Yurimaguas

Joel and I took a bus to Yurimaguas, where there are no more roads further into the jungle. We intended to take a barge down the river to Iquitos but hung around for a few days, even bumping into the relatives he grew up with when he was a child.

In a nearby plaza, there was a community party happening, thrown by the local government to celebrate twenty years in power. A live Latin band had half the town dancing before fireworks were launched from the children's playground... with children happily playing in it.

The next day, we visited the river playa, a shallow bit of stream with a low current, where the young people of the town come for a swim and hang out. Music blasted from large speakers powered by a car battery while a few small stalls were set up selling snacks and drinks. By the time we left in the afternoon, it was a party, but Joel wanted somewhere to dance. We dried off and changed in the middle of the trees before taking a mototaxi to Oasis.

Oasis is a party resort, with a big outdoor kitchen selling delicious pollo a la parrilla (barbeque chicken), a bar that sells only beer, and a large covered dance floor, complete with stage where a live band plays morning and through to the night. Joel and I were saturated with sweat just sitting down because of the jungle heat and humidity, but the locals only shone with a faint sheen while dancing. Everyone pretty much alternated dancing and sitting down, drinking beer, between each song. It was easy to tell when a local jungle song came on because the already energetic crowds burst with even more movement and passion.

Puerto Arturro

During our final day in Yurimaguas, we boarded a peke-peke boat to the small village of Puerto Arturro. The area consisted of a few small houses, a school house and farms where, for the most part, animals roamed freely with their young. As we crossed the village towards the jungle, we spotted a boy about three playing with a machete. I suppose all jungle kids learn how to use one at an early age?

We walked through the jungle along a trail, having to climb through a couple of barbed wire fences on the way. Joel pointed out different kinds of trees and plants, telling me what kind of food they produce. We managed to get a few small fruit to snack on along the way; a kind of small, soft and sweet red guava. There was a beautiful little pond that we were itching to fish from, but it was on private farmland. Our hopes to find a lake were dashed when a local told us there was none within an hour's hike.

Turning back, we army-crawled under the barbed wire (having nicked my knee the first time through) and searched for a place to cast out on the river bank. There was none, and we looked longingly at the small dugout canoes nearby. Learning that the boy in the tienda owned one, we ventured over to offer him a couple of soles for borrowing it. He told us we could use it for free but he didn't have any oars. A lady on the hill overlooking the river did and also offered them free for our use. We thanked them and set off as the rain started to lightly come down.

We had no experience steering the unstable canoe in a current and probably entertained some of the villagers who happened to be watching, as we alternately turned in slow circles and beached ourselves on a bank. It was a great laugh, especially as we got no more than 100m out despite our best efforts and the rain began to pour. Both completely saturated, I was more concerned about my camera in the backpack and we headed back, climbing the slippery bank before seeking shelter under a thatched roof with the ducks and chickens.

Joel returned the oars to the señora, leaving a few coins with her, and we bought a simple lunch of bread and tuna from the boy's tienda, giving him a good tip for his kindness as well. Our launch back to Yurimaguas was not to arrive for an hour, and we shivered the whole time waiting, the rain never letting up. The ride back was crazy cold, and the rain drops felt like needles on our skin. The half hour ride felt like two hours, so it was a relief to finally get back to the hostel for a good warm shower. When the rain settled, we walked into town in search for a coffee or hot chocolate.