Back to Peru

In the shadow of Huascaran, Peru's tallest mountain

Two trips to Peru in two years; experiencing this wonderful country twice in a short amount of time leaves me humbled. And now as I stand in the early weeks of 2014, I find myself planning another trip to this South American wonderland.  I don’t speak Spanish, I’m not fond of eating guinea pig (the Peruvian national dish), hiking in the Andes is strenuous, the rain forest is wretchedly humid...so why would I jump at the chance to go back to such a place? The bigger question is, why wouldn’t I?

Observing parrots at the clay lick near the Tambopata
Research Center.

My first journey to Peru was a trip for teachers to the Amazon rain forest. I spent a week sleeping under  mosquito nets, dodging bats (not my favorite animal), and sweating profusely without end.  However, the ability to witness this marvel of nature was worth 

all the difficult times. Never could I have believed that such a place existed. The monkeys howled in the trees, the beautiful birds soared through the sky, the frogs and insects chirped at all hours of the night; the Amazon presented itself as an alien planet, not an earthbound locale.

My second journey took me in an entirely different direction. I hiked in the Andes Mountains with 13 members of my church. Our goal was to deliver translated Bibles to the native Quechua people. These folks had never owned a Bible in their own language until our band of “Gringos” appeared in their villages to give them one. The trekking was rough, but the thrill of handing God’s word to people for the first time in their lives made every step worth it.

My third trip south of the Equator will again require a trek into the Andes to deliver Bibles to native Quechua people. As a co-leader alongside my husband, we’ve assembled a 16-person team who will walk into little-seen corners of the mountains, Bibles in hand. As heads of the team, it’s our job to get everyone safely there and back and to accomplish our mission in the process. It’s amazing experience to lead a group of friends and to have the responsibility of bringing God’s word to those who’ve ever had it. I expect that we will bless people through our actions, and the experiences of our last trip make me hopeful for our success.

For example, on the 2012 trip we visited four different villages. After the third village, we embarked upon the trail towards our last and final village. When I say, “trail,” imagine a small winding path that may be trod upon by people, donkeys, horses, or sheep at varying points throughout the day. At times we didn’t even walk on trails but just cut across country, as needed.

How privileged we were to see this man
come to Christ!

Our group was walking along one of these paths when a farmer came running to us. He’d heard about our nightly presentation where we passed out the Bibles. He’d been unable to attend the previous night, but he still wanted to talk to us. Through a translator we learned that he’d been struggling with alcoholism, and he knew he needed help. He wanted to accept Christ into his life. So, we all prayed with him right on that mountainside and watched as the joy of Christ became evident in his life.

He was thrilled that he hadn’t missed his chance, and we were thrilled to see the hand of God at work in the mountains of Peru. As we trekked on, it was unclear who was more excited, the Peruvian man we’d just prayed with or our band of travelers who’d just witnessed a miracle.

When I think ahead to the upcoming trip, I can’t help but pray for more experiences like that one. It makes all the work, the planning, the trekking, and the journey into the unknown worth it...to go back to a place I love. To go back to Peru.

Riding on the Rain Forest River

The best way to cover large distances while traveling in the Amazon rain forest is by river. There are few roads that traverse the forest, so the river is a major transportation source for anyone who wants to enter its depths.

On this trip, the boats my group and I traveled in were long and low to the water, and they were powered by outboard motors. While on the river, our group was accompanied by tour guides, the boat drivers, and other guides who rode in the front. Any time we came upon something in the water, such as a rock or large piece of wood, the guides used long sticks to push us away from it. Since June is part of the dry season, there were plenty of items in the water that had to be addressed.

This was one of the boats we used to travel the river.

We had rules to follow when we traveled in the boats. For instance, we had to wear lifejackets while in the boats, no exceptions. We also had to sit so that our weight was evenly distributed, and we weren’t supposed to stand or walk while the boats were in motion. We didn’t want to capsize the boats by disturbing the balance of weight. We also were instructed to remove our knee-high rubber boots. The boots would fill with water and drag us to the bottom if we fell in the river. I was careful to follow all these rules because I did not want to end up at the bottom of the river.

