Adventures in the Amazon: Life on the River

by Kraig Becker on

After spending the morning in the Belen Market, I was more than ready to truly get my Amazon Adventure underway. I’d been in Iquitos for a full day, and while I found the jungle city a fascinating place, I was eager to get out on the river itself.

I planned to cruise the river, along with a small group of other travelers, aboard a boat called La Turmalina for a week. The ship operates out of Iquitos and is one of the few that gives tourists access to the Amazon. Built almost entirely out of wood, and painted in bright colors, La Turmalina is styled after the 19th century river boats that once roamed up and down the Amazon, providing access to the region in a time before air travel.

I’ve mentioned the incredible diversity of life in the Amazon in previous posts, but heading out onto the river really brought that home. We were minutes out of Iquitos when we spotted the first river dolphins, and the number of colorful bird species increased immediately as well. Even more impressive than the animal life, which would come to include a variety of lizards and monkeys in the days ahead, was the flora. With more than 40,000 species of plants growing in the Amazon, and more being discovered all the time, you can imagine how lush, colorful, and diverse the rainforest can be.

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Amidst all that incredible diversity and stunning amount of life, the one creature I was surprised to see in such abundance was man. Make no mistake, once we set out from Iquitos, there were very few settlements of any size, but there were plenty of small huts, suspended above the river on stilts, lining the banks and throughout the day there was a constant flow of boat traffic, with local inhabitants paddling up and down the waterways.

Life for these river dwellers is, as you can imagine, fairly simple. The Amazon, both river and jungle, provides them most of what they need, although they make occasional trips into the nearby towns to trade for goods they can’t find themselves. They gather items from the rainforest or craft handmade goods to trade, and make the journey in simple dugout boats.

Most of the river huts that they live in are little more than simple wooden shacks with thatched roofs. A few have small generators for power, although most do not, and when the sun sets, darkness brings an end to their day in more ways than one. Those constructed right on the river are built on stilts to deal with the changing levels of the water, while the homes on higher ground sit on dirt floors with primitive living areas. The river provides for their water needs and they cook over open flames, much the way it has been for hundreds of years.

The people that live along the Amazon have a great respect for the river and jungle. They know that it provides them with everything they need to live, and they have a great understanding of how the variety of plants can be used for medicinal and herbal purposes. They are careful to maintain the environment, as it is their home, and they want it protected for the future. Something we could all learn from.

Next: Birdwatching in the Amazon

Read more Adventures in the Amazon posts HERE

Adventures in the Amazon: A Trip to the Market

by Kraig Becker on

Iquitos, Peru is, without a doubt, a unique city. Its colonial heritage can be seen at every turn, and its jungle roots can still be felt, despite the fact that modern conveniences have become a part of everyday life. No where is this contrasting lifestyle more evident then in the Belen district, home to a sprawling market that is loud, colorful, and hot.

The Belen Market is by far the largest in Iquitos, and people come from all over the city, and the surrounding jungle, to buy and sell their goods there. it can be approached by land or boat, and many of the merchants sell their goods from floating platforms and their own boats as well. When I visited Belen, it was Palm Sunday, and very crowded, so we elected to stroll through on foot rather than approach from the river.

The narrow streets are lined with stalls, and the crowds jam in tightly, examining the merchandise and haggling over prices. Thick plastic tarps are used to create makeshift awnings, and they prove their worth on the 270 days a year that it rains in the Amazon. While I was there, however, it was sunny, and hot, and those colorful tarps just trapped in the heat and cast an eerie blue or red glow over the entire place.

If the colors and heat don’t overwhelm you, the sounds just might. As you walk past the hundreds of tables, well stocked with a variety of goods, the merchants shout out prices and beckon for you to come nearer. The shoppers tend to shout right back with counter offers, which are met with a variety of reactions ranging from jubilation to outright disdain.. Some of the stalls have an old radio which contributes to the cacophony of the market, blaring out the unmistakable sounds of Latin music. The occasional scooter or motorbike adds to the din, puttering up the crowded streets, leaving exhaust in their wake.

