Voluntary Isolation: My Eight Days in the Jungle with a Chinese Family

Day 0: The people from Wild Watch Peru come to give me a pre-trip briefing at my hostel (El Tuco, highly recommended). Luis Herbert, whom I've been emailing, introduces himself as Herbert. He hands me a printout that is exactly the same as the website and proceeds to read it to me verbatim. He tells me that I need to pay another $80 to visit the macaw clay lick, which is "always a highlight of the trip." I fall for it and shell out more cash, saying a silent prayer that this will be worth it. Herbert emphasizes the fact that I need to pack light, since it's difficult when everyone on the tour brings a giant heavy suitcase. I reassure him that I will only bring a small backpack. He tells me that I'll be on the tour with a Chinese family who lives in Canada, two parents and a daughter who is 20. I look forward to meeting my new friend. Herbert leaves after introducing me to Esau, the guide who will be going with us. Esau goes through the itinerary (again, on the website) and tells me they'll pick me up at 5 am tomorrow. I promise I'll be ready. I proceed to set my alarm incorrectly and pack my small backpack.

Day 1: Coco, the hostel owner, wakes me up at 5:04, saying that the van is waiting. It turns out my alarm was set to go off every Monday at 4:30 am. Today is Wednesday, so it did not wake me up. I scramble to gather my things and thrust my giant, heavy suitcase at Coco to put in storage until I return. I worry that he will break his back trying to drag it upstairs, but am being rushed out the door by the tour people. The van goes to pick up the rest of the group. We wait for everyone for twenty minutes. Along with my new Chinese family, there are two boys from Canada who are about my brother's age and a couple from Canada who are about 26. These guys are doing a four-day trip. We do introductions, and everyone immediately forgets everyone else's name. I am the only person who is not from Canada. Nobody speaks until we stop after about three hours of driving for coffee, where we all discuss our various travels. We hop back in the van for another four hours, stopping to eat lunch on the way as we proceed down a winding road, descending through the cloud forest to the banks of the river. We stop to look at an owl and some monkeys when we pass them. Everyone is chatty, and we all (except my Chinese family) repeat our names. Eventually, we get to the lodge where we'll be staying, and take a short walk before dinner. It's a very nice start to the trip. After dinner is done, we all start to head to our rooms for bed. It turns out that Esau has to sleep in the extra bed in my room, because apparently there isn't enough space for him to stay anywhere else. This is mildly uncomfortable, although it is a great way to practice my Spanish! We discuss zodiac signs (he believe in them, I don't) and life ambitions, and I eventually pretend to be asleep so that we can stop chatting and I can actually go to sleep.

First view of the cloud forest - we'll be descending all the way to the bottom of these mountains by tomorrow!

Some ruins we stop by on the way to Guadalupe Lodge

Day 2: Esau and I wake up early to walk around and see a few birds around the lodge. We join everyone for breakfast before heading back out to the road. After about an hour drive, we arrive at the port city of Atalaya, where we pick up our rubber boots and watch a beautiful cocker spaniel puppy walk around. This marks our departure from the four-day group, so we bid them farewell as we get on our own boat. I will miss them; my new family mostly speaks to each other in Mandarin, so it's a bit hard for me to participate in their conversations. We are on the river for seven hours, during which we see a few monkey troupes and approximately one billion birds. Peru has 4,000 species of birds. We see three: snowy egret, great egret, and white necked heron. My Chinese family is very excited every time we see a bird, even though they all look the same after a while. Every time anyone looks at any bird, Esau tells us what type it is. This is not necessary after about three hours of seeing the same three types of bird, but the consistency is soothing. We get to our next lodge, where I am sharing a room with Danielle, the daughter in my Chinese family. She spends almost all of her time in her parents' room, speaking Mandarin. It's okay, though, since I'm reading a great book - Turn Right at Machu Picchu - recommended to me by a Boston University professor who visited the Embassy this summer. It follows a travel writer who traces the steps of Hiram Bingham III, the Yale scholar widely credited with discovering Machu Picchu, and it's very fun! Before dinner, we go on a night hike, where we see a tree porcupine, nocturnal monkey, small opossum, some frogs, and a tarantula. I learn that my flashlight, which I thought was very powerful, is actually almost useless. It gives off a soft yellow light that barely illuminates anything. Luckily, Esau has two great flashlights, and my Chinese family has one good one. Back at the lodge, we meet the Others, another tour group made up of Danish people who are very friendly. After dinner, it's time for bed (there really isn't much to do in the jungle past 8:30). I find out that Danielle is very cautious about mosquito bites - she dismantles her bedding to ensure it is bug-free before crawling under the mosquito net, and spends all night waking up every two hours to do this all over again. It's quite disruptive.