We had several trips on the river, but the long boat journeys were the ones that I enjoyed the most. Our longest span on the river was a five hour journey to the Tambopata Research Center (TRC). Five hours on the boat meant we had a lot of time to take in the scenery, catch up on journal writing, and relax. It also meant that we had to eat lunch on the boat. Our lunch was simple: chicken and rice. The most unique part of the lunch was that it was wrapped in large banana leaves. We ate the food as we rode along in the boat, and when we were finished, we just tossed the leaves and any leftovers into the water. Everything was biodegradable, so there weren’t any worries about pollution. I loved the novelty of eating my lunch from a leaf. They were like nature’s own zipper-top bags!

Another thing I enjoyed was the speed of the boat because we had a cool breeze blowing on us. The rain forest was so hot and humid, we never had any relief. The breeze on the boats made it a cool and pleasant experience, one that we all desperately needed. We got to see some animals from the boats, too. I saw my first capybara while on the boat, an animal I’d never seen. We also saw turtles, caiman, and birds during our boat journeys. We kept our eyes open for interesting animals as we traveled.

Because we were on the river for long amounts of time, there were restroom issues. It’s not like we could just pull over at the nearest gas station or fast food restaurant. Fortunately, the longest journeys included stops at river checkpoints for stretching our legs and using the restroom. Peruvian restrooms are basic, and toilet paper is NOT included. Hand washing opportunities are not always available, either. We learned to come prepared with our own supplies, and that just became another one of the many cultural experiences we faced.  

It rained on us for the first time while we were on the boat to TRC. The boat had some roll-down plastic for the sides, so as the rain got more intense, we had to help roll it down. This was a challenge because we had to keep the weight balanced in the boat. It’s a miracle that we didn’t flip the boat as we struggled to get the sides into place. About ten minutes after we finally got the sides down, it stopped raining and the sun returned. So then we had to roll the sides back up again without tipping the boat.

While on the river, I realized what a lifeline it is for many animals and people in the rain forest. There are people who make their livings either on the river or beside it. We saw gold miners who risk their lives to retrieve that precious mineral from the river’s bottom. We saw farms along the river’s edge, and numerous families who call the riverbank their homes. The quality of the river directly affects the quality of the people and animals who depend on it for their livelihood. This hadn’t occurred to me until I saw it in action. If the river suffers, the people and animals suffer. There is a symbiotic relationship there, one that I witnessed during the entire trip. The Amazon rain forest cannot exist without its rivers.

This Clay Lick's for the Birds!

Traveling to the Peruvian Amazon rain forest meant I saw many new things each and every day. One of those new things was a clay lick. Before this trip, I had no idea what a clay lick was or why birds would visit it. By the end of the trip, my knowledge of tropical birds had grown, and I was fortunate enough to make two trips to a clay lick. What I saw amazed me.

My group’s sojourn into the rain forest took us to the Tambopata Research Center (TRC). While providing tourists with ecological opportunities and adventures, it also functions as a working research facility where the main focus is macaws. TRC is located close to a sizeable clay lick. The most basic description of a clay lick is that it’s a cliff of clay where birds, such as macaws and parrots, come to eat. Researchers think the birds do this because the clay helps neutralize the toxins from other foods they eat, such as berries. However, the research on clay licks is still being conducted in the field.

Going to the clay lick involved an early wake-up call because we left TRC at 5:00 a.m. We needed to be in place at the clay lick observation area before the birds arrived. The clay lick was not accessible from TRC by foot, so we took boats to the viewing area. The boat ride was just a short ten minute jaunt down the river. Our journey to TRC had been a total of eight hours on the boats, so ten minutes seemed miniscule in comparison.

The first morning we went to the clay lick, it was still dark. The sun had just started to peek over the horizon, and the color of the sky against the outline of the forest was like a scene from a painting. We loaded into the boats and headed for the clay lick. I wore my knee-high rubber boots, but I took them off for the boat ride. The guides told us that if we happened to end up in the river, the boots would fill with water and drag us to the bottom. So, I always took them off when I was in the boat.

The river was shallow in places, and as we maneuvered to the clay lick, we hit a set of rapids. I thought for sure we were going to capsize as the boat rocked from one side to the other. I grabbed hold of the sides and held on for dear life. All I could think about was what I would do if I ended up in the water. I was glad I had taken off my boots! The boat driver and our guide in the front, whose job was to push us off protrusions in the river, handled the situation with ease, but I was glad when we reached shore.  It was the only time in all of our boat rides that I felt afraid.

Once we were ashore, we had to walk for five minutes to get to the viewing area for the clay lick. We each had to carry a little aluminum folding chair as well as our own backpacks. The viewing area was across from the clay lick with an inlet from the river in between. We set up the chairs, and then we waited.

