February 3, 2011
Fly from Cusco 9:40 a.m. on Star Peru
Arrive Puerto Maldonado 10:35 a.m.
Drive and boatride to Tambopata Eco-Lodge
The flight northeast from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado (or Maldonato) was about one hour, taking us from 11,200 ft above sea level down to about 840 ft. above sea level along Amazon River triubutaries which lay in the tropics about 12.5 degrees below the equator. Hot, muggy. Unpredictable rains. Not much stays dry for long. Map
In Cusco the day before we'd arrived, we'd quit taking Diamox for high altitude sickness and began taking Malarone to prevent malaria which is reported in the jungle areas. In January, befere we left the USA, we also got yellow fever innocculations and made sure all our other vaccinations were up-to-date, i.e. hepatitis A&B, tetnus, etc. Dengue fever is around there, too, but there is no vaccine for it yet, so Deet bug spray 24/7 is a must. Darn those mosquitoes!
Also mandatory is good rain gear, a sun hat & glasses, sun block, boots, flashlight (no electricity at lodge), and long sleeved shirts and long pants to protect you from sun, bugs, and jungle plants scratching you along the trails.
The best part of any flight is a safe landing.
Elvis sighting
Our guide, Juan-Elvis from Andean Adventures in Peru met us at the airport with a big smile. I'm pretty sure his name was for real. When I questioned him about that, he said his parents just liked Elvis! He was born in and grew up in Puerto Maldonado and studied for three years to be a jungle tour guide. He and our driver loaded up our stuff in an SUV at the airport, and with only two others in our group, a couple from El Salvadore, we all fit in comfortably for the ride into the town where we'd check in at the Andean Adventure office.
Puerto Maldonado
This town is the capital of the Peruvian department (like a province) of Madre de Dios, a rubber town at the turn of the century. As the Discovery Channel guidebook says, it "lapsed into anonymity again until the discovery of gold in the 1970s...the building of an airport in the early 1980s turned the city into a gold-rush boom town." We didn't see any gold up close but on the river we would see mining boats out there trying to find some.
We checked in at The Andean Adventure office in Puerto Maldonado and, as directed, emptied out our suitcases into big green duffle bags that our guide provided, taking only what we'd need for the next few jungle days. This took some time.
Then they locked up our suitcases in their storage room and we headed out of town for about an hour's drive out of the city and into the jungle, over muddy terra cotta colored clay roads full of potholes, scant plank bridges over creeks, and well worn ruts to the riverbank to catch our boatride down the Tambopata river to the eco-lodge. That's the only way to get there.
The day was hot and muggy and cooking smells from nearby cafes filled the air as we drove through town. I was getting hungry. Juan-Elvis said we'd get boxed lunches on the boat and we did. On the drive to the riverbank, he pointed out sights, like the Madre de Dios River bridge under construction.
About the Tambopata-River
It branches off of the larger Madre de Dios River (Mother of God), which "[is a] tributary of the Amazon in southeastern Peru and northwestern Bolivia. Madred de Dios flows from the Cordillera de Carabaya, easternmost range of the Andes, in Peru, and meanders generally eastward past Puerto Maldonado to the Bolivian border."
Let's All Go Down to the River
When we got to the Tambopata riverbank, we stopped at the Inferno office/hut where the boat driver and crew were waiting to load us and our duffle bags on the boat. We wandered around the yard and used the "facilities" in a shack out back. Good thing I had some kleenex in my pocket!
Onward to the dock where we climbed down wooden plank steps to the boat waiting below.
Okay, to be honest I was expecting to ride in a dugout wooden canoe. A friend of ours who had visited this area some years ago told us that was the mode of transportation so we should be ready to rough it. If you've ever seen the movie, The African Queen with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, you know what I'm talking about. I had visions of leaks springing up before we reached safety. Yipes. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find transport boats have been upgraded nowadays. Even with life-preserver jackets.
Elvis helped each of us board and said, "Welcome to the Titanic." We were off to a great start.
My heart was thumping but the calmness of my hubbie and fellow passengers evaporated my hesitations about any snakes or caymans (smll white alligators) climbing on board with us. Elvi's humor and easy manner helped, too. We didn't even see one dangerous creature that day. We did see some little critters...like turtles.
Side-necked turtles warmed themselves along the river. They do not pull their necks into their shells. Instead, they simply turn their heads from side to side, like shy flirting girls.
About a half an hour later, we made a pit stop to register at a checkpoint hut with the Tampbota National Reserve office. There, we logged our signatures in a government ledger, copied in our passport numbers and the put date. What a relief to know SOMEONE would know we were out there somewhere! I was getting a little nervous about how remote we were.
In the photo, our guide, Elvis is by the stairs. Inside, the National Reserve attendant was friendly and showed us the ledger to sign in. After we logged in, he stamped our passports with a very cool stamp - no extra charge. We'd paid enough already, I'd say.
