Local Couples Discover

The Diversity Of Peru

By Jan Howard

From the Andes Mountains to the Urubamba Valley; from modern, busy cities and small, isolated native villages to walking the rain forest canopy and visiting Inca ruins, four Newtown residents recently experienced the diversity of Peru.

It all started with Diana Johnson, who, because of her fascination with the Incas, has always wanted to visit the long-lost Inca city of Machu Picchu. She convinced her husband, Wayland, and Philip and Margareta Kotch, to go see it with her.

The words the two couples use to describe their 18-day trip to Peru range from educational, wonderful, and fun, to meaningful. Their trip began on February 28 with a flight from Miami to Lima and ended March 16 when they arrived home amid a small snowstorm.

“We were happy to be home, but we had fun every day we were there,” Mr Johnson said.

Among the highlights of their trip were Machu Picchu, a week-long riverboat cruise on the Amazon; Aceer, where they walked the forest canopy, high above the jungle floor; and Cusco, the highest city in the western hemisphere at 11,000 feet above sea level and the seat of the Inca empire.

“Machu Picchu was just wonderful,” Mrs Johnson said. “It was more impressive and beautiful than pictures can ever show. ”

At the Aceer camp, located in a remote area of the Napo River, a branch of the Amazon, the foursome lived a primitive life, Dr Kotch said. “There was no electricity, no running water. We took cold showers, and stayed in a wooden frame building that had a roof but was open to the air. We had to sleep under mosquito netting because of the bugs. We ate catfish every day, and beans and rice. We had the most wonderful experiences. We walked the jungle canopy.”

During the day when it was very hot there was a row of hammocks in which they could “take a little snooze,” he said. “It made you appreciate what you had at home.”

“We lived like kings and queens compared to the natives,” Mrs Johnson said.

Because of the extreme humidity, washing clothes was impossible, Mrs Johnson said. “They wouldn’t dry.”

“You got used to being wet,” Dr Kotch said.

 “Phil caught the first fish in his life, a piranha,” Mrs Johnson said. The piranhas averaged about six to eight inches long.

Mrs Johnson and Dr Kotch went swimming in the Amazon, where guides indicated it was safe, and they all went canoeing in a dugout canoe.

At Iquitos they took small boats to reach the canopy walkways, which Mrs Johnson said were “unique and fascinating.”

The trees are 150 feet high, Dr Kotch said. The canopies, one of which is 240 feet wide, are attached from the higher treetops so the walkways are about 120 feet above the jungle floor. Their purpose is to provide a place to study the flora and fauna that live at certain heights.

On a night canopy walk, their guide asked them to shut off their flashlights and to look up to see if they could see any stars. They couldn’t because of the trees. He then asked them to look down at the jungle floor where a luminous fungus emitted star-like images.

Mr Johnson said he enjoyed the diversity of the country, seeing both the cities and the native villages. “I thought all the cities would be green. Lima was almost a desert.”

He also enjoyed learning about the country. “The guides were well trained in the culture and history of the country,” he said. “They could give a full explanation of subjects we asked them. They had a wonderful amount of information.”

Mrs Johnson said the guides scheduled almost every minute of their trip. “Wayland refers to it as forced marches,” she said, laughing.

“We often got up at 5:30 or 6:30,” Mrs Kotch said. “Starting at 8:30 in the morning was a real treat for us.”

“The animals and birds are out early and at night,” Mrs Johnson explained. “If you want to see them, you need to be up early or be out at night.”

They saw many species of birds, animals, and reptiles, including tapier, an animal that looks like a cross between a horse and a hippo, sloths, capaberi, caymen, monkeys, and snakes. They saw pink fresh water dolphins in the Amazon.

Mrs Kotch said she enjoyed getting to know Peru. “When we were on the boat, we were observing nature and village life.”

The foursome also participated in a conservation effort, helping to plant tree seedlings to rejuvenate the forest. “The people are very educated in the environment and in protecting the Amazon,” Mrs Kotch said. “I found that very meaningful.”

“I always wanted to go on the Amazon,” she said. “You always think of the Amazon being in Brazil. It was a wonderful experience.”

The four also gained knowledge about the political views of the people and a better understanding of recent elections in Peru.

The guides were very knowledgeable, but there are some things they don’t talk about, Mrs Johnson said, such as how the Incas were a warring nation. They do mention the Inca practice of human sacrifice and how the Spanish used the tactic of divide and conquer to subdue the natives.

There is great diversity between cities and villages, they found. While cities are very modern, “Some villages and homes are so isolated,” Mrs Johnson said. “There is no communication. They’re really an indigenous people.”

The homes in a small native village they visited consisted of planks on stilts with a roof and contained no furniture. The people cooked outside.

 The Johnsons and Kotches visited the village school, where the children sang to them, and they, in turn, sang to the children.

Mrs Kotch took crayons and pencils to give to the children, which were received with great pleasure. One child who knew the capitol of Peru won a notebook.

“I can’t believe someone could get so excited over a crayon,” Mrs Johnson said. “The people are truly innocents.”

The two couples, along with two couples from Danbury, are looking into sending supplies on an annual basis to the school. At present, they’re not sure how they can do that, except through one of their tour guides, because these isolated villages don’t have mail delivery.

Mr Johnson said all the hotels where they stayed were “first rate.” The last evening in Peru they had a Peruvian meal, and tried a non-alcohol cicha, a drink made from blue corn. “It was wonderful,” Dr Kotch said.

“Since 1990, they’ve gotten rid of the terrorists and anti-government people,” Dr Kotch said. “The economy is thriving, and the people are doing fairly well. It’s a poor country, but stable.”

The Johnsons and Kotches recommend Peru to people who want an unusual vacation.

The four agreed that one special aspect about the trip is being able to share their memories with each other.

While it may have been very hot in certain parts of the jungle, making those cold showers feel good at the end of the day, Mrs Johnson summed up their feelings about their trip by saying, “The experience was worth it.”