Our flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, Peru, near the border of Bolivia, our jumping off
spot for our sojourn into the Amazon River Basin, was delayed for two hours, not an
uncommon occurrence at the Cusco airport because of its small size and adverse
weather conditions. We had booked our three-night trip several months ago and
could hardly wait for our adventure into the Amazon jungle to begin. The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about 7,500,000 square kilometers or roughly 40 percent of the South American continent!
Scenes from Puerto Maldonado:
Once we finally made it to the airport in the jungle town of Puerto Maldonado, a company rep picked us up and whisked us to their office in town. There we had about 15 minutes to pack only what we would need for the next few days into our backpacks, not realizing then we would have to be carrying them through fairly long distances through the jungle. If we had, surely, we wouldn’t have taken the computer, so I could type up notes in our down time from previous days’ notes for the blog and all sorts of other ‘stuff’ that wasn’t absolutely essential!
We had read that the fabulous Amazon rainforest was home to more species of animals that any other area on earth! This was where tourists could see monkeys and macaws - king-sized members of the parrot family - army ants and armadillos, thousands of butterfly species, 900 bird species and a variety of trees and plants. To put that into perspective, only about 700 species of birds and butterflies each breed in all of North America.
National reserves protected the flora and fauna and provide inaccessible areas where indigenous tribes still lived untouched by the 21st century. I hadn't known before planning for our trip that, although half of Peru lies in the Amazon, barely five percent of its population lived there.
Jorge, our guide
for the next few days, explained that we’d be taking the Inter-Oceanic Highway
toward the jungle for about two hours, then stop for a picnic lunch before driving
on dirt roads in the jungle before transferring to a boat for the last leg and
our destination for the next two nights, Chuncho Lodge.
When we stopped for lunch, Jorge said he could also be a chef as he knew how to use ingredients from the jungle as he had once worked as a ranger with an indigenous guide. The guide had taught him this root was for this, that bark was for that, etc.
Simon, a 35 year-old man from Sydney, Australia who worked in IT, was the only other passenger on the trip. He mentioned his family had emigrated from Hong Kong when he and his sister were young.
These were ice cream beans that grew naturally and hadn’t
been planted. Jorge said people in the jungle eat worms as they’re known to be beneficial against bronchitis and asthma. They were especially delicious when BBQ’ed and eaten with lemony rice, he said! He said people had found that, if you eat a skewer of the worms, you no longer will suffer from asthma in two or three months. Steven, who has asthma, decided to take Jorge’s word for it, rather than consuming them!
Jorge stated that many people in the community believed the natural plants worked well for ailments instead of costly pills and other treatments. There was one type of ant, according to Jorge, that was found to be beneficial for prostrate cancer. Steven said he needed two things: to grow taller and for more hair but Jorge said he had nothing to help with either condition!
Our prepared lunch was eaten on the front porch of this simple home just off the Inter-Oceanic Highway.
After lunch, we began the first part of our adventure on the
very bumpy road or track, more to the point!
I was flabbergasted when we kept seeing DIRECTV satellites
on the roofs of desperately poor homes. Jorge explained people had them, so
they could watch Ultimate Fight Championship and football or what we call soccer.
He pointed out termite mounds on the palm trees.
After passing through a primary forest, i.e. one with no high trees, Jorge told us that in this slash forest which had been cleared two months ago, banana trees and yucca plants had been planted and were starting to grow.
As the level of destruction seemed enormous, it was amazing that banana trees and yucca plants looked so hardy.
Strong winds caused this tree to topple two days ago.
We were soon convinced that Jorge had perfect eyesight as he was able to spot toucans from the car while we were driving at a decent clip! When the car stopped, we didn't see the toucans but we did spot a tamarind monkey scampering up a far tree instead so all was not lost!
We watched for several minutes as it jumped from tree to tree in the deep undergrowth. It looked like it was playing a game of hide and seek!
Jorge mentioned the tamarinds live in groups of six to eight in acacia trees.
