Natural Beauty of the Amazon Jungle

There is something majestic about being in the jungle that is hard to explain in words, whether it is the sounds of the birds, the natural beauty of the plants and flowers, or the smell after a torrential downpour, all these things just add to the sheer beauty of the jungle. Being my first time in the jungle I did not really have an idea of what to expect, but after 5 days soaking up the views of the jungle I can definitely admit that it is one of the most peaceful and relaxing places I have ever been in my entire life. Since I was only in the jungle for 5 days I decided to wake up every morning in order to listen to the animals as they woke up and watch as the jungle came to life. Above everything else I think witnessing the view and sound of the jungle waking up every morning as the sun came up was one of the most rewarding things to see every day! 

While seeing creatures of the jungle in their natural habitat is preferable, being a part of a group of 40 Americans can make it a bit hard to come in contact with many of the animals of the Amazon. That being said, we were able to go to an amazing animal orphanage and butterfly house called: Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm where there were many species of butterflies and a variety of orphaned animals from the surrounding area. Since it had rained early that day there wasn't as much activity in the butterfly exhibit but nevertheless I did manage to get some beautiful pictures of the butterflies! Along with the butterflies there were a number of monkeys, an anteater, and a jaguar. Since the shelter has so many different types of animals they have a number of volunteers that help keep things running smoothly, one eager volunteer for example is pictured below...he ofter partakes in monkey business when interacting with those needing the bathroom. 

Along with going to the animal shelter and butterfly house we were also able to try our luck at fishing for the local piranhas. Since the jungle has had severe floods this season the fishing was not very good in the river so for this reason we actually went to a pirana park where we were able to try our luck at fishing in a little lagoon, which was located a few minute walk into the jungle. While the lagoon was supposed to be a bit easier to fish, only one person from our group was able to hook a piranha. Although we didn't catch as many fish as hoped we did get some quality experience between baiting our own hooks, walking around with a handful of meat, and using the traditional stick and string as a fishing rod. Before we left the piranha park I did make sure Luis, the guy who caught the fish, gave a big kiss to his new fishy friend. Growing up in Alaska I would always kiss the fish I caught so I figured having someone else continue the tradition was a good idea. 

To top off the trip and we were able to go to a manatee rescue site in Iquitos where we were all able to feed the manatees and learn a little about the operation that was being run to take care of the rescued manatees. While feeding the manatees I really enjoyed the feel inside of their mouths because they didn't really have any teeth, it was more of just a slimy mouth hungry to suck down all the fruit and milk in site! 

While my time in the jungle had to end at some point I was very happy to not only have the experience to remember but also some amazing photos, videos, and stories to help me remember the trip for years to come. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do! 

Amazon Jungle: Becoming one with the Natives

My whole childhood I grew up in Alaska with the beautiful mountains, rivers, lakes, trees, animals, and all the other natural beauty within the great state of Alaska. That being said, growing up around such breathtaking things causes you to forget the true beauty that is before you, and begin to take it for grantid. I started traveling a good bit my junior year of high school and I began to realize that what I had back home in Alaska was something many people would never get to experience in their entire live. When I realized what beauty I had begun to overlook I began to pay more attention to the nature around me and truly admire what amazing things I was blessed to experience out my front door. Two weeks ago I went to the Amazon Jungle in Iquitos, Peru and I have to say this is another one of those places in the world where the natural beauty will blow you away. 

                 

Since I was visiting the jungle with about 40 American students, who are studying in Peru for the semester, we were all excited to not only experience the majestic nature, but also to learn about the indigenous culture of the people of the Amazon. To do so we started off our trip by visiting one of the local indigenous tribes to learn about their ways of life. While the first tribe we visited was accustomed to foreigners, having a presentation prepared daily for tourists, we were still able to learn new things about their way of life. My favorite part about visiting the tribe was that they were all dressed in their native garb, working together as a family, and sharing their heritage with us at the same time. At the end of our time visiting the tribe they did a show where they presented a few typical dances and songs of their tribe and then allowed us to join in with their dancing. Above you will see a video that shows just a glimpse of what the dances were like. 

The first day in the jungle we traveled around in a nice metal boat with plenty of protection from the sun and rain with lots of space for our luggage; the rest of the time, however, we toured the jungle in more authentic wooden boats that often had a slight leak to them. While some people were scared that we were going to sink, I thought it was pretty cool to not only be in the jungle, but to be adapting to the ways of life of the locals. One other way I as able to show my willingness to adapt to the culture was by eating large bugs during dinner the first night. Bugs were not on the menu but there was a popular peruvian television network that was at our lodge filming and when I walked through the line it was perfect timing to get offered a big juicy jungle bug, to enjoy while being filmed on television. I jumped at the opportunity and was pleasantly surprised by the rich taste of the bug. The head on the other hand was a bit crunchy and I was not really sure whether or not I was supposed to eat it, so I did anyway. 

Later on during our trip we visited a second small village where we met the people of the Gen Gen and Centro Fuerte tribes. Here again we were taught about the traditional customs, habits, trade goods, and some more indigenous dances. While being taught about hunting the chief allowed us each to try his hunting blow dart gun, which was about two meters or six feet long. Trying the dart gun was very exciting because we got to not only witness the chief demonstrate the use of the gun, but we also got to try our skills out on a target. After we all successfully hit the target we were taught another dance that was symbolic of the fire ants. They called it the dance of the fire ant because in that area of the jungle there were many ants and they would need to keep moving their feet in order to keep the ants off of them. Again I got to dance with a cute little girl who showed me the ways of the native dance. This second tribe was definitely my favorite because the chief and his wife had a great sense of humor and were always laughing. The kids were also running around like baby Moglis which made me think of the jungle-book.

Overall the time spent immersing ourselves in the life of the jungle proved to be very gratifying and fun! Whether it was bailing water out of a boat, eating jungle bugs, or dancing with the natives, there was plenty of fun to be had if one was willing to commit to being one with the jungle!