Exploring the Colca Canyon

So we just spent a few days exploring the Colca Canyon. Did you know that it is the second deepest canyon in the world? And nope the deepest is not the Grand Canyon ( in fact it`s only half as deep) but another neighbouring canyon in Peru. It was a three day tour that involved walking down to the bottom on the second day and sleeping there in tents for the night. We climbed back to the top starting in the moonlight. We were in a group of 10, including a family with two young boys and two other couples ( one from Paris and the other from New York.)

• The first day we drove to a small village ( the last on the south side of the canyon) but stopped at lots of places along the way. One included the 4900m high pass that was laden with Inuckshucks. I don`t know what the Spanish word is but they were rock offerings to the mountain gods. There were hundreds of them.


• Cruz del Condor is the hot spot area because families of condors ( though their numbers are swindling) make their nests in the sometime snowy, rocky outcrops inaccessible to predators. In the mornings and late afternoons the thermal wind currents are perfect for gliding making it a wonderful look out spot. You are standing at 1200m while the north side is 3100m deep. This is the second deepest part of the canyon. In total the canyon is 100 km though the first section is a rolling valley.


• The condors are the biggest bird in the world. They have a 3m wing span and can weigh up to 10 kg. It is impressive to watch them fly because they often adjust their wings or tail weathers and simply ride the currents rather than flap their wings ( they still do that once in awhile.)
• Along the north side of the valley are some functioning terrace gardens. The Pre-Incan civilizations figured out a way to irrigate these dry areas and successfully grow corn, potatoes and wheat. Thought they were made over 1500 years ago 60% of them are still functioning. They would carve models of the hillside into a rock and the proposed irrigation to determine if the water would drain the way they expected.
  
• We saw a variety of animals and plants. In one day of driving we saw 3 out of 4 types of camelid beasts. Llamas and Alpacas have been domesticated and you see then grazing away in fields. Llamas are a little bigger and a hardier animal particularly because they don`t mind eating from dry, poor pastures. They have long ears and their fur is the most rough of the bunch. Alpacas have a cuter face with curly facial hair ( very similar to a sheep)!! They prefer well watered grasslands. The yummy grasses make their coats very fine. Vicuñas are very dainty and have the smallest heads and the best wool. They are wild and roam about as they please. We also saw these burrowing rodents that look a lot like rabbits. They are called Viscachas.
• The Yareta plant is one of the slowest growing plants in the world, with a whooping 1cm a year. It is very tough and looks like algae or something like that growing on a rock. The sap that it produces is used as a resin for local remedies. There are all sorts of different types and sizes of cacti. We even tried some of the fruit. One was sweet and the sour type looked just like the inside of a kiwi. They are both rough on the outside.
• We also stopped at the rock gardens the fist day. It was a collection of rock that had been molded into all sorts of crazy shapes and sizes by the water and erosion.


• Our first and last meal with the tour were buffets at local restaurants in a small town named Chivay. They were a great place to sample the local dishes. We even tried Alpaca meat. Potatoes are a big deal around here so there were all sorts of types and flavours.
  
• This was also the village were we went to the hot springs. It was a well earned treat after hiking out of the canyon. It was a little strange being in a hot pool while the sun radiated down on you in the 20 plus weather. Though it must have done some good as the mineral laden water is known for it`s curative powers.


• The women`s clothing is in a league of it`s own. We have not yet seen anything like it. It is intricately embroidered by hand in bright and colourful shades. Their dresses, ( which have two layers) jackets, blouses, right down to their hats are decorated in this manner. However this is true for the women living on the west side of the canyon. The east side ladies hats are made of straw and embellished with sequins, medallions, flowers or lace. Who knew that something as simple as a hat could be a distinguishing feature?
• At the bottom of the canyon we stayed at a place appropriately named the Oasis. Palm trees were abundant. We enjoyed the ¨in the rock¨pool with cold water coming from a lagoon some 5 km away as well as candle light meals.
• We passed by the Mismi mountain. It is about 5597m high. It is the origin of the Amazon River. It is hard to imagine that the river travels so far. Our guide made an interesting comment about the local water supply. For whatever reason (global warming, pollution, etc..) alot of the high mountains no longer have snow caps. This changed has occurred over the last 7 years!! They are melting more rapidly than before. The mountains are one of the main water sources in Peru. What will happen if they no longer have snow/water?
  