A short while later. Jorge told the driver to stop so he could show us a Brazil nut tree which covers about sixty percent of Brazil and thirty percent of Peru. Only ten percent of the trees, though, are found in this area of Peru. The trees grow up to 60 meters high, close to 200 feet! If people are caught cutting down a tree, they are imprisoned for six to seven years. If, however, one naturally falls, it was permitted for people to cut it into pieces.
Jorge told us how rare it was to see this sandpiper bird in the forest at the foot of the Brazil nut tree as it normally is only spotted close to lakes.
Jorge said that oropendula birds make nests like a basket in the 80-90 year-old trees.
If a coconut like this one weighing 1.5 kilos were to fall from such a height of 200 feet, Jorge informed us it could kill people. The Brazil nuts were inside the coconut. Each tree produces about 200 coconuts per season, which was only in January and February!
The local people called this beautiful saba tree an avatar tree, according to Jorge.
Since we'd had an early start from Cusco and were then on some of the worst roads ever for several hours, it was a relief to finally get to the spot where we transferred to a waiting boat for the next part of our journey.
A decent pair of rain boots would have been a big help as we almost slid down the muddy hill to the shore.
Jorge explained the level of the water was high as it had
rained a lot just two days ago. He told us the Tambopata River started up in the mountains. A few years ago, it flooded so much that people living near the river lost everything. The high water level, however, would make it better to see the macaws at
the Clay Lick, our activity planned for sunrise the following morning.
We both applied lots of insect repellent on top of having already 'doused' our clothes for this part of the trip with Permethrin.
Jorge pointed out the boatman's job required him to live very close to the Tambopata River. There were a dozen lodges along that river but more on the nearby Madre de Dios or Mother of God River.
Jorge mentioned the most popular fish in the river was catfish.
All to soon, we reached the spot closest to the lodge which meant we just had a a brief hike ahead.
This was our first of many sightings of the stunning Heliconia, in the Amazon river basin. When I checked online, I read that most of the approximately 194 known species are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the western Pacific.
A tree lizard:
Jorge told us this was a 'hammock house' for siestas. Sounded like a great idea but we weren't sure how much time we'd have for siestas in the coming days!
As we
approached Chuncho Lodge, it was easy to see that a lot of care had gone into
the landscaping.This plant with the pink blooms was called emperor's stick.
To get to the lodge, we first had to walk along this elevated boardwalk that was surrounded by immense banana trees.
We laughed when we saw the bananas on the boardwalk as the last time we'd walked on a boardwalk, we'd seen plenty of iguanas! That was back in the Galapagos if you recall reading those posts.
The property consisted of several thatched-roof cabins in a semi-circle around the dining lodge seen in the second photo below.
Seeing these scarlet macaws in the tree by the lodge was exciting. We didn't realize then that we'd be seeing hundreds more of them the next morning.
Our cabin was pretty bare bones but it WAS in the middle of nowhere, of course!
After dumping our backpacks in the cabin, we left for a late afternoon hike at 5 with Jorge on the camp's Trail of Toucan.
Jorge told us that Chuncho Lodge had been named after the jungle people or 'nativo.' This was a dragon's blood tree; when it grows to full size and the bark is cut, a red liquid appears initially but it then changes to white when mixed.
Jorge commented how quickly bamboo trees grow in the jungle. He also pointed out a canya canya tree which locals use for dengue fever and when a child has fever. The plant is boiled for one hour and, when it cools down, the child takes a shower in the liquid. Jorge claimed that the child no longer has a fever after then resting!
He added a moment later that one of our meals at the lodge would be served cooked in a folded leaf just like this that was at the base of the bamboo tree.
This blurry photo was what Jorge maintained was a 'walking tree.' According to some scientists, these trees actually move across the forest as the growth of new roots gradually relocates them, sometimes two or three centimeters per day. I read online that as the soil erodes, the tree grows new, long roots that find new and more solid ground, sometimes up to 20 meters. Then, slowly, as the roots settle in the new soil and the tree bends patiently toward the new roots, the old roots slowly lift into the air. The whole process for the tree to relocate to a new place with better sunlight and more solid ground can take a couple of years.
