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Peruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu

October - November 2021
A 14-day adventure by Diane Read more
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  • Diane and DarrylPeruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu
    Day 1

    The Peruvian Amazon

    October 19, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    A morning flight from Lima brought us to Puerto Maldonado, at the confluence of the Tambopata and Madre de Dios rivers, in the Amazon rainforest of Peru. Even though we associate the Amazon with Brazil, the river originates in Peru, near Bolivia.

    We connected with our guide, Alejandro, from Amazon Planet, which is one of several eco-lodges in the area. We set off on an hour-long boat ride to the lodge. After settling in to our open-air (but screened) cabin, we were served the first of many sumptuous meals (lunch, in this case) of traditional Peruvian fare.

    Amazon Planet arranges multi-day activity packages designed to introduce visitors to the rainforest. After lunch we walked the ecolodge’s trails, where Alejandro talked to us about the native trees, plants, insects and birds we were hearing (and sometimes seeing).

    As dusk came on, we watched the 50 or so squirrel monkeys heading back to their beds for the night. Full dark is by 6:30pm, so we went on a night walk with Alejandro before dinner and saw SO MANY tarantulas outside their burrows at the bases of trees. We also got to see a nocturnal monkey (black-headed night monkey).    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylPeruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu
    Day 2

    Over and Under the Amazon Rainforest

    October 20, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F

    In the morning we walked through the rainforest to a canopy lookout built into a Kapok (Ceiba) tree. The platform was built for researchers to monitor the fauna of the forest canopy. Since 2004, over 150 species of birds have been recorded from this platform.

    Along the way to the platform, Alejandro pointed out more interesting trees and plants. The ‘garlic tree’ perfumes the air around it with a pungent smell. The sap of the dragon’s blood tree, which starts out as deep red drops can be rubbed into the skin where it is emulsified into a cream for treating wounds. The walking palm tree, which we learned about in Australia, sends out leg-like roots above ground to move the tree closer to water sources.

    We also spotted our third species of monkey of the trip, the Tamarind monkey. There is a better photo of this monkey that we saw at the rescue center in the afternoon (see next entry).

    The swinging walkway to the canopy platform was long and a bit scary, but the view over the forest is spectacular.    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylPeruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu
    Day 2

    Wildlife Rescue Center & Cayman Spotting

    October 20, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F

    Later on our second day in the Amazon, we walked through the forest to visit the Taricaya Conservation Research Reserve and its wildlife rescue center.

    Taricaya is a private entity, not government funded, and relies solely on grants and donations to carry out its work of rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing animals that have been poached, or orphaned, or in one case, kept in cruel conditions in a circus. We met the founder of this organization, Fernando. He is passionate about conserving the flora and fauna of the rainforest, and one of his many projects is to teach the local people how to plant more sustainable farms. He said they tend to plant bananas, which are easy to grow, but exhaust the soil after 4-5 years. He’s working on getting them to plant mahogany trees among the bananas so they have a source of quick income from the fruit, and a more long-term crop when the bananas stop producing.

    Like everything else, Taricaya has been affected by the pandemic because they rely heavily upon volunteers. When the world shut down, most volunteers had to leave and no new helpers could come in. Several of the research projects had to go on hiatus because of lack of volunteers. They have had to scale back their turtle rescue project, where volunteers collected turtle eggs from the riverbank beach before poachers came to collect and sell them. Taricaya workers built artificial beaches in boxes at the center and dug the eggs into the sand to incubate. When the turtles hatch, they are gathered up to be returned to the same beach where they were initially laid. We watched a short video of the turtle release, and as soon as they were out of their tubs, they ran right to the river. Our photos show just some of the variety of animals that have been rescued and will eventually be released.

    Some of the birds weren’t rescues, they were just on the property. One in particular that we hear all the time is the oropendula bird. It has a funny almost hiccuping call, and it tips its whole body like a pendulum. The ‘oro’ is because of its yellow wings. Check out our short video.

