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Kids in the Amazon

August 9, 2010

The best travel moments happen when you least expect them.

That’s what I learned when my husband and I made an excursion to the village of Manco Capac, situated on an island in the Amazon River.

Our intention was to spend the morning strolling through the tiny town, getting a brief glimpse of village life. We had no expectations and no plans.

Then we stumbled on to a school just as the children were getting ready for their Independence Day parade.

The kids immediately crowded around us, tugging at our clothes, smiling shyly, pulling us into their classrooms. They all wanted their photos taken and loved seeing the digital image displayed right back at them.

When the parade started, someone grabbed a couple of chairs, setting them up where we’d have the best vantage point for viewing the festivities. The teacher told the kids to sing extra loud for their special guests, and he motioned to us.

The kids acted out the story of the liberation of Peru, then marched all over the schoolyard, waving tissue paper flags.

It was one of those things that could never be replicated for any tour, and you’d never read about it in a guidebook. But that brief morning with the kids — laughing and singing and hugging — was one of the happiest, most genuine travel experiences I’ve ever had.

Monkeying around

August 1, 2010

As our boat approached the dock, a monkey launched himself off the shore and into my arms. Quite a warm welcome to La Isla de Los Manos, aka Monkey Island!

My greeter’s name was Mayo, an orphaned spider monkey and full-time resident at the primate sanctuary. He clung to me for an hour or so, nuzzling me, hugging me, even falling asleep against my shoulder.

Located on the Amazon River, Monkey Island is a haven for monkeys who would otherwise be sold in the exotic pet market. Most of them have been orphaned — their mothers killed by hunters — which explains why they look to others for affection.

The sanctuary is home to eight different species of monkeys. They don’t live in cages — they run around the island freely and independently — but they are still comfortable and curious around humans.

I’m always a little skeptical about wildlife sanctuaries, because I’ve seen too many that don’t act in the best interest of the animals. They exist simply for show or to suck money from real animal lovers.

But Monkey Island definitely appeared to be a place that does it right. Owner Gilberto Guerra clearly is passionate about monkeys and has created a place where they are treated with respect.

More than anything, my trip to Monkey Island reinforced my belief that all creatures crave love and deserve our kindness and affection.

The many moods of the Amazon

July 29, 2010

I spent a week on the Amazon and never saw the same river twice.

Around 4,000 miles long and 120 miles wide at some points, it’s the world’s largest river — but it’s probably the world’s most bewildering as well, at once inspiring and terrifying, stunning and scary.

Here’s a photo of the river early one afternoon …

And then 15 minutes later.

The storm was quick and violent, then the Amazon pulled this rainbow out of its hat.

She’s a feisty woman who can’t seem to make up her mind. From minute to minute, I never knew what to expect.

Here’s another afternoon on the Amazon …

A half hour later, we were running for cover.

It was like vacationing in 100 different places, all at the same time.

The Amazon Medical Project

July 27, 2010

One of the things that excites me most about this round-the-world trip is the opportunity to share stores about good work that might otherwise go unnoticed. Like the Yanamono Medical Clinic on the Amazon River, for instance.

The clinic was started in 1990 by Linnea Smith, an American doctor, who fell in love with the Amazon jungle and its people.

Originally she operated the clinic with no staff, electricity or running water from a tiny thatched roof room. Now it’s a clean, relatively spacious structure that was built by Rotary clubs from Duluth, MN., Thunder Bay, Ontario and Iquitos, Peru. The place is powered by solar energy and provides all the necessities for people in need.

This is what one of the exam rooms looks like.

Until Dr. Smith’s arrival, people in the local villages had no access to health care. Now they can receive medicine, vaccines, emergency care and more. The clinic sees about 2,500 people each year.

There’s an on-site laboratory.

There’s also a one-room dental clinic. They put on programs for the local kids to teach them about preventative dental care.

I was impressed by the clinic’s simplicity — how it cuts right to the heart of caring for people. It’s nothing fancy, but it does the job and it does it well.

It’s located in a fairly remote place on the river, providing valuable services to communities that have very little access to anything else.

Patients pay what they can for services, which is usually about $1.

To learn more about the clinic, Dr. Smith or the non-profit Amazon Medical Project, visit the website here.

My new best friend

July 26, 2010

Meet Charlie. He’s a capybara, the world’s largest rodent. Capybaras weigh about 100 pounds, have short, coarse hair and are semi-aquatic, earning them the nickname of “water pig.” (Coincidentally, that’s what the kids called me in elementary school.)

That said, Charlie is pretty damn cute — even if he could use a pedicure.

He lives at a lodge I visited in the Amazon jungle. His best friend is this dog, Pedro.

Guests at the lodge feed Charlie table scraps, like bread, bananas and potatos, all day long.

When he’s not sleeping, that is.

He quickly became my best friend — although I’m pretty sure that’s only because I had a pocket full of crackers.

Weird fact about capybaras: The Catholic Church decided that the capybara is a fish. So you can eat them during Lent, if that’s your thing.

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