What a way to finish....

Don´t get too excited. I don´t have a particularly epic story from my last week of my trip. But, it was a sweet on an incredible beach!

But... before that were a few other adventures....

After finally dragging my but out of Pisac (not easy - what a beautiful farewell!) Nick, Rani and I made our way into the jungle. Yep, the Amazon Jungle. Maybe you have heard of it? After 3 days on buses we finally rolled into Puccalpa, a city of about 300,000 people and basically the end of the road. literally. Everything travels by boat from here. We explored Puccalpa for a bit and checked out some Shipibo villages (interesting indigineous tribe known for their amazing art which is inspired by the halucinagenci plant medicine Ayohuasca). We bought up the place! Very cool stuff.

A family in San Fransisco (Shipibo village)





From Puccalpa we embarked on what would end up being the craziest boat ride of my life (I havent taken many boats...). As I mentioned, everything travels by boat, so these boats are big and have a complete lower deck full of cargo and then 2 upper decks full of people in hammocks. pretty crazy scene. likely close to 200 people. We scored the top floor which turned out to be a bit hotter but not nearly as crowded. The captain informed us that the boat would be leaving tomorrow and that we were ok to sleep on the boat that night. So we did. But it would be 2 more nights before we woudl even leave the dock of Puccalpa! The trip was supposed to take 3 days. Well 3 days in we finally left town. Once rolling though it was beautiful. Small villages along the river banks, beautiful jungle, beautiful sun sets and sunrises. Basically it was endless hours of relaxing in our hammocks. Reading, sleeping, eating, making stuff (made my first necklace from a piece of jade I have been carrying around for almost 10 years. sweet!). Some quality down time.

An old man fishing along the side of our boat. Still docked in Puccalpa....



¨chocolate water¨ as the locals call it....

ONe thing about this journey was hygiene needed to be forgot about completely (not hard for NIck and I!). The only water on the boat (sinks, showers, etc) was coming directly out of the river. This doesnt sound so bad but when you look over board into the water you quickly realize that this is one big sewer. shit coils floating right before your eyes! All the towns along this river dump their sewage and all their garbage into the river. Nice one. So yeah, I didnt shower.

And then there was the food.... (yep, cooked with the river water too. at least it is boiled...). Chicken feet soup for the first couple days.... MOstly we just grabbed plates of rice and doctored them up with our stockpile of vegies and various fixings. we ate pretty good. we even scored fish a few times. thanks Captain!



Chill chill times!






ONe of the many small villages we passed.




So after a couple days of cruising down the river, as evening was rolling in, rumours started to circulate around the boat that there were bandits (river pirates, whatever you want to call them) up ahead and that they were going to rob the boat. people freaked out! people were all over the place trying to hide their valuable things (or whatever... no doubt there were a few drug trafficers on this boat). The captain decided to dock the boat, seemingly for the night. With the crew running all over the boat, some carrying rifles, we all tucked in to try to get some sleep..... Not much later the engines fired up and it became clear that we were going to make a run for it. All the lights were turned off, the plastic sheets lowered over the open windows and with the occasional gunshot fired (seemingly used as a teterant in case anyone was approaching), we rolled on into the night. pretty damn scary! I did not sleep well. But morning eventually came and all was fine. It was a beautiful morning.




A couple days later, 7 days after boarding the boat in Puccalpa, we rolled into Iquitos at 6 am. still half asleep and 7 days away from civilation made for a major shock to the senses! but at least we back on land. and it was shower time!

Iquitos was a good time. Myra, a Nelson beauty that we met in Pisac, flew over and met us in Iquitos so the four of us had some good adventures. A few interesting Ayohuasca ceremonies. Nick, Rani and I spent 4 days going to this local medicine man who basically just sings.... all his customers are locals and the stories of what this man has done for people is incredible. I could definitely sense his power and believe that he can do some real magic.

After a week or so in Iquitos it was time to get my ass to Columbia. I wanted to spend my last week on the beach before my flight out of Bogota and the 22nd was coming up quick.... So, i jumped on the fast boat (10 hours vs 2 to 4 days...) for la Frontera (the spot on the Amazon river where Columbia, Brazil and Peru all meet). what a wild place. pretty lawless but beautiful and the people are great. Walked into Brazil for a beer just because I could. The next day I caught my flight to Bogota and then immediately found a bus to Santa Marta on the northern coast (hellish 20 hour ride! - last one though!).

