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~ At Home
on the Amazon ~
March 18 through March 25, 2000
$1 U.S. = 3.40 sols
(Remember
to click on the thumbnails for enlargements of the photos)
Iquitos and the
Amazon, Peru
March 18 through March 25
 (ccl/wpl)
On Saturday morning we got up very early because we had been told to be
at the airport two hours prior to our 8:00 flight to Lima, which had an
11:30 connection to Iquitos. Typically, we were some of the first
people at the airport, beating even the Aero Continente staff to their
appointed posts. After getting some breakfast, we headed to the
gate area around 7:30. 8:00 came and went, as did 8:30, 9:00, and
9:30. By this time the gate area was packed with people who were
waiting for their flights to leave. Wiley and I had a spot on the
floor and were playing cards to pass the time. Let me remind you
again at this point, dear readers, that very few public buildings in Peru
have heat, so most everybody was utilizing their new Peruvian hats, scarves,
and gloves.
Around 10:30 we somehow learned that
the weather had grounded all the flights out of Cusco that morning, despite the
fact that the sky was blue and the sun was shining. Our flight finally
left for Lima at around 12:30, and I will not even go into the crush of humanity
that we had to navigate at the gate to get to our plane.
Obviously, by the time we got to
Lima, our flight to Iquitos was long gone. Surprisingly, an Aero
Continente employee met us at the plane, escorted us to the counter, and issued
us new tickets on the 4:30 flight.
When we landed in Iquitos it was
about 6:00, and one of the nine Peruvian presidential candidates was scheduled
to make an appearance in Iquitos later that evening. It looked like the
whole town had turned out at the airport in anticipation of his arrival.
The election is April 9, and there is hardly a house, rock, or wall in the
entire country of Peru that isn't painted with one or more of the candidates'
propaganda. Alberto Fujimori has been president for ten years and, conveniently
for him, he was able to change the constitution to allow himself another
term. Most people credit him with squashing the terrorism that was rampant
in Lima and the coca-growing regions of Peru, and with improving the plight of
the poor, but many people feel that it's time for someone with new ideas.
A man named Jorge picked us up at the
airport. Jorge is a partial owner in the Amazon Lodge, which is where we
would be staying for the next six days. Jorge put us on a boat on the
Amazon just as night was falling. He explained that we shouldn't worry,
because the moon was full and the driver knew the way very well. Also, the
driver had a spotlight in case he needed it...
The ride was beautiful. The
full moon reflected off the smooth surface of the water, and the stars were
out. There were very few other boats in the water, and by about 8:00 we
were docking at the Amazon Lodge. What a sight! There's no
electricity out in the jungle, but the staff at the lodge put out kerosene
lanterns all around the property once night fell. It is quite beautiful
and tranquil, and the sounds of the jungle night fill the air.
We sat down to our first dinner by lantern light in the large screened-in dining
hall. The food at the Lodge was incredible - everything was completely
fresh, from the fish that swam in the river only hours before we ate them to the
papaya slices that came from the Lodge's trees. One afternoon a wild boar
came running through the property. A quick-moving employee chased him
down, off'ed him with his machete, and the next day we feasted on wild boar at
lunch. The meat was delicious - incredibly lean and tender. It turns
out that a whole band (coven? tribe? gaggle?) of wild boars had been in the
area, and a baby boar had been abandoned by his mother. Dora, the head
employee at the lodge, took the little guy in and named him "Baby", in
deference to the more famous movie pig. Baby was settling into life at the
Amazon Lodge somewhat tentatively as we were leaving. The menagerie of
pets consisted of two titi monkeys, Pedro and Pancho, a marmoset named Danello,
a wonderful dog named Sebastian, Negra, the spider monkey, two gorgeous red
macaws, four blue and yellow macaws, too many green parrots to count, and a very
strange trumpet bird who liked to chase people and Sebastian around the
grounds. 
