So Much Life to Live...So Little Time!

It’s been so long since my last posting and so much has happened that I don't know where to begin? I left off the last posting getting ready to bag 900 packages of soap, toothpaste, etc. for delivery with our wonderful Conapac friend and long-time supporter, Linda Lownds from Canada. All went well as she, her daughter, and two of her daughter's friends joined the trip to make deliveries to seven different villages over a five day period. We also purchased 3600 pieces of bread from our new community bakery in Timicuro Grande which bakes the bread in a brick oven/furnace, fueled by burning wood only. I had a chance to watch the process and it is quite lengthy but the finished product is great. This is the first bakery in the rainforest region where Conapac services communities. We soon expect to have another one as Linda has indicated her willingness to support a second bakery in the village of Irlanda. Thank you Linda for all you do and all you've done over the years!

During my two weeks in the jungle, I met a number of interesting people and in that process realized how starved I am of thoughtful, stimulating, and engaging conversation in English. Along with Linda’s gang (all young female, practicing attorneys) I also met Joe Krupp and his son, Tyler, as well as, Jon Holstrom. These two gentlemen were here to plan for the new clinic that is being built near the Lodge to replace the old one, which is falling in the river. Jon was the original architect and is now back to do it again. Dr. Linnea Smith (La Doctora), who runs the clinic, was there as well, and many good and interesting conversations were had over our various meals together. In February, about 40 Rotarians from Wisconsin are coming to the jungle to do a "barn raising" and get the clinic built in about three weeks. I hope to have an opportunity to get back out to the Lodge for a couple of days and watch the show! Also in these last two weeks I met a number of really nice folks from the Midwest and, really, from all parts of the country. One group was on a National Geographic trip around the world, touching on all seven continents! They were a wonderful group of people and I got an opportunity to meet many of them. They were very generous and several gave donations to the Adopt-A-School program. I hope to maintain contact with some of them as they were very interested in all the happenings in the rainforest. One gal I met, the advance person for the tour group, was very interesting. It turns out she was born and raised on the east side of Detroit and now splits her time between Florida and Gaylord, Michigan! We plan to connect again this summer when we're both in Michigan and get a little better acquainted...a truly small world! And another fun encounter was with two representatives from a tour company out of England called SAGA. (Similar sort of thing as AARP) They service the over-50 crowd and are looking for ways to add new programs in the area of "voluntourism", which appears to be quite a growing market. Together we hope to place well-qualified, Spanish speaking, professional teachers in various schools for 4-6 week commitments. This area of tourism continues to grow and Explorama and Conapac will be at the forefront by placing these committed and motivated volunteers for service.

On a more personal note, my friends from Michigan arrived, though a day late due to a nation-wide strike which shut down the airport in Cuzco. But, none the less, they made it here and it was a wonderful treat to see friends from home. Mark and Becky Cook, Heidi Shefferly, Norm and Lorna Souve, along with several other team members were here as VOSH volunteers. VOSH is a volunteer group of eye doctors and this team returns each year to set up a week-long clinic in Coya, Peru. Once they completed their work, they came to the jungle for a little R & R. And along with bringing themselves, they brought a big bag of goodies for me! My daughter, Erin, had graciously gone shopping for me back home, running around town to several different stores to fill my order. It was just great to get some things that I simply can't get here and thus far haven't quite been ready to give up! Anyway, we all had a chance to catch up on a variety of topics and again my intellectual plate was filled. It's going to be difficult to beat the last two weeks for an abundance of good friends, good conversation and, of course, good beer!

This last week at the Lodge was a good one for funny animals. In the bar one night a bug was flying around the bar that even spooked the guys. It was some kind of wasp, which was so big that I had to take a photo (once it was almost dead). I put a stapler along side it for a point of reference to its size...yikes! Glad I wasn't alone with it. One day my toilet was running so I lifted the lid and out of the water came a lovely frog! Who knows how long he'd been living there but I did rescue him and sent him on his way. Another night, I was walking along the boardwalk to my room and thought I saw a big pile of mud. It turned out to be the biggest, most wonderful tree frog with those big padded feet. I had no camera at that moment but it was a treat to see him (or her) without having to hike through the rainforest. Last week, as you know, was the inauguration. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to see it as I was going to be out of the city. But at the Lodge they now have cable TV for the workers but it only runs at certain hours. Well, the power came on right at noon and the guys indulged me by allowing me watch the swearing-in ceremonies during their lunch hour (the TV is in their lunchroom). It was great to see BUT, it was dubbed in Spanish. It kind of lost its deep emotional effect but later that night one of the guides let me use his laptop and I went on line to read the speech. I know there are many challenges ahead for our country but if anybody can do it, Americans can!

Well, as always, my blogs get rather long. There is so much happening and I know I can only touch on a few things but thank you for indulging me. You may remember from one of my earlier blogs that I had lost my ATM card a week after I arrived here. It's been quite a challenge working this out but I was able to borrow money here and so far I haven't starved. Back home, I had to connect with my bank, Erin had to get the card, PIN the number, then go to various stores and banks to make sure it worked. I was concerned that my bank wouldn't let me process it once I got the new one so there were many emails back and forth to my contact at the bank. Then Erin had to get the card to Becky Cook to bring it to me this month when she came. Well, it turns out Becky and Mark got the airport (Metro) and she realized she had forgotten the card! What to do? Well, she got a hold of Rick (my former husband) and he graciously stopped working, drove to Becky's house, found the house key, found the ATM card, then drove to the airport from Brighton (a good 45 minutes one way) to meet with the Cooks and give them my card. What a fiasco! Once again, I know I could not live here without the help and support of my family and friends back home. And I am very, very happy to report that finally returned to Iquitos and went to the bank. My card worked perfectly and I was able to get money for the first time in three months. Thank you everyone for all your help and follow through!

Before I sign off, I thought I'd throw something out there for my regular readers. Since I write what I find interesting it gets to be a bit one-sided. I would like to invite you all to send me questions you may have about what I'm doing here or some other aspect of living in the rainforest which interests you! Please send these questions through the comment section below and I will follow up on them as the opportunity presents itself. Well-wishes to all and remember the days are getting longer. :)