We climbed back in our boat and motored down the river eating our boxed lunches of fried chicken (I think it was), fried plantains, rice, and veggies. I reflected on just what the heck I was doing.
Reflections
I had some concerns about the gear and a little fear. Because of some information the Detour Destination people emailed us before we left the US, I'd read a checklist of things to bring and SLEEPING BAGS were on the list. Since we didn't actually read that until we were in Cusco (oops) we figured we'd just have to buy two when we got there. Yeah, right. But then I read the email more thoroughly and sleeping bags were just "extra" for other itineraries in the area, not applicable to our tour, so we hoped for the best that we'd have beds with sheets, not cots like at Girl Scout camp. That two-week scouting experience when I was about 10 years old in Maryland boosted my confidence about dealing with the bugs and the vulnerable feeling of sleeping pretty much outside in strange territory. Gulp.
I also knew there would be NO ELECTRICITY at the lodge. Not caring about hair dryers at this point of the trip, I did think about emergency communication should I get caught in quick-sand or fall into the water and become some anaconda's lunch. Elis said he'd seen two of them in his life around there. They normally don't eat people, although they could devour a small person if they were hungry enough. Usually they eat rodents, alligators, etc. I kept my hands in the boat.
Elvis assured us there was radio communication at the lodge for emergencies and between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm there was electricity to charge cameras, phones, and computers. We had NOT brought a computer on this trip and Hoyt's cell phone was not set up for international calls, although something could have been arranged if we'd needed it. For lighting, they used candles - yes, the old fashioned wax kind lit with old fashioned matches - and a few kerosene lanterns.
As for medical issues, by now we were over the H.A.S. and were experiencing no side-effects from the malaria pills nor travelers' "lower intestinal issues." As usual, in my role as Health and Safety Officer for our family of two, I had packed our first aid kit complete with thermometer, etc. Hoyt's the tour guide and finance officer.
So I took deep breathes and relaxed in my seat, settled in with my life jacket and secured my sun hat on my head against the wind in our motorized boat. The guide and boat drivers were locals, familiar with the area, experienced at handling the boat, the river, and nervous tourists like me.
I was leaving behind historical areas dominated by Incan ruins, Spanish Catholic cathedrals, textile-laden markets and traces of a lost civilization and headed into animal country - to watch and see what we could see and learn of wild creatures in real time.
Tambopata Eco-Lodge
As we pulled up to the riverbank at the entrance of the eco-lodge, we saw lovely little yellow, green and white butterflies flitting around on the shore. Feeding, Elvis said. On what? Mud! He said the butterflies suck nutrients out of the mud to make much needed hormones for...you know...mating. We were now entering the world of the birds, the bees, and the butterflies. And a few other things...
Fly from Cusco 9:40 a.m. on Star Peru
Arrive Puerto Maldonado 10:35 a.m.
Drive and boatride to Tambopata Eco-Lodge
The flight northeast from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado (or Maldonato) was about one hour, taking us from 11,200 ft above sea level down to about 840 ft. above sea level along Amazon River triubutaries which lay in the tropics about 12.5 degrees below the equator. Hot, muggy. Unpredictable rains. Not much stays dry for long. Map
In Cusco the day before we'd arrived, we'd quit taking Diamox for high altitude sickness and began taking Malarone to prevent malaria which is reported in the jungle areas. In January, befere we left the USA, we also got yellow fever innocculations and made sure all our other vaccinations were up-to-date, i.e. hepatitis A&B, tetnus, etc. Dengue fever is around there, too, but there is no vaccine for it yet, so Deet bug spray 24/7 is a must. Darn those mosquitoes!
Also mandatory is good rain gear, a sun hat & glasses, sun block, boots, flashlight (no electricity at lodge), and long sleeved shirts and long pants to protect you from sun, bugs, and jungle plants scratching you along the trails.
 |
| Tambopata National Reserve in Peru from the air as we approach Puerto Maldonado. Clear for landing. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
 |
| Charlene Edge wonders, Are we in the jungle yet? Where's our dependable Andean Adventure driver? Photo by Hoyt Edge |
Our guide, Juan-Elvis from Andean Adventures in Peru met us at the airport with a big smile. I'm pretty sure his name was for real. When I questioned him about that, he said his parents just liked Elvis! He was born in and grew up in Puerto Maldonado and studied for three years to be a jungle tour guide. He and our driver loaded up our stuff in an SUV at the airport, and with only two others in our group, a couple from El Salvadore, we all fit in comfortably for the ride into the town where we'd check in at the Andean Adventure office.
 |
| Hot place. Hot SUV. Inferno was the name of the transportation company. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
This town is the capital of the Peruvian department (like a province) of Madre de Dios, a rubber town at the turn of the century. As the Discovery Channel guidebook says, it "lapsed into anonymity again until the discovery of gold in the 1970s...the building of an airport in the early 1980s turned the city into a gold-rush boom town." We didn't see any gold up close but on the river we would see mining boats out there trying to find some.
