Post TG Review

How could my Thanksgiving dinner have been any better? Despite the lack of a pumpkin pie, I still wouldn’t change a thing! The day was perfect. All week it had been insufferably hot and sunny but on Thursday, I woke up to clouds, cool temps and a nice breeze. This held all day and into the night never getting over 78 degrees--which is quite unheard of this time of year. I had to have the turkey in the oven all day and was dreading the added heat but it turned out to be a non-issue. Everything on the menu came out as planned and timed just right. I had to use three different ovens in other apartments to cook everything at once but that all worked great. My guests arrived, the wine flowed and everyone has second portions on the food—which is always the best thing that can happen to any cook! So for all my friends and fellow travelers who made this happen, thank you so much! Know that I was thinking and thanking those, who through their extra effort, brought all the necessary parts which allowed me to create a truly American Thanksgiving dinner in Iquitos, Perú! Notice my photo—as I was opening the turkey to rinse and find the gizzards, I pulled out the neck and as you can see the head as still attached, followed by the two feet. Man, they don’t waste anything here, do they? Well, I kept the gizzards for my gravy but decided my Peruvian neighbors would know better than me what to do with the head and feet. I’m sure a good turkey soup was enjoyed by the whole family thus Thanksgiving was spread a little further around the neighborhood.

I mentioned in my last blog that I had an Aussie here as a guest and that I would tell you more about him later. Back in August I was out at one of the lodges working on some CONAPAC projects. It was evening and I was alone reading a book. A large group of Australians came in and one of the men came over to ask me if I would like to join them for happy hour. I declined but did join them for dinner and chatted with this gentleman that night and the next day he was here. Well to make a very long story short, he returned from Perth for a two week visit in order that we might get better acquainted. I will tell you that we had a great time together, and I expect to be seeing him again very soon as he's planned a return trip in February. And who knows, a visit to the Land of Oz (once again) might be in my future. Stay tuned! :)

As a final note to my Thanksgiving dinner, my boss Pamela was there and absolutely delighted with the results. As my fellow American, who has now lived here for 25 years and does not cook, she has never made a traditional TG or Christmas dinner. After my successful dinner Thursday she has asked me to do it again for her and her family for Christmas this year. Of course, I readily agreed but was reminded of my good friend, Tony Sincic’s advice—if you are competent people ask you do things—and often too many things. If you’re not, no one ever bothers to ask you to do anything--so be careful what you want to reveal about yourself. I guess despite trying to unwind my commitments and live a bit more in the moment by choosing the jungle as my home, I still find myself committed. But no worries, Samantha will be here and my new friend, Megan from Freemont, Michigan, as well. Pam will almost have her house outnumbered with Americans to Peruvians for the first time! And the best thing of all is Samantha will bring me my pumpkin and we’ll have two big pies to make up for the lack of one at Thanksgiving. Once again, things work out and I continue to receive abundant and overwhelming blessings in all areas of my life. :)

Life Is Good--Part II

Many of you are my friends on Facebook so you might hear me repeat my stories--sorry for any redundancy. October was a busy month here despite the heat of summer and what should be the “off season” for both Explorama and CONAPAC. We hosted several large groups flying in to the Amazon as their first stop for an around the world tour. I’m not sure if this is the place to start or end a big trip but we’re glad to be included in their itinerary of exotic places. Many of you may know “The Lonely Planet”? It’s an organization that reviews and ranks hotels, restaurants and travel attractions around the world. Check out this link and see which top 10 cities for 2011 were included in their list, particularly number six! http://www.lonelyplanet.com/peru/amazon-basin/iquitos/travel-tips-and-articles/76165

As Thanksgiving inches closer, I am eager for my guests to arrive. I now have 8 committed with a possible 9th, depending on boat schedules. My cans of Libby pumpkin, which my friends were bringing from Colorado, were confiscated by the TSA! My friends were not doing checked luggage so the cans had to bring it as carry on. How insane does this get? I know there’s a shortage of Libby pumpkin and, in fact, some people are buying and hoarding it then selling it on-line for inflated prices. Maybe the TSA guy needed to take some home to the wife? Hey, where does all that stuff go that gets confiscated? There must be a mountain of it things from all over the world which has been left behind—might make for a fun news story?! Well, I guess it will be apple and pecan pie this year.

I know elections just ended in the States. My CNN cable connection has been out since last week so I was able to avoid the hoop-la. Whoever won, what goes up must come down and so forth! Last month they had country-wide elections here although for everything except the presidency. The time leading up to the election was just as nutty as in the States (and annoying) but I doubt anywhere near as much money was spent. It’s interesting to me how Americans are always complaining about the economy, jobs, etc. but somehow millions of dollars still got raised for these elections. Well, I suppose some folks had jobs in the process. Anyway, two interesting things about elections here: One, you HAVE to vote as it’s mandatory. If you don’t, you get fined and if you can’t (because you have to work and can’t get to the city) your employer has to pay the fine; and two, voting is held on Sunday from 8 AM- 4 PM. From Friday at noon until Monday morning there are no alcohol sales, even bars and restaurants. I didn’t know this until I was trying to buy some beer on Saturday afternoon. Really, they should have exceptions for gringos who can’t vote anyway! Iquitos was a very different place that weekend—so serious, quiet, and dry—including me! The lines to the voting booths on Sunday were quite long but it was an event with people outside selling food, beverages and entertainment for the kids. It had been a very, very hot month but that particular day it was cloudy so as folks waited in line, it wasn’t quite so unbearable. So what do you think? Mandatory voting for the USA—it’s mandatory in Australia—Just a thought! (A photo of a future Peruvian voter, Charles)

I got to Lima last month for a few days with friends. Lima’s not my favorite place but it was a change of scenery. We went to a couple of nice attractions around the city and enjoyed some good food. We got to a mall which normally wouldn’t do much for me but it was refreshing to be in a place more like what I’d be familiar with in the US. The stores may be Peruvian but the idea is virtually the same—even the “Sodimac” store we shopped at which is like Home Depot! There’s nothing like this in Iquitos. The best was the grocery store where I found several more varieties of cereal including Honey Bunches of Oats and Banana Nut Crunch. I brought home four boxes on my carry-on. What a treat but it was quickly gone and I’m back to my one choice in Iqutios, when I can get it. Not only has the low river slowed down beer deliveries it’s also impacted cereal which all comes from Lima. Well, if I just liked rice more I’d never have a problem finding food as there’s always plenty of that!!