A nocturnal, tree-climbing porcupine

Esau goes fishing for a tarantula, hiding in a hole right in the middle of our rainforest path

The first of many tree frogs we will see

And the second 

Day 3: We wake up very early to get on the boat and head to the Reserve Zone of Manu National Park, where tourism is restricted and the jungle is almost untouched by people. We aren't even allowed to wear bright colors in here, since it might disrupt the animals' natural patterns of life! The Reserve Zone is also home to "Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation," native tribes who do not interact with the rest of the world. They can apparently be quite dangerous, since they might feel threatened by tourists trying to catch a glimpse of them, so we have to be very careful. Before we can hit the road/river, my Chinese family demonstrates their ability to take ten minutes longer than they should to prepare for everything, making Esau slightly unhappy. He suggests that they try to pack the night before we leave next time. They demand that he wake them up earlier next time. En route to our next lodge, we stop at a small town called Diamantes where Mario's (the boat driver) in-laws live. My Chinese family is intrigued by the idea of people living in the jungle, and wants to see what it's like, even though these towns are pretty normal except for the lack of constant electricity and the billions of mosquitos. I really don't like walking around here; the people are clearly uncomfortable having their lives out on display. Unlike the town we visited in Iquitos, tourism is not a source of revenue for these people, so it's very awkward to walk around and stare at everyone just going about their everyday business. Luckily, there are lots of baby chickens, ducks, and pigs running around, so I occupy myself by watching them. We even see someone's pet saddle-backed tamarin and baby dusky-headed macaw, which are playing with each other! After another few hours on the river, we stop at Boca Manu, another town, to see how the boats we've been using are made. This town hosts lots of tourists, so it's much easier to walk around. There are lots of butterflies on the shore and I mention that I think they are pretty. Esau tells me they are attracted to minerals, which probably means a lot of people pee there. We see a bunch of kids playing with a boa constrictor that wandered into the schoolyard, which is pretty normal here. We also see lots of baby animals and watch part of a soccer game while we're there! We check in with the park rangers at the border of the Reserve Zone (where we see the Others) and soon arrive at our new lodge, where we (and the Others) will be staying for two nights (my Chinese family is very happy that they won't have to pack everything again). Our boat is greeted by a troupe of black spider monkeys, which is quite exciting. We take a short hike before dinner, where we see a few monkeys and some frogs, and climb a viewing tower overlooking a lake where a family of giant river otters lives. These guys can grow to over 6 feet in length! We don't see them today, but will be coming back to the lake tomorrow. Back at the lodge, we have a break before dinner. I want to read. Danielle wants to chat. I pointedly open my Kindle. She pointedly asks me how a Kindle works. I concede, and the conversation turns, as always, to our numerous mosquito bites. At dinner, we all continue with our typical conversation pattern: Donghua and Liyang (my Chinese parents) make tea for Danielle and complain about the water being too hot, all in Mandarin. They encourage her to eat something, but she isn't hungry (also in Mandarin). I jump in when there is silence to try to get everyone engaged in a single conversation that we can all follow, asking Esau a question about something we saw during the day. He answers and is cut off by Liyang, who asks a tangentially related question. While Esau is answering her question, Liyang begins a separate conversation with Donghua in Mandarin. Esau bravely keeps going with his answer, and I take the lead in carrying the conversation again. It's exhausting.