 |
| Street in Puerto Maldonado, Peru Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
 |
| Andean Adventure office doorwar is where the guy is standing looking out at us. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
The day was hot and muggy and cooking smells from nearby cafes filled the air as we drove through town. I was getting hungry. Juan-Elvis said we'd get boxed lunches on the boat and we did. On the drive to the riverbank, he pointed out sights, like the Madre de Dios River bridge under construction.
 |
| Bridge under construction in the distance over the Madre de Dios River, Peru. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
It branches off of the larger Madre de Dios River (Mother of God), which "[is a] tributary of the Amazon in southeastern Peru and northwestern Bolivia. Madred de Dios flows from the Cordillera de Carabaya, easternmost range of the Andes, in Peru, and meanders generally eastward past Puerto Maldonado to the Bolivian border."
 |
| Where the Madre de Dios River and Tambopata Rivers converge in Puerto Maldonado, Peru. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
When we got to the Tambopata riverbank, we stopped at the Inferno office/hut where the boat driver and crew were waiting to load us and our duffle bags on the boat. We wandered around the yard and used the "facilities" in a shack out back. Good thing I had some kleenex in my pocket!
 |
| Office in Inferno where we unloaded and got in the boat. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
 |
| Charlene Edge, the El Salvador couple, the driver unloading the SUV, and Juan-Elvis is at the far right. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
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| Dock area at Inferno Office Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
Elvis helped each of us board and said, "Welcome to the Titanic." We were off to a great start.
 |
| Our Peruvian "African Queen" or as Elvis named it, The Titanic. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
Side-necked turtles warmed themselves along the river. They do not pull their necks into their shells. Instead, they simply turn their heads from side to side, like shy flirting girls.
 |
| Side-necked turtles and butterflies landing on them and eating bugs and mud off them. Yum. A symbiotic relationship. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
 |
| Riverside entrance to checkpoint office/hut. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
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| Tambopata River National Reserve, Peru checkpoint office where we registered as jungle guests. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
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| My passport with both the Machu Picchu stamp and the Tambopata National Reserve stamp. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
Reflections
I had some concerns about the gear and a little fear. Because of some information the Detour Destination people emailed us before we left the US, I'd read a checklist of things to bring and SLEEPING BAGS were on the list. Since we didn't actually read that until we were in Cusco (oops) we figured we'd just have to buy two when we got there. Yeah, right. But then I read the email more thoroughly and sleeping bags were just "extra" for other itineraries in the area, not applicable to our tour, so we hoped for the best that we'd have beds with sheets, not cots like at Girl Scout camp. That two-week scouting experience when I was about 10 years old in Maryland boosted my confidence about dealing with the bugs and the vulnerable feeling of sleeping pretty much outside in strange territory. Gulp.
I also knew there would be NO ELECTRICITY at the lodge. Not caring about hair dryers at this point of the trip, I did think about emergency communication should I get caught in quick-sand or fall into the water and become some anaconda's lunch. Elis said he'd seen two of them in his life around there. They normally don't eat people, although they could devour a small person if they were hungry enough. Usually they eat rodents, alligators, etc. I kept my hands in the boat.
Elvis assured us there was radio communication at the lodge for emergencies and between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm there was electricity to charge cameras, phones, and computers. We had NOT brought a computer on this trip and Hoyt's cell phone was not set up for international calls, although something could have been arranged if we'd needed it. For lighting, they used candles - yes, the old fashioned wax kind lit with old fashioned matches - and a few kerosene lanterns.
As for medical issues, by now we were over the H.A.S. and were experiencing no side-effects from the malaria pills nor travelers' "lower intestinal issues." As usual, in my role as Health and Safety Officer for our family of two, I had packed our first aid kit complete with thermometer, etc. Hoyt's the tour guide and finance officer.
So I took deep breathes and relaxed in my seat, settled in with my life jacket and secured my sun hat on my head against the wind in our motorized boat. The guide and boat drivers were locals, familiar with the area, experienced at handling the boat, the river, and nervous tourists like me.
I was leaving behind historical areas dominated by Incan ruins, Spanish Catholic cathedrals, textile-laden markets and traces of a lost civilization and headed into animal country - to watch and see what we could see and learn of wild creatures in real time.
Tambopata Eco-Lodge
As we pulled up to the riverbank at the entrance of the eco-lodge, we saw lovely little yellow, green and white butterflies flitting around on the shore. Feeding, Elvis said. On what? Mud! He said the butterflies suck nutrients out of the mud to make much needed hormones for...you know...mating. We were now entering the world of the birds, the bees, and the butterflies. And a few other things...
 |
| Butterflies "feeding" on mud. Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
At last, our jungle home came into view!
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| Tambopata Eco-lodge entrance sign Photo by Charlene Lamy Edge |
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| We made it, duffle bag and all. Jungle Jane, there's no turning back now. Photo by Hoyt Edge |
Travel tip: Mmm...be ready for anything. Try and pay attention.
Next post: Spooky 1st jungle night
1 comment:
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