Mealy parrots and blue headed parrots at the clay lick

There wasn't anything to do at this point except wait for the birds to arrive. We could hear birds and monkeys in the forest, and occasionally we would see birds fly in the sky. At one point the howler monkeys started to make noise, and they sounded like a freight train. The other birds and monkeys joined in until they all made the most awful din. And then...it started to rain. I was shocked by this because it seemed as if the animals knew the rain was coming, and so they called out their warnings to the surrounding area. I don't know if the animals’ calls were a coincidence or not, but it was a surreal moment for all of us. The rain didn't last long, but it was heavy enough that I was glad to have my raincoat and umbrella with me.

Finally, the birds showed up at the clay lick, and they all came at the same time. They swooped in and out to eat the clay. We saw about five different types of parrots and three different types of macaws. The guides had brought along a telescope, and through it we could see the birds well. When they were done at the clay lick, some of them perched in nearby trees, so we studied them even more. After awhile, all the birds flew away, and we wondered what had triggered their departure. The entire spectacle left me with the impression that the birds were purposed and coordinated in their visit to the clay lick. We humans were the ones who wanted to try and understand the meaning behind it.

Bats....Why Did It Have to be Bats?

 

Of all the things in this world that I am afraid of, bats are close to the top of my list. So, I should have known that I would have some bat encounters on my trip deep into the Peruvian Amazon rain forest. I didn’t want to have to face my fear, but once I got to the rain forest, I realized there would be no escape. There were bats, lots of them.

One of the many bats in the rain forest.

The first place our group stayed, CECCOT, was rustic. It didn’t have running water, electricity, or flushing toilets. The cabins were all open air. This would not have bothered me too much except for the bats. They roosted in every cabin, including mine. When I realized this, I knew that these three days were going to be long ones.


The first time I walked into the cabin and saw bats flying, I turned right around and ran out as fast as I could. It was daytime! Bats are nocturnal. I could not believe they were active during the day. I guess we must have disturbed the sleeping bats, and so they decided that flying around in the cabin would be a good thing. Thank goodness for my cabin-mates, Julie and Sue. I called them my "bat buddies." They helped shield me from bats as best they could. I don't think I would have survived without them.


The bats didn't just fly around at the ceiling. Oh, no. They liked to fly back and forth under our beds, too. I would often stand by my bed only to feel the wind on my legs that was created by their wings as they flew back and forth. That was nearly enough to send me into a panic attack. When we brushed our teeth each morning, we all stood by the side of the cabin wall, brushed, and then spit the toothpaste over the wall onto the ground. I got “buzzed” by a bat every time I brushed my teeth. By the second day, I learned to keep my eyes closed while brushing so I wouldn’t see the bats flying around my head.

If I had to go back to the cabin by myself, I felt some trepidation because of the bats. I would stand at the door and open it slowly to peek in and see if any bats were on the move. If they weren't flying, then I could enter the cabin with confidence. If they were flying, then I had to make a decision. How badly did I need to go into that cabin? Sometimes I ran in, grabbed my things, and scooted right back out the door. There were a few times that I didn't go in at all. I decided that whatever I needed wasn’t important. There was more than one occasion when I didn't think the bats were around, and I went into the cabin. They started to fly, and I ran right back out the door. I’m sure my jumping around and shouting outside the cabin was a funny sight to anyone who might have been watching.


The best time to be in the cabin was right after night had fallen because the bats weren't in the cabin at that time. We liked to say, "They were out for dinner." During that time, I would take a shower (in traditional camp shower-type fashion) or do anything that needed done in the cabin because I knew it was a "bat free" time. That's not to say I never ran into them after dark. I could hear them flying around during the night as they ate insects. I am thankful that we slept under mosquito nets. The safety of the net, plus the fact that I wore earplugs while I slept, helped me get a good night's sleep.


The last two places we stayed on this trip, Refugio Amazonas and the Tambopata Research Center, did not have as many bats. They had netting in the ceilings that kept the bats from roosting up there, so I only came in contact with bats when they flew around at night. After CECCOT, I felt that I could handle the nighttime flying and feeding. There was one night, however, that I woke up at 3:00 a.m. to loud screeching. It was the bats. I even heard them while wearing my earplugs. Talk about the stuff of nightmares (at least for me). I knew I couldn’t do anything about them, though, so I put the pillow over my head and went back to sleep. That's when I knew, that while I still wasn't fond of bats, I had come a long way in just a few short days. I was way out of my comfort zone, but I was surviving.

