Puerto Maldonado, Peru
Tuesday, September 3, 2002
I was a little vague about where I was going next and what I would do when I got there. Being so near the Peruvian Amazon I figured I should take a couple of days, fly down and take a look. The closest place was Puerto Maldonado. Being no real fan of camping or the outdoors, I decided to split my time between the town and the jungle. I figured first I would see what a town at the end of the road looked like. Puerto Maldonado is in fact two full days by road from Cuzco - and accessible only during the dry season - but a short 30 minutes by air. From there I figured I could deal with a jungle lodge for a day.
I arrive from cloudy, cold Cuzco into the heat and humidity of Puerto Maldonado a little before lunchtime. My hotel, Wasai Lodge, had said they would send someone to meet me. As I never check my bag I was one of the first people out of the airport and quickly found the hotel guy. He had two other passengers to retrieve, so I stood around with him and the other guides enjoying the hot day.
Finally, when the other passengers and their baggage were collected, the hotel guy hired two motokars - open three-wheel motobikes - for the ride to the hotel. With the sun blazing and a hot breeze blowing - what a relief after Cuzco - we rode about 15 minutes to the hotel. The land I saw along the way looked decidedly unjungle-like - there were more cola signs that trees and most of the open ground looked like either pastures or soon-to-be building sites.
The Wasai Lodge was a series of small thatch-roofed cabins set high on the banks of the Rio Madre de Dios on the north end of Puerto Maldonado. After I checked in and left my return ticket to be reconfirmed, I had lunch. As almost no one spoke English I was a little unsure of what I had ordered. I knew it was fish - it was in that section of the menu - but little else. What in fact I got looked like the fish had been finely chopped, reshaped into a square patty and fried. There was also some kind of fibrous tuber that had been cut and cooked like french fries - it was actually quite tasty.
Next, I walked over to the port, which was next door. Well, calling it a port perhaps creates too grand an image. Really it was just a landing where small canoes and slightly larger ferries left to cross the river. What gave it its status as a port was a small naval facility nearby where I got into trouble by taking pictures. At first I didn't understand what the problem was as the place certainly didn't look like a navy base. Anyway, I moved along and didn't take any more pictures.
From there I walked south, past the main square, through the main business district and finally around the sleepy main market. The afternoon was hot and humid and I saw very few people and noticed that most of the shops were closed. The buildings were mostly one-story wood clabbered painted light colors and only a few of the streets were paved. The dirt ones had vegetation filled drainage ditches running down the middle, which gave them an unkempt look. I had wanted to go somewhere with fewer tourists but I wasn't sure I wanted a place quite this sleepy. As I walked back I wondered what I had gotten myself into.
At the hotel I took a shower and sat on my deck overlooking the wide, muddy Rio Madre de Dios. I listened to the sounds coming from the river for a while: people talking on marine radios and the putt-putt of motors. After awhile I wanted a little company, so I wandered up to the reception desk where a loud TV and noisy short-wave radio quickly drove me out into the cooling afternoon air.
I walked back into town and found a little café with a few tables outside. I ordered a beer and set about putting my journal in order. After a few minutes two young women came and sat with me - there were only two tables and mine had the only vacant chairs. We exchanged smiles but then when they tried to talk to me I had to admit that I didn't understand Spanish. They gave me a look like I must be from another planet. People in Spanish speaking countries are just as firm in their conviction that you should speak their language as we English speakers are.
Looking for some way to engage them I got out my camera and took a picture of the shops across the street. When I showed them the results their faces lit up. They quickly saw the possibility. I then pointed it at them and asked their permission. They nodded and I took several pictures, which delighted them.
Then they asked the question I had been gotten several times when I did this. I didn't need to speak Spanish to understand their question: they wanted to know if they could get a copy of the pictures. Of course this would have been easy if I have a computer and printer - which I didn't. So although we had a lot of fun, I think they were a little disappointed not to get a copy of the photos - and I was equally disappointed not to be able to provide one.