I was thinking about why I love my job so much? It’s not the work, per se, but the variety. One day I’m doing mindless paperwork or packing school supplies, then another day meeting interesting people and learning new things. Last month had me helping with the private jet tour, meeting great people from all over the US; restocking and buying new things for the gift shops; writing reports and requesting money for our budget funding; helping with a baby turtle release on the Sucarsi river and watching baby turtles hatch at Las Malvinas school; meeting with grad students from the US who are doing a study on NGO’s around the world; planning for visits by more volunteers in December with their unique requests; meeting Jack Hannah and assisting with his film crew at Monkey Island; assisting an injured 71 year old passenger who broke her arm in at the Ceiba Tops and needed help for two days at the local hospital until she could return home; and much more which somehow quickly fills the days. Who has time for CNN?! How I got here and how long I’ll stay remain mysteries but I’m full of peace and joy that these opportunities have come my way and I never take them for granted!

Final best news of all--Samantha, my younger daughter is coming here for Christmas this year! I have spent the last two here alone and although my Peruvian friends have kindly attempted to fill the void, there’s nothing like family to be at your side. Each day is a gift and I open it with eager anticipation and appreciation.

Low, Dry, Hot & Humid!

Wow! September is almost over and I’ve yet to write a blog post. Some of you have commented on this so here goes! It’s been a particularly hot and dry September in Iquitos--Day after day of sun, a few clouds, and virtually no rain. They say there are no real seasons here, only high water and low water season, but I beg to differ. The river is at historic lows creating problems for everyone as cargo is nearly impossible to get into port and when it does, everything takes that much longer to unload and be staged for delivery. Nearly everything that comes into Iquitos is still carried off the boats on the backs of young, and not so young, men. Sand bars are everywhere making boat navigation trickier than usual with big and small boats, houses, swimmers and debris concentrated and competing for space in ever narrowing strips of shallow water. I was on the Itaya River last night heading to a restaurant by boat. It was a particularly hot and close evening which made the smell of concentrated open sewage less than pleasing. I do feel for so many who live in floating houses on this reduced flow of water. There is no sewage treatment in Iquitos and everything runs directly into the rivers but normally there is so much water flow and such a high dilution factor, that it’s a tolerable situation. Those of us who live high uphill don’t have to wallow in this toxic stew. The poor continue to suffer the most and I walk by it each day. But like anything else, one seems to get “used” to it—isn’t that sad? I don’t like to think I’ve become immune to it all but sadly, I’m afraid I have.

The last month has been full of a variety of little projects requiring my help mainly for Explorama. I’ve been helping with the gift shops and working with passenger guests. I find that so many of my past life experiences have been called into action while working here, whether it’s for CONAPAC or Explorama Tours. It’s nice sometimes to pull out my old waitressing skills—really my most favorite job of all time! The season of funding requests has begun for next year so much of my time is focused on finding money to “keeps the plates spinning” as Pamela would say. We’re looking to build seven new water plants for 2011; seriously increase monitoring, training and oversight; plus start the process of installing smaller, individual household systems for some communities where large, centrally-based water towers do not make the best sense. I have set a personal goal of providing access to clean water to all the Adopt-A-School communities within which we serve before my time here ends. This will represent improving the lives of about 13,000 people. We’ve come a good distance in just two years but we’re only about quarter of the way there. Lot’s more to do! Yes, I’m coming home next year but I will be returning to Iquitos to finish the job! :)

I have a new neighbor—can you believe it?—another American woman! This is so rare and I’m delighted. She’s from Iowa, about 40-something, decided one day to quit her assembly line job and start living. She gave up her job, her boyfriend, her house and all her stuff. Decided to move to Iquitos for awhile, volunteer her time in an orphanage and then move on elsewhere to explore the world then someday return home. She’s an incredibility upbeat gal and I like her very much. I’ve invited her to my Thanksgiving dinner so my contingent of Americans is growing. I have a very special guest who will be joining us for TG dinner—I’ll tell you more about him later! Pam asked me to host a dinner party at my house for nine people last week. It gave me a good dry run for the holidays by pushing the limits of my small kitchen with its mini stove and fridge. But I do have my two neighbors’ stoves and fridges to use as they’re invited to dinner so we’ll have food spread around the complex. I’m now just waiting for the last installment of “TG parts” from home—cans of Libby pumpkin for pies!

Enjoy the season…whatever it may be, wherever you may live :)

I Like It Like That!

In general, the residents of the jungle are quite easy going and ready for a celebration any time of day. This translates to the city of Iquitos, too. The residents are mellow and rarely do I see or hear a cross word. In fact, violence is rare and in the almost two years I've been here, I've never seen anything until just last week. A man was trying to steal an orange or two from a street vendor. The vendor chased him off with a stick then the thief in turn started throwing chunks of street concrete at the vendor. It was quite a show but a little unsettling for Iquitos. Anyway, this got me thinking about the things people like here and the things they don't. Or at least my perception, so take it for what it's worth.

The most prominent thing you'll notice about the city is the love of cement and concrete—it's everywhere--and besides buildings, other things are made of concrete, too. Park benches, flower pots and tree stands, balusters and railings with faux turned posts, decks and sinks, kitchen cabinet frames and counter tops. I even visited at a house that had built-in concrete couches with cushions and pillows to add a bit of comfort. In the middle of the rain forest, where rot can practically be heard happening, I suppose it makes good sense but the unfortunate issue is that here is no architectural interest in the least—and with their love of re-bar or re-rod second only to the love of cement and generously used as a decorating element--you can imagine that Iquitos is probably one of the most unattractive places on earth. I find this ironic since it's smack in the middle of one of the most beautiful natural environments in the world but then again, maybe Iquitos knows it can't compete with the natural world, so why try? Or maybe it's just more practical— simply choose cheap, durable, rot resistant products by which to build your house and home!