Hanging Out at the Clay Lick...Again (Day #2)

After the first great visit to the clay lick, we got set to do it all over again on the next day. This time, though, my group would get to stay longer and help the researchers count birds. I was all for this because it meant avoiding another long hike. By long hike I mean, four hours. This was how long we hiked after the first day at the clay luck, and frankly, it was a bit much for me. I started calling that experience the "Four Hour Death March." That's what it felt like after waking up at 4:00 a.m., watching birds at the clay lick, and then hiking for four hours in those rubber boots. I was spent!


Anyway, so I was looking forward to extra time at the clay lick since it meant that I wouldn't have to take another four hour hike. I was also laughing with some mean-spirited glee at my friends who missed the four hour hike on the previous day, but would probably have to take it today. I know, that wasn't nice, but sometimes misery loves company.


Since we were assisting the researchers, we got to go to a different viewing place than the rest of our colleagues. We also got "breakfast on the go," which basically consisted of scrambled eggs in a plastic container. That is exactly why I always travel with a stash of granola bars. They've saved the day more than once! We had our little aluminum folding chairs and we hunkered down again to wait for the birds.


The birds decided to go to a different part of the clay lick than where they had been on the previous day. This worked out really well for us because they were closer to where we were sitting. We got some pretty good views of them, and we could see them really well with the telescope. As they did on the previous day, it seemed like they all just left at once. Some were still perching in nearby trees, but they weren't at the clay lick anymore.

It was about that time that the researchers left and gave us the job of counting birds. Every five minutes we were supposed to write down how many birds were at the lick. It was our job to do this for about the next three hours. We also were to make some other observations of the birds that were perched in the trees and describe what exactly they were doing.

So, once we had the directions and the researchers were gone, we were ready to do our jobs. There was only one problem...there weren't any more birds at the clay lick. For three hours there weren't any more birds at the clay lick! Wow, talk about boring. If the birds would've been there, it would've been great. But it was like a graveyard. So, we sat. And we watched. And we waited. And that was about it. 

To make matters worse, the bugs were trying to munch on us like crazy. We even resorted to wearing mosquito net hats for a little while. I don't think I have ever worn a more ridiculous outfit in my life: convertible pants, knee-high rubber boots, long sleeved shirt, and a mosquito net hat. I'm sure that my students would have rolled with laughter if they'd seen me. It doesn't get much funnier than that! Just look at the picture and you'll see what I mean.

While we were waiting for the birds and swatting away mosquitoes, I took the opportunity to get caught up on my journal. We did get to make some observations of the birds in the trees by using the telescope. For one minute we watched a bird and reported on its behavior. There was a checklist to mark with information about what the bird was doing. We took turns observing the birds this way, and it also helped to pass the time.

Finally, it was time to head back to TRC. We hiked back down to the river, but the boat wasn't there yet to pick us up. I suggested that we wade in the river for a few minutes to cool down. What a great idea this turned out to be! It felt so good to dunk my feet in the water. I could've stayed there all day. In fact, I was really sad when the boat came and we had to put our boots back on. I actually took off the lower parts of my convertible pants and wore the boots with them as shorts. It looked funny, but it felt much cooler.

I learned something very important during our extended time at the clay lick....being an animal researcher can be extremely boring at times. (Oh, and my friends didn't have to take a four hour hike, so I guess I shouldn't have been looking forward to their pain and agony. Serves me right.)

Hanging Out at the Clay Lick, Day #1

While we stayed at the Tambopata Research Center (TRC), we got the visit a nearby clay lick. This is a cliff of clay where birds, such as macaws and parrots, come to eat the clay. Researchers think that they do this because the clay helps neutralize the toxins from other things they eat, such as berries.

Going to the clay lick involves an early wake-up call. And by early I mean around 4:15 a.m. Those of you who know me well are probably laughing because you know that I do not like to get up early. However, you would have been proud of me...I got up on time every morning that we had to do this. And, sometimes I even got up early! Anyway, we'd leave TRC at 5:00 a.m. so that we could be in place at the clay lick before the birds came. We took boats over to the clay lick, but that boat ride was only about ten minutes long.

The first morning we went to the clay lick, it was still pretty dark. The sun had just started to peek over the horizon. It was beautiful! We loaded into the boats and headed out. I was wearing my knee-high rubber boots, and I took them off for the boat ride. The guides told us that if we happened to end up in the river, the boots would fill with water and drag us to the bottom. So, I always took them off when I was in the boat.

