Arriving at the Peruvian Amazon

The flight from Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado was a short half hour but long enough for the plane to cross a mountain and for the landscape to change from the hilly reds to lush greens as far as the eye could see. Thick, murky waters of the Amazon sliced the verdant equatorial forests. And thick humidity pierced the air around us as soon as we emerged from our plane onto the small tarmac. Fellow travelers promptly began to spray mosquito repellants and slap on the sunscreen while waiting for the luggage to arrive. We followed suit as if the insects would attack us as soon as we stepped out of the building. So much for acting paranoid without reason… we were nowhere near the jungle yet.

Outside, a guide stood bearing the name of our Eco Amazonia lodge. We waited for the rest of the group to assemble before riding into town in our open safari van. Our guide took us on an excursion to the local market to lend us a flavor for indigenous produce. The market almost had an island feel to it. There were mounds and mounds of fresh fruit heaped up attractively: several sizes and varieties of bananas, mangos, pineapples, and fruits we’d never seen before. Nagesh went about tasting all the unfamiliar fruits.


Also in abundance were countless varieties of potatoes, yams, green bananas, and other vegetables. Adding to the colors were nylon shopping bags and gunnies in rainbow colors suspended from every other shop. Some of our trip mates picked up at least fifty of these as souvenirs.


After an hour or so, we were at the port boarding our long-tail speedboat to the lodge. The smell of freshly cut timber, being transported for construction work at the lodge, filled the vessel. The breeze alleviated some of the oppressive hundred percent humidity and the ubiquitous green color had such a calming effect that we began to hallucinate about spending the next four days lounging around on hammocks. After a monotonous two hour boat ride, we docked at our gorgeous lodge. Percy, the manager, was waiting for us with welcome drinks. We greeted him with enthusiasm little realizing that he would be responsible for smashing our recent dreams.