Mornings on the river - the mist makes it look almost like a beach you could find anywhere in the US! 

The beautiful lake that houses the family of giant river otters

From above, turtles (left) swim in the sun and Amazon birds (right) rest on a branch

Day 4: Another early morning! We hop on the boat and head to the trail that leads to the otters' lake, where we walk for about 20 minutes to arrive at the dock. The Peruvian government owns a catamaran that they rent out to your groups to use on the lake, so we hop on this boat and head out in search of otters. Mario and Cristian (his assistant) paddle us around. We see tons of monkeys, including a whole family of howler monkeys sleeping in a tree, and lots of interesting birds! No otters, though. When our time with the boat is up (the Others are waiting for their time slot), we hike around some more. At this point, we have had nothing to eat all day, and it is very very hot. I start to hate the rainforest. My head hurts from hunger and from the 98% DEET in my bug spray, and I have more cobwebs in my hair than if Spider-Man had given me a head massage. We see more monkeys. I barely care. I am nothing but a traveling bottomless brunch for mosquitos. We finally get back to the boat and are given snacks and juice boxes, and all is right with the world again. We arrive at camp and immediately eat breakfast even though we're not very hungry, then head out to hike again. This time is better and lasts until lunch. We even have a new inside joke - Liyang points somewhere and says, "Look!" When we all turn, she says, "I see a leaf!" It's funny because there are leaves everywhere, this being the rainforest and all. We use this joke at least six times during this hike. After lunch, we head out to the lake again, sitting on the dock and peering out with our binoculars to try to see the otters. Success! They're right across the water, fishing and heading into their burrow. Esau breaks my binoculars. This is actually a good thing, since I no longer have to feel guilty about borrowing his (which are much better). We hike for over an hour to get back to the lodge and have dinner. The topic of conversation tonight is Cristian's love life. It has been a day of walking and eating.

Our boat awaits our sunrise departure

Lake Salvador by sunrise

Howler monkeys snooze in the early morning

View from the catamaran

My family's mosquito helmet - interested readers can find this here: http://www.colemancanada.ca/product/deluxe-mosquito-headnet/2000010916?contextCategory=1410#.VdUtCFPF8bl 

If a simple helmet isn't enough for you, feel free to purchase the entire jacket (hood included, gloves not) here: http://www.colemancanada.ca/product/bug-jacket-medium/2000010919?contextCategory=1410#.VdUtDFPF8bk

Day 5: Surprise, we do not sleep in today. It's time to leave the Reserve Zone and head to Blanquillo Lodge, the nicest place we'll stay during this trip. To get there, we boat for eight hours, eating breakfast and lunch on board. We see about four birds during this entire stretch, a very boring ride. However, we enjoy another group inside joke! Christian is very nimble and climbs trees a lot, so Esau called him "monito" (little monkey) one day. After we translated for my Chinese family, they thought this was hilarious. We also taught them the word "bonito," which means beautiful, so we can call Cristian "bonito monito." Now, Liyang calls him Monkey and it is an endless source of entertainment. This is also convenient for everyone because my Chinese family does not know anyone's name, including mine. We arrive at Blanquillo Lodge and are blown away by the hot water and freshly laundered towels. I splurge by taking a shower before our afternoon hike and putting on a clean shirt, even though I know it will get sweaty approximately six seconds into our upcoming trek. The trek is very long (over two hours) and we see one group of bats and two frogs. Donghua is grumpy. Everyone is late for dinner, so I play cards with Mario while we wait for my Chinese family and Esau to get there. After dinner, Mario and I head to the bar (this lodge is seriously like a resort) to play cards with Angel, the guest services manager. Also, I finally have my own room! It's the best night for sure.