At dinner that first night we met our
companions for the week, Mark and Stephanie Smith and their son Bryant, of West
Point, New York. You may have already gotten a little background on the
Smiths from Wiley's story in Medicine,
Coincidence, and a Hole in the Head. The more we talked with them, the
more we found we had in common. Mark is a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama,
and a 1979 graduate of the University of Alabama, the same school revered by
Wiley and his entire family. Bryant is named after legendary Alabama
football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Mark is the cadet's doctor at
West Point, the U.S. Army academy. He incorporates many alternative
techniques in his practice, including homeopathy and herbal medicine.
Stephanie is a registered nurse, Reikki master, and an importer and distributor
of Maca, a Peruvian herb shown to alleviate the discomforts of menopause.
Throughout the week we discussed topics as far-ranging as college football and
natural childbirth. We couldn't have had more delightful and interesting
companions for a week in the jungle, especially given that these are the exact
types of people that Wiley hopes to solicit input from on his potential career
options. 
At the Amazon Lodge, you can have as
much or as little activity as you choose. There are several boats, and
your guide is available to take you fishing, on a hike through the jungle, or on
a wildlife-spotting boat ride. Or, you can just lay in the hammock and nap
away the afternoon. Wilson was our guide. Like many Peruvians in the
tourism industry, Wilson taught himself English. His parents split up when
he was very young, which forced him onto the streets to sell ice cream to help
support his mother and siblings. Despite the fact that Wilson never got
past the 4th grade in school, he knows everything about the plants and animals
of the jungle, including many of the Latin names. He pointed out many
plants throughout the week and told us how the locals use them to cure many
different illnesses, including parasites (a big problem for the children of the
jungle, as everyone there drinks from the river), kidney ailments, and
infections. For instance, the fruit of the muyaca plant is used by people
who live in the jungle to prevent malaria. While I found all this very interesting, it was especially
fascinating for Wiley, Stephanie, and Mark. Wilson even managed to find a
Camu-camu tree to show us. Camu-camu is a plant whose fruit has a very
large amount of vitamin C, and is reported to have anti-viral properties.
One of the reasons Stephanie had come to Peru was to investigate importing the
fruit into the States and selling it as a supplement.
Wilson grew up in the jungle, and
still has property somewhere "out there". He pointed out hawks,
monkeys, pink dolphins, termites, and many other creatures of the jungle
throughout the week. One night, as we sat in the boat at dusk, watching
pink dolphins surface and submerge around us, he told us a story about how his
oldest brother drowned in the Amazon when he was only 11 years old.
Wilson's grandfather drank a substance made of many jungle plants, called
ayahuasca (eye-ah-was-ca), and had a vision of a mermaid who said that she loved
the boy and had taken him to live underwater with her. This gave Wilson
comfort, and he still believes that his brother is alive, in the Amazon, living
somewhere with a beautiful mermaid.
So this brings me to the story of our
ayahuasca experience. As I mentioned above, ayahuasca is made from several
plants that are indigenous to the jungle (see Wiley's recipe).
The Indians of South America have used this drink for over 1000 years as a tool
for healing. Shamans drink the ayahuasca, and they believe the resulting
visions they have help them understand how to heal someone who is sick.
Our shaman was named Norma. Norma was inspired to learn natural medicine
after a local shaman cured her of cancer as a young girl.
Norma began preparing the ayahuasca
for our ceremony at 6:00 Monday morning. The ayahuasca had to cook all day
long. In the meantime, we went for a hike in the jungle with Wilson.
It was hot and steamy, and each of us had our own personal cloud of mosquitoes
to escort us. It wasn't so bad as long as you were moving, but when we
stopped to look at something, one or two of the little fiends was able to
permeate the heavy layer of DEET we were each wearing. It wasn't the most
pleasant experience, as the water was up, which required that we wade through
some areas. Well, everyone waded but me, because Wiley piggy-backed me so
my boots wouldn't get wet. Apparently, the honeymoon isn't over...