Back at the hotel I asked about the ticket I had left for reconfirmation: "When," I asked, "would I get it back?" The clerk didn't speak any English but she understood what I was asking - I just didn't understand what she was trying to tell me. So she ran off to get one of the guides who did speak English. He told me that they had taken my ticket to the airport and that the airline would keep it until I was ready to leave. All I had to do was ask for it under the name of the hotel. Well, this was a new one on me. As long as I got it back and there was a place for me on the outbound plane everything would be fine but not having it made me a little nervous.
Then I went looking for an Internet place. I still had some arrangements for my trip to Nazca that needed to be settled. When I finally reemerged from the Internet place it was completely dark and, much to my surprise, the town had come back to life. The main square was full of families out for an evening stroll and all the stores seemed to have reopened. I wandered around a bit and finally settled into an open-sided café where I sat editing the day's photos and drinking an ice-cold beer. The evening was delightfully warm and the streets abuzz with activity. It was then that I decided coming to Puerto Maldonado had been a great idea - next we would see about the jungle lodge.
Next morning after breakfast I took a motokar back to the market where I wandered around taking picture and showing them to whoever was interested. Two ladies who sold vegetables were particularly interested and wanted their picture taken which was a lot of fun. The market was much livelier and friend then it had been the previous afternoon.
Back at the hotel I was picked up at about 10:00 by an agent of the Sandoval Lake Lodge, my next stop. They pulled up in a van with about 6 other people - guests that had just arrived by air. They drove us all down to the other "port" - the one at the south end of town - where I had to pay a 65 sol ($18) "park tax" before we could leave. The Sandoval Lodge is in a large national park and the wild life is protected. Presumably that is what the money is for. As I was staying only one night, I left my main bag in the van and took only a daypack with a change of clothes.
Then we all hopped aboard a long, covered canoe and were motored down the river. The morning was bright and hot and the breeze on the water was quite pleasant. We passed other boats, presumably transporting tourists to other lodges that also use the park. Sandoval is one of the lodges closes to Puerto Maldonado and the only one I could find that offered single night visits. Along the way Ernesto, our guide and the manager of the lodge, pointed out settlements on the bank and various wild life.
In less than 30 minutes we arrived at a small landing where we all piled out of the boat. At the top of the bank we gave our bags to a couple of porters who loaded them onto a small cart - we had an hour walk ahead of us and they were going to transport the luggage.
Sandoval Lodge is on a lake of the same name. It's on what is known as an "ox bow" lake formed when one of the many meandering curves of the river was isolated when the river decided to straighten its course.
The walk was an opportunity to seem some of the animals and vegetation that make up the jungle. The path was wide but we had to walk around quite a few muddy places. It being the dry season, there were very few annoying insects to deal with. Ernesto stopped along the way to show us various things: there were plenty of butterflies and moths as well as birds, but the most interesting thing was a tree that was "protected" by ants. The insects remove all other creatures and vegetation from the tree. There was a neatly cleared circle around the tree. We were also warned not touch the tree less the ants attack us too.
After a very pleasant walk we reached the lake. Here we got into another canoe - this one human-powered - for a short paddle across to the lodge. We were then given a welcome drink and the keys to our rooms. Also we got a short introduction to lodge life: don't leave your door open, "things" can come in; the generator was broken so light will come from candles; and (most important to me) the refrigerators were gas powered so there would be cold beer.
Next we had lunch. The large dining room had a high ceiling and was screened all around giving it a cool and open feel. There were 6 or 8 long tables where the guests ate in little groups with their assigned guides. After that we were given the next few hours off to either explore on our own or to rest. We were scheduled to meet later for a late afternoon lake cruse and after that dinner. At first I figured I would nose around a little but then decided to take a shower and a nap.
At 4:30 we met at a point overlooking the lake where a telescope had been set up so we could observe the "howler" monkeys eating in the trees across the lake. Then we broke into smaller groups with our guide. My group boarded a small catamaran made of two canoes with a platform on top. There were seats and railings around the outside and the telescope had been set up in the middle. Two young men - presumably locals - provided the power by paddling from the rear. It was a very pleasant way to see the lake.