One of the Greatest Mysteries of the Ancient World - Nazca Lines

So what makes this one of the coolest things around is that people can only guess how and why these amazing long straight lines, geometric shapes and images were made in the middle of the desert. The theories ranging from silly ( landing directions for aliens, ancient hot air balloon site) to possible (astrological aids, ceremonial pathways, star maps). They call them geoglyphs. The gravel and pebbles that litter the ground where removed exposing the soil below them. This contrast is what makes the lines. Since it rarely rains they have been well preserved over the years. The best way to view them is from a small 6 person plane. A healthy dose of Gravol is recommended prior to leaving as the pilot dips the plane to both sides as you spiral in to get closer and closer to the image.

The flight takes 30 minutes and costs an outrageous $70/person! You get to see 12 figures. There are 100s of other images found in the area that can be spotted. We saw a hummingbird, hands, a tree, a parrot, a dog, a cat, a whale, an astronaut ( I`m sure that`s what they called it 2000 years ago!) a condor, two trapazoids, a monkey ( with a real cool spiral tail) and .

Before we`d left Lima we`d spent a time at a travel agency booking the whole excursion ( buses, taxi, hostel and the tickets.) It was totally worth it as a local guide took care of us for the day. We arranged to meet at 8:30 that morning if it wasn`t foggy. He called us before 8 and our flight had been postponed. The flights only take off when it is clear. It turned out the first runs didn`t go out till 11:30 ( the planes are taking off every 5 minutes!). Our guide ended up picking us up at1pm and by 2:30 we were on the tarmac. That day over 100 people were turned away and lots of other spent hours waiting at the airport. We visited a museum instead.

Amazing Amazonian Adventures

This is an introduction to the crazy activities we got to do in the jungle ....

• Pet two different wild Caimins ( little alligators)
• Walk in the jungle at night, while searaching for trantulas. Agghhh. Once we found them we got pictures.
• Eat a huge fish for lunch after it jumped into our boat on one of our night excursions. He was attracted to the flood light we had.
• See some of the world`s most poisonous snakes: the Coral Snake (both the water and land spieces) and the Fer-de- Lance snake.
• See and touch lily pads the size of beds
• Watch 3 different types of monkeys play in the trees
• Observe the world`s only type of pink fresh water dolphins as they surfaced the Amazon River. They don`t realy jump up like you`d expect.
• Swim in the incredible Amazon river. It`s strange feeling to jump in when you can't see the bottom and you know there are some powerful critters in there that you don`t want to meet.
• Fish for, catch and later eat pirhanas. They were so small that they just left them all in one to to serve them to us.
• Catch 5 different types of Kingfishers in flight as we bird watched.
• Visit a market that floats in the rainy season. The water level changes a minimum of 2m between seasons.
• Meet some very friendly locals villager as we toured their small, remote jungle village.
• Jay`s foot swell up when it was biten by a type of horse fly that is no bigger than a common house fly back home.
• Watch a possum, iguana, sloth, bats, beautiful tree frogs and loads of amazing birds as they went about their business.

The Amazonian Birds and Animals List

For those of you who are super excited about what we saw you should check out the following spreadsheet. The lodge provided a list of the creatures that they regularly spot. Jay took time each day to update it. So here is our editted list. We kept the original sheets with an even more in depth collection of names. Hope that this helps for all you hard core animal fans out there.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p0NbKymVqCceU2ojkQIdHSg&hl=en

Crazy that we have this great technology available. Jay thought that this type of document could happen and I was the one who played around to make it work :0)

Iquitos

Strange is the best way to describe this place. In all of our travels we have not yet encountred a place where we have been harassed by locals to join their tour as much as we were here. Thankfully in time they left us alone and we met people who were more genuinely concerned about us having a great stay in the place that we called home.

The funniest story would have to be our moto-taxi driver. The airport is small and very simple. When you exit the building after getting off your flight you are immediately swarmed by the usual mob of taxi drivers. Since the only way to get supplies to this city is by boat or plane people tend not to have cars but 3 wheeled moto taxis. The was a group of them that were regulatd so we got into the one that was waitign at the front of the line. Our choice was made easier by the fixed rate. It takes 20 minutes to get into down town. We made it maybe a 1/2 a kilometer before our driver pulled over to show us the tour company that he recommended. Since unemployment is rampant people try to get a little comission where they can. He drove slowly the rest ofthe way to our hostel trying to convince us to buy this or that. It didn`t work but he was persistent. Later that evening when we went for dinner and again the next morning he was waiting outside the hostel, preying on you as you tried to sneak out the door. We decided to call him Shadow as he was always around it seemed. We didn`t see much of him again until our ride back to the airport. We passed him while we were in another moto taxi. He waved at us! We couldn`t believe it.

