Saturday, August 31, 2019
Days 2 through 5 were spent in the jungle abode with our hosts, Joaquin and family. This was the heart of the tour, at least the paying part to Coya Tours. Mikor and I took a rapid boat from Leticia to Caballococha, Peru, a 4-hour trip down river (or was it up river - I still haven't figured that out!). I was mesmerized by the ride as I watched the world that I knew fade away into a world without Internet and flush toilets :) We met up with Joaquin, Rosa and Javier and had a fabulous lunch at a Peruvian restaurant, see photo. Caballococha is located on the Amazon, right across from Nowheresville, Colombia.
After lunch, we proceeded on the final leg of our journey to the community (communidad) known as 7 de Agosto. The community is named after the Battle of Boyacá (1819). It was the decisive battle that ensured the success to liberate New Granada. The battle is considered the beginning of the independence of the North of South America. The boat journey lasted about 2 hours. A little more factual stuff: The Amazon consists of about 1 million indigenous persons (Indians), and 400 cultures (tribes), each with their own language, culture and territory. 7 de Agosto is inhabited by the Cocama culture/tribe of which Joaquin is a part of.
The indigenous community is a group of natives that converge in one place. They have their own laws according to the indigenous regime
After a long journey, 5 hours by plane (with a connecting flight) and a 7-hour boat ride with a stop for lunch, finally, home sweet home. For the next 3 nights that is. I was told the house was more luxurious than most in the community. But yikes! What did I get myself into?! Limited electricity and no running water. Obviously, no Internet. The bathroom was an outhouse and, to the best of my recollection, had no bubble soap. Or bath for that matter. Dishes and clothes were washed at the nearby river
Actually, the only real discomfort for me was the outhouse. Water came from filling up a big barrel, Joaquin’s job. I forgot to ask where the water came from since the water from the river is not potable. (The Amazon has more water than any other river in the world. Along its 4,049-mile length, 500 tributaries feed into it. Every day it produces enough water to meet the needs of New York City for nine years. And yet there is a shortage of fresh, safe water. It is because the Amazon is being poisoned. Chlorine, kerosene, sulphuric acid, mercury and cyanide are all pumped into this gigantic river network from mining and cocaine production).
One took a shower by filling up containers and pouring it over himself. The toilet: in order to “flush it,” one took 4+ big containers of water and dumped it (no pun intended) in the toilet to force the waste into the septic system. Congratulations to whoever engineered the septic system, no sh!t. Sorry. And no toilet seat! I am now a full-fledged Colombian. I barely blink an eye at the thought of no toilet seat.
Here’s a secret, but shhh. I’m at an age where I get up several times a night to pee. This was not a good habit in this environment! At night, it was pitch black and a 30-foot walk to the outhouse. My first night, I almost jumped out of my skin as I put on my shoes to go to the outhouse. There was a small animal sleeping in the bed next to me! I approached cautiously with my heavy flashlight. It turned out to be the 1-month old family puppy! Who knew they had a dog?!
However, I over-dramatize. It was mostly okay and I adapted. I’m just spoiled!
Joaquin is an amazingly skillful guide and seemed to be born for indigenous life. The 2 things that amazed me the most on the trip:
• One morning, we were on the boat getting ready to fish. I was daydreaming, mesmerized by the surroundings. Next thing I knew, Joaquin pulled out a spear and flung it at a fish seemingly a mile away. It went right through the fish’s gut.
• Another not so well-kept secret. I wear hearing aids. I left my spare batteries in the hotel in Leticia by mistake. In my room at Joaquin’s house, one battery fell and went through the floorboards under the house. The thought never occurred to me to crawl under the house and look for it. The batteries are tiny and for sure, there was no chance it would ever be found. Not to mention, who knew how many snakes were underneath? I mentioned it in passing to Joaquin. 10 minutes later, the battery was recovered.
It’s a difficult life for the inhabitants but you’d never know it. Their income is derived from fishing and agriculture. Imagine partaking in such jobs in the rainy season when it was teeming rain nearly 24/7? But they chose to live this way rather than sacrifice their ancestral customs. Who can blame them as I choke on the Medellin pollution?
Meals:
Breakfast was served promptly at 8am. Preparing it was a major big deal as Rosa and neighbor started preparing it at 6am. All of the meals consisted mostly of food from the Amazon, i.e., fish, chicken, yuca/farina and exotic fruits. A mainstay is Pirarucú, the largest freshwater fish in the world and is in abundance in the region we were in. It was served fried and is delicious. See the photo – we spotted them en masse in the river. Much of the food was corn-based. All of the meals were enormous and I was never able to finish one as much as I tried. Most of all, they were incredibly delicious. Not quite the menu del dia served in much of Colombia.
Activities:
Hiking was limited due to my knees, but we did go on one several hour hike in the jungle. Joaquin’s skills in spotting wildlife were incredible. He spotted monkeys from afar, tarantulas that blend into their surroundings and other exotic insects, not to mention tracks of numerous animals.
We went fishing every day. I could not believe the crude tools used. The fishing pole was a stick or just a line. Or a net. But there was no need for expensive gear. Fish were in such abundance that they practically took the bait as soon as you threw the line into the water. However, the real fun for me was simply being on the river. It was primeval and exotic, not to mention infinitesimal.
We went caiman hunting one night on the boat. I was never so frightened. It was pitch black and I couldn’t even see Mikor, who was 2 feet in front of me in the boat. Joaquin started in with his anaconda stories to make sure I was frightened enough. And then out of nowhere, Joaquin grabbed a caiman with his hands, crazy bastid. It was “only” a foot long but probably could have taken off a few digits. And then Mikor played with it, all but assuring me of a lifetime of nightmares. And that was it for the caimans, which was very okay with me.
That was about the extent of the activities. Much of the time was spent on the river sightseeing and fishing. We saw exotic birds, pink and gray dolphins, big and little fish and the most amazing sunsets. Joaquin entertained us with stories and educated us about river life, the good and bad. There was never a dull or boring moment. When it came time to say goodbye, there were hugs and tears.
Speaking of anacondas. We did not spot any, nor piranhas or jaguars for that matter. But they were out there and that thought kept me on my toes. We visited the southernmost part of Colombia, the final frontier, wherein sits a community of indigenous people. The community started their own conservation program to protect endangered fish. There is no outside funding. That’s how much the people love their homeland.
One of the fishermen involved entertained us with anaconda stories and how he came THIS close to being swallowed by one. Not once, but twice! He insisted he was put under a spell and hypnotized by the snake and was left speechless for days. Truth or tall fishing tale? I suppose we’ll never know, but my guess is a little of both.
The next morning, we boated to Puerto Nariño and bid farewell. More later.
Photos include, Minor the guide (with caiman), lunches in Peru and Brazil, sunsets and vistas, our hosts, I caught a fish!, tarantula, butterfly, hiking, painted warriors, reptile, poisonous frog, our home
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