Another crazy thing that they like is White Out or Liquid Paper. They LOVE this stuff and everyone, everywhere seems to have a white-out pen along with their regular pen or pencil. They sort of lust after them and you have to watch out that your's doesn't disappear. When I first came here I just cracked up and thought what in the world does anyone do with this stuff? But now I, too, am addicted! Maybe it's a need to be neat and tidy in paperwork and not to waste things. In the US, I'd just get another piece of paper or make another copy but the white out does have it's place to salvage something. Of course, there's lots of “white out graffiti” too! Especially on school desks and park benches but perhaps I could look at it as another art form then I'd take less offense by it?

Some more things they love are plastic bags of literally every size and color for every imaginable use. Whole stores are dedicated to selling only plastic bags. Don't even think about leaving a store or walking down the street without a plastic bag! I regularly bring my own "earth friendly" bags which the clerks look at me strangly but I somehow still end up with so many more plastic bags than I can use. Then there's chicken. Now I like chicken, too, but really, it's the only thing in quite literally every local restaurant you can order! Don't try opening a new restaurant for the locals with anything different—it won't fly. Mickey D's and Taco Bell?--Don't even think about it! Of course, there's cumbia music and nothing else will do. Inka Cola, parilladas (chicken BBQ's), ice cream, and any kind of holiday, labor strike or celebration will be reason enough to take a day off work and call it a party!

Of course they love futbol here and when they get tired of that, they play some more. Although every park and school yard has basketball hoops, I've yet to see anyone play it nor have I ever seen a basketball for sale in the stores. They love hot, humid weather and quickly bundle up when the temp dips below 80ish (of course, I join them on that one). Street shows are a great attraction, some with more value than others—but always watch your wallet. Clowns on stilts and mimes are common. On the main boulevard downtown where the beggars, thieves, hanger's on and tourists meet, there is always the lure of a tattoo show. Although I have a few of my own, the last thing I wanted was an audience when I got them--but spectator sports sure can vary around the world. :)

Perhaps my last observation is a bit silly but it's striking. Whether folks live on the river or in the jungle with the muddy Amazon close by or back in Iquitos, there is a great emphasis on cleanliness. When we do our school deliveries, the kids and parents will be wearing very clean, white, pressed clothes and in the city all kids, whether in public or private school, will be wearing sharp, clean uniforms. Their homes are of a standard which is often less than our Western dogs and cats enjoy yet when they step out unto the street, they're dressed, pressed, showered and ready to go--big sales here in colognes, too! They eat lots of onions and garlic so fresh breath is important too—thus street vendors and stores are always hawking gum and mints. And since the Peruvian greeting includes cheek to cheek kissing, even when you first meet someone, it's important not to offend. People regularly offer you mints or gum so take no offense—it's just the sweetest place on earth!

Summer Greetings!

I went to my first “Quinceaños” or 15th birthday party for a young girl, soon to be a woman. This is comparable to the idea of a Sweet Sixteen party but can be on the level and grandeur of a wedding! The party is a symbolic passing from childhood to becoming a woman. Always present is a special dress with a color-coordinated theme, cake, dinner, music and dancing. The one I attended was extremely humble relative to many here in the area but still quite a show considering the financial circumstances of birthday girl’s parents. Where I live there is a 24 hour guard/groundskeeper who lives with his family in circumstances little different than those in the jungle. Their oldest daughter was the birthday girl. For them to host even this modest party was quite the event. Evila wore a darling green dress and all the family members were more dressed up than I’d ever before seen them. Although the party was on a weeknight, it still didn’t get started until about 9 PM when Evila and her dad came in together, (arm in arm like a bride and her father) then shared the first dance. My young friend was crying which seemed to be a bit of happy and afraid mixed together. I am sure it is the first time in her life she’s been the center of so much attention and never before had she worn such a lovely dress. There was a champagne toast, a very nice dinner, followed by the special cake. I’m sure I’ll get to several more parties like this while I’m living here and no doubt they will be on a much grander scale, but this first one will always be a favorite memory.

CONAPAC continues to build more water plants and funding has been strong, but we are continuously challenged by resistance to drinking clean water. Residents certainly understand the value but at times the effort is great and old habits die hard. Next year we hope to seek more funding in the area of monitoring and training not just construction. We’re also looking into offering individual household systems for homes which lie some distance from centralized water plants. Of course, all this takes funding so you now know what I’ll be doing more of for the rest of the year! We also work in a school in the city of Iquitos called Las Malvinas. We have a large environmental teaching garden which also has a turtle and fish pond. At the end of April, we stocked the fish pond with fry and since then they’ve been steadily growing. The senior class is in charge of this project and last week we did our first harvest. The kids netted, counted, measured and weighed over 400 fish which was a great learning opportunity. Some fish will be taken for sale this coming week with the rest to stay for further growth until the final harvest at the end of the school year in December. To see more photos check out: http://amazonamigos.ning.com/ or visit our website at http://www.conapac.org/

I’m sorry but it’s been dang cold here!! I know you all are experiencing a particularly hot summer in Michigan and the US in general. Well, I can tell you it’s the reverse here. Yes, low 70’s in the day and low 60’s at night doesn’t sound bad but when everyday is usually 20 degrees hotter, it’s very tough to adapt. Part of the problem is I simply don’t have enough warm clothes nor do I even have a blanket at night — only sheets. So I’m sleeping in layers and wearing socks during the day. Of course, there’s no snow and ice but I’m afraid there is still those pesky mosquitoes! I had the flu, of all things, in July. The flu here is very rare so it must be a gringo disease! It lasted a good five days but the good news is, it was while the weather was very cold so I was able to curl up in my PJ’s, close all the doors and windows and sip tea and other hot drinks. If it had been its usual 90-something outside my discomfort would have been compounded so for these little things thankful. During this time my friend, Mike from the States, arrived with my new computer. I bought myself a little HP Notebook (it's red :) from Amazon.com and I couldn’t be more delighted. I am a little sad it’s not a Mac but you know, when in Rome. It’s the system I work with all day now so I’m familiar with it. Once I return home permanently, I will again purchase a new Mac. Anyway, I am on Skype and would love to hear from you. If you have Skype, too, email me and we can exchange numbers. It’s amazing, you know? Living in the middle of the rainforest in the middle of South American with no roads in or out of the city yet I can have a perfectly clear conversation for as long as I want for FREE! Now if this is an amazing miracle, I don’t know what is?

Enjoy August—See you in September!

Random Thoughts...