The city has many unusual things to offer. From a building that was made by the same guy who built the Eifel Tower to a church with a clock built in Sweden to old mainsons decorated with hand made tiles sent from Europe during the rubber boom in the early 1900s. But what we liked best was the Belen Floating market. It was the dry season when we were there but when it rains several thousand houses begin to float. Surrondignthis area is a hure market. It offers everything you could imagine and more. We saw some geat things and soem awful things ( turtles which are illegal to sell.) We me a guy who guided us around and taught us abuot local traditions. It was super great.

Iquitos City - No Road Access!

Day by Day Snap Shots of Our Amazon Trip - Warning This Is Epic!!

Excursion 1- The Jungle Walk
Day 1- Afternoon

We got to the lodge by boat. We took a small pit stop at a local community, a booming metropolis as far as the jungle communities are concerned, with a population of 4 000! After a yummy lunch we got geared up in our long sleeves, bug spray and rubber boots ( yeap it was quite the get up thanks to our guide for the boots) and we headed off on a 2.5hr walk through the jungle.

It wasn`t too much different than the jungle walks we`d done in Belize, Guatemala and Ecuador ( does that make us seasoned travellers?) - except that things in the Amazon are bigger and more intense. For example the plants are more spiny and the insects larger. Thankfully the mosquitoes weren`t as bad as we had psyched ourselves up for.

We saw:

• a leaf cutter ant colony which took up as much space as our cabin and was 3" or 4" high in places.
• leaf cutter soldier ants are huge, and have scissor-like jaws that can cut human skin
• pygmy marmoset monkey that was quick and agile as he jumped about in the trees - the adults are the size of a hamster
• 2 types of tranchulas, one had pink feet, but that didn`t make it look any less intimidating
• a bullet ant whose bites are at least as painful as a wasp sting . They are one of the biggest ants in the world, the one we saw was about 3 cm long!

Excursion 2 - Our First Night Boat Ride (Day 1 - Night Time)
With supper in our bellies 2 groups loaded into an open boat. Our guide was at the front with a gigantic flashlight run off a car battery- making it only marginally less bright than the sun. Our aim was to see what we could along the river banks. Jay was hoping for a Caiman, but no luck.

We did see:

• bats the size of Blue Jays darting here and there over the river
• 3 Toed Sloth ( rare for this time of year)
• 2 different types of tree frogs ( they are so funny to see clinging to branches)
• 1 polka dotted tree frog, beautifully coloured red and green. We found him on a lily pad.

Stealthily gliding along the water at night is indescribable. You hear the noises of animals you can`t see and know that they are watching you. The calls of birds, insects and frogs were incredible to hear. It is unlike any other place we`ve been. Being a part of everything that is so alive and sounds musical in the darkness creates a a really special experience.

Excursion 3 Bird Watching
(Day 2, Before Breakfast)
Up and at 'em at 6am and leaving at 6:20, we took the boat along the same route we did yesterday but now we were specifically on the look out for birds.

We saw some amazing birds really close by, our favourites being:

• a couple different types of herons
• multiple types of king fishers
• several hawks
• a goofy looking wading bird with yellow under its` wings and such long toes it can walk on the water lilies without sinking through

It was really pleasant and relaxing time. The air temperature was still nice and cool and it is a pretty plush way to bird watch. All you have to do is get up and sit right down in a a boat. It did give us a better appreciation for how amazing a bird watching location Mindo, Ecuador was, how world class a guide Marcelo is and just how much those excessively early mornings and long walks were worth it. We´re really glad we don`t have to be up at 4:30 here!!

We had fun observing a bunch of squirrel monkeys. As well as 10 or 12 bats sleeping on a tree trunk. They were so camouflaged they were hard to see even when staring right at them. It is impressive to see how good an eye our guide has for the animals.

Excursion 4 - Fishing for Pirañas

( Day 2 - After Breakfast)
We slathered on the sunscreen, got out our hats and looked forward to encountering the infamous piranha! It wasn`t quite what we expected... better though.

This was Jay`s kind of fishing: a bit of fishing line with a hook, hung off a 5" long stick. Simple but it did the trick. Bait the hook with cubes of chicken innards and then drop it in the water. The fish nibble until they get all of the meat or you get lucky and hook one.

