Wow! I am back from one of the most incredible experiences EVER! Phoenix and I left on a treacherous journey about 8 hours away from Tarapoto to visit Chachapoyas in the Amazonas region in the north of Peru. I got back yesterday and things are so different here at the Yacumama Ecovillage already.
Thursday, Phoenix and I left our quaint little ecovillage at around noon. We made it to the "collectivo" pick up area in Tarapoto within a few minutes. This is a pretty efficient system where basically a sort of Taxi Car/Taxi Driver gets paid anywhere from 5-10-20 soles per person to drive a car full of people to the next destination. We had to take the first "collectivo" to Moyobamba, which was about a 2 hour drive in a normal car meant for 4 people comfortably. There were 4 of us in the back seat, with Phoenix cramped in one corner, having to lean his shoulder out the window to get enough room to breathe! To the left of me was a sweet Peruvian mother with her 5 year old daughter, who commented on my nose piercing, and said that when she was older she wants an eyebrow piercing and tongue piercing. HAHA!!! I have never heard a little kid say that before:)
We finally made it to Moyobamba and figured out we could take another "collectivo" to Nueva Cajamarca and from there we could catch a "Combi" to finish the trip for the day to Pedro Ruiz. Now the most terrifying drive of our lives started in the "Combi" while it was lightly raining on our way to Pedro Ruiz. Both Phoenix and I were freezing our asses off the whole 6 hours while cramped in an uncomfortable seat. The front windows were rolled down, probably, so the driver could stay awake better. We were both on high alert the whole time, because the driver had no idea that the double yellow lines meant that he was supposed to stay in his lane. Now this road up the mountain is as curvy as they come, sometimes with only enough room for one car to pass at a time around a large bend. Our driver would basically drive as often in the left lane, as he would drive in the right lane, and had no idea what a smooth brake application felt like. We would be jolted forward time and time again as the driver would literally pump the breaks to the beat of the cheesy Peruvian music. Phoenix had it worse off then I did. He was probably clenching his butt checks the whole way there :) I prayed to my guardian angels that we would make it safely, and then I just more or less had to trust that the driver knew what he was doing.
When we finally, thankfully made it to the small town of Pedro Ruiz, we decided to just spend the night there in an actually very decent and clean hotel room for 40 soles!
The one thing about this place that I will remember dearly, is the OH so lovely water. IT WAS YELLOW!! NOT even joking. When you flushed the toilet it still looked like there was old pee just sitting there. The actual tap water of the whole area was a mean yellow. Phoenix got very sick that night after our funny escapade of going out to eat, where he ordered an olive sandwich. Yep, you guessed it! This meant: salty olives with nothing else but hard and tasteless bread. ????!!!! Getting back to the hotel he was not doing well at all, after dosing him up with spagyrics, I was able to do some bodywork/energywork. Very cool and powerful releases were happening, and he felt loads better after I started working on him. The next day he felt great and we could continue with our adventure.
From Pedro Ruiz we took another "combi/bus" to Chachapoyas. Where we arrived in the morning. We got dropped off in some random spot, and just walked until we found the first cheap hostel. We found it alright, the first room we had (but ended up changing rooms later because it was too bad), was welcoming us in with the warm scent of mold! (And a symphony of creaking floor boards!)
Friday was spent walking around downtown Chachapoyas looking in cute tourist shops and taking tons of pictures. After lunch, Phoenix and I went inside this little artisan area where little boys were selling hand carved stones of the ruins around that area. They were incredibly beautiful and incredibly cheap! We also made friends with some Peruvians selling mushrooms, and they fixed up a mean mushroom cerviche! One of the older ladies offered to teach us the names and properties of local medicinal plants in the area, after finding out how interested we were in learning. We got her email and tentatively planned on seeing her on Sunday. It turned out later that she never responded to the email, and so something else was able to unfold instead.
Walking down a random street, I happened to spot a language school with wide open doors. Next thing you know we were both in the back office with Kerry and he is a bad ass! He probably spent about 2 hours explaining the history of the school, and being very honest with where it is at, as well as the process that's occurring as he is transitioning into becoming the owner. He also gave us a lot of tips about Chachapoyas. Basically this city is completely amazing. The people there, make it completely unique. It is extremely rare to have anyone jip you for being a "gringo" (foreigner). When it rains, the cars deliberately pull off to the opposite side of the road from the pedestrians, and go slow, as not to splash the people walking. No one gets mad publicly, everyone is very friendly and helpful, and as genuine as one can get. Basically Kerry was confirming our suspicion that it is very easy to fall in love with Chachapoyas.
By the end of the meeting Phoenix was already convinced he wanted to dedicate 3 months to teaching English and having to an opportunity to do rare research on high mountain medicinal herbs. We will see how life continues to unfold, but I wouldn't mind teaching English there for 3 months while getting my hands dirty teaching dance and creative movement there as well.