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The real draw to this colorful market is the amazing array of things for sale. There are colorful fruits of all shapes and sizes, locally grown tobacco in a number of forms, unique meats, like monkey, turtle, and caiman, and of course, dozens of varieties of fish as well. The Amazon is the home for hundreds of species of fish, and most of them find their way into the market in a variety of sizes. Piranha were in abundance of course, as were Paiche, a species that can grow several meters in length.

One of the more interesting, and out of the way, sections of the Belen Market was a narrow alley where the merchants were selling home remedies and other concoctions. The stall that I stopped at had all kinds of odd looking elixirs poured into old coke bottles and a variety of jars. Most of them didn’t look appetizing in the least, but the young woman behind the table assured me that they could cure baldness, heal a variety of ailments, or serve as a powerful aphrodesiac. Each was made with planets and fruits gathered from the rainforest, and created from a formula that is passed down from one generation to the next verbally, and is committed to memory.

If you visit Belen, be sure to go early. I spent the morning there taking in the sights and marveling at the endless variety of things to purchase, but by late morning many of the shops were closing up, as they were either already out of their wares, or they were endanger of spoiling. This was especially the case for the meats and fish. The warm afternoon sun would make them go bad quickly, so if there was any hope of preserving them, they have to be removed quickly.

Visiting an open air market in a foreign country has always an interesting experience for me, and Belen continued that tradition. You get to see a “slice of life” from the place you are visiting, and a sense of how the locals life. You also learn about the local quisine as well, and if you’re luck, you might even get to sample some. In Belen, you can easily see the still very strong connections between the people of Iquitos and the Amazon.

Next: We head out on the river at last!

Read more Adventures in the Amazon posts HERE

Summit Day on Everest!

by Kraig Becker on

After several false starts, over the past week or so, Summit Day has finally arrived on Mt. Everest, with dozens of climbers reaching the top of the highest mountain on Earth earlier today. Summit Day is the culmination of weeks of preparation that includes a process of acclimatization that prepares the climbers for their final push to the top.

Typically, Summit Day begins late at night, with the mountaineers setting out from Camp 4, located at 26,000 feet, around midnight or so. They’ll climb throughout the night, hoping to top out the next morning, reaching the summit in daylight. Once there, they’ll spend 20-30 minutes at the summit, taking photos, resting, and enjoying the view, before turning back down the mountain. They know that getting to the top of the world is only half the journey, and a successful climb isn’t complete until they are safely down.

Amongst the climbers who reached the summit of Everest today are Ed Viesturs, whose return to the mountain we wrote about awhile back, and Peter Whittaker of the First Ascent Team. For Viesturs, this is his seventh trip to the summit of Everest, and adds to his already impressive resume that includes him being the only American to reach the summit of all fourteen 8000 meter peaks, doing so without the use of supplemental oxygen. For Whittaker, this is his first Everest summit on his third attempt.

Congratulations to all the climbers for a job well done!

Update: The summit teams from earlier today are all safely down the mountain and resting at Camp 4 before completing their descent to base camp. More teams headed to the summit today.

Adventure Destination: Easter Island

by Kraig Becker on

Easter Island has always been a place of great mystery. Everyone is aware of the iconic stone faces that number more than 800 and stand as much as 10 meters in height and weighing in at nearly 75 tons. The figures were carved by inhabitants of the island between 1250 and 1500 AD, and their construction and transportation to various parts of the island, is still considered a remarkable feat.

The inhabitants who built the statues are a bit of a mystery themselves, and add to the mystique of Easter Island. They were a Polynesian tribe that immigrated to the island by boat across the Pacific Ocean, and over hundreds of years built up a substantial society before nearly disappearing from the place completely. What exactly happened to their society is still openly debated amongst historians and anthropologists. Many believe that the remote nature of island was their eventual undoing, as they deforested the entire place, leaving them with no natural resources. Some see it as a parable for what could happen to the planet as a whole.