Bryant was invited to participate in
the ceremony, but declined, so it was Mark, Stephanie, Wiley, and I, along with
Norma and her assistant, and Wilson as a translator. At about 6:00 that
evening we got ready for the ceremony. We were first instructed to take a
shower, repeating the words, "God and man are one, and if God is with me,
nothing can be against me." We then went to room 10, where the ceremony was
to take place, to take our aromatic flower bath to cleanse ourselves prior to
the ceremony. In it there were plants to protect against bad spirits, to protect
us from brujeros (witches), and plants to purify us. As we individually poured a
bowl of the incredibly fragrant water over our heads, we recited "All that
is bad goes out of me." After then turning to the right to face west, we
recited "All that is good comes into me."
For the people of the Amazon, the
ayahuasca ceremony is sacred and is approached with reverence.
Before we drank the tea, Norma said a prayer, as Catholicism is intertwined with
the rites of the jungle. (She also wore a protective head band, which she
compared to Jesus' crown of thorns). I was the first to drink, and as a large shot
glass of the drink was handed to me, I focused on an intention and drank it
down. We were all seated on cushions on the floor of one of the
cabins. A thunderstorm outside provided sporadic light flashes into the
otherwise total darkness. After everyone had drunk the tea, which tasted
like really strong, bitter coffee, we waited for about 15 minutes. Then
Norma and her assistant began singing and humming traditional ayahuasca
songs. The shamans say that the ayahuasca vine teaches them the
songs. The purpose of the singing is to facilitate the visions. The
sounds were beautiful, and I felt very comfortable. Norma drank pure
tobacco juice, which she said makes her tranquil and able to facilitate the
visions of those around her.
After about 10 minutes, I began to
see other people in the room. They looked like ancient Peruvians to me,
and their presence was comforting. Norma later told me that this is a
common vision. (wpl) - A pipe (by the name of "Ronco") of strong
tobacco was passed around,
and we were told to smoke. As none of us were smokers, everyone had a
little bit of a challenging time with that. Periodically we were asked if
we were seeing anything, with only Christie answering in the affirmative.)
With my eyes closed I could see many beautiful pictures in my mind. I
thought about my family, and about this amazing journey that Wiley and I are
on. At one point, I saw myself in the kitchen of a huge house with lots of
children, some of them blonde and some of them Peruvian! I was a little
concerned about this, but Norma told me that the children were my protectors.
Beautiful singing and whistling
continued, while her assistant smoked cigarette after cigarette, blowing
cleansing and protective tobacco smoke in the air and rattling a shaker of
leaves in beat with the singing.
After about two hours the visions and
dreams were over, and I found out the neither Wiley, Mark, or Stephanie had had
any visions. Norma then gave some impressions she had. She said that
I would live a long life, and she said Wiley had many projects he was working
on. They tried again the next night, but still had no visions. I am
still sorting out all of my thoughts and dreams from that night, and I feel very
lucky to have been able to be a part of such an ancient ritual.
(wpl) The next night Mark,
Stephanie, and I made our second attempt at the ayahuasca. This time
Wilson participated, and Norma also took the ayahuasca. It was much
thicker this time, as Norma was determined that the rest of us would have
visions. Mark got sick first (throwing up is a common event when taking
ayahuasca - it's considered a "cleansing" event) and stayed very sick
all night. Stephanie got sick a few times, Norma got sick, Wilson almost
got sick, and I didn't get sick at all. Again, no one (except Norma)
really had any visions. The only slight vision I had was of a pair of
tennis shoes with stickers of eyeballs on them. Norma later told me that
meant that someone was envious of me. I don't know why that would be...
The cabins at the Lodge were rustic but comfortable. Everything was built
on stilts, since the Amazon rises quite high during the rainy season. One
morning it started raining around 4:00 and continued well past noon. The
sound of the rain pattering on the thatched roof of our cabin was the best
sleeping prescription available! Some of my favorite memories from the
week are of the time I spent just lazing the time away, in one of the
comfortable hammocks on the big porch. Everyone seemed to take a nap after
lunch, including the staff, so things got really quiet and peaceful. It
was truly a relaxing week. 