Day 6: After a later-than-usual 5 am wake up call, we head to the macaw clay lick about five minutes downriver. This is a long stretch of clay where macaws, parrots, and parakeets come to eat the clay in order to get the minerals it contains. We watch the birds socialize (they squawk a lot) for about three hours. They are all waiting for someone else to be the first to descend from the trees to the clay. Finally, the bravest macaw makes a move, quickly followed by three others. In a minute, the treetops are empty and the whole clay lick is covered with flapping wings of bright red and green. We watch them for over an hour, mesmerized by their interactions and choices - some macaws pick a chunk of clay to eat in a tree, some want to be as close as possible to fellow clay eaters, some just seem like they want to squawk at the other attendees. After lunch at Blanquillo, we head back to Hummingbird Lodge (from Day 2), officially marking the beginning of our return to Cusco. We settle in and embark on our hike. It has come to my attention, amidst the many transitions between lodges, that my Chinese family only has one set of outfits, despite dragging a giant, heavy suitcase everywhere. Sometimes, Danielle and Liyang trade denim jackets, but that's really the only thing that's changed about their outfits this whole time! I'm convinced they're carrying hundreds of bottles of bug spray around the entire jungle, going through 3 a day. This is in addition to the mosquito net clothing they wear every time we are not protected by window screens or the breeze on the boat. The evening at Hummingbird is uneventful; we take an evening walk and eat our last dinner with Mario and  Cristian.

Day 7: We spend all morning and afternoon on the river heading back to Atalaya, the port city where Mario and Cristian live. On the way, we see two capybaras! I've been obsessed with these guys for a long time, since I saw one on a episode of Zoboomafoo with the Kratt Brothers back in my PBS-watching youth. They're the largest rodents in the world! I also have a chance to finish my book, More Than Good Intentions by Dean Karlan (which mentioned lots of papers I've read for classes, making me feel like a real fledgling economist), read a very bad mystery novel that I must have downloaded for free onto my kindle (it's about a football player-turned-lawyer solving a murder case involving the Russian mafia and diamond smugglers, and there is a happy ending due solely to the main witness's willingness to perjure herself), and start All the Light we Cannot See, which has been recommended by many people and is starting off great! Saying goodbye to the boat guys is really hard, especially Mario, who has been incredibly kind to me for the last few days, making sure I never feel lonely. We hit the road and arrive at Guadalupe Lodge, where we stayed the first night. We walk around a creek and cave for a bit, where we see lots of tailless scorpions (unclear how they are scorpions without the stinger, but I'm okay with it) and fruit bats (which are surprisingly cute)! We are joined for dinner by three birdwatching students from Switzerland, and we learn about the (tedious) intricacies of professional birding.

Capybaras hanging out on the river bank!

Day 8: We get to sleep until 6 today, a record for us, and have a relaxing breakfast of pancakes with mango and papaya syrup (chef Luis must be showing off for our last day). I get a little impatient with my Chinese family; after Liyang says that "Peru should be a very rich country" because of its natural resources and because "China changed everything in 10 years, so 100 years should have been enough," I launch into a list of many factors that have contributed to  Peru's history of less-than-ideal development. I don't think it's fair to compare any country to China, especially without having any concept of what the country is like besides an 8-day luxury tour through the rainforest. I have grown very attached to Peru since being here, and felt very defensive after Liyang seemed to imply that Peruvians lacked the knowledge or willpower to make the reforms necessary to grow economically. I also hate the idea that there is one ideal for development, and that every person should eventually live in a town that has exactly the same characteristics as every other one. One of the absolute best things about Peru is that it is so diverse; tourists flock to Cusco and its surrounding ruins, Quecha communities raise giant corn and guinea pigs in the highlands, Amazon tribes seek to avoid contact with the rest of "civilization," and busy office workers sit in traffic for many hours a day in Lima! Of course the government should be doing everything it can to provide all of these people with the opportunities to live the best lives they can, based solely on their abilities and not a fluke of geography or infrastructure, but the implication that a one-room schoolhouse in Paucartambo is necessarily inferior to a large middle school in China really rubs me the wrong way. Anyway, I'm back in Cusco now, and ready to take on the Boleto Turistico tomorrow (more on this in a few days)!

Fruit bats hanging out 

A beautiful waterfall we stumbled across along the road back to Cusco!