Madre de Dios: the people

After our descent down the mountain road, we prepared to board a boat at Atalaya on the Madre de Dios River, a major tributary of the Amazon.

Peter, supplies and our boat

Our boat was well equipped with life-jackets and an extra  motor.  Supplies were were loaded for our four day expedition. Besides hiking in the jungle, this was to be our principle means of travel for this portion of our journey.

Among other things, a sign at the dock warned travelers not to point cameras at uncontacted tribes that live in this area: they might be considered to be weapons.

Vigner, our guide, said that we would not likely encounter them as they live deeper in the jungle than we will be going but a park ranger had received an arrow in the back a couple of years ago!

The villagers we met along the river, including our boat drivers, were from local tribes that had adapted to modern life.

Below are a few portraits of these kind people we met along the way.

Cock of the Rock

After returning to Cusco from Bolivia, we joined our guide, Vigner Ortega, for a week-long journey, organized through InkaNatura, down the road to Manu NP in the Amazon basin.

A landslide caused a long wait for the road to be repaired

 The  long ride down a single lane dirt road, took us from snowy highlands through elfin forests, and then cloud forests on the slopes of eastern Andes.

Each time we stopped we were in a different eco-zone with its own compliment of flora and fauna.

A male cock-of-the-rock perched quietly in the lek

We finally stopped for the night at the Cock of the Rock Lodge, named after the national bird of Peru. Early next morning we visited the famous bird's lek, the place where males of the specie gather to impress females with their fabulous plumage and sexy dance moves.

It wasn't breeding season and there were no females birds to impress, but luckily for us there were a few young males about, posing for each other  - and our cameras!

After breakfast we continued on our journey down the mountain to meet our boat crew who woud take us down the Madre de Dios River to the Manu Wildlife Center.

The photo collage below illustrates just a few examples of the amazing wildlife we encountered on our journey.

La Senda Verde

To escape the debilitating effects of the Altiplano, Peter and I traveled to the Yungas of Bolivia, a region of more temperate cloud forests at a lower altitude. We chose to stay at an animal sanctuary called La Senda Verde, The Green Path, that accepts tour groups and overnight guests.

Dropping from 15,000 feet to a more reasonable 3,800 was refreshing and invigorating. I was in my element - warm and happy to be surrounded by verdant forest, though the constant screeching of the parrots and macaws outside my window was a bit hard to bear!

This sanctuary was started in 2003 by Vicky Ossio and Marcelo Levy, eco-resort owners, when someone wanted to sell them a monkey. Not wanting to perpetuate the illegal trade in animals, they pleaded with the captor to just give it to them. That was the start of a new life dedicated to saving rescued creatures and today they have made a home for over 700 animals from the Andes and the Amazon, and the number continues to grow.

The male spectacled bear, oso andino, has a huge enclosure to roam, though he liked to come down for treats!

This beautiful jaguar was recently rescued and a large enclosure is currently being built for him

One of the pleasures of La Senda Verde, besides seeing large forest animals up close, was hunting insects with my cameras: butterflies, leaf hoppers, grasshoppers and inchworms are all here but decked out in a variety of shapes and colours that I've never encountered before.

Lake Titicaca

Straddling the border of Bolivia and Peru at 3,800 metres (12,500 ft.), Lake Titicaca is the world's highest navigable lake.

A view of Copacabana on the Bolivian side of the lake

Breathing, even thinking clearly, at this height was a problem for me. I wasn't comfortable, couldn't sleep and avoided all unnecessary exertion.

The floating villages of the Uros people and their unique way of life are one of the must-see attractions on the lake. The villager's lives depend on the totora reeds that grow abundantly in the shallows. Their homes, boats, beds and floors are all made of the reeds. Every part of of the plant - roots, stems, leaves and seeds - are used as food and shelter.

The Uros originally moved onto the lake to escape more war-like people centuries ago. Today, they could move back onto tierra firma but choose not to. Why pay taxes and deal with all the complexity of modern life when the lake gives you all that you need? And an added bonus is that tourists come from around the world and spend money to visit you!

Ralph, Simon and Peter with Uros the ladies who were our hosts on their floating island

Always happy to give you a smile!

One of the children who rode on the reed boat with us

Machu Picchu

The classic view of Machu Picchu, taken by Heather Bell, who was in just the right spot when the clouds parted

Listed as one of the top ten wonders of the modern world, Machu Picchu attracts thousand of visitors each day to its misty perch high above the valley floor.