The sun was just setting and the day had started to cool down when we set off. The air was still and various birds flew overhead - all of which were clearly identified by our very knowledgeable guide. Several of the passengers were serious "birders" and wrote down the name of each new species we saw.
I was content to just sit and visit with the other passengers - there were two older English couples, a young Irish couple and an American and his Peruvian friend. I also enjoyed the absolute absence of mechanical sounds: no gas powered motors and no amplified music, just the sound of the birds above and paddles in the water. Even we humans spoke in hushed tones. It was wonderful.
As soon as it got dark we could see the planet Venus and then the bats flying over the lake looking for insects. While we were looking up someone pointed out the Southern Cross, a major feature in the southern sky. Close to the shore we use a flashlight to spot the shining eyes of Caymans - a kind of small alligator. By the time we got back to the landing it was completely dark and the sky was brilliantly illuminated by millions of stars. Living in a city I forget how wonderful the night sky looks.
Back at the lodge we had a few minutes to get ready for dinner. The tables were all set and candles offered the only illumination. As many of the guests had gone back to their rooms, I got a beer and asked the English couples if I could join them. This turned out to be an excellent move as they were widely traveled and all-around great company. About the time we were starting our second beer we were called to dinner.
The lodge made sure that we all stayed together and both of today's guides ate with us. This made for a very friendly and informative atmosphere. The food was quite good - chicken was the main course, if I remember correctly.
Outside we could hear the sound of insects. We ate and talked by candlelight. I for one was certainly glad the generator was broken - and that the beer was cooled by gas. We sat long after dinner talking of travel and just enjoying ourselves. It was the most pleasant evening of my entire trip. As we were due to get up very early the next morning we didn't stay too long at the table and soon headed to bed.
As promised at 5:00 A.M. there was a knock on my door. Actually I heard the call coming several doors away. The rooms all had open ceilings and you could clearly hear the activity in the next rooms. In fact I had been lulled to sleep by the sounds of night insects and some snoring coming from a room near me.
I lit my candle and showered and shaved. It wasn't as difficult as I had imagined. After a quick breakfast of fried eggs we got on our platform boat again for another turn around the lake. It was even more pleasant in the morning: the air was completely calm and the sky completely clear. We saw various vultures, parrots and macaws - well, there were many more birds but these are just the few I remembered.
Our little group, all comfortable with each other now, was very quite and watchful. The peace of the morning ride was contagious. The light was also perfect for taking pictures: it was my favorite moment on the lake.
As I was leaving today, I was met at the far end of the lake by Ernesto who was going to accompany me back to Puerto Maldonado. He also promised to show me more macaws on the way back. We paddled to the landing and started down the path to the river.
About halfway along, we plunged off the road onto a windy, overgrown path. Above us we could hear the squawking of parrots and macaws. "Look, look," Ernesto whispered, "See them, see them?" His excitement was contagious. He was like a little kid showing me some secret treasure. "Aren't they wonderful?" We were looking up at three red and yellow macaws. "They mate for life. That's a mother, father and baby." It was an unexpectedly wonderful experience crouching in the jungle, looking up into the trees at those noisy but elusive birds.
Soon we were back at the landing where we took another pleasant ride back to Puerto Maldonado. The van met us and I was reunited with my pack. Then they drove me out to the airport where I was reunited with my ticket. I sat in the airport restaurant for an hour or so working on my journal and running through the pictures I had taken.
I hadn't known how this trip to Puerto Maldonado and Sandoval Lake Lodge was going to work out, but it had turned out to be the single most pleasant experience of the trip. That said one day there was perfect. I suspect the next day would have seemed like more of the same to me.
Soon the plane arrived and we flew out over the miles and miles of lush green jungle with meandering brown rivers, up through the snow and cloud covered mountains for a quick stop in Cuzco. In Lima I was again met by the driver from the Mami Panchita hotel.
After I checked in I got a taxi to the Mercado Indio (the Indian craft market) in Miraflores. I hadn't done any shopping yet and I wanted to scout out the stores so I would know what was available. As I browsed I got business cards from the places that interested me. Back at the hotel I had a couple of beers while talking to other guest and then went to bed. I was off to Ecuador in the morning.