The flight made for some amazing pics of the Amazon River. so cool





There is a park outside of Santa Marta called Tayrona Park. It is incredible. MOnkeys, massive blue crabs, tons of lizards, butterflies and the ocean.... crystal clear, lots of fish, octopus, coral.... I spent my last 4 days of chill time in the park, sleeping in a hammock and lounging on the beach all day. Just what the doctor ordered. speaking of doctors.... could use one. have been sick basically for the past couple weeks which is a major bummer. first a weird fever, and now a sinus and ear infection... the flight to Toronto tonight should be fun!! thank goodness for cheap over the counter pain killers!





Rad little lizards.

Still dont know what this crazy thing was. He was friendly.



A final pic of scruffy ol´ me relaxing on the beach..... Love it.


Well, that wraps it up. I am off to Ontario for an unknown amount of time to visit with my Grandma, likely a stop coming in MOntreal, then maybe the Maritimes...... why not!


Much love to you all,

Joel

Andean Wander - Part 2

......

In the morning we awoke to grazing cows all around us and the sound of Eugenia, Alex and Christina enjoying the tub that by this time was almost completely full. Good morning!

Side Note: Self-Filling Tubs
Still can´t figure this one out. Interesting though that the explanation provided by the young boy that came to visit in teh morning was that it was rival villages that came and emptied the tub to spite this village. hmmm....

So our breakfast reservations were for 10:30 am. We were late! We made it back into the village around 11 and the door to the shop was shut... The man had mentioned that we needed he needed to get to the fields to work so we shouldnt be late. Had we missed breakfast? After some hollering from the street they eventually appeared. Breakfast hadnt even been begun. No surprise. However, it was 3 or more hours before we sat down to eat! After eating, buying some more cookies and bread and getting into a heated talk about the bill, we finally got out of dodge. WE had pretty much lost the day but at least had found another meal. Onward!

This was another beautiful day of walking. The trail was beautifully built by the Incas and it led us up to the mountain tops and up into the clouds. A beautiful blanket of mist all around us atop a high mountain peak. Gorgeous. We made some beautiful friends on this walk. 2 young brothers (maybe 5 and 10 years old) and their sister (12?). The girl took immediately to Christina and they had an amazing time together. I played with the boys and after taking some pictures of them, the older boy was keen to get his hands on my camera. I showed him the basics and he was off! It was so incredible to see this young boy who has almost certainly never used a camera shooting like a pro. Really amazing shots. I had my own personal photographer! ¨amigo, un photo?¨ I would say to him when I saw I was in a cool spot for a shot. He would turn towards me, frame the shot and click away. So cool. He was beaming with excitement. And when it came to other locals on the trails, and in particular a couple of cool men walking thier horses, this kid could get the shots that can be difficult for gringos to take (andean people generally do not like their picture taken). The boy took close to 150 pix! Manyof which are truly incredible. If any of you have seen my Facebook profile picture, you can credit this rad little dude. Beautiful experience.




Eugenia relazing on the misty mountain top...




What a pic!






It was really funny trying to talk to people whom we met because many of them did not speak Spanish (and certainly not English), they speak Cechua, the triditional language of this region of the Andes. It is so beautiful seeing this indigenous language holding on.

We made our way down the other side of the misty mountain and once again found a home for the night on the edge of a sugar cane plantation - that stuff rocks! so juicy! When we got up in the morning (to a bit of traffic of morning walking commuters) we confirmed that we were indeed in the jungle now. Wow! But of course this was not enough for this eager posse of andean explorers. We were really just on the outer fringe of the jungle and if we could make our way a bit further we would really be in the action.... We decided that we needed to be ¨surrounded by fruit¨... So... time to catch a ride (or 2 or 3...).

Throughout the Andes (like much of South and Central America) there are many trucks cruising the winding roads transporting coffee, potatoes, maize and people.Trucks (¨camiones¨) are a major part of public transit and are often overflowing with andeans and their daily gathering of.... whatever they are gathering...

