Famous Faces, Famous Places and Famous Foods
Amazon River Trip Awakens the Senses (Part 2)
On Top of the Jungle
One morning, we stowed most of our gear at ExplorNapo and packed the bare essentials for a 45-minute trek and two-day visit to the ACEER – the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research. The ACEER, a primary research station for scientists in the rainforest, is also home to the world’s longest canopy walkway.
By chance, we were the only guests at ACEER, and the isolation was sublime. After a brief rest, we hiked even deeper into the jungle to the walkway. The walkway, a series of 12 spans, took more than two years to construct and was designed so that no tree would be harmed: no nails, no cutting. Some scientists spend days (and nights) at a time in one spot on the walkway to study lizards, birds, insects and mammals that rarely, if ever, stray below the canopy.
The walk starts in a two-story tower. Then it's a leap of faith onto 18-inch wide planking suspended in sturdy mesh and supported by rope and cable. As we climbed through the canopy, we startled a pair of toucans that quickly took flight. Movement in an adjacent tree revealed a troop of monkeys. A foot-long lizard sunned itself. A hidden woodpecker tapped for a late lunch.
Soon we reached platform six, 120 feet above the jungle floor and the walkway's highest point. The ground was obscured by a tangle of leaves, vines and trees. Taproots dangled from epiphytes – plants (including countless species of orchids) that use trees as their home and dapple the jungle skyline.
As I looked out upon seemingly endless verdant horizons, I felt both empowered and humbled.
Black clouds approached and thunder rumbled nearby, and we decided to leave our jungle-top perch. By the time we arrived back at ACEER, a storm had hit. With the thick canopy overhead, however, the downpour barely drizzled to the ground.
After dinner, Cliver led us on a night-walk. Without lights, we couldn't see our own hands. Just a hundred yards from the compound, Cliver pointed his light at a squat frog. "It's a laughing frog," he said. "Until two years ago, it was an unknown species. A scientist discovered it here."
A few minutes later, Cliver
directed the beam at a low tree branch. Red lines glowed back from a moving twig.
"That's a Peruvian firestick," he explained. "Discovered for the first time
10 years ago. Never seen anywhere else."
The main event was yet to come. Cliver led us from the path to a small clearing. He turned off his light and asked us to do the same. Immediately, the ground started to glow. Specks of light stretched about 20 feet in each direction.
"I can tell you it's bioluminescence," he said. "I can't tell you what causes it. No one can, not even the scientists. We've looked elsewhere in the area, but it only happens here."
Leaf mold, fungus, some biochemical reaction? Maybe a mystery for the next research team to solve.
We fell asleep to rain and thunder but awakened to clearing skies and the offer of another visit to the walkway. The sun was barely over the horizon, and mist rose through the canopy. A monkey troop passed below us, and the treetops were a bird-lover's dream. As we walked from platform six, a rainbow formed across the horizon.
After breakfast, it was time to return to Napo. As we trudged into the lodge, we were almost unnerved by the presence of other people. In less than two days, we'd been spoiled.Village Visits
The ribereños are mestizos, a mix of Spanish and Indian blood. Tourism has touched them slightly, but tainted them little, if at all. We found them to be warm, welcoming and sincere in their graciousness. When we visited Manco Capac, a small village on a minor tributary, families kept on with their daily routine. Men and boys returned from the river and fields. Some continued to net-fish from the riverbank, and a few were digging up manioc roots. One man was clearing a patch of land for planting.
A group of young girls fresh from washing clothes in the river ran barefoot by us. Each glanced at my friend Patricia and giggled; blonde hair is still a curiosity.
Women peeled rice, roasted tapioca root and ground farina in the raised huts, while pigs, chickens and dogs mingled in the shadows below. The huts were simple: palm tree walls, roofs made of woven fronds, and slatted flooring. Instead of mattresses we saw clothing strewn beneath mosquito nets. Everyone we saw smiled and waved.
"Jungle life is really hard," Cliver said. "But these people have time to enjoy their families. They have so little but enjoy life so much."
To experience truly traditional life in the Amazon basin – life that's changed little in centuries – travelers need only visit one of many Yagua Indian villages in the area. While the ribereños are apt to wear Hard Rock Cafe T-shirts, the Yaguas still wear traditional skirts and headdresses made from woven palm fibers dyed red, the color of good fortune. While the ribereños tend to be Catholic or Evangelic, the Yaguas still worship mayantu, a jungle deity. The guides avoid over-frequent visits to the Indian villages, fearful of tourism's impact on ancient customs.
