Amazonian and Andean Adventures

Leaving Brazilian beaches reluctantly behind, I headed to a place whose very name conjures up images of jungles and wildlife. The Amazon. Still a vastly undiscovered place with unidentified animal species, uncharted rivers, and unknown plants. Some 120 kilometers south from the Triple Frontier of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, on a tributary to the Rio Amazonas, I would explore the jungle.

First I took a taxi-boat to a small town, where I waited until there were 5 other people who also wanted to go further to another even smaller town. After a long wait, there were 6 of us who were finally on our way. There, I needed to hire another boat. I had been given the name of Claudio Paixao. After 15 minutes of searching, I found Paixao on the docks. He promptly pulled out a bottle of cachaca and said we should do a couple shots together before setting off. Finally, seven hours after I had set out that morning, I arrived at a simple jungle lodge next to an Indian village.

Canoeing through flooded forests, trekking through the jungle on terra firma, watching grey and pink dolphins cavort in the river, seeing numerous tropical birds, fishing for piranha, and observing traditional Indian ceremonies I learned about the Amazon. What was truly interesting here was that I was the only tourist. The others there included a film crew from Bogota that was making a documentary to promote Colombia tourism (two words you don't often see together); two ornithologists, one from the US and one from Brazil, who were capturing beautifully colored birds that they believed to be new species; and another scientist who was gathering the many kinds of spiders and insects prevalent in this part of the jungle. All of them let me tag along and taught me an immense amount about the jungle.

Before exploring the jungle, I spent time in cities along the Amazon, including Manaus and Leticia (Colombia). Manaus is a port city, however it is 1500km up the Amazon. Leticia, 1500km further upriver is laidback, many travelers pass through, and the people are extremely friendly. Returning to Leticia from the jungle, I crossed into Peru by boat up the Amazon. Five hundred kilometers further upriver, I made it to Iquitos, another port city. It´s a great travelers´ hangout and there was able to sample some of the local nightlife with two Peruvians I had met, including lots of cervezas and pisco sours (pretty much the Peruvian national drink).

From there, I headed to Lima which allowed me to get oriented to Peru. The town is unfortunately very polluted, a perpetual smog covering the city. However, there are some good museums which give you a better understanding of the many pre-Incan civilizations, interesting historic churches, and it has a good nightlife. I went out with two Americans I had met until about 3 a.m. in a pena featuring traditional Peruvian music and dancing (cervezas and pisco sours figured in again). A candidate for national food would have to be ceviche, of which I was sure to have my share. If you have never had ceviche: raw fish marinated in a lime and chili combination served with sweet potatoes and toasted corn.

I next made it to Cuzco, in the Andes. It was winter there so crisp clear skies, sunny weather, but as the sun sets it gets extremely cold. For the first time in a long while, I was cold, wearing sweaters, alpaca wool hats, NorthFace jackets, and thick socks. The city is always celebrating something, there is a great sense of history, the surrounding scenery is beautiful, lots of friendly people, and there's an amazing amount to do - all of which makes it difficult to leave. I spent an amazing time in and around this city.

Cuzco was the center of the universe according to the Incas and numerous Inca ruins surround the city dating back to the 15th Century and before. While visiting Inca ruins in the Sacred Valley and around Cuzco such as Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, and Sachsaywama, and small towns perched high in the Andes such as Chinchero, I learned about the Quecha and Inca cultures. Hiking up steep ancient staircases can take a toll on your lungs in high altitude, but chewing on some coca leafs usually helps adjust to the altitude (and as many shirts proclaim, the coca leaf is not a drug!).

The most impressive part of staying here, though, was hiking the Inca Trail and seeing Machu Picchu. Unknown to the Spaniards who destroyed everything in their path, these ruins were lost to the jungles and were not rediscovered until the early 20th Century. The best way to appreciate them is to hike through the Andes over the Inca Trail (I went with SAS Travel who I would recommend if you're thinking of going). It tests your fitness, stamina, and lungs due to the high altitude. The Trail crosses beautiful mountain scenery, passing orchids and other unique Andean plants and animals along the way. Passing ruins along the way, you finally end up at a sungate, through which you can see snow-capped mountains in the distance with Machu Picchu laid out below you. These ruins, in a spectacular setting perfectly aligned with the summer and winter solstice sunrises, were perhaps the most sacred to the Incas. Terraced agricultural fields, crumbling ruins, grazing llamas and alpacas, and cloud-circled mountains rising up behind the complex create a truly mystical setting.

Returning to Cuzco, I ran into a friend from New York I had not seen in a couple years. The world´s small. I took a nine hour train trip through stunning countryside with Andean peaks covered with snow as weathered farmers tended fields and shepherded their flocks of sheep, llamas, and alpacas. Brightly clad women wearing incongruous bowler hats with babies tied behind their backs. Small stands selling fruits and woollen clothing at cities where the train stopped.

The train ended in Puno, perched on the edge of Lake Titicaca. This lake is the highest navigable lake in the world, with part of the lake Peru's and the eastern part Bolivia's. I crossed over to the laid-back village of Copacabana on the Bolivian side. First, 18 people (including me) piled into a minivan for 2 hours. Then, I hopped into a tuk-tuk and was biked to the border. Checking in at Peruvian and Bolivian immigration was straightforward and soon was on the final leg of the journey - another minivan.

In Copacabana, met quite a few people from all over the world. As it turned out, two travelers from London and I would spend the next several days together exploring parts of Bolivia. Near Copacabana is Isla del Sol, an island that has featured in both pre-Inca and Inca history. For the Incas, this was the island where their empire mythologically started. Hiking over undulating terrain from one end to the other allows you to get brilliant 360 degree views over the entire surrounding area. It's surrounded by azure waters and in the distance, the Cordillera Real mountain range seemingly floats above the water.

From Copacabana, we took a bus to La Paz. Approaching the city, you suddenly plunge over the edge of a crater down steep streets into a bustling city punctuated by many colorful markets. Overlooking the city is the majestic snow-capped Illimani. From here, I explored the pre-Inca ruins of Tiwanaku and spent time in the city haggling over the many things for sale from the ubiquitous alpaca wool products to concoctions in the Witches Market - I had to pass on the llama fetus a witch tried to sell me. Also spent time in the numerous museums (my favorite: the Museo de la Coca) and churches, but the best part of hanging out in La Paz is meeting people and exploring the various streets.

Throughout Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, I met lots of local friendly people and the usual assortment of world travelers from Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, and Israel. I also found out where the Americans have been hiding - Peru. After seeing virtually none over the past six months, suddenly from Lima to Cuzco, I met American college students on summer break who had been studying or volunteering abroad, world travelers, Gringo Trail travelers, and tourists from Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, and everywhere in between.