Our first ride was a sweet one. We had this particular coffee truck almost all to ourselves. Our hair blowing in the wind, the sun shining on our smiling faces and the jungle becoming more and more dense as we descended further and further down into the jungle. We rode into the night, the sky darkening into an incredible wash of bright, beautiful stars. When we finally cruised into Quillabamba, one of the larger towns in the area, while still buzzing from the amazing ride, we were pooped. Time for a night in a real bed! It was a real shock to the senses to be in a ¨city¨ after so many days in the tranquil mountains but a good rest was a serious treat.






Hitching in the Andes....






Stumbled across some ancient rock engravings...






In the morning we all rushed around on our own taking advantage of the much needed conveniences like the proper market, hot coffee and ATM´s. After gathering the required supplies we began to search for a truck out of town. We couldnt get out of there quick enough! But a ride was not easy to come by so we eventualy settled for a taxi to take us to a waterfall that we had heard was nearby. After a refreshing dip and aqua-massage in the waterfall and another epic round of sandwiches and fresh fuit we again hit the road looking for a ride. There was talk again of heading back towards Pisac but it was a short talk. Even after more than a week of wandering we were still not ready to head home. With few trucks passing by we began to walk, searching for a path through the thick jungle in hope of reaching the river for the night. WE found what looked to be a trail (actually a path through a farm) lead off into a field of papayas that we followed and after a short time we found out spot. Perfect again. Nice patch of sandy beach on the edge of the large flowing river. Our luck was beginning to get boring!

But the next morning brought with it a new day and the luck-fountain simply kept flowing. A young man wandered by and sat down to chat, very curious where we had come from and were we were off to. Turns out it was his family´s farm we had walked through and after offering to bring us coffee on the beach (which we accepted with huge, un-believing smiles) he took us on an amazing tour of his porperty. What!? An amazing sight. A true permaculture farm with multiple different plants growing in the same area, root vegetables underground around papaya and orange trees. He dug us up tumeric roots, climbed orange trees to pick us fresh fruit and helped us pick bags of fresh coca leaves. So incredibly interesting and such touching generosity.

After the tour we jumped in for a final swim in the river before packing up and heading back to the road. Pisac? Nope. We found another great truck ride and were headed to Santa Maria. Without realizing it we had made it almost all the way to Machu Pichu! One of the alternative routes to Machu is through Santa Theresa, a small town near Santa Maria, accesible by only one road and surprise surprise, home of another beautiful hot spring. Why not?

We rolled into Santa Maria after dark and after some stalling and haggling accepted the fact that we had little option but to take an over-priced truck to Santa Theresa. WE piled into the back and started off on a very dusty and crazily treacherous ride (the extent of which we would only fully realize the next day in the daylight on the return journey - sheer, massive cliffs stretching down to the river far far below). When we arrived we all had a good laugh at eachother as we hopped off the truck as the thick layer of dust covering us seemet to have added 30 years to our ages as our hair was grey dust. WE had made it. Well almost. WE still had a 30 minute walk to the springs. What we found was spectacular. Large, beautiful built tubs full of the cleares hot spring water I have ever seen. It had been a long day and a soak in this beautiful place was like a hug from Grandma. We soaked into the early hours of the morning and then slept oh so soundly.

The next morning, after another required soak, we finally agreed, it was time to head home to Pisac. Well some of us. Alex and Christina decided to take advantage of our proximity to the infamous Machu Pichu and they headed for the famous ruins. Rory, Eugenia and I headed back. Tried to anyway. After another typical late start and some poor luck finding a ride out of Santa Maria, we finally scored a great ride in an empty minivan with a guy who was driving back a load of mountain bikes from a Machu Pichu tour. WE would be spending the last night of our adventure in the stoney madness of Cuzco. Why not?

WE had a nice dinner in Cuzco, did the required morning shopping (Cuzco is the only place around where you can buy numerous things such as tobacco, good coffe and chocolate) and hopped on the bus for Pisac with bags full of jungle fruit and many amazing memories. What an incredible wander!!


Well there you have it. More of a detailed window into one of the more memorable journeys of this amazing trip that I am on. Made that much more special by the incredible friends with whom I shared it. Thanks for reading!


I am now in a whole nother world. The Amazon Jungle. HOt and sticky baby! The trip is drawing to a close and I will be making my way to the northern beaches of Columbia in a few days before flying home July 22nd....... Not sure if I will do another post or not so I am sending you all lots of love and smiles. Hope you are all smiling as much as I am at the wonders of this crazy life we are all so lucky to be living.


Much love,

Joel