6am: A young Peruvian man named Daniel met us at our hostel and proceeded to show us to the Peru Discovery van. Today we would be heading to the Manu National Rainforest for four days of hiking and relaxation, and the real challenge would be surviving without internet or electricity of any kind. The owner of Peru Discovery, a tall and gaunt German fellow who we called Jorg, Jorge, or George, met us at the van and was to be our driver through the Andes Mountains.
I usually like car rides, but the road to the rainforest was gravel the whole way, and combined with George’s aggressive driving, I was left feeling a little queasy and restless. Manu is only 35 km away from Cusco, but it took us eight hours to get there because we had to wind through the mountains in the most indirect way possible. There is only one road connecting Cusco and the national park, and it is a one-lane road for two-way traffic with rocks/boulders and small streams/waterfalls as constant obstacles.
The scariest parts of the ride were the almost 180 degree U-turns that directed us up and down the mountains. Several times we were surprised by an oncoming bus or truck, and we would either have to slam on the brakes to avoid head on collision or quickly swerve to one side so both vehicles could narrowly pass without having to slow down.
I find it interesting how Peruvians use their car horns in comparison to how we use them in the United States. Whereas we honk when we are angry or impatient, Peruvians honk to let other cars know they are passing, to warn oncoming traffic on the mountains, or to simply greet other passing vehicles, bikers, or pedestrians. In general, the pace is of life is much slower in Peru and people are more patient. Needless to say, I was very calm and relaxed for most of the trip.
We arrived at the top of Manu National Rainforest (which is a part of the Amazon), in an area called the elfin forest. The reason for this name is because the trees and plants are dwarfed due to the high elevation and rain that washes nutrients down into the lower parts of the forest. Trees that usually can reach thousands of feet can grow no more than 30 feet here because of the poor conditions. Despite the lack of wildlife and vegetation at this point, we were able to view the entire rainforest (about half the size of Switzerland) below us. Also, at this lookout you can see the Andes start to bend towards Bolivia, and on a clear morning you can watch the sunrise far in the distance while sitting in the dark. I’ll have to come back to see this sometime because apparently it is spectacular and one of only two places in the world where this can happen.
*In this part of the forest we saw some beautiful pink flowers which were nicknamed singles flowers. When natives would celebrate, all the single ladies would put this flower in their hair to let the men know who was available and who was not. I’m thinking about starting this tradition in the Dinkytown bars.
We continued our drive down the mountains to the Tambo Paititi lodge (hotel of the lost village), which was adjacent to a beautiful river in a small valley of the primary forest. As you can see, it looked very authentic and the bamboo roofs were actually made by native tribes. My favorite part of the trip was when the sun would go down, and leave us alone in the dark with only candles for light. Our chef (Elvis) made us a delicious three course Peruvian meal every night and after a game of cards we would fall asleep under our mosquito nets. These nights in the rainforest were some of the most relaxing moments of my life, and I have never slept better with the lull of the river in the background.
*Note: mosquito nets are actually kind of terrifying. While you are pulling yours around your bed for the night, it is very possible that numerous mosquitos, giant moths, or other insects find their way in, and are then your roommates for the night. But I guess it's better to have one that not. Also, below is me pretending to be Tarzan.
With the sun as our clock, we would wake early every morning in order to hike and view animals when they were most active. The treks were generally very messy and very hot because we had to wear long sleeves and pants in order to avoid bug bites. We
went on numerous hikes with Daniel as our guide, and saw some amazing animals and plants. Here is a list of some of the memorable species:Cows – the first animals I saw in the rainforest. Kind of disappointing.
Orchids – there are thousands of species in the Amazon.
Birds – there are over 1,000 species of birds in the Manu Rainforest. Some of the ones we saw included the Cock of The Rock, Macaws, and a Toucan Sam.
One night an owl flew right in between our heads during dinner. If I hadn't seen it, I would have never known it had been there because it was absolutely silent.
Also here is a picture of one of the weirdest birds I have ever seen, although I cannot remember its name. The picture was taken through a telescope. Cool.
Monkeys: We saw about 4 species of monkeys (Capuchins, Squirrel Monkeys, Wooly Monkeys, and Night Monkeys), however, the Wooly monkeys were by far the most entertaining. Monkeys are very territorial, and on one of our hikes we intruded in their space a little too much. This did not make them very happy, so they surrounded us and tried to hit us with branches and urinate on us. We actually had to run away from their hostilities at one point.