We learned that the capirona tree, also referred to as a 'snake tree' because it shed its bark, is among the most important trees in the lives of Amazonian people. It grows over 100 feet tall, high enough to emerge above the main canopy. The capirona tree turns deep red and sheds its bark twice a year to get rid of parasites. The bark is commonly brewed into a salve which is rubbed on the skin, forming a thin coating that helps fight the effects of aging, parasites and fungal infections.
The bark is also effective in treating diabetes. Peruvian tribes commonly boil part of the tree to extract its essence to treat fungal infections of the skin as well as certain skin parasites that are commonly found in the Amazon Basin. Jorge also said farmers use the tree for cooking because it has a natural oil when it's a young tree.
When this tree's vines are dry, they are used as ropes.
The fungi in the jungle are used to make hallucinogens, medicines, as poisons and also as food.
The papailla tree resembles a papaya fruit in January and February but it is inedible because it is so sharp, Jorge told us.
Jorge remarked that there were 249 types of fungus in the Tambopata National Reserve. Have an ear infection and don't know what to do - a dead fungus can be used! Just squeeze one until a liquid appears and use 4-5 drops in each ear, according to Doc Jorge!
This was a spider he picked up from a web so we could see it better.
One of the greatest sights we saw was of these leaves that had totally wrapped themselves around the tree as if they'd been glued on. They were like parasites but they don't kill the trees.
This was another example of leaves growing up the bark of a tree.
We'd never seen a chameleon before. As Jorge said, it looked like it was praying with his hands!
Other images of the chameleon:
A termite mound:
Jorge said this tree's needles were used as blow darts by natives to kill animals.
The best time to spot tarantulas was at night when they are most active. They are also called chicken spiders because they collect birds' eggs. Their bites are painful but not deadly, according to Jorge.
Jorge spied this baby one under a log and 'lured' it out with his stick so we could get a better look at it!
Nothing like an up close photo of a tarantula to give you the willies!
Jorge and other staff were in the process of building a 45-65 meter tall tower for sunset and river views in this 500 year-old saba tree. It would be amazing to return in a year or so when it's completed and be able to have literally a bird's eye view of life in the jungle and on the Tambopata River.
Goodness only knows how Jorge was able to spot this green cricket when it was pitch black out!
Jorge warned us that if we were bit by a bullet ant, we'd be in considerable pain for the next 12 hours.
Though the hike cum nature walk had been very educational and interesting, we were glad when we came across the sign for 'home.'
The lichen can destroy this iron tree during the rainy season. The tree, very popular for cooking as it is used as charcoal, is very strong, thus its name.
This green tree frog was so tiny!
The cricket on the leaf was huge in comparison to the green tree frog we saw a moment earlier.
Since Jorge spent so much time in this part of the jungle, he was able to differentiate the sounds made by the frogs, crickets, pygmy owls and grasshoppers all around us.
We were so glad Jorge spotted these bamboo spikes in enough time for us not to get close to them as they would have been painful!
Jorge used his stick to see if there was anything under this pile of leaves. I was relieved he did as there was another tarantula there which he lured out for us to see more clearly.
It didn't seem to mind being poked and prodded as it didn't move at all even with four flashlights/headlamps shining on it!
Another type of frog:
Once we finally got back to the lodge after our hike and nature lesson close to 7:30, we were so hungry for dinner. Our beef and rice dish looked very appealing but the meat, like all the meat we had had up to that point, was as tough as nails. It would be an easy choice to be vegetarian in South America everywhere except Brazil, we thought!
Just having had a few hours visiting the wilderness was enough to know we were in for a thrilling adventure thanks to Jorge's expert knowledge and the amazing Amazon jungle.
Next post: Hundreds of Macaws at the Clay Lick!
Posted on January 20th, 2018, from Littleton, Colorado.
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