    Later that day, after dark, we went out on the boat to see if we could spot caymans (alligator relative). We saw several, but usually they swam away from our flashlights pretty quickly. The one in our photo posed nicely for us.    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylPeruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu
    Day 3

    Sunrise to Sunset, Lake and River

    October 21, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 95 °F

    We had to get an early start today because it was going to be even warmer than the previous days—probably around 95 and very humid as usual. There’s no wi-fi or cell reception at the lodge, so we’re not sure about the temperature, but we are sure it’s uncomfortable! However, the bugs haven’t been bothersome.

    Before 5:30 am we were in the lodge boat with Alejandro heading upriver to the Tambopata National Reserve. The sunrise was spectacular and the full moon was setting in the sky across the horizon.

    There is a boardwalk path of about 2 miles to get to Lake Sandoval, where we hoped to see giant river otters from our canoe. The lake was formed when an oxbow from the Madre de Dios river closed it in.

    Along the shaded, but not really cool walkway, we saw lots of leaf-cutter ants at work. We were told that they bring the leaf pieces back to their nests to do a little farming. They chew up the leaves, spit them out, and wait for a fungus to grow as a food source.

    Once in the heavy wooden canoe (with massive, heavy paddles!) we paddled down a canal to the river. We saw lots of interesting birds, as well as turtles, but no giant otters.

    For our last activity, we were taken upriver in the motorboat, then we launched off in a rubber raft to float downriver at sunset. It was a bit cooler by then, and a peaceful way to spend our last day in the Amazon.    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylPeruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu
    Day 4

    Farewell to the Amazon

    October 22, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 93 °F

    This concluded our Amazon adventure, and it was time to move on, first by boat to Puerto Maldonado, then by plane back to Lima. (Check out Puerto Maldonado’s ‘Golden Gate Bridge’ in the background of our photo!)

    Tourism is just beginning to return to this part of the Amazon. For our first two nights there was a group of about six other guests—there to make a video about the Amazon rainforest. They were friends of the owner. After that, we were the only guests—a bit strange.

    While the pandemic has impacted tourism, something more immediately destructive created a severe challenge to the area this year. In mid-February, the Madre de Dios river overflowed its banks following heavy rain. Puerto Maldonado recorded 6 inches of rain in 24 hours. Over the course of a week, the river level rose some 50 feet, and didn’t recede for at least a month. At our lodge, the cabins and main house were flooded and much of their demonstration agricultural plot was washed away. Much of

    At the Taricaya Wildlife Center, there was a mad scramble to get the caged animals to safer ground. Fernando’s mahogany woodworking shop where he held community workshops, was badly damaged. Many of the signs in the area show evidence of the muddy floodwaters.    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylPeruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu
    Day 5

    Lima - Pachacamac Archaeological Site

    October 23, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Today we took a half-day private tour to Pachacamac, about 20 miles south of downtown Lima. Pachacamac was a pilgrimage site dating from pre-Incan times, beginning around 200 AD. Representatives from distant areas would come to consult the oracle at the temple about agricultural prospects, natural disasters, etc. As time went on and cultures faded and new ones took their place, more and more administrative buildings and dwellings were built and existing structures enlarged.

    By the time the Incas arrived and occupied Pachacamac (around 1450 AD) the city was so powerful that the Incas feared to tamper with the religious beliefs of the population. Even though it was unusual for them, the Inca allowed the god Pacha Kamaq to co-exist along their own sun god Inti.

    The Incas built two more pyramid temples on the site — the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon. The Inca Trail passes through here and is part of a road system built from Columbia to Santiago, Chile, for the purpose of expanding their empire through commerce and military activities.

    The site is vast and only a fraction of it has been excavated. Our guide was excellent and shared so much knowledge about the archaeological site and about Lima and Peru in general. We really enjoyed our time with Saul from Haka Tours.

    When we got back to our hotel neighborhood we got some typical Lima fare for lunch — ceviche for Diane (not as good as yours, Nance!), and shrimp chaufa (like fried rice). Since it’s Saturday, many families were enjoying Kennedy Park, in honor of JFK (not sure why). The sign at the park said he was regarded as an icon of American hopes and aspirations.    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylPeruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu
    Day 6

    Lima City

    October 24, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Today we met our tour group and set off for a walking tour of the historic city center, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

    Whereas yesterday we explored pre-Columbian sites, today was all about the arrival of the Conquistadors in the 1530s. After defeating the Incans in Cusco, the Spanish leader, Francisco Pizzaro established Lima as the capitol of Peru—most of western South America at the time.