I’m not sure I have enough to say to weave a story so random thoughts in passing for now:

Our fearless leader for Explorama, Peter Jenson—affectionately known as Don Pedro—passed away in June. Not unexpected as he had been battling cancer for about 9 months but a shock none the less. Per his wishes, his ashes were sprinkled from the top of the Canopy Walkway (120 ft) to be returned to the earth from which he came. His incredible legacy of commitment to the Amazon Rainforest in Perú will not soon be forgotten as family, friends and co-workers carry on his vision to maintain this precious, unique place on earth!

The World Cup is on everyone’s mind here although there will be no South American team in the final match. Interestingly, most folks don’t seem too keen on Spain winning—no love lost there, apparently. I’ve learned a lot about the “Copa del Mundial” and have found the process interesting—although I just got a copy of someone’s Men’s Journal from June and one of the stories is “Why the World Cup Sucks”…haven’t read it yet but it should be an refreshing spin.

I spent quite a large amount of time in the jungle in June working with student groups and other volunteers. We built two water plants, planted trees, painted houses, built a playground, painted murals, plus did a large variety of art projects with the primary-aged kids. Working on the subject of clean water continues to consume me mentally and I hope to make further strides in this direction for 2011 and beyond. The need is great and donors are generous—it just takes so much time to get it all done here with the logistics and educational parts to be implemented. Well, one step at a time.

When I got home from my long trip, I walked into the courtyard area of my apartment and there was this lovely duck! This being an unusual sight in our garden (although not in Iquitos in general) I asked the guard/keeper if this was a permanent addition? He said oh no—his daughter is having her 15th birthday late in July and they were having the duck for a special birthday meal! Fattening it up, I suppose. Having your 15th birthday here is a BIG deal and some families throw these elaborate affairs (like a wedding). But these folks are quite poor so buying a duck for dinner is a wonderful treat for the whole family. I hope I’m at work when they get ready to “prepare” him. I’m going to take the daughter (Evila) shopping so she can pick out her own gift—I haven’t a clue what a 15 year old in Iquitos would like to have so this will be better and more fun, too!

Oh, a big treat coming my way—next week the 3rd movie from the Twlight Series opens in Iquitos. I’m so excited because it’s one of the very, very few movies here which are in English, not dubbed in Spanish. It doesn’t take much to amuse me these days!

Is it me or is it hotter in the States right now than here in the jungle? Hang in there folks, this too shall quickly pass and you’ll stop complaining about the heat and have the snow and ice once again!

My grandson, Jack Holley, turned 5 years old in June—I can’t believe how quickly he’s grown and how it seems only yesterday he was born. I had bought him a gift when I was in the States last fall and made arrangements for my Dad to make the delivery on his birthday. Erin (his Mom) told me he said to everyone, “This is from my grandma in Perú—where is she?” I guess he hasn’t quite connected the distance dots but someday he will. I hope by the time he’s about 10 years old I can bring him here and he can see the rain forest for himself. What a living laboratory for a kid to explore insects, snakes, birds and animals. I’m counting the days…

You know, there are so many things here in Iquitos that one could only describe as insane. At times, of course, I think to myself--I gotta get outta here! But when I really put my mind to it--when I watch the news or read certain stories--I've come to the conclusion that everyone, everywhere in the whole world is nuts...it's just packaged a little differently in each case. And maybe our attempt at making some sense or order out of the of it all is just another form of nuttiness? However I look at it, though, I continue to find myself caught between two cultural worlds (the US & Perú), not really part of either but only passing through. Do any of us really belong anywhere in particular if the only criteria are where we were born and to whom? I know, I'm getting too deep for my own good...I'm missing my conversational buddies back home who love to probe the unanswerable questions of life. Deep breathe...Thanks! I needed to get that off my chest...until next time don't take any of it too seriously and I will try to take my own advice, as well.

Little Joys...

Lately I’ve been thinking about the things which bring me pleasure while living here:

* Getting a letter in the mail from my Rotary Club at my house--Not only is getting mail the rarest of treats, this was the first piece of mail I actually received at the house!
* Eating a bowl of Wheat Chex (or any cereal) which a friend just brought me from the States.
* Getting a phone call from in the middle of the day at the office by anyone from home.
* Having exact change for the mototaxi.
* When the Internet is working fast enough to download You Tube or other video.
* Heavy rain at night so it drowns out the loud music being played in the discos.
* Having my 3rd round of chiggers be much less difficult than the first two.
* Finding the beer in my fridge to be very, very cold.
* Immediately catching a motokar when I step outside into the pouring rain.
* Realizing that the “cockroaches” I found coming into my house this past week were really June bugs. Somehow that was much more comforting and emotionally manageable—go figure?
* A cloudy day—something I never thought I would hope for after living more than 50 years in Michigan—but truly a blessing as it remains warm but not so unbearably hot.
* Not having a telephone at my desk which means I don't get interrupted often.
* Of course, the ultimate is finding lots of personal email each day when I open my account!

As many of you know, I work for CONAPAC but we share just about everything with Explorama Tours. In fact, my desk is right in the reservations office of Explorama so I’m in the middle of a lot of activity. Pam receives all the email inquiries made in English. Often, she gets some crazy questions by prospective guests. Here are few which I thought were quite funny. (For those of you who've been here before, you will appreciate the humor in these requests better than some of you who have not yet visited.)

* One man inquired about the possibility of taking a bike ride in the jungle. He wasn’t sure if he could bring his own bike or could rent one while he was here.
* One customer spent days corresponding back and forth with Pam about her trip to the lodge. She had all kinds of questions but somewhere along the way, forgot to mention she has a severe allergy to bananas! She brought it up after her trip was planned; airline tickets bought and rooms booked and pay for. Her allergy went so far as to include having reactions from anything made or cut on a cutting board that previously was used to prepare bananas. It seems to me the last place someone with this kind of problem would like to travel is anywhere near the Equator! As you can imagine every single day includes the use and preparation of bananas and plantains in the lodge kitchens. And everywhere she goes she will encounter this! But Explorama went out and bought new cutting boards for each lodge and put her name on it so there would be not confusion!
* Often Pam gets inquiries from vegans. Explorama’s daily menus always include a broad range of food items which should meet everyone’s needs. But vegans still aren’t satisfied. When you ask them what they can eat, they can only tell you what they can’t eat. They can never quite tell you what they will eat so that we can attempt to meet their needs.
* We had one group bringing down students on a fixed budget. They were going to be helping with community service projects in the rain forest. The group leader asked us if there a nice restaurant near the villages to eat, preferably buffet style, that their group can have lunch?
* One couple guest was having some kind of anniversary. They paid the staff to share in their champagne toast. Apparently, just the two of them wasn’t enough.
* There are often folks who want to come and take walks in the rainforest alone. This is never advisable or permitted but none the less, they often feel strongly that they can handle it. The rainforest is not a place to wander alone!
* One guest wanted to know many stairs are there in the rainforest? We’re still not sure what that was about!