*Falling branches are the number one cause of death in rainforests
Snakes: We saw one snake on the trip and only for a brief moment. It was a rainbow boa constrictor, and as soon as Daniel and Julio tried to grab it, it slithered back into its hole.
Julio is a native of the rainforest who came on some hikes with us in the lowlands. Natives always try to kill snakes because it’s better to have them dead than to be bitten. Also, Julio informed us that he is not afraid of snakes when he is with a group of people, but when he is alone, he is afraid that the snake will hypnotize him with the patterns on its skin. Then, while he is hypnotized, the snake will eat him.
Julio always carried a machete with him, and it was amazing how he could read the forest. He knew what every track was and pointed out medicinal uses for many plants. A couple of them included a plant that made women infertile and a red flower (called hot lips) that had berries that acted as an aphrodisiac (i.e. Viagra)
Butterflies – We saw dozens of species of butterflies. My favorite was the “stupid butterfly” They are beautiful black and orange insects, but they never fly away when people or other things get close. Daniels says that many times you’ll see orange spots on the road because the stupid butterflies do not fly away from cars. Also, Daniel informed us that butterflies like to feed on the nutrients in sweat and urine. “Butterflies are really nice, but when you know what they eat…then they are disgusting.”
Snails – we saw one of these slugs outside our lodge and it was about as big as a softball.
Insects – I generally am not too afraid of things, but my downfall is definitely insects. I flip shit when a bug gets in my face. The bugs were especially prevalent in the hot and humid lowlands, and at night is when they really like to come out. Here are a couple that especially creeped me out.
Ants – there can be up to 30,000 species of ants in one tree (as compared to 46 in
United States), and they are not the innocent creatures that I thought they
were. Many bite and sting, and there is one species, the monstrous bullet
ant, that Natives say produce the worst pain in the jungle. Paul had one on
his neck one night and Julio later got bit by probably the same one.
Moths – these insects are harmless, but when they are as big and furry as they are
in the rainforest, it is hard not to freak out when they get in your face.
Bees – I was stung twice at the same time by two wasps.
Cockroaches – they litter the floor at night in the lowlands, and Paul was lucky
enough to have one crawl out of his backpack.
Some other animals that we were hoping to see but did not were the Jaguar, Tapir (a nearly blind, 500 pound animal that lumbers through the forest), Puma, and Spectacle Bear. We also asked George if there is any animal he hasn’t seen yet, and he responded, “There are legends…” He was talking about the Giant Sloth, which numerous natives claim to have seen, but there are no know documented photos: only unrecognizable footprints (kind of sounds like Big Foot).
Even though the rainforest was incredible, it would not have been
nearly as great without our guides. They were some of the nicest, funniest, and most interesting people I have ever met. Our dinner conversations were always entertaining, and it was fun to swap stories from our different cultures. George had great stories of his travels when he was younger and his run-ins with the corrupt Peruvian police, and Daniel seemed to fit right in with Megan, Paul, and me and loved talking to us about partying and his time spent in the United States.*Note: On our journey to the lowland lodge, we took a boat down the Madre de Dios river. My aunt Ophelia is from a small village on this river called Puerto Maldonado, and we were only several hours away from it.
I was fairly disappointed when it was time to leave, but little did I know that we would be spending another nigh
t in the Tambo Paititi lodge. Because it was the rainy season, landslides were always a possibility, and on our way up the mountains, we got stuck behind a line of cars waiting for a massive landslide to be cleared. There was a Caterpillar working to remove the mud and rocks, and after several hours it appeared to be almost finished. However, it started to rain again, and an even bigger landslide undid all of the work. The Caterpillar stopped working at nightfall, and because there is only one way out, we had not choice but to go back to the lodge.Finally, the road was cleared around noon the next day and we made our way back to Cusco. Luckily George and Daniel were able to help us change our flight that we missed because of the landslide.
Looking back on our rainforest experience, I had an immediate epiphany. Although Peru is very inefficient in many ways, it is not a problem because people are not in a rush and have patience to wait things out and
make the most out of what they are given. I think I could get used to that. Also, George is someone I could aspire to be. His ideals about money and lifestyle are a bit different than mine, but I slowly am beginning to see that doing what you love is the ultimate way of living. It is almost like the Tambo Paititi lodge is George’s cabin, and it is amazing to see how excited he still gets to see a monkey or a certain type of bird. The best part is he gets paid to do what he loves. Hopefully I will be able to live a life as fulfilling as George’s and Daniel’s where I can get excited everyday, even after many years on the job.
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