By the end of a couple hours we had managed to each catch a few. They were a mix of fresh water Sardines, Red Bellied Piranhas and Amazon Pike. The piranhas vary in size but our little guys were about as big as Sunfish. I expected they be bigger but they do look pretty fierce with there sharp, pointy teeth.

We found it relaxing, especially since I didn`t have to take my fish off the hook. It turns out this was probably the most low, key event. There was just 4 of us in our group. Karin, who was one of the two German ladies in our group was afraid of catching fish and oddly enough she caught the first 2! After that she just sat and watched us.

For lunch they cooked up the 4 biggest ones (which were still small) for us to eat. They were pretty skinny and full of bones. But they were quite tasty. Even though the piranhas were small their teeth are fiercely sharp and they bite hard on anything they can get in their mouth. Who knew that of the 25 types of Piranhas these are 1 of the 3 that are carnivorous?!?

Excursion 5 Watching Pink Dolphins and Swimming in the Amazon River

(Day 2 - After Lunch)
Now for the moment I`d been waiting for, ever since I´d heard about the existence of the unique pink river dolphin!

We didn`t bring the camera because it looked like rain and had heard the dolphins were almost impossible to photograph anyways. We missed not having it. Jay was also sad he`d worn his sandals because some flies found his feet to munch on. He grumpily hunted the flies with our 95% Deet bug spray. I`m not sure if it killed any but it made him feel better.

To get to Amazon we needed to motor boat down the Yanayacu River which is the river the lodge is on. It took us about 10 or 15 minutes. We got to the confluence of the two rivers and it didn`t take long to spot our first dolphin. They are a beautiful light pink colour with splotches of blue-grey. They didn`t jump out of the water so we had to content ourselves with spotting their backs as they came up for air. Jay was lucky enough to see the entire back, head and a narrow snout of one of them. It was really phenomenal to be able to see such a different animal that is found no where else in the world!

We were hoping that when we jumped into the water they would want to come and play with us. I think we scared them away! We swam around in the dirt coloured water. It carries along with it all the silt and minerals it washes away. It is clean but really murky coloured. So you can`t see a thing. It is a little strange at first not being able to see yourself. It was a thrill to be able to swim in the largest river in the world. Even here, so near the beginning of the river it is as wide as any Canadian river I`ve ever seen (including the Rupert.) Apparently at its' mouth it is 300km across!!!

Seeing the pink dolphins and swimming in a river with such a powerful reputation made for a real highlight afternoon.

Excursion 6 Night Boat Ride/ Searching For Cayman

(Day 2 After Supper)
This afternoon a pretty large group arrived, so two boats went out for the night excursion. The super bright flash light went in the other boat and we ended up in the back of the boat where it is hard to hear and see what was being pointed to. We were worried this would be a real bust because we`d miss something.

We were pleasantly surprised when shortly into our ride we spotted a opossum, which was a rare and cool sight. It has a really long tail. After that we didn`t see much, partly because of the low light flashlight situation. About the time we were beginning to feel like this trip was going to be pretty lame things started to get exciting.

We headed through a little inlet into a swampy lake. One of the guides jumped out on the muddy shore barefoot and wandered off towards some grasses and tall plants. When he came back he had a 2¨ long White Cayman in his hands! Cayman are a species of alligator found in the Amazon. It was amazing to be able to get such a close look at one. We even got to touch it! A few minutes after releasing that little guy back into the water our boat beelined it straight into another group of weeds with a guide hanging over the edge. Before we knew it he came up with another type but similarly sized Cayman. This time it was a Black Cayman !!! The guides are so great at spotting its`glowing eyes. These critters can grow up to be 6m long.

A little more floating around with the light on brought our last surprise for the night. We were all set to head back but as it turns out were weren`t done after all. We`d settled back into our spots when before we knew it there was this flopping and loud thumping, accompanies by some commotion. We realized it was an ugly, pre-historic looking Monkey Fish (because of the way it looks )who`d been attracted to the light. He jumped into our boat and all 3" of it was thrashing around! There are always fish jumping, especially at night. Jay had a couple smaller sardines actually jump into the boat and land on him. He was as caught off guard as we were and made his way towards the back of the boat. Our guide had to step on him before stunning him. It was then that the boat driver told us this kind of fish had broken his cousins rib doing the same thing! We took it back with us and it was incorporated into Spanish Omeletes at lunch the next day.