I hope you’re all enjoying the birth of summer this weekend. For those Dad’s out there, enjoy your day. They make a bit of a production about Father’s Day here, too. Dads are dads all over the world! Much love and warm greetings to the fathers in my life--my Dad, stepdad, brother, Rick, cousins, friends--I love you all!

This & That...

I’ve had a rash of “issues” lately with anything electronic and it’s making me crazy! I suppose the humidity is the problem? It doesn’t matter if it’s my $300 IPOD or my $3 Chinese-made travel alarm clock, they’re not happy and I’m not happy! I keep toying with the idea of buying a new laptop so I can Skpye and do other things which seem impossible with my current mini, first generation ASUS notebook (with a total of 2GB!) but then I think, “what am I thinking?” I know it won’t be long before some other electronic glitch occurs to rock my peaceful boat. None the less, I do think about staying better connected with the outside world and hope to find a way soon. On the other hand, no news is good news and I know if bad news happens, it will find a way to track me down.

When I first moved into my apartment I thought I’d died and gone to heaven! It was (is) so nice and peaceful with a surrounding garden filled with tropical plants and trees. Located right in the downtown area, it’s a great location to get anywhere I need to go plus walk to work in less than 15 minutes. During the night, the area got as quiet as any jungle lodge so what was there not to like!? Well, now a year and a half later, the party is over—well, actually, it’s just begun as in the surrounding block, three new discos have opened. These places are completely open to the outside with the music louder than loud plus it goes until at least 5 AM. The ordinances which should control this problem are simply not enforced. And amazingly, it’s not just Friday and Saturday night but most nights! Since I don’t use my air conditioning, which might drown things out a bit, my latest strategies are to wear ear plugs and I bought a new fan which is actually rather noisy. (Normally not a good feature but in this case a bonus!) Usually this does it but over this past weekend it was not enough. That deep level boom-boom, cut right through the house and into my bed and pillow. My last resort was to close all the doors and windows, which thankfully they have glass. This did make a difference but it was toasty inside. So my little piece of jungle in the middle of Iquitos has been breached; however, I still wouldn’t move anywhere else so bring on the music!

We had winter last week in Iquitos. For 4 days the temperature got to about 76 for a high and much cooler at night. I was in long pants, shoes, socks, long shelves and a jacket. It was a nice change of pace and good for sleeping but I was glad when it ended. I’ve started a new Spanish class from a regular teacher-tutor who speaks in English too. I have to say I hate the class and it’s taking all my willpower to stay. It’s not because it’s a bad class it’s just that no matter how prepared I am or how much I think I know, it’s never, ever enough and leave the class angry and frustrated. Learning another language, at least for me, will be one of the most difficult things I will ever do. I have finally settled down to watch on TV consecutive “telenovelas” where I’m slowly figuring out the plots. I may not understand it all but the Mexican actors are very easy on the eyes!

Question? There are a very large number of Brits living in Iquitos for one reason or another. I’ve met very few Americans. If all these Brits are here, where are the Yanks? What do they know that we don’t? And is a “gringo” only an American or anyone from the Western world—Yanks, Brits, Canucks, Aussies, etc.? Just wondering? :/

Well, I’m off to the jungle for most of the month of June to help with service projects and water workshops. It should be fun as several old friends/acquaintances will be coming with groups of new volunteers. Our water students will be back this week to do a little on the ground research about usage rates and other obstacles to using clean drinking water. Part of the fun of having these groups come in is they are bringing me, piece by piece, all the “fixin’s” for a Thanksgiving supper this year in Iquitos. Wasn’t there a song by Johnny Cash about taking car parts home from work one piece at a time? Well, that’s how I feel about this project. Coming this week is gravy, stuffing and Ranch dressing: Next up, cranberry relish and the makings for a pumpkin pie. I’ll keep you posted on the progress and ultimately the results.

I'm Back into the Light of Day...

Once again in April, the Adopt-A-School show went on the road! In April, we welcomed two volunteer groups—one group to help with school supply deliveries and one group to build a mini-water treatment plant in the village of Ramon Castilla.--An incredibility good time was had by all! The Detroit Zoo handles all recruiting and coordinating of the volunteers for our AAS expeditions. They do a great job and once again found enthusiastic volunteers always willing to go the extra mile. The communities we visited were ready and waiting for us and this year we saw a larger number of teachers posted in the jungle than ever before. We all hope that bodes well for the students by way of more commitment by educators and smaller teacher/student ratios in the classroom. A shout out to all the volunteers for 2010 plus those added extras who made the trip to help even before deliveries started: Bonnie, Mary, Bev, Ray, Erich, Linda, Kristine, Cheyanne, Earl, Susan, Martha, Camille, Megan, Pachita, Claire, Marcy, Nancy, Krisitian, Amy, Michelle, Mike, Missy, Sally and Carla. See you again next year?

Just before we departed for the deliveries, a passenger who was coming to Explorama emailed Pam and asked if there was anything she and her family could bring for the AAS program. Since we already had all the school supplies purchased, I suggested some art supplies. These are terribly expensive in the States for a whole classroom let alone here in Iquitos. We just don’t have the funds for that sort of thing. Well, our donor/passenger came through in a big way. She brought a whole suitcase crammed full of water paint, finger paint, markers, glue, pipe cleaners, scissors, etc. It truly was like Christmas to receive all these goodies. We put this to good use with our volunteers by making rainforest animal mobiles and a large fabric banner called the “Friendship Tree”, where we painted trees then all the kids and other participants placed their painted handprints for leaves with their name below. What a wonderful gift this woman gave us, but the most interesting thing was her constant apologies for not bringing more goodies! I think she will be back in one form or another as she was one of those folks who really falls in love with the rainforest. Thanks, Lorna of Texas, for your great help!