Kerry had also suggested that we go to a famous gathering place called "La Reina" later Friday night to grab some drinks and meet some good folk. We did just that, and ended up having an absolute blast. As soon as we walked into the bar some Peruvian doctors invited us for some drinks, and we had a blast conversing with surgeons, doctors, and natural medicine healers. They have a unique system from what I understood, in Chachapoyas, where in the hospital both the natural doctors and traditional doctors work together as a team! Later on that night Kerry showed up and introduced us to a lot of other English and French teachers for his school. There were great people all over the world conversing in various languages all over a table of locally made liquors. I have never had so much fun at a bar! Especially being that I hardly EVER go to bars. We made some great friends that night, one of them being a cool Peruvian dude named Martin who moved to Canada when he was young, and thus speaks English, French, and Spanish perfectly.
Four hours later it was time to get up bright and early to prepare for the tour of Kuelap that day. After switching hostels, and eating a fast breakfast, we were shuttled into a mini bus with about 15 other people. Immediately we made friends with Kate and Andrew a couple from Ireland who have been backpacking around South America for the last 5 months. They are possibly one of the cutest couples I have seen, and are extremely good people! The 2.5 hour drive up the mountain to visit the Pre-Incan ruin site of Kuelap was not anything near as frightening as the previous few bus rides. We were very impressed by the driver and by the guide as well, who spoke extremely slow and clear Spanish, perfect for us "gringos". I was completely blown away by the magistracy of this ruin site. This was THE TOP OF THE WORLD!!! Words can't describe the immense beauty of the landscape surrounding the site. Huge mountain peaks and valleys would stretch on forever and ever. The only regret I have was that we couldn't spend more time visiting Kuelap, we only had 3 hours to walk through the entire site, including walking up the mountain and back down. I could have spent all day and night there, which I do plan on doing one of these days :)
( Martin, Me, Kate, Andrew)
(part of a view of outlook surrounding Kuelap)
Coming back into Chachapoyas later that evening- most of our tour group decided to meet up again at La Reina that evening. After a nice nap, I was ready to meet adventure head on! We met up with Martin, who was also coincidentally in our tour group to Kuelap, Kate and Andrew, Fabian (French guy from tour), Kerry (showed up later), we met a new friend Daniel (from Germany), Louisa ( Danish girl from tour as well), as well as various others that trickled in as the night got later and later. Finally at around 1:30 I was able to go with a small group to check out the dance club right down the road called La Reina as well! I had fun, but was quite appalled at how dirty my toe-shoes got from all the spilled beer covering the very crowded Peruvian dance floor. About an hour later I called it a night and found my way back into the very comfortable bed of our new hostel.
Sunday turned out to be delicious. It was a day of rest and integration. We slept as much as we needed to, went out for some food, and rested some more. Later Sunday night, we went yet again to La Reina and were pretty much the only people there for the first little while. This turned out in our favor because the lovely two bartenders, Yesena and Ronni were able to make an impact on us. Within a few minutes of talking, Yesena had invited Phoenix and I to spend Monday with her and Ronni at her home pueblo exploring the natural beauty. They were inciting us with the sound of "hot springs", and to experience some net fishing, as well as to experience Yesena's mother's cooking. We were sold! The plan was to arrive at Yesena's and Ronni's house around the corner from the bar the next morning at 6:45. So that we did. After another night of little sleep we got up and hurried through the calm morning streets to find the cute couples' humble abode. Our knocking woke them up, but instead of telling us to come back later, they invited us in and offered us oranges and bananas while they busied themselves getting ready for the day.
Let me go on a little rant here about this couple. They blow me away. ABSOLUTELY. They are by far some of the most kind-hearted, generous, good, sweet people I have EVER met in my life. Yesena was telling us in the bar the night before, that her monthly income is 500 soles. This is after 7 days a week, working from 7 pm until randomly late hours in the night, with absolutely no breaks. 500 soles is about 179 dollars a month. Her and Ronni make combined 1000 soles a month, which goes towards a savings fund to save a hefty amount to go back to college and finish their respective degrees. A portion goes towards living expenses and the rest goes back to their families to support them. They have very very little. But they are pretty happy and content in where they are going in their lives. With the minimal stuff they have, they gifted Phoenix right away with a beautiful hand woven Peruvian belt and he was so deeply touched by this gesture.
