Peruvian Independence Day

Feliz Día de la Independencia Perú - El 28 de Julio

Following an uprising led by José de San Martín of Argentina and Simón Bolívar of Venezuela Peru proclaimed its independence from Spain in Lima on July 28, 1821. San Martín declared, "... From this moment on, Peru is free and independent, by the general will of the people and the justice of its cause that God defends. Long live the homeland! Long live freedom! Long live our independence!"

from the Amazon

to the Andes

Peru offers a diversity of cultures, geography and natural history.

www.GreenTracks.com

 

Amazon Rainforest Inhabitants Loved Avatar

from PopEater.com

You think you loved Avatar? Well there's no way your ardor could have matched the near-obsession of the few movie watchers who live the film every day of their lives.

The Peruvian Amazon is about as close to Pandora as can possibly exist on this planet and in June, the 3-D phenomenon finally made it to the Amazon port city, Iquitos -- a metropolis of about 700,000 reachable only by plane and boat. This was long after the Academy Awards, but the film was an instant hit with the folks who live in the rainforest and were able to canoe upriver to see the blockbuster in Iquitos' only movie theater.

While most of the Amazon's residents couldn't make it , the ones who did opted to see the film again and again and are anxious for James Cameron to make a sequel that sheds more light on the plight of natural environments like the one that they live in.

Julio Parano Garcia, a rainforest guide with the Explorama lodge, from a small village on the Ucayali River, spends nearly everyday educating foreigners about the forest. He saw the movie reluctantly at the urging of his wife and daughter. It is now his favorite flick.

"I could identify with that spiritual world. It reminds me of how the rainforest is supposed to be owned by the indigenous people and how the intruders are trying to change their life and make it a different world," Garcia said.

For him, the jungle's signature ceiba tree (a structure strikingly similar to the Tree of Life in the movie) represents a Pandora unto itself. "For me the ceiba tree is Pandora. It is an ecosystem all it's own, you have birds nesting, monkeys hiding, wasps, bats, snakes, insects all in one place, living together, interconnected."

Garcia recalls a story he heard from a friend of his (a tale that has the underpinnings of a local urban legend more than village gossip), the message of which echoes Cameron's sentiments in the movie where the plot centers on greedy Corporate developers destroying the forest for it's natural resources.

"My friend was a man who cut firewood. One day he found a huge ceiba tree and he said he would make a fortune by cutting this tree down. He built a platform in the middle of the tree and when he laid down to take a break he had a dream. In the dream all the animals, the monkeys and the bats and the birds came and tried to strangulate him and they asked why are you taking our home? He then realized that the tree was the world and the tree was alive and he took down his platform and became a protector of the tree," Garcia said.

From glow in the dark fungus (mycena), to birds with claws on their wings and spiked plumes that make them look like flying dragons (the hoatzin), hot pink freshwater dolphins and gigantic blue butterflies the size of your head (the morpho), the Peruvian Amazon is indeed a little like Pandora without the necessity of 3-D glasses.

"The things you see in the movie, they are real here," said Amazon native and guide Cliver Riojas, who also saw the film in Iquitos last month. "Sometimes we take too much from nature without realizing how much we hurt nature. Nature is what provides us life, medicine and a place to survive. For many centuries many people survived without western world and the western world brings mostly good things, but for the jungle it brings some things that are bad. "Avatar" shows us how important it is to preserve the culture. The people of the Amazon have so much to share with the world about their medicine and life, peace and language and we need to preserve that. Another film will help to show people how important it is to preserve it."

Both Garcia and Rioja are hungry for more of Cameron's "Avatar" message, because it teaches people about the importance of conservation and could just save their livelihoods. "When we live down here we don't think our world is disappearing because we can't see it form the outside, but scientists who look at the rainforest through satellites tell us that they can see it is disappearing and someday our life and out history will be gone forever. If Mr. Cameron makes another movie and everyone goes to see it again, maybe the message will start to sink in," Garcia said.

 

The 5th Annual Belen Festival

Living in Peru
16 July, 2010
by John Glick, Director, Gesundheit Global Outreach

The 5th Annual Belen Festival in Iquitos, Peru will be celebrated Aug 4-14, 2010 as 100 clowns from around the world join the people of Belen and local organizations to promote health and happiness through art, play, health care, education and collaborative volunteer work.


Belen, population 60,000, is a low income district in the city of Iquitos, Peru in the heart of the Amazon rain forest. Pueblo Libre, the section of Belen closest to the Itaya River, is home for 14,000 people, whose houses either float or are built on stilts, an adaptation to seasonal flooding.