March 31st was my 54th birthday (and thankfully I feel closer to 16 :) Last year I had a great day with lots of new friends helping me celebrate. I really didn’t think I could top it this year but I think I did. Along with hugs, kisses, cakes and gifts I was able to take my first plane ride over the Amazon River in a small float plane. What fun!! The plane itself was just about as old as I was—built in 1962, it felt a bit like I was flying in a Volkswagen, but it did the job! We were up only about 2,000 feet which gave me a completely different perspective of something I’ve only seen from a boat. It was very interesting but too short of a ride. I hope to get up again and go a little further down river. I want to see the Napo River and its point of entry to the Amazon but for now, another thing off my “bucket list”!

Sad news personally during April as my former father-in-law, Fred Snyder, died. He was 90 years old and a WWII vet, truly one of the “Greatest Generation”. He came of age during the depression and then served his country well until the end of the war, then home to Detroit, MI where he married, raised a family and worked for Chrysler for 42 years—they just don’t make ‘em like this anymore. Always a gentlemen but ready and willing to give warm hugs and kisses, he will be missed by all his family and friends. We should all be blessed to live lives so long and so well!

I attended my first Peruvian wedding over the weekend. Once again, things are done differently here. The event was at the “tennis club” so I had no idea what to expect. The bride and groom are friends whom I’ve known since I first arrived in 2008. Carmen is our resident mani/pedi person who is more of an artist than anything else with her ability to create works of art on your toes and fingers. Well, their wedding turned out to be a mass wedding made up of 115 couples! There were at least 600 people there and at times it seemed all taking pictures in front of the same wedding cake! There were two live bands, crazy, sexy girl dancers, photographers, food, beer and gifts for each of the couples. It started at 10 AM but that really was only a suggestion. The actual formalities got going about 12:15 PM--Ah, Peruvian time!! Anyway, the bottom line to all this, which I couldn’t quite figure out before hand due to my pitiful Spanish skills, was the whole event was put on by the local mayor who, guess what?, happens to be running for office this year. The brides and grooms were volunteers or in some other way connected with his campaign. I suppose it’s a creative way to support the idea of legal marriage (which is rare here) and gain some hardcore, loyal voters, too. Ah, never a dull “momentito”, as they say here in Iquitos. :)

Just When You Thought You Were Safe From My Posts…

For those of you who have been asking, I apologize for the long break between blog posts. For whatever reason, I just haven’t felt there was much to say or much happening. It nice to know so many of you seem to follow along! For most of February, I was sick with giardia, which is a parasite found in contaminated water. Where it came from—the jungle, Iquitos or my recent visit to the mountains around Cusco—is anyone’s guess. I can say I hope not to get it again! It took over 6 weeks to pass using two different drug scripts. Along the way I also got a nasty upper respiratory infection so the fun was never ending!

A few highlights of the last few months have been my new love relationship with “Skype”! I’ve never used it before but I’m signed up now and it’s been great. To be able to reach my friends and family, for free, anytime I want has been great. Even here in the jungle, the connections have been better than over the regular phone lines. Email me if you have Skype, too, and we can exchange addresses. Speaking of emails—where is everyone?? I know I’m out of the country and not around much but I’m not dead yet! My email traffic has dried up. I’m always happy to hear what’s going on with everyone and never want to lose touch with you all. Thankfully, there’s Facebook but a brief email from anyone, anytime would be great!

I had a couple of our biggest donors here last month and I took them around—you know, “wined and dined” them on clean water from our water treatment plants and the usual bill of fare at Explorama Lodges for our meals! It’s always great to have donors come and see the work first-hand. Often people give to CONAPAC without ever having been here. This is a great show of faith on their part but it certainly seals the deal when I can meet them personally and show them around, answer their questions and see the difference they are making.

After receiving one of those nostalgic emails about car tailfins and Captain Kangaroo from my brother, Tim, we started emailing back and forth some of our shared memories. Some were general things that everyone of our generation remembers but most were memories only we as siblings would know anything about--or at least find the most humor in it! Well, this went back and forth for days—what fun! I found myself unable to really sleep well for several nights as I kept waking up to jot down notes. After a week or so of this, I realized what a wealth of information we had gleaned from our aging brains so I stared to copy and paste the text into a Word document. We are up to over 20 pages of single space, 10 pt. font for this document! I can’t wait to get home one day, sit down with my brother over drinks and re-read what we wrote. I’m sure more will be dredged up and hysterics will ensue! For those of you with siblings, try this exercise out. There are family stories that everyone remembers and talks about, but if you dig a little deeper, you’d be amazed at different angles each person brings to the same event. How you have forgotten some things but remembered others and each new memory will trigger another—do try it! :)

I finally got a hammock! My neighbors from Colorado moved out about a month ago and left it behind as a parting gift. However, my landlord, who is a great guy, is quite picky about things so I had to wait until he was satisfied with how it was going to be hung. Well, like most things here, one must wait so my patience was exercised and finally the big day arrived. Now really, how can one live in the tropics (or anywhere else in the world) without a hammock? Life is very good!

I am currently in the midst of the big and final push to get the Adopt-A-School program off the ground for 2010. It seems we work on it all year long but really do the bulk of it all the last four weeks prior to deliveries. This will be my 3rd year to help organize it and my 5th time to participate in the process. I have to say, the first year I helped organize, I was clueless. The second year, when I had majority responsibility I was scared to death. But this year, although I know there will be bumps, I’m more organized than ever but still making enough mistakes to keep me learning and keep me humble! I’m looking forward to seeing many old friends and meeting new ones. It’s always fun to watch people “fall in love” with the jungle. You can see it on their faces as they are walking around in a daze by mid-week. They’re the ones I know will be back and really committed to the program. I wonder who it will be this year?!