We also saw a very poisonous coral snake in the water. After all that I was glad we`d done our swimming earlier that day. I guess I shouldn't be such a wuss as the locals bathe on the river edges and it is where they get their water from.

Excursion 7 Morning Bird Watching Again

(Day 3 Before Breakfast)
Today we went up stream, past the little village of San Juan. Most of our excursions had been downstream of the lodge so this was a great change of scenery.

Our most dramatic sighting of the day was a sloth outlined against the sky up in one of the trees. It was difficult and took lots of patience on Rafael`s (our guide) part. There were lots of beautiful water birds we had seen before. It was really enjoyable to take our time watching these birds as we`d seen them in passing at other times. Jay was particularly fascinated by the King Fishers. As it turns out there are 5 species in this area. Over the 4 days we saw all 5!

Our favourites we saw this morning:

• Striated Heron - a duck sized heron that is striped and spotted
• White Throated Heron - similar to the Canadian great blue heron
• Great Common Egret - a beautiful pure white bird with a yellow beak and black legs

Excursion 8 Searching for Monkeys

(Day 3 After Breakfast)
It was time for walking so we wore our rubber boots and long sleeves with a little bugs spray added into the mix. We were ready.

First we took a Peke-Peke ride. This is a lower riding wooden boat common to jungle people. It has an unusual looking out board motor. The propeller is on a long shaft enabling the driver to easily bring the prop. very close to water surface in the shallow rivers. Then we switched to walking. However the area we walked is travelled by canoe in the rainy season!

Along the way we heard Capuchin monkeys off in the distance, and closer to us was the loud and bizarre call of the Horned Screamer ( a huge goose-like bird we`d seen yesterday.) We saw ´Cannon Ball Fruit´a round baseball size fruit with a fermented smelling fruit inside that is toxic to people but gives monkeys a little buzz when they eat. They have to crack it open by hitting it against a tree branch. They are the only type of monkey that is smart enough to have figured that out.

Eventually we reached a tall tree standing a little on its` own. In a cleft about 15m up there were 3 "Noisy Night Monkeys" cuddled together and watching us. It was a family with a little baby! Their wide owl like eyes made them particularly cute and definitely worth the walk to see .

Excursion 9 Quest for the Victoria Reina (Giant Lily Pads)

(Day 3 After Lunch)
We hoped our afternoon spotting would be less elusive than monkeys and birds. It doesn`t really move or fly away. Ever since getting to Iquitos (the main jungle city/port) the jungle trip sales guys have been telling us of these huge lily pads. We were quite excited to see them.

We took our Peke-Peke boat downstream for a short distance (thought it still takes awhile to get there as it is slow moving.) We scurried up the bank and started walking as Rafael and the boat driver pried the motor off the boat. After a hop, a skip and a jump we´d made it to another lake/swamp where a boat is left. We had to get to the other end which proved to be a little work. The water level is low so we needed the motor to help power us through the floating vegetation. Paddling would get us no where.

There isn`t a specific trail. The open spaces you might see at pond back home are constantly changing as the plants get blown about. Their roots don`t attach to the bottom so the winds moves them where they will. Each time the guides come here they need to find or make a new way across the lake. That meant Jay needed to help them "paddle" or pry our way through a 10m barrier of floating plants, helped occasionally by the motor when it wasn`t cutting out because of the clogged weeds.

We did make it and the lily pads were huge! 1 to 2m across. 1cm spikes could be found as protection on their stems and undersides. They live for about 3 to 4 months. A beetle that they trap prior to closing at night pollinates for them when the beetles are released as the flowers open again in the morning. How very impressive. Rafael just laughed when Jay told him our ¨big¨ lily pads at home are no bigger than his ball cap.
The motor was cutting out a lot on the way back so we were a bit concerned about the upstream ride back to the lodge. It recovered nicely once we were out of the swamp.

The swamp had a beautiful remote feeling to it. There were all sorts of birds. The new ones we saw were the dark Tiger Heron (very appropriately named) and the prehistoric looking Hoatzin. One last parting adventure was seeing a very poisonous Fer-de-lance snake on the river bank as we left. On our way there we`d seen a large green iguana in a tree alongside the river.

Excursion 10 Jungle Night Walk

(Day 3 After Supper)
Everybody in our group was pretty tired, but none of us wanted to waste any jungle experience opportunities. We all said we`d like to go walking when Rafael suggested a short night hike.