Dr. Patch Adams, founder and director of Gesundheit! Institute and Wendy Ramos, founder and director of Lima-based Bolaroja Clown Doctors, led a group of clowns visiting Iquitos hospitals in 2006. While clowning in the streets of Belen — against the advice of local tour leaders — they were moved by the poverty and the joyful welcome they received. Adams and Ramos pledged to return, and during a community meeting the following year with Belen citizens, Gesundheit and Bolaroja pledged to bring clowns back once a year to paint every house in Pueblo Libre. Thus the Belen Project was born.

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Machu Picchu sunrise

click on photos to enlarge

SUNRISE



AFTERNOON






GreenTracks Machu Picchu programs

 

Delfin Amazon cruises

Cruise the Amazon in upscale comfort aboard an elegantly appointed riverboat to visit the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, the largest protected natural area in Peru. Excursions to view wildlife, hike in the rainforest and visit a riverside village.



The best alternative for those wishing to explore the Amazon from a comfortable riverboat but who can not devote a week as with our 7 day program.Even though these are technically Amazon River Cruises, you won't be stuck on the cruise vessel. As the boat travels the Amazon River and its tributaries, you will enjoy frequent off-boat excursions, such as hikes through the rainforest and small-boat trips in search of wildlife. Expert naturalist guides will give explanations of the incredible plants and numerous species of captivating animals that you'll see. You will even visit several riverside villages and meet some of the true natives of the Amazon.


Click on map to enlarge

5 day/4 night and 4 day/3 night programs available.

GreenTracks Amazon Cruises

 

Tropical Biodiversity Is About the Neighbors

ScienceDaily
June 28, 2010

Home to jaguars, harpy eagles and red-eyed tree frogs, tropical forests support some of the rarest species on the planet and are the most biodiverse ecosystems on land. Understanding why some species are common while others are exceedingly rare has been a challenge in these mega-diverse forests. New results from a massive study at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute show that interactions among community members play an important role in determining which organisms thrive.


"Based on information about the survival of more than 30,000 seedlings of 180 species of tropical trees, we found that seedlings of rare species are much more sensitive to the presence of neighbors of their own species than seedlings of common species are," said Liza Comita, the primary author on the study and now a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. "Not only does this tell us where to look for the mechanisms that explain why certain species are rare, but it also provides potential clues about how to conserve rare species that are most vulnerable to extinction."

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'Sea monster' fossil found in Peru desert

Hilary Whiteman
CNN

Researchers scanning the Peruvian desert for whale fossils have stumbled upon the remains of a "sea monster" three times the size of a modern day killer whale.

The teeth of "Leviathan Melvillei" were so large it was initially assumed they were elephant tusks.

"There were no elephants in South America before 3 million years ago, and the specimens found have an age of 12 to 15 million years, so that was impossible," said Professor Jelle Reumer, one of the team of scientists who found the fossil in the Pisco-Ica desert in coastal Peru.

Strong winds had shifted sand to expose a three-meter long fossilized skull. The skull of today's blue whale, still the largest animal ever known to have existed, is around six meters long.

The fossilized remains found in Peru include a jaw bone and several teeth, each around 12 centimeters in diameter and up to 36 centimeters in length.

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Aerial views of the Andes

When we fly from Lima to Cuzco we get some spectacular views of the Andes.
Click on photos to enlarge.

 

A LOOK AT BOOKS

The River of Doubt - Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
by Candice Millard. 2005.
Doubleday, New York



Easily the best treatise of Roosevelt’s famous trip to Brazil. A fascinating read with clear documentation and an excellent bibliography. The only shortcoming we detected was the author’s lack of familiarity with the Amazonian fauna. Owing to that, she was unable to point out the fact that Roosevelt and crew often labored under the mis-perceptions of the time. This in no way diminished their courage, just as Columbus braved the flat-earth theorists when he set sail. Today, we know much more about the behavior of piranhas, anacondas, and jaguars, to name a few, and much of the fear at the time was unnecessary. “And an ingenious Spaniard says, that rivers and the inhabitants of the watery element were made for wise men to contemplate, and fools to pass by without consideration.”– Izaak Walton

More info/Order

 

In Memory of Peter Jenson

Forty-six years ago Peter Jenson, an American archaeologist & geologist, started one of the first jungle lodges in the Iquitos, Peru, area. Since then Amazon Explorama Lodges has expanded to
become a complex of four lodges and ACTS (Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies), a field station for research and a spectacular canopy walkway. During this time countless Peruvians built careers and reputations while working under Peter's tutelage. Peter also started a program for student groups to come learn about the rainforest. His love for the rainforest and the local people fueled his work over the years. He loved to laugh and tell stories and educate people about the rainforest.