Rounding A Mountain

Getting back to the mountains of Perú after three years was a great lesson in contrasts. I had forgotten how incredibility peaceful and quiet the mountain communities are and how much I remembered liking them. I was once again taken with the makeup of Perú and although a relatively small country, it is full of contrasts. The jungle is so utterly different than the mountains yet here they both are in the same country, just a short plane ride away. After now having lived in Iquitos (with all its noise and hustle) plus spending a large amount of time in the jungle, I was doing a lot of comparing. As I said, the mountains are sooooooooo quiet that it’s a bit eerie. One would think of the jungle as being a quiet, peaceful place but really it’s not! There is always movement and sound from the birds and mammals above, to the breeze flapping and moving leaves, to branches and large palm leaves that randomly fall, and then down to the smallest ants and termites which are in perpetual motion. It almost seems one can see, feel and hear the foliage as it grows so quickly in this climate along with the constant cycle of rot and decay, renewal and rebirth. Perpetual energy I would say which really does not lend itself to a peaceful environment on the most basic level. The local people in the mountains (the Quechuas) were as colorful as ever in their daily, traditional dress but I think they live a much more difficult life than the residents of the rainforest. Their environment is cold and harsh, windy and dry with little ability to grow crops, hunt or fish. In contrast, rainforest residents have daily portions of protein in the form of fish and eggs plus a variety of fruits to augment their overall starchy diet of rice, plantains and yucca. The Quechuas eat a disproportionate amount of potatoes which leads to a different kind of malnutrition than one commonly thinks of. This creates stunted growth and delayed intellectual development. Although both groups are living extremely basic lifestyles (hand to mouth, if you will) one does not see rampant malnutrition here. In both places, there is a push for clean drinking water so it was great opportunity to see the differences between the centralized systems CONAPAC is using and the individual bio-sand filters being used in the mountains. In the conclusion of contrasts, I most definitely thought the food we ate, its variety and creativity, was far superior in the mountains than to anything in Iquitos, but I think the music here is much better and the people are far happier and more fun-loving. So, my visit was enjoyable and I had a great time with my volunteer-friends from the States (some of whom generously brought me “reinforcements). But I was glad to return home, get warm again and ease back into my life in Iquitos. Next I hope to explore the most southern parts of Perú in Arequipa and Puno and maybe even a quick trip over the border to Bolivia! :)

Before I left town I had the dubious opportunity to part-take in an “ayahauska” ceremony. Ayahauska is a jungle root that has hallucinogenic properties. It’s been used by shamans for centuries to cleanse one of bad “spirits” and make room for good ones. There is quite an industry for it around here and people come from all over the world to participate in these rites and rituals. Some folks will repeat the experience many times over and some have even stayed long-term to be more accessible to the experience or train to become shamans themselves. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been quite curious but never went out of my way to seek it out. As I mentioned in my last blog, my upstairs neighbor was here run retreats and is on her way to becoming fully trained in shamanic practices. She asked me if I’d be interested to try it before she departed and I thought, why not? Since I knew her I figured it was the right time to give it a try. We went to a lodge about an hour from Iquitos and another hour’s walk into the jungle. There were a variety of people there, young and old, and by about 8 PM we got started. The shaman began and continued with a lot of chanting and other rites which I know virtually nothing about. An hour into the ceremony, a helper passed around a cup with the ayahuaska drink for each person to take their portion. Prior to this each person was given his or her own “puke” bucket—sound like fun? Well, after drinking the most disgusting thing you will even try, we waited. And what were we waiting for? Well, to puke, of course!! Yep, that’s the good part. This stuff makes you vomit and for some, even immediate diarrhea. And you don’t vomit just once—oh no!--But at least three times and for some, more. Each round of vomiting is supposed to be a purging of your “bad” stuff and an “opening” for new things in your life. During this vomit phase, most people started to see visions and these can take on endless forms and significances. Each person was then brought to the shaman for further spiritual cleansing and insights. The shaman “sees” things in and about the person and shares his revelations. Well, for me I neither saw any visions nor felt any purging other than to be thoroughly disgusted. The ceremony went on for over four hours and all I could think about was my bed. To top it off, the shaman’s vision for me was to see “toads” in my body. Now I have no idea what that means but it sure doesn’t conjure up the same feelings I suppose butterflies or flowers might have done. So along with my invasive rats at home, I now have toads to add to my current life in the rainforest. My companions, Mags (the neighbor) and her American friend, Dan, have been involved in hundreds of these ceremonies. Dan, who’s in his early 60’s, moved here full time to pursue the ayahauska experience on a deeper, and I assume, more regular basis. As I’ve said before, except for me, every other ex-pat that lives in Iquiots is quite mad! :) So to sum it up, I’m glad I tried it but clearly I don’t have an addictive personally because no one could ever pay me enough to try it again. Perhaps I’m too much of a cynic, especially a religious one, to take any of it seriously? I think for now, if I want an “other world” experience, I’ll stick to my ice, cold Pilsen beer, fresh-brewed in Lima and delivered to my doorstep in cases! I know some of you think I’m a bit complex but really, my needs are very simple :)

Final fun notes. Last week my brother and I shared one of those emails about obsolete words and items that you remember from your youth. You know the kind that your kids look at you sideways when you bring these words up? Well, that got us started on some memories from our childhood. Some were uniquely from our shared, family experiences and some were more general. That first day, we went back and forth with about 15 emails, each of us coming up with long lists of memories. It carried on for several days and I found myself waking up in the middle of the night and making notes! Even this week I’ve come up with a few more and we’re still in the 60’s! Anyway, it was a great diversion and I highly recommend anyone who can, to take a shared walk down memory lane with their siblings. I finally found someone I really like to cut my hair. It’s been so difficult in the almost two years I’ve been here to be satisfied but I think I finally hit pay dirt. Not only is the guy just two blocks from my house but he charges S/.5—with a tip and the current rate of exchange this is $2.12. Now I can continue to afford my ridiculously expensive hair products which I can only get in the States and continue having my friends bring with them on their visits to Perú.

You all may have heard about the floods and landslides in Perú last week? Well, the area where all this happened was exactly the area I was in with my volunteer friends to set up the eye clinic. There were 17 of us and we served over 600 area residents with eye examinations and glasses. Several of our group had gone to Manchu Picchu on the train that was later washed away. The last weekend we were there, the heavy rains started and we experienced them during our stay in Cusco. We departed on Sunday afternoon and it was the next day that all hell broke loose. Our timing could not have been more perfect and everyone made it home safely! It was a wonderful team of friends who helped at the KausiWasi Medical Clinic in Qoya, Perú. I can’t leave without a “shout out” to them all: Heidi, Norm, Lorna, Mark, Becky, Ray, Nancy, Dennis, Carol, Katie, Dick, Jeff, Chad, Colleen, John and my special buddy, Ed! Hope to see you all again in 2011.