Over the past few years, the island has become quite the adventure destination. It is widely considered the most remote, inhabited place on Earth, with its nearest neighbor being a tiny island called Pitcairn, which is home to just a few dozen people, and lies 1240 miles away. Easter Island falls under the jurisdiction of Chile and there are flights most days of the week.
Visitors are drawn to the stone faces of course, and they come to learn more about how they were built and eventually moved to their final resting spots. Travelers also enjoy the fact that they are actually stepping foot on a place that has its own legend and the remoteness of the island is also a huge draw. But there are also other activities for adventure travelers to enjoy. For instance, the island has earned a reputation as quite a good mountain biking destination and there are trekking trails that wander in and around the the archeological sites. Snorkeling, SCUBA diving, and horseback riding also offer interesting experiences for the adventurous.

At one time, it was nearly impossible to go to Easter Island. Its isolation kept tourists away and its mysteries intact. But now, a five hour flight from the mainland will take you to one of the most unique and remote places on Earth. A place that offers up archeological delights and plenty of outdoor adventure as well.

Adventures in the Amazon: Iquitos, Peru

by Kraig Becker on

The Amazon River Basin is an amazing place. It is a vast ecosystem with the most diverse array of plant and animal life found anywhere on the planet. It is also one of those iconic destinations that sparks visions of adventure, with thoughts of Indiana Jones raiding lost temples for golden idols. It was all of these things, and more, that spurred my recent visit to the Peruvian Amazon, seeking a little adventure of my own.

The Amazon River officially begins at the confluence of the Ucayalli and Marañon Rivers in the Maynas Province of Peru. The largest city and capital of that region is Iquitos, which also serves as the gateway to the Amazon headwaters. With a population of nearly 400,000, Iquitos holds the distinction of being the largest city in the world that is not accessible by road. The city sits on the banks of the river, and is encroached on at all sides by the rainforest. Visitors to the city must arrive by plane or boat, and many goods still need to be shipped in via the river.

Iquitos was originally founded as a Jesuit mission around 1750, but it remained relatively small until the 1860’s when it became the seat of government for the region. It remained a modest sized town until the early 20th century, when the rubber industry exploded, and the population of the city followed suit. The remnants of that era can still be found all over the city, with large mansions still in use, and colonial architecture dominating certain districts as well.

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Today, tourism has become one of the biggest industries, with adventure travelers making the journey to gain access to both the Amazon River and Jungle. But even with the increased tourist trade, Iquitos is still far off the beaten path for most, as many who go to Peru are there to hike the Inca Trail and pay a visit to Machu Picchu. Indeed, in my time in the city, I saw few people who could easily be identified as tourists at all.

Iquitos is clearly a town steeped in tradition. On Saturday nights the Plaza de Armas, one of the major town squares, is lit up like a carnival, with music playing, bright lights flashing, and food and drink in abundance. On Sunday morning, the same plaza hosts an elaborate flag ceremony, with soldiers and sailors stationed in the city, marching the square, while the flags of Peru, the Maynas Province, and the city are run up the pole to great pomp and circumstance. Locals line the street watching the proceedings, as if they are watching the weekly ceremony for the first time.

Despite the fact that Iquitos is a fairly large city, the people that live there still have a sense of harmony with the Amazon. It may be the largest city in the region, but it is still a jungle town at heart, and that is reflected in the way its inhabitants live. Many of their homes are literally right on the water, and plenty still depend on the jungle in one fashion or another, for their livelihood. The town markets are filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as fish and other meats harvested from the Amazon.

Iquitos is indeed a fascinating and lively place, with a rich history. But its real allure is the huge natural resource that surrounds it, and in upcoming stories, I’ll share my experiences there. It is filled with life, both plant and animal, but also plenty of people as well. And the diversity of all three is amazing to behold.

Next: A Visit to the Market

Read more Adventures in the Amazon posts HERE.