Peter was diagnosed with cancer last September and after treatment at the Mayo Clinic he returned to the rainforest he loved so much. In his final weeks he discussed how things could continue to be improved. Sadly, Peter passed away June 20th. Hundreds of people lined the river to honor Peter, and emails of condolence and stories of Peter's impact on so many people have come pouring in.

Peter was friendly and kind to all and will be deeply missed. His wish was to be cremated and to have his ashes scattered from the top platform at the canopy walkway, over the rainforest he loved.

 

GreenTracks Amazon Riverboat Expeditions

A cruise aboard a comfortable riverboat is your best opportunity to see the magic of the rainforest and the Amazon River, one of the most exciting places on earth, with GreenTracks, a company that is known world-wide for it's intimate knowledge of this exotic land. You will have the Amazon Riverboat experience of a lifetime.

Our cruises on the Ayapua & Clavero riverboats travel to the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, the largest protected natural area in Peru, with 5,139,680 acres - 10,800 square miles, it stands today as one of the largest and most important wildernesses in all the tropics. The Pacaya-Samiria is home to some of the largest populations of wildlife in all the Amazon. Hordes of pink and gray river dolphins, packs of howler and squirrel monkeys, massive flocks of brilliant macaws, huge lagoons covered in giant lily pads teeming with fish of all sizes and colors....all of these and more mark the region as Another World. Simply put, it is one of the least visited and most beautiful parts of the Amazon Basin.
The Ayapua is the only boat still operating that was used to transport rubber on the remote rivers of the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon during the early part of the 20th century. She was built in Hamburg, Germany in 1906 and from 2004 to 2006 she was restored to her original splendor with many original features incorporated.


The Clavero is the oldest historic riverboat on the entire Amazon. She was originally built in Paris, France in 1876 and brought over to the Amazon for use as a Peruvian naval boat. The Clavero was used for government expeditions exploring the Peruvian Amazon and as a mail boat. She was completely restored between 2007-2009 with many of her original features incorporated.


On the 7 Day cruise, you will observe wildlife along the Samiria River with activities to include: Small boat excursions for river dolphin, macaw, monkey and other wildlife observation, rainforest hikes in search of wildlife, piranha fishing, nighttime caiman observation and night hikes in the forest. There is a lot of wildlife to observe and a lot of excellent photo opportunities. Visit to a local Cocama indigenous village and meet the people and see how they live and interact with the rainforest.

GreenTracks Amazon Cruises

 

UPDATE - Saving Darwin's Frogs

Most everyone knows it is not a good time to be an amphibian. Chytrid fungus, global warming, rampant contamination of air and water....it's depressing just writing about it. GreenTracks got to lend a helping hand when Bill Lamar went to Santiago, Chile, last September to assist in setting up breeding units to aid in conservation of Darwin's Frog.

Not only is the frog, a native of South America's southern temperate rainforests, a beautiful creature, but also we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of its namesake: Charles Darwin. Darwin discovered this little frog during his epic voyage on the HMS Beagle.



Funded by the Atlanta Botanical Garden the new facility is in Chile's excellent National Zoo, and without their enthusiastic help, the task of getting everything assembled would have been impossible, and a lot less pleasant. The project is also funding critical field work in order to establish how much suitable habitat and how many frog populations remain. GreenTracks is committed to conserving the Earth's resources and we join all Chileans in the hope that this project will be a success.

We are all very pleased with how the climate control worked through the heat of Santiago’s summer. We wanted to wait to add frogs to the facility until we were sure all environmental systems were on line and working properly. We also added some safety precautions just in case something interrupted power or water services. One of our interpretive features includes a large statue of a Darwin’s Frog built by Chilean artist Bernardo Oryan. Our hope is that the large figure will draw in folks to the breeding center where they can investigate the frogs and our project.




Update - May 14, 2010
Once all of the environmental systems in our captive breeding facility checked out, we added our first group of frogs. Somewhat surprisingly, the frogs immediately began enacting reproductive behavior. We had calling and a bit of dancing around between males and females. We are happy to report that we already have at least one male frog holding developing young in his vocal sac!


This is the the female that we believe bred with our male. Her job is now done. Female frogs deposit eggs and the male frogs take over from there.


This is the male Darwin's Frog that is holding developing young in his vocal sac.


Saving Darwin's Frog

 

Machu Picchu artifacts held by Yale belong to Peru

Living in Peru
11 June, 2010

Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, who visited Latin America last week, said it was time for Yale University to return a collection of Peruvian antiquities taken from the Incan site of Machu Picchu nearly a century ago. “The Machu Picchu artifacts do not belong to any government, to any institution, or to any university. They belong to the people of Peru. I plan to work with both parties to resolve this dispute quickly, amicably, and return the artifacts to their rightful owners,” he said in a statement.


