Happy Birthday!

Happy 4th birthday, Tavanaa! I love you! =)

Amazon Pictures (3rd Group)

"Here is a picture of Iquitos, Peru. It is the farthest upstream river port of the Amazon. At over 2300 miles from the Atlantic the Amazon is still over 2 kilometers wide. Iquitos can only be reached by air or boat. Modes of transportation are limited to scooters and tut-tuts which are 2-cycle gas three wheeled vehicles that are loud and give off lots of fumes. We got caught in the 7 a.m. school traffic surrounded by hundreds of these vehicles in an open air wooden bus. The population is approaching 500,000. The other pix is of a typical family dugout going to market. It is powered by a small engine with screw on the end of a long pole which can be lifted out of the water. These are the same types I saw in Bangkok on the other side of the world!"

Iquitos, Peru

"In these pictures I am on a canopy (skywalk) and the other with village elder. We went on a tributary of the Amazon deep into the jungle until we arrived at a resort. There we went on a hike in the jungle using stepping stones on the muddy trails. We went over a valley to the other side on a canopy walk 90' over the jungle floor. The leather leggings were loaned to us by the boat crew to protect against snakes and other critters that might want a chunk of your leg. The roll under my arm is a poncho which came in handy minutes later under a heavy jungle rain. The sound of the rain in the jungle is deafening but the scents and smells are clean and sweet. The other picture is of the village elder. He is an unusual 84 yr old because life expectancy is in the 60s for men. That is his home behind us. Ribereños keep their hair and it does not turn white."

On canopy (skywalk)

With village elder.

Amazon Pictures (2nd Group)

More Amazon pictures with Dad's commentary:

"These two are of the school house and the teacher. He wanted to accomodate us inside the building and was in process of setting up some old school desks with us assisting. Suddenly, I noticed our people and even the natives shooing something out of their hair. I did not hear them but was told we had disturbed a nest of wasps in the school room. After a while I was the only one left with the school teacher and our native guide seen on the left. I wonder, why I never heard the mosquitos that bit me! More later."

Village school house.

"We paid a surprise visit to this village of the Ribereños (River people). The children came running out of the rain forest to greet us. The mother always walks around with a machete for protection against the anaconda snakes and to cut through the forest to get at fruit trees. All are barefoot. More on these people later. "

Rain forest children.

Amazon Pictures (Peru)

As most of you know, this spring Dad went to Peru so he could travel down the Amazon River. He has begun to send pictures for me to post so I'll be posting them as I get them along with any descriptions he sends. In this first picture, he is standing with a village shaman and his assistant. Although most of the indians have adopted more modern dress, the shaman wears the traditional indian clothing.

From Dad: "Our group chipped in to buy supplies for the school. It was a surprise at that village with all the children. The teacher had just been assigned to the school and did not have enough supplies to go around to all the kids. He wept for joy when he saw what we had unexpectedly brought. Our group leader saw this village and asked for permission to show us around. He was a Ribereño from down state and did not know this village. The teacher said we were sent by God. Our leader also gave the village elders machetes and bags of rock salt since they have no refrigeration. I'll send other pix of the interior of the school and the teacher."

Village school room.

River village with school.

Again from Dad: "The Amazon River Barge has 12 air-cond. staterooms with pvt bath, a covered open deck with bar, and a beautiful air cond dining rm with silver and table cloths. It drags a steel motor launch that can go into the tributaries deep in the rain forest. We were able to get close to the natives. On one occasion, our group leader asked me as a Spanish speaking ambassador to accompanying him, with one of the ladies from our group, to visit a village to invite some natives to come aboard for a tour and to meet the passengers. One of the pictures includes the Mayor of the village with his family in my stateroom. They loved the ship. The mayor said they always wave to the ship but had never been aboard."

Tropical rain from barge.