When Cliver, Patricia and I arrived by boat at a remote Yagua village on the Yanayacu River, two children saw us and disappeared down a narrow path. As we approached the path, we walked the 70-foot length of a fallen palm tree. "The Indians let it rot, so that beetles will lay their eggs in it," Cliver explained. "When the larvae grow, the Indians dig them out and eat them. Quite a feast." He then described a traditional drink – masato – made from manioc roots chewed to a pulp by the village women and spit into a kettle to ferment for a few days. I hoped our visit didn't include dinner.
When we reached a clearing,
the curaca – or chief – greeted us with a broad smile. His tribe, four
generations of extended family, gathered behind him. Cliver talked to the chief, who went
into a hut and returned with a 5-foot blowgun. He reached into a quiver, pulled out a
dart, placed it carefully in the mouthpiece, and blew lightly. The dart blurred into a
wooden target 50 feet away dead center. Two more tries, also dead center.
The chief handed the blowgun to me and pulled a dart from the quiver. It was slightly larger than a toothpick, with a fluff of cotton on the end for stability and to build air pressure behind the dart. My first shot went wide, but the other two hit. Admittedly, I was only about 15 feet from the target, but I was impressed.
Tourism apparently wasn't completely unknown. While we were playing with lethal weapons, other tribe members quickly assembled a community handicraft stand. For $15 dollars and an inexpensive watch purchased for the trip, I was able to bring home a variety of necklaces, bracelets and woven bags.
Elusive Pink Dolphins
The next afternoon, we set out in search of elusive pink river dolphins. We made our way up a small tributary, and three dolphins broke the surface. Each one made an 8-foot arc through the water and flaunted bright pink on its sides. The rare dolphin is the stuff of legends with the local river people and Indians. One popular myth is that women shouldn't swim near dolphins, or they'll get pregnant – probably a great way to keep young girls from swimming out too far into the current. It may be an even better way to explain away the results of more land-based amorous activity.
As we headed back toward the Napo River, Cliver pointed frequently: "That's a yellow-headed caracara, a raptor. Did you see that? It was a white-necked heron." He never tired of sighting birds and other animals, and we never tired of hearing about them.Cliver timed our arrival back onto the Napo perfectly. The sun was setting across the river and cast an orange glow on cumulus clouds and on the still river. Trees changed to jungle silhouettes, as the last of the red sky turned to darkness. We pulled over to the riverbank and tied to a fallen tree, scaring some bulldog bats into flight.
"Don't worry. They just eat fish," Cliver said.
"Let's listen to the jungle concert," he whispered. "Close your eyes."
It truly was a concert. Cicadas started with their
tenor tone, and tree frogs added the counterpoint. An occasional macaw or parrot joined
in. In the distance, drums summoned members of a nearby Yagua Indian village to a
community gathering.
A Night to Remember
When we opened our eyes, we watched the sky fade to black. With no town for 100 miles, light pollution wasn’t a problem. Stars filled the heavens and stretched to all horizons.
"O.K., now it's time to look for caimans," Cliver said.
As we motored quietly downstream, we swept our flashlights across the Napo's high banks. After a few minutes, two eyes reflected back at us. We cut the engine and paddled quietly toward shore. It wasn't a caiman but rather a bullfrog, perhaps one of the musicians we heard earlier.
About eight feet above it, at the top of the bank, we saw some motion and focused our lights. We moved the boat closer, and Cliver moved to the bow. "It's a caiman! Probably about four feet. A small one." he told us. "Do you want to go on shore to see it? Come one at a time."
Before I had a chance to ponder a response, Patricia made her way to the bow. She took off her sandals and jumped into ankle-deep mud. Cliver helped her as she used a vine to pull herself up the bank.
As I bravely stood guard in the boat, Patricia and Cliver closed in on the caiman. Cliver stopped short. "He's bigger than I thought. He could take a good bite out of us. Patricia, do you want to get back into the boat so Jim can see?"
I helped Patricia aboard and was contemplating a step into the muck when she shouted. "A snake!" Cliver turned his light toward the boat and we all saw something slither past where my right foot would have been. "It's an anaconda!" he shouted back. "I think I'm going to get back in the boat."