  Its location was a secret to all but a few local farmers until discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham on a quest for another lost Incan city.

 Since the Inca had no written language, we can only guess why they built a town that could support 750 people, with terraced fields, temples, store rooms and homes for both upper and lower classes at the top of a steep mountain.

 Whatever the reason, its mysteries and spectacular location continue to draw visitors from around the world, including me and my travel companions: Peter Jaspers-Fayer of Guelph, Ralph White of New York, and my daughter Heather Bell of Toronto. It was a memorable moment we won't soon forget!

Ollantaytambo

The ruins of Ollantaytambo where the Inca army won a battle against the Spanish

Market sellers with fresh veggies

On our way to the lost city of Machu Picchu, we stopped in the village of Ollantaytambo on the day of the fiesta called the Bajada de los Reyes, when villagers from the surrounding countryside celebrate the Epiphany with costumes, parades and a bullfight.

The animated spectacle of grotesque masks and fanciful hats, with swirling skirts and ponchos, drew thousands of spectators.

And after the bullfight - fortunately no bulls were killed - the music, partying and fireworks continued on into the night.

Cusco

My travel companion Peter Jaspers-Fayer snapping a photo of Cusco

The streets of the old quarter are all one lane

The foundations of this capital city of the Inca Empire are evident everywhere in the old quarter, with Spanish colonial buildings built on top of them.

It's now a charming town of cobblestone streets and plazas but heavy traffic and thousands of visitors from around the world are taking their toll. You can't walk far without dodging cars and touts offering trinkets, meals and massages.

To really appreciate the mastery of Incan stonemasonery, a visit to Sacsayhuaman (pronounced "sexy woman") is a must. 

 

Situated on a hill above Cusco, it was a fortress and a ceremonial site for the Inca until their defeat by the Spanish conquistadores and their allies. Each huge stone fits perfectly with the next without the need for mortar. Amazing!

 

I thought I might avoid the tourist hordes by coming during the rainy season. Guess I was wrong!

 

As well as traveling with Peter, I was joined in Cusco by dear friend Ralph White, who is organizing the Esoteric Quest to the Lost World of the Inca and my daughter Heather for our journey to Machu Picchu.

Lima

Lima's main square Plaza de Armas

Air Canada's direct flight to Peru drops you in Lima in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, our hotel had an all-night street party in full swing, so our taxi driver found us another hotel that could take us in - at twice the price, of course.

We spent the next morning visiting the main square (with seriously well-armed soldiers on every corner) and the catacombs of a Fransican monastery.

The library of the Fransican monastery with ancient books yet to be studied

A huge choir book in the monastery

The monastery's catacombs are filed with neatly arranged monks' bones

Peruvian police are everywhere and ready for trouble

Looking down on the Pacific Ocean from the cliffs of Miraflores

 Lunch in the Miraflores neighbourhood was followed by a brief trip to one of the many pre-Inca ruins that were preserved as the city grew around them.

Peter and I visiting Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Incan Lima culture ruin

The next morning we were off to Cusco, former capital of the Inca empire!

Winter on the Speed River

It’s a winter wonderland here in Guelph Ontario. As beautiful as it is by the Speed river that runs through town, I'm looking forward to getting away to Lima Peru tomorrow!

Going to Peru!

Grampa and Dax plan a Peru trip

I'm going to Peru! Peter Jaspers-Fayer, a FON volunteer and friend, will be traveling with me for the whole month of January. My daughter, Heather, will be there already and will join us for a week around Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley.

Another friend and travel companion from the 1970s, Ralph White, will also join us for the trip to Machu Picchu and then a further journey to Lake Titicaca and into Bolivia. Follow this blog for updates and photos as we explore this fascinating part of the world!

Community Acupuncture

I've recently started a series of acupuncture treatments at the Guelph Community Acupuncture Centre to deal with a low back pain issue that's been bothering me.

After two sessions of seventeen needles strategically inserted around my ears, hands, wrists and ankles, I'm feeling 80% better ...and getting better each day!

I'll still go to a physiotherapist to address the underlying cause but for rapid relief without drugs I'm now a true-believer.  I don't know how it works but it does!

The nice things about community acupuncture is that you book your own appointments online; you pay what you can; and you relax in a comfy lounging chair for up to two hours!