“Yale is a remarkable institution whose countless contributions to our society extend far beyond academia alone. And for years, I have worked with Yale and Peru to seek a solution to this disagreement over the artifacts discovered at Machu Picchu, and housed at the Peabody Museum in New Haven," he added.

Peru filed a lawsuit against Yale over the artifacts in 2008, and its tourism leaders say they may launch a media campaign to raise awareness about the dispute.

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Madidi National Park, Bolivia

For those looking for a profoundly “real” Amazon experience, Bolivia's Madidi National Park offers everything available in the more well-traveled areas...and more. This region has been described as the archetype of what the Amazon used to be like and it has it all; dense rain-forest, vast open savannas, winding tropical rivers, large numbers of birds and mammals, and the seldom seen indigenous people of the tropical rainforest.



Because of the wide range of altitudes found in the Madidi National Park there is a huge diversity of ecoregions where it is estimated that between 5,000 and 6,000 plants are found. There 733 species of fauna listed as living in Madidi National Park. These include almost all taxonomic groups of mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. 620 species of birds have been registered although there are an estimated 1,100 species in the Park - around 90% of the birds found in Bolivia.



The 20-person lodge is owned and operated by the natives of the village of San Jose - a few hours by boat up the Tuichi River from Chalalan. Residents of this region for generations, these Quechua-Tacana people have the skills to guide you safely along the rainforest trails viewing the abundant wildlife. Day and night hikes will reveal the diversity of animals and plants that make this park one of the most exciting in the world. You will certainly have a profound experience of a truly wild region of the Amazon.



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FREE GreenTracks CD-Rom

Be sure to request your....

FREE GreenTracks CD-Rom of Amazon Information with an Amazon Slide Show.
Features over 200 images of animals, plants, people and scenes from the Amazon.
Photos taken by our tour leaders on GreenTracks tours.

Free Amazon CD-ROM

 

Inti Raymi: Peru's Inca Sun Festival

El Comercio
Adapted from Spanish by Diana Schwalb

The city of Cusco will dress up again to worship the Inca god as Peru's ancestors once did. The Inti Raymi ceremony brings together over 500 performers on June 24 at the center of the Sacsahuamán archaeological park esplanade. As usual, hundreds of foreigners and Peruvians are expected.


According to the Municipal Company of Festivities in Cusco (Emufec), organizer of this event, over 40 percent of tickets have been purchased by foreign tourists who come to live the most important holiday of the empire.

The big celebration will begin in the morning in the temple of Coricancha. Then, the Inca and his entourage will go to the Plaza de Armas of Cusco and finally, after noon, the main ceremony will take place in Sacsahuamán.

You can enter freely to the first two venues, so be prepared to get there several hours in advance. To be part of the main ceremony, you must have tickets.

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The GreenTracks Naturalist

Faces of Nature


Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus). This spectacular bird of the Andes, with a wingspan of 10 feet, is on the decline. It has been used traditionally in a brutal ceremony that involves tying an adult condor to a horse’s back and eventually beating the bird to death. Fortunately, there are now captive breeding and re-introduction programs for this great bird.


Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna). This unmistakable bird can still be seen in small flocks along the Amazon and its tributaries. The flight call is a rasping screech that brings visions of Long John silver to mind.


Brown-chinned three-toed Sloth (Bradypus marmoratus). Surely this sleepy denizen of the trees was the inspiration for ET!


Yellow-handed Titi Monkey (Callicebus torquatus). Titis are among the most secretive and beautiful of all primates. They are difficult to observe because they tend to stay in dense undergrowth of rainforests.


White-fronted Capuchin Monkey (Cebus albifrons). One of the most intelligent of primates, the capuchin often makes use of leaves and branches while foraging. It cracks palm nuts by banging them against trees.


Brown Capuchin Monkey (Cebus apella). Like other capuchin species, this inventive monkey uses all manner of clever tricks when foraging. In addition to fruits and leaves, Brown Capuchins will devour any small animal they can capture.


Giant Amazon Snail (Megalobulimus popelairanus). This massive creature is the heaviest terrestrial snail in the world, being exceeded in length only by a species found in Africa. Seeing one of these imposing creatures, spread out to dinner-plate size, as it cruises about on the rainforest floor is an unforgettable spectacle.


Gibba Turtle (Mesoclemmys gibba). Gibbas are secretive and nocturnal, never emerging from the water to bask. The barbells on the chin are highly enervated and may play a role in either prey or mate location.


Eyelash Palm Pitviper (Bothriechis schlegelii). Eyelash Vipers, perfectly camouflaged for life in the trees, range from southern Mexico to northern Peru. This is a venomous snake but it seldom is the cause of bites in humans.