasn't scared awake by it.  A couple from our group had a flood in their room from a burst pipe and the front desk said, it was just the sink leaking a little.  Since we were only staying one night they checked out but the bottom of their bag was wet and hours later when we went back to get our bags the hotel stored for us, the hotel had actually taken the water issue seriously and was working on remedying the issue. The hotel was included in our trek and the price of the trek was super affordable so I can't complain too much.

Into Toata Sun Place Hotel

So as you can see, the trip was planned for isolation and adding people and noise a little more each day until being in Aqua Caliente with a bunch of tourists.