March 4, 2006-Shopping
(Photos:Native dancers,
Tuk tuk ride,
We woke up at the luxurious hour of 7AM and saw the shadow through the curtains of someone washing our window. They work very hard to keep the boat clean and manage to do a good job. It’s cleaner than I thought it would be at first glance, but something is still going on that is making people sick. Another one of us bit the dust last night. I think it’s a food handler in the kitchen who’s careless. It’s the luck of the draw as to who gets what he’s touched. All it takes is for him to pick up a glass with his thumb inside the rim.
We took our trusty skiff over to Nauta to explore the big town. As we landed we walked by a small complex that was under construction. It might be a new entertainment center on the waterfront. I realized there’s no way anything can be well maintained here. Even new buildings become hot, sticky, and slimy from the extreme humidity. Air conditioning just makes the interior cold and wet instead of hot and wet.
Eric led us through the area of shops and stopped to show us some of the more interesting items. Any one of us could have purchased a live rhinoceros beetle. They dip the horns in gold and use it for jewelry. There were toilet seats (two of them) displayed in one store. I asked out loud what they’d use them for and French suggested they would make nice picture frames. At the produce market Eric explained some of the fruit and asked if we would like a taste. He then did what I thought was very nice. He bought a lot of the fruit for the boat. OAT brings 100,000 tourists to the area each year. The economics of tourism has also increased the cultural pride the Indians are showing. They can preserve their heritage and make a living at it too.
We were turned loose to wander on our own and were to reassemble at the plaza in half an hour. Eric didn’t give us directions. He told us we could figure it out. It was easy. We asked in Spanish and the kid answered, “Over there.” We picked up an escort of children who wanted to be hangers on and some who were selling things. They weren’t aggressive and would take a “no gracias” for an answer but then another child would replace the one who just went packing. Their “handler” followed at a distance. He was an adult to whom they brought the money and went to for re-stocking their wares. He was less than a pimp and better than Fagan I didn’t get the feeling that pick pocketing was an issue here. When the vendors needed to make change they were scrupulous even if they had to go to several co-workers for the accurate amount.
Music blared over it all. It was as loud and unappealing as the markets in the Arab countries we’ve visited. We moved away from the town center to a sad little lagoon and park area where we stood under a pavilion to watch students put on a show of native dances. Some of us were invited to join in. I had found a seat on the only bench in the pavilion and was not getting up. Even the babies here are lethargic from the heat.
Dennis, one of the crew, was celebrating an anniversary today. His wife, Isabella met him in Nauta last night and was with us today. They live in Iquitos. She teaches English, German, and French at the University. We were all offering them our rooms to use for an hour.
Eric had organized twelve tuk-tuks to take us on a wild ride around the outer regions of Nauta. It was an amusing parade and we attracted attention at every turn. Even naked toddlers joined in greeting us. The breeze felt good but it was a loud, un-narrated, exhaust filled excursion. I thought they should sell hearing aids at the end point. Our driver proudly pointed out a new gas station that was being built. I suggested that the horse in the yard next door was more reliable. That bubble was burst as the horse walked away from its plot and headed for the main road. OAT paid the drivers but we tipped a dollar per tuk-tuk. We’ve experienced this in other places but the people here absolutely will not take any bills that aren’t clean. They can’t have tears or writing on them or else they ask for replacements. We had a fair amount of trading going on among us after the ride.
Winding Up
Our pre-lunch lesson was in towel origami. That is so cliché cruise ship. The crew folded our bath towels in a different configuration every day and they shared their talents with us. We learned to make boots, butterflies, dogs, flowers, and a shirt complete with collar. I forgot how to do one as soon as they moved onto another.
David is trying to figure out the tips in two currencies and then we will tackle the questionnaires and evaluation forms. One of my beefs is that they ran out of diet Coke the second day.
We had a review of what we saw and went over a list of the birds and critters we’d supposedly seen. It was more a list of what Eric had seen. We tip the crew and Eric tonight. I wonder if this was a reminder of how much material we covered?