Round II, Living In Peru!

Well, 2010 starts my second full year living in Iquitos, Perú. As most of you know, my "old life" is very different from my current circumstances. Many people ask me if I am happy with the decisions I've made to move to South American? I have to say, I'm still waiting for the day I wake up and say to myself, "what was I thinking?"! But so far it hasn't happened and if one is lucky enough to live two lives in a lifetime, then I think I'm one of them! It's never too late to follow your heart--just do it!

Life is nothing if not ironic. I've faced this reality often in my life and always have to chuckle. My latest observation is the magnificent mango tree in the garden area where I live. In fact this tree is so big that the owner designed the apartment building around the trunk and upper branches. I am lucky enough to live somewhere where fresh fruits and vegetables are available every day. I love veggies but by and large fresh fruit is not my most favorite thing. I do like a few things like pineapple and berries but not too much else. However, mangoes are another story. I used to love them so much and they were always such an exotic treat. But about 3 years ago, while here in the jungle, I had a terrible allergic reaction to eating mangoes. It seems the skin of mangoes is related to poison ivy and I suppose here in the rainforest the skin is even more potent. My face swelled so badly that I had to go to the clinic for a quick steroid shot before the swelling reached my throat. Since then I have not eaten a mango but many times I have been sorely tempted. Well, I guess it was mango season here right after Christmas. The tree outside my door ripened and for over 3 weeks, mangoes rained down like bombs all day and night. Some of you who live in Michigan know the feeling of dodging acorns in the fall? Well, imagine dodging mangoes! And in the night, when they would fall on the metal roof outside my door, I thought a gun went off! The irony of all this is that here I am, living in paradise where not only are fresh mangoes as common as potatoes in the market, for a few weeks each year they are literally falling on my head only to be collected and given away! As I said, life can be ironic! Now why couldn't it have been a canoloupe tree, which I happen to dislike with a passion?

As I was doing a little Christmas shopping, I found my favorite new store--a Radio Shack! Can you believe it? There is not a single chain store in all of Iquitos except this Radio Shack. It only opened about 6 months ago and I sure hope they can get enough business to stay open. It is so fun to go into a store that feels like something in the States. Clean, bright, cool, with the items hanging on pegs so you can touch them and look at the details on the packaging. Most stores here have all the merchandise behind glass counters and you have to find someone to take it out for you to examine one at a time. Radio Shack has all kinds of fun electronic gadgets which up till now were not available in Iquitos. I've bought a new travel alarm and a radio with an IPod dock. I love 'em both! I find it interesting that Radio Shack has been around in the States, it seems, forever and well before computers were common. As other giant electronic stores have come and gone, RS has changed with the times and carried on but never gotten so big with their "bricks and mortar" stores that they went out of business. Anybody got stock in Radio Shack? If so, I suggest you keep it!

While doing some Christmas shopping this year, I was in a store one evening and there was a blackout. Although common, it is a particularly scary thing as they do not have emergency lights (only candles) and when the power goes out they quickly shut all the doors to keep down thefts. The stores and the street lights are not on separate circuits so everything goes black, inside and out! You've heard my stories about the horrible sidewalks in Iquitos with holes, cracks, uneven payment from store to store, steps up and down, manhole and electrical covers missing, etc. Trying to avoid these hazards when there is light is tough enough but in a blackout it's something else! Then you have to worry about personal thefts although I never carry a purse so I feel very secure. You will rarely see woman wearing necklaces of any kind as they regularly get ripped off with a quick yank. Unfortunate, but the trade-off here is that the only real crime is petty theft. Violent crime is virtually unheard of and rarely, if ever, do you see road rage--although it is well-deserved. I can live with this level of security to be safe in a city with almost 500,000 people.

I went to my first Chinese restaurant here for dinner one night. When one first comes to Iquitos it's striking how many Chinese restaurants there are--called "chifas"--which I understand to mean Chinese food. Apparently, there is quite a Chinese presence all over Peru and much of the cuisine has been influenced by that culture. Well, things are not very clean here and even in the States I'm not all that keen about eating out--especially after having worked in plenty of restaurants in the past. And,of course, in the States, Chinese restaurants have an even worse rap but for good reason, I'm sure. So I'd been hearing about this one restaurant in Iquitos that had the best Chinese food and supposedly the cleanest reputation. A friend talked me into going one night and it really was very good! The wantons in particular where lovely. So as we were eating I told him that I rarely eat in Chinese restaurants and that this was my first time in Iquitos. He asked why and I told him about the bad reputation they have for cleanliness in the States. He laughed and said that he thought that was only true in Perú as everyone here feels the same way!! So there you go---watch where you eat no matter what country you're in.

The War On Rats & Ants: Well, in reality the "battle" with these two facts of my life since I will never win the war. The rats have returned and last week they completely upended my kitchen! I thought I heard some strange happenings in the night. When I got up, my kitchen was tossed--bottles and cans tipped onto the counter tops, a glass off a shelf broken with glass on the floor and general mayhem. I did not have any fruit out on the counters that night like usual (which they like to nibble on) so they must have been upset and ransacked the place looking for something to eat. Then I could hear them inside my stove. Apparently they like to curl up in the insulation to sleep! So the next day, it was back to the landlord to get him to button up more holes in the screens and put chicken wire on the back and bottom of my stove. As for the ants, they are relentless and when I cook or bake, no food can stay out for long. I have a very small, under counter refrigerator so I have to be careful how much food I can have around the house at one time. I've tried sprays and I keep things meticulously clean but alas, it's a losing war as they will never go away. I've decided to accept them in a small area of my kitchen. They stay in one corner and seem to come and go only in this place if I leave them a small offering of sugar. As with the rats, it's not a matter of getting rid of them completely--it's simply not possible. I can only "manage" their presence in some way that is acceptable to me. I wonder if we all shouldn't take some lessons from the "pests" of the world? Just like our dubious "war on poverty", "war on drugs" or "war on terrorism" we really have to accept that some things will never go away. We might be better served by managing them within boundaries which we can reasonably live with. Some of life's lessons come in the smallest forms!

I'm off to the mountains next week. It will be a lovely change of scenery and climate plus the joy of seeing old friends. I'll be in touch with my next adventures very soon--xo to all!