It was about 5-feet long, a baby, Cliver said. Not big enough for a B-movie strangulation, but big enough to inflict a painful, although not venomous, bite. And certainly not as dangerous as a fer de lance or bushmaster. Safely in the boat, we watched it move fluidly along the shore. Its mottled skin – brown, yellow and green – reflected in our lights.
"I can't believe it. We are very lucky," Cliver said. "First the dolphins, then a bullfrog, caiman, and anaconda all in the same place. This never happens."
Our thoughts turned to mama caiman and mama anaconda, and we decided not to push our luck. As we motored back, we saw flames flicker inside huts and vague silhouettes of families eating their evening meals. The occasional scent of smoke and meat wafted on the wind.
Just another night on the river.
Explorama Lodges
ExplorNapo is one of five lodges owned and run by Explorama Lodges.
Explorama Lodge, about 50 miles downstream from Iquitos, is the largest lodge and the first one built by Peter Jensen, in 1965. Its age doesn't show, however, thanks to extensive renovation last year. Accommodations, "amenities" and excursions are similar to those at ExplorNapo. The Lodge is about halfway between Iquitos and ExplorNapo, which often means more people (not necessarily bad) and more "convenience."For those who really like to rough it, there's ExplorTambos Camp, a primitive camp deep in primary rainforest. It's fairly basic: an open hearth for cooking, a creek for washing, and small one-person shelters with mattresses and netting (actually, there's also a shelter with "matrimonial mattresses" and a large mosquito net, but I wouldn't recommend this for honeymooners or amorous travelers.
Explorama Inn, about 25 miles from Iquitos, is a cluster of cabins with running water, indoor plumbing, electricity and ceiling fans. As with the two lodges, there's also a dining area and hammock house.
At the luxury end of the spectrum is the brand new Ceiba Tops Resort adjacent to the inn. It offers 40 well-appointed rooms with air conditioning, flush toilets, electricity, lights, ceiling fans, hot showers and drinkable tap water. There's even a swimming pool. Its relative luxury and 25-mile distance from Iquitos should almost guarantee success. Many excursions similar to ones offered at ExplorNapo are available at Ceiba Tops, so guests won't miss out on the jungle experience. Some guests will find that the relative luxury makes them feel somewhat disconnected from the jungle. For others, however, it's the best of both worlds: all the creature comforts, with jungle and river adventures just outside your door.
When You Go:
Lodging
Explorama's rates depend on length of stay and the number of people in your party.
Examples for a party of two: $275 (per person) for two days/three nights, $855 for five
days/four nights, and $1,065 for eight days/seven nights. For further information, contact
Explorama Lodges, Box 446, Iquitos, Peru. Phone: 51-94-2530; fax: 51-94-25-2533. E-mail: amazon@explorama.com. Explorama is represented in
the United States by SACA at 800-707-5275, but we had no trouble arranging our trip
through e-mails, which were responded to quickly and thoroughly.
Transportation
Direct flights are available from Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Newark and
New York. Primary carriers are American, Continental, Delta and Lan Chile. Expect to pay
$600-$800 round-trip depending on departure city, but a recent New York fare was as low as
$420. From Lima, flights run several times a day on domestic carriers to Iquitos. Flights
and airlines tend to change erratically, and Explorama has built a page that keeps up with
the changes. Expect to pay $140-$200 round-trip.
The transportation from the airport to the docks and by boat to the lodges is included in Explorama's package prices.
Clothing
This close to the equator, daytime temperatures average about 90 degrees (F.) year-round,
with humidity generally 90 percent or higher. Nighttime temperatures offer little relief.
Rain is frequent year-round, resulting in muddy walking. Rather than bringing good hiking
boots, bring a couple pairs of old sneakers you won't mind throwing away at the end of the
trip. Bring long-sleeved shirts and long pants as protection against sun and mosquitoes.
Synthetic fabrics are helpful but are no match for the humidity. Some guests bring along
as many as two throwaway T-shirts for each day of travel. Especially on river excursions,
wide-brimmed hats provide necessary eye and skin protection against the sun.
Health
Check with your physician or local health department, but it's likely you'll need
immunizations against hepatitis A and B, typhoid, tetanus and yellow fever. You should
also get a full allotment of malaria pills. Get the strongest insect repellant you can
tolerate, since mosquitoes and flies can carry all sorts of fun diseases.