We segued into a Q and A that turned out to be fascinating. We learned lots of snippets of info: Ours is the only flat-bottomed cruise boat. They can contact a seaplane in case there’s a need for medical evacuation. The bad part is that the sick person is evacuated to Iquitos. The stomach problems we have been experiencing is probably due to a reaction to the malaria medication (I do not believe it all is).
He spoke of the missionaries that came in the 1960’s and 1970’s. They emphasized social work first and evangelism second. The missionaries today are just the reverse. They evangelize and do little social good and have been less successful.
Then we started asking personal questions. Eric was very willing to answer and added a lot to what we knew. He’s of the huitoto tribe. His father abused his mother (read raped) when she was thirteen. The village sentenced him to jail if he didn’t marry her. She left when Eric was three months old and his grandparents raised him. His grandfather was an alcoholic as was his uncle. Everyone in the village smoked tobacco (there was no pot) to keep the bugs away at night or out of boredom. There was a lot of arguing. He always had dreams during which he spoke to the dead and tried apprenticing as a shaman. He thought it was too hard a life and wanted more. At seven years old he decided that he didn’t want that kind of life and became an excellent student. No one encouraged him but he decided to always strive to be #1. He recognizes that he’s now a role model and encourages children, including his own, to be leaders and strive for success.
Eric reviewed the schedule for tomorrow and he confirmed what we’d already figured out. We have to wake up at 4 AM for a 7:30 flight from Iquitos to Lima. It’s hard to believe that this portion is almost over but we still have Cusco and Machu Pichu ahead of us.
Last Night
A storm came up as night approached. We pulled ashore but for some reason the captain decided to head out again. It feels as if there are whitecaps out there. We just hit a huge wake or log and the engines stopped. Fortunately we’re now heading downstream and the lights of Iquitos are visible.
After dinner there was a musical presentation by the crew who was all spiffed up in their uniforms. We gave them envelopes with their tips and they gave us certificates of appreciation for sailing with them. Then Nick and Louise sang an original song about the cruise. Everyone was mentioned by name. They sang about how I’d become a Coke Light dipso while David stuck to Cipro (an anti-biotic for diarrhea). Afterwards I told them that I imagine it was lots of fun coming up with rhymes they couldn’t use. They said it was amazing how many unusable words rhyme with Delores.
JOIN US ON THE AQUAMARINA by Louise MacLellan-Ruf & Nicolas Ruf
Refrain: Come join us on the Aquamarina
We’ll feed you iguana, caiman, farina
Don’t you worry that you might sicken
‘cause everything tastes just like chicken
Verses:
June’s hanging out with a howling monkey
Now something’s wrong – Ron’s smelling funky;
Rebecca’s gone to see the anaconda
Which Jerry’s grown to be very fonda.
John’s shooting videos and fishing for trout
While Cathy’s capsized in the dugout;
Toby’s turned into a Diet Coke dipso,
David’s been living on nothing but Cipro.
We could all learn a lesson from Barbara and Jack:
They wear the same clothes so it’s easy to pack;
Rooming alone were Judi and Ellen;
What went on in their rooms nobody’s tellin’
Nina learned how in the jungle they talk
Phil keeps on asking, “Are we going to have to walk?”
For their honeymoon along came
John and Cheryl Who had to sleep stacked up ‘cause their bed was so narrow.
Stefanie and Delores came up to Iquitos
Where they ate some bad food and fed the mosquitoes;
French must make a caliente hot date ‘cause Wendy shows up for breakfast so late.
Eric and Freddy took good care of us:
They didn’t sink the skiff; they didn’t wreck the bus;
Dennis and Edgar and Ameliar
Played pipes, charango, and Spanish guitar.
Last but not least to the Captain and crew:
What a GREAT TRIP we’ll never forget Peru;
So gracias mi amigos y hasta luego
We’ll carry you with us wherever we go.
Eventually our engines were up and running and we pulled into Iquitos.
Toby
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