We saw some pretty cool insects. A huge leech, Wolf Spider, a super poisonous coral snake and a tailless scorpion (who has no poison but looks quite ugly.) most exciting thing was a big, black tarantula which got spooked away before we could get pictures. I think everyone was a little disappointed. Rafael was trying to prompt him to move so he`d be more photogenic. He wasn`t interested and just left. Oops.

All in all the walk was a let down. We weren`t too sad about it because we were all so tired. It is an eerie feeling walking in the jungle at night, knowing there are so many spiky, poisonous and foreign plants, animals and insects there. Plus it is dark....Is it ever dark!

Excursion 11 The Grand Finale: Morning Bird Watching

( Day 4 Before Breakfast)
It was time for our last early morning boat ride to see what we could see. This had become a very pleasant routine... up get dressed, brush our teeth, walk to the dining room, make hot chocolate, wander to the boat and slowly wake up while floating down the jungle river, watching the vibrant life all around. Today we saw many of the birds that had made regular appearances on our boat rides. Various king fishers, hawks, vultures, herons,small wading birds perched near the river banks and the constantly jumping little fish.

In addition to these, we had the extra treat of finding 8 to 10 long nosed bats roosting on the underside of a tree over hanging the river. We watched as a number of Squirrel Monkeys woke up and started jumping around in the trees at the side of the river. With Rafael`s binoculars we were able to see the wildlife really well.

Action in the Amazon

The Wonder of the Amazon - It`s People

Excursion 12: Visiting the Jungle Village of San Juan de Yanayacu
(Day 4 After Breakfast)

The "village visit" is one of those must see items on the itinerary of all the local jungle trips. We weren`t sure how to take it after hearing stories of high pressure sales of souvenirs, displaying captive jungle animals for money and in general just putting on an act and dressing up in traditional ritual clothes to dance around, fulfilling the tourists wild imagination of jungle life. None of this sounds like positive tourism and we weren`t interested in contributing to it.

But, this was another area in which Muyuna Lodge did things differently, in a way that is more healthy for everyone involved. They refuse to go somewhere with captured animals. They encourage people to go about their daily life when tourists are about and display their handicrafts clearly but without high pressure sales pitches. Rafael knew most of the villagers. Almost all of the staff at the lodge and their guides are from this village. Doing our visit in the context of such an ethical and healthy relationships between the lodge and the village people made it a real treat.

We took is easy and went at a leisurely pace. People went about doing their daily tasks, with a smile and a friendly greeting. The kids were curious and some were brave enough to chat and get their picture taken. The Spanish accent here is quite a bit different, but we could do the basics. People were really patient with photos. Rafael took time to chat, tell a joke and laugh with each person we encountered. This enabled us to really see how people live now, instead of them trying to meet some kind of imagined expectation of the exotic Amazon village!

All the houses had thatch palm leaf rooves, plus they were on stilts to keep them dry in the rainy season. The most basic home is a single, wall-less platform where at night time people put up a mosquito net to sleep under, the whole family tucked together in a row. In the dry season they cook over an open fire under the house, where you`ll see the free range chickens. The more fancy homes had walls covered with mosquito netting, a water tank, and more than one room for different activities (cooking, sleeping and a family room.) The planks that they use to build their houses from are cut by chain saw. They are really good at it. We also saw somebody preserving fish by salting and laying it on a piece of tin to dry it. This is the mainstay of people`s diet and income here. It is mostly fish here. They will trade them with people down stream when they need something they have on offer. There are a few small banana and corn plantations.

A few other random thoughts about the visit:

• The basic diet here consists of fish with either corn, bananas, yucca, or bread fruit.
  There are about 150 people here, 60% of them are children
  People rarely complete the 6 years of elementary school because of work and family life
  Women often marry early, at 14 or 15 years old. With child bearing coming quickly after.
  The village boasts a small church, elementary school and a bar/restaurant.
  Things are very communal. When the school needs fixing everyone pitches in with $, time and equipment.
  Having 5 children by the time a women is 22 or 23 is not uncommon
  The water is drank straight from the river without being filtered or boiled. Child are most likely to get sick, everyone else has already adjusted.
  The shaman is the expert in medicinal plants of the jungle (knows over 150 types.) The midwife helps the pregnant girls during their pregnancy, labour and with post natal care.

Our Visit to San Juan de Yanayacu