The river was shallow in places, and as we were heading to the clay lick that morning, we hit a set of rapids. Now, I'm not usually afraid of boating or water, but I thought for sure we were going to capsize. We boat rocked from one side and then back to the other. I grabbed a hold of the sides and held on for dear life. It was the only time in all our of boat rides that I was afraid. The boat driver and our guide in the front (who's job was to push us off protrusions in the river) maneuvered the situation with ease, but I was really glad when we reached shore.  

To get to the viewing area for the clay lick, we had to walk for about five minutes. We each had a little aluminum folding chair (and I use that word lightly) to carry as well as our own backpacks. The viewing area was across from the clay lick with an inlet from the river in between. We set up the chairs, and then we waited. There really wasn't anything to do at this point except wait for the birds to show up. We could hear birds and monkeys in the forest, and occasionally we would see birds fly in the sky. At one point the howler monkeys started to make noise. It sounded like a freight train! Then other birds and monkeys started in until it was the most awful din. And then...it started to rain. Amazing! It was like the animals knew the rain was coming and starting calling out a warning. I don't know if it was just a coincidence or not, but it was a surreal moment. The rain didn't last very long, but it was heavy enough that I was really glad to have my raincoat and umbrella with me.

Finally, the birds showed up at the clay lick, and it was an amazing sight. They would swoop in and out to eat the clay. We saw about five different types of parrots and three different types of macaws. When they were done at the clay lick, some of them would perch in nearby trees, so we were able to watch them. The guides had brought along a telescope, and through it we could see the birds really well. After awhile, all the birds left. Why did they all come when they did and then leave at the same time? Who can know, but it was a sight to behold.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles...and More!

Transportation while in Peru was very interesting, for sure. My two weeks there included all these types of transportation: planes, trains, busses, automobiles, taxis, boats, my own two feet, and motortaxis. "What is a motortaxi?" you might be wondering. Allow me to elaborate!


Puerto Maldonado is a growing city on the edge of the rainforest in southeastern Peru. This was the place I had to fly into the meet the other people who were traveling in my group. Motorcycles are the most popular mode of transportation there. I saw families of four to five people all riding on one motorcycle: the dad driving, the mom sitting behind, one child in front of Dad, and the other child wedged in between the parents. Interestingly enough, the local law says that only the driver has to wear a helmet. So, the other three people on the bike (including children) were helmetless. And we worry about childseats...


Anyway, to get around town, you could catch a motortaxi. This is kind of like a motorcycle and a rickshaw combined. It seats two comfortably and three uncomfortably. So, guess how many of us were usually in a motortaxi? Yup, three. Nothing like experiencing the local culture firsthand, I always say. I didn't mind the motortaxis too much. The biggest downside (in my opinion, at least) was when we were on dirt roads. The dirt would fly up and we'd be choking it down. Many of the roads were dirt, so this was a pretty common experience for us. Otherwise, it was kind of fun to ride around in a motortaxi.


When we were ready to head deeper into the rainforest, we traveled on the river by boat. These boats were long and narrow. They were pretty low to the water, too. They were powered by a motor at the back, and the ride was actually pretty good. Because we were moving so fast, there was a great breeze, and this provided some needed relief from the heat and humidity. Our first ride was about 2.5 hours to Refugio Amazonas, one of the places we stayed. From there, the next ride was about 5 hours down to the Tambopata Research Center, our final destination. On that leg of the journey, one of the guides' job was to ride in the front of the boat and push us away from protrusions in the water with a big stick. We laughed and said that it would have been like the Jungle Cruise at Disney World except we didn't have a guide telling really bad jokes. I really liked all the boat rides. I thought they were relaxing and the scenery was great.

On the Machu Picchu part of my trip, I had some train travel. Travelers can't go all the way to Machu Picchu by train due to the landslide that happened back in February. Parts of the tracks are still not repaired. So, the train company, Peru Rail, sent us part of the way by train and part by bus. I took the VistaDome train, which had windows in the top. I was able to look out and see more of the Andes Mountains as the train traveled along. The views were spectacular! The train was as slow as molasses, but better for sightseeing, I guess. The bus ride back to Cusco was harrowing. Let's just say, driving in the USA is much more orderly than in Peru. I was grateful for my nerves of steel!!