When we arrived in Molinopampa, the small village of 400 people where Yesena was born and raised, we were in for the BIGGEST culture shock of our lives. We were immediately welcomed into the family. Yesena's mother cooked us breakfast from an open fire, camping style. The house was made of clay brick patched together, and the floor was bumpy dirt. There was no such thing as inside versus outside, it all kind of blended together. In the middle of the abode, there was a weird courtyard thing where all the clean clothes were hung out to dry. To the back of the home was a small garden with just lettuce and chard growing. There were various weird fruit trees that I had never seen before- and right away they picked a full bag of fruit to take back home with us. There were chicken running around freely, as well as cats and dogs. The kitchen was the most unsanitary thing I have seen in my life, and the sink for the whole house was across the courtyard next to a cage of guinea pig, they keep for eating.
(the simple stove)
(the outside of the humble house)
The mother was very kind and generous, and also had to look after her older sister who was now both blind and deaf, as well as hunched over 90 degrees from horrible arthritis. Yesena's sister was also living in the home, she was 20 years old and basically autistic and non-sociable from all the damage her father has inflicted upon her- through abandonment. Not only that, but the mother was also watching Yesena's 6 year old daughter while Yesena lived 50 minutes away in Chachapoyas to try and make some money.
(blind and deaf sister of the mom of Yesena)
Nothing was hidden from us, all was out in the open, and nothing had the energy around it, like it should be shamed. Even though this family had virtually nothing, they had each other, and they were content and happy.
We were finally taken to go fishing. This consisted of Ronni wading in the river with a net throwing it out randomly to try and catch some fish. He did catch one fish- of which Yesena ended up holding and putting the fishes mouth up to hers for a nice fishy kiss! ????? HAHAHA- we wanted a picture but she wouldn't give it to us.
After fishing we walked up a little ways to visit the "hot springs". Now I put the hot springs in quotation marks because it was the furthest thing from hot springs that we have seen. The water was cold, but they called it hot because the water at the springs was warmer than the river water! So cute! So this area was just a little trickle of water flowing from the mountain into a little tiny pond. While we were there though Phoenix started explaining to them the actual state of America, and our very non-existent American culture. They were thoroughly interested, open, and I was able to see that they were actually pretty well educated for being from Peru.
After a sweet vegetarian lunch (normally they eat meat, but specially prepared lunch with out it in honor of our request), we spent a little more time romping around the small village. It turns out basically everyone in the village is either a cousin, aunt, or uncle of Yesena's. This is apparently pretty normal, so it is best to find a husband or wife from another village. Ronni is from a neighboring village that has a much higher elevation. From what I understood though, I believe they were childhood friends.
Basically the whole day spent with them was fantastic, sweet, and very humbling. By the time we got back to Chachapoyas we were spent though. The full weekend was catching up to us, as well was the very unhygienic food:) Back inside their apartment, we intended to leave Ronni and Yesena with a little
thank you gift of 100 soles.
(36 U.S. Dollars). They were so shocked, and heavily resisted the gift, because it was way too much. Eventually Phoenix had to say: "if you don't take this gift you will be insulting us", and that eventually seemed to work. We had to just leave the 100 soles on the table, and were very touched by Yesena's sweet free-flowing emotional state. She was pleading that we come back soon, and we promised we would, since we are now family! Walking back to the hostel I was
sooooo moved by the whole experience, I too broke down into tears. Words will never be able to describe the depth of this experience. We were shown such love and care- without precedent. There was no reason for them to do such a sweet thing for us, other then Yesena expressing that when she first saw us we felt like brother and sister to her.
I truly want to do whatever I can to help both of them achieve their dreams. Yesena only needs 1,800 dollars- 5,000 soles to finish up her dermatology degree and start to make a better life for herself. It will take her another 2-3 years to save up that amount before she can even start to think about school again.
What a wake up call, we have such ridiculously privileged lives. Phoenix and I can make money happen as we will, and basically do whatever we want wherever we want, and that is how we want to continue to live. From now on though, whatever I can give to those in need I will. I will do so out of the pure love of my heart, and with each of these actions the world will become a better place.
Chachapoyas is truly a treasure sitting atop the mountains in the northern region of Peru, it is the capital of Amazonas- and truly sets a wonderful example for the rest of South America to follow.
Now back in Tarapoto we have started the next leg of the adventure.
We went from an empty guest house to a full one in one weeks time. Our friends Kate and Andrew from Ireland are living with us here in Shambo Tambo, and a new friend Gabriel (from Peru but speaks absolutely perfect English) moved in yesterday and his girlfriend will arrive on Friday! Our friends Fabian, Daniel, and Martin are also currently in Chachapoyas, so Tarapoto is turning out to be a great reunion for our international mountain tribe!
I started my Afro-Peruano dance classes again and I am loving getting to sweat every day, as compared to the more mild and colder temperatures of Chachapoyas.
Until next time, when the adventures continue to blossom, I will write at the inspiration of my fingertips.
Adios mis amigos!
Norianna