    The Spanish conquest took about 40 years to complete, despite many attempts by the Inca to regain their empire. The Spanish controlled Peru for the next 200 years. The bicentennial of Peruvian independence was celebrated this year.    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylPeruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu
    Day 7

    To the Andes

    October 25, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    A one-hour flight from Lima took us to Cuzco, which is at an elevation of 11,000 feet. But to get us acclimated to the altitude, our destinations for the next few days are in villages at lower elevations — ‘only’ 9,000 feet. (Did you know it’s a little hard to breathe wearing a mask at high elevations)?

    Our bus took us first to the village of Pisac, known for its colorful handicrafts market. The craftspeople showed us how to distinguish between baby alpaca wool garments and ‘maybe’ alpaca (synthetics). A sweater made from baby alpaca, which is the first shearing of the animal, not an actual baby’s ‘fur’, is heavy in weight and cool to the touch.

    We also got an introduction about how to evaluate silverwork for purity of silver. These craftspeople like to use a higher ratio of silver to copper than in sterling silver, which means that it is less likely to tarnish—but it is softer. The knockoff silver (which may have a fake stamp indicating a high ratio of silver) has much more copper and looks nice and shiny now but is yellow-toned and will tarnish.

    After a late lunch, we drove along a beautiful river valley called the Sacred Valley. The indigenous people believed that the river was the land counterpart to the Milky Way (because everything needs to be in pairs—sun/moon, day/night, etc.).

    A curious thing we learned about home-building in Peru is that the owners often leave the top level(s) unfinished, with just some rebar sticking up (often covered with plastic water bottles to prevent rusting of the cut ends). The parents add levels to their homes for their grown children to live in. Until the children are ready to move out of their parents’ house, and while the parents save enough to afford the construction, they leave the levels unfinished. We also heard it’s a way to avoid the higher taxes of a larger finished home.

    It seems we can’t escape wildfires. The farmers set controlled burns before planting to add minerals in the ash back into the soil. But this being a windy area, these fires often get out of control on the steep hillsides.    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylPeruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu
    Day 8

    Archaelogical Sites

    October 26, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    The main site today was to Ollantaytambo, an ancient city high in the Andes (9,000 feet), dating to pre-Incan times. In the middle of the 15th century, Incan leader Pachacutec essentially destroyed the town (but not the people) to build a temple (the Sun Temple), as well as farms with irrigation and homes, to incorporate it into the Incan Empire. Pachacutec was known as the Alexander the Great of the Incans, a city builder. They used mortise and tenon joints in their construction, resulting in massive stones were perfectly fitted together.

    We then moved on to an Incan experimental agricultural “laboratory.” The Incans were interested in adapting crops to a wider range of elevations and climates.    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylPeruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu
    Day 8

    Meeting the Locals

    October 26, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    After the archaeological site visits, we were invited to lunch at the home and farm of a Quechua family. Quechua are a pre-Incan culture. All of the food served to us was grown by them. We started with a cream of corn soup. Nearly every meal has corn, since it’s their one of their primary crops. Peru has 55 varieties of corn (and over 3800 varieties of potatoes!). The main course was a quinoa “stir fry” and dessert was a pudding of purple corn. All delicious!

    After lunch, the family shared a traditional ceremony they perform during the planting season. They give offerings to Mother Earth (Pachamama) as a way to give back for what they expect to harvest. There is even a ‘toast’ with corn beer, which is sipped by the participants and is also sprinkled on their farm tools and finally into the earth. It was a really nice experience.

    Another excursion for the day was a stop at the home and studio of ceramic artist Pablo Seminario. Both he and his wife, Marilu Behar, create pieces based on the techniques and styles of the ancient cultures of Peru. All of their colors are made from natural minerals, and for Pablo’s latest pieces, he’s using an airbrush to apply the color. His sculptures are exhibited all over the world, including the Field Museum in Chicago and the World Bank.

    The last of the locals we met today are at our lodgings— alpacas!    Read more

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