We visited the Yagua Indians, who
live on land owned by the Amazon Lodge. The chief and several of the men
demonstrated their accuracy with the blow gun by nailing a $5 bill attached to a
post (Whoever hit the money got to keep it. The chief was the first to hit
it - don't know if the other guys in the tribe were deferring to the chief or
not.). They make a potion called curare out of jungle plants, and dip the
darts in the curare. Curare is deadly to animals and humans, as it causes respiratory
arrest in animals once they are hit with the dart. The Indians sharpen the
blow darts with the jaw of a piranha. 
The Amazonian jungle is an incredibly
tranquil place, but living there isn't easy. Most people are farmers,
growing bananas, yucca, papaya, corn, potatoes, or other crops for consumption
and for selling in the markets of Iquitos. Wilson explained that the
inhabitants of the jungle start their day at sunrise, cultivating crops or
fishing for the next meal. There is abundance, but survival is the name of
the game. Everyday is devoted to securing the next meal for the family,
and the people work hard.
On Friday morning we got up early and
headed out from the Lodge for our trip back to civilization. On our way
back to Iquitos we stopped to visit the Boras Indians. They performed
several tribal songs and dances, and of course, drafted us to participate.
They were probably thinking, "Man, these white people sure don't have any
rhythm!"... 
Before docking in Iquitos, we traveled through the floating neighborhood of
Belen. Belen grew up during the rubber boom of the late 1800's when
housing was short in Iquitos. To solve the problem, people began building
their houses on balsa wood supports and living directly on the Amazon. It
was a rather depressing-looking place, especially when Wilson pointed out that
the residents of Belen use the water of the Amazon for cooking, drinking,
washing clothes, bathing, and as the place where the outhouses empty. At
one point we passed a man with no shirt, sitting on the front porch of a house
labeled "Dentist", waiting for his next patient.
After docking and having lunch we
walked back to Belen to visit the large open-air market there. I always
love going to markets when I travel. I get this sense of abundance, and
the sights and smells are incredible. I am fascinated by what the local
people are buying to eat and use in their homes. Belen was no
exception. We saw people rolling and bundling hand-rolled cigarettes made
of pure tobacco, people selling all kinds of fresh fruit, vegetables, and herbs,
pig's heads, dried fish - you name it, it was there, and somebody was selling
it. Wiley bought a homemade remedy from a woman who said she could cure
his cold, or grippe. She kept handing him shot glasses full of
different kinds of liquid, and took great offense when I asked her if her
potions were made with agua purificada. After his second slug of
murky, unknown liquid, I walked away and left him to his own devices.
Later that afternoon we said goodbye
to the Smiths. Stephanie was staying on a few days in Lima to visit with a
doctor there who has done a lot of research with Maca. We spent the night
in Iquitos, then flew to Lima the next morning. Our second visit to Lima
was much better than our first. This time we stayed in the Miraflores
section of town, which is quite upscale. We got a little hotel room, got
some clothes washed (the guy who ran the laundry had a "New York
Marathon" t-shirt on and we talked marathons and running for a while), and
bought some things we needed that you can only get in a big city. Wiley
tried ceviche for lunch, which is a delicious dish made from fish
pieces "cooked" in lime juice and spices (no heat), and served with
tomatoes, onions, corn and sweet potatoes. We enjoyed walking around the
neighborhoods with the locals, just taking it easy on a Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday morning we headed back to
the airport for our flight to Cusco. The only reason for going back there
was to get the train south to Puno and Lake Titicaca. Someone we met while
traveling had told us that the party atmosphere of Cusco gets old, and we agreed
by this time. Everyone wants to give you a flyer for their bar, wants you
to look at the menu for the restaurant they work for, or wants you to buy
something. It's somewhat draining. Mostly we laid low and updated
the web site. After we selected a hotel room, we told the manager that we
wanted to buy train tickets to Puno. In about 5 minutes our phone rang,
and they told us a man was downstairs and he could sell us train tickets.
We met Caesar, and gave him $56 for the tickets. He told us that he would
be back in the morning to pick us up at 7:30 to take us to the train
station. After he left, I had the distinct feeling that I had done a
really dumb thing, but sure enough, Caesar was there at 7:25 the next
morning. He whisked us to the train station, and we were off for points
south.
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