The following narrative is from a collection of letters written during my three weeks in Iquitos, Peru from October 10 to November 1, 2001. I went to Iquitos to help work before our bike tour began over the Andes to the Amazon. I met my friend Rubby and her family in Iquitos two years ago. This is my fourth visit to the Rain Forest and meeting the people of Peru. These letters have been edited into one account of my recent adventure.
Lon
Friday, October 12, 2001
Iquitos Hotel
It is Friday night. I am in Iquitos, Peru in the middle of the Amazon Rain forest. This is one of the most secluded corners of the world. Iquitos is surrounded by 500 miles of jungles, rivers and swamps. No roads dare cross the flood plains of the Amazon River. The Andes Mountains are hundreds of miles to the west. The Atlantic Ocean is 2,000 miles to the east.
Until the government built an airport here, the only connection to the rest of the world was several weeks on a riverboat. No railroads, highways, or power lines can reach Iquitos.
It is hot again...it's always hot...like a summer night in St. Louis. I must be the only sweating. The locals can tell I'm an American. I am dripping from the moment I go outside my motel room until I can return to the artificial climate inside again.
There are political demonstrations downtown and the police have closed about 6 blocks of streets. Nothing violent, just lots of drums and marching. Nothing against the United States. They don't like their new president of Peru. Many of the people here are sad for the USA and the terrorist attacks. They say it has cut their tourism in half.
My $10 motel room is simple but okay. Very basic with a cement floor and the bathroom sink is in the shower. The shower only has cold water because the electric heater on the shower head doesn't work. It doesn't matter because the tap water is about 80 degrees anyway and you don't need hot water.
My room is very clean..no bugs...but I do have a 6 inch lizard that eats them all. I notice the lizard on the walls and curtains sometimes, but he doesn't bother me. I bought a new towel and a small rug to wipe the sand off my shoes. I also bought a scrub brush to wash the bottoms of my shoes each night. The mud in the streets is orange and thick. Similar to pottery clay that dried like concrete.
Monday, October 15, 2001
Jungle Visit
On Sunday I went with Rubby's family to their vacation hut in the jungle. We drove by bus about 30 kilometers to the town of El Dorado. This is a jungle town in a sandy clearing. Many of the houses have thatched roofs and are built on stilts.
We took a hike in the jungle. Very lush and thick. No bugs at all. We went to a swimming hole and the boys jumped in the water. I didn't trust the water because it was very dark like coffee, after being stained from the decaying trees.
The local young men had a soccer tournament against other villages. The whole town lined the simple sand field. When someone kicked the ball out of bounds it rolled 200 feet down to the river. The only bad part of watching the game were the sand fleas. They don't bite bare skin, but they are looking for confined areas. They get into your socks and shoes before biting. My ankles have 10 bites each and they are starting to itch and bleed.
Watching the people in the village was interesting. Very peaceful and relaxed. The village isn't without risk. I met a four year old boy who fell in the open fire pit. He is now missing a hand, a foot and the side of his face.
Even the people in the city are so compatible. I have not heard one loud word spoken in anger. Amazing since the traffic is very intense. Motor taxis play chicken for position and buses expect crowds of people to scatter when they approach. Yet the people just move out of the way and no one says a word. In the United States there would be shouting or at least mean glances.
Sunday, October 15, 2001
Night Visitor
Tonight I stayed at a rural resort area in the jungle. There were bungalow cabins to sleep in. Each cabin had a cot type bed and a small indoor bathroom. The windows were covered with screens.
I went into the bathroom in the dark. I shut the door and turned on the light. Behind the door about two feet from me was a tarantula spider as big as my hand. I had heard they are harmless to most humans unless provoked. My first response wasn't to provoke the spider but to get out of the tiny bathroom. Now with my pants around my ankles I couldn't run fast anyway.
I slowly got up and kept watching the spider. It looked like it could wrap itself around a baseball. I found two pieces of stiff cardboard and opened the outside screen door of the cabin. I scooped up the spider and flung it back out into the jungle. I closed the door and noticed the large gap between the door and floor. I didn't sleep well the rest of the night.
Wednesday, October 17, 2001
Joe the Shoeshine Boy
I have met a few friends here. There is a shoeshine boy named Joe who speaks some English. His mother lives in the jungle and he came to the city to go to school and earn some money working. He lives with some other kids in a shack house. He seems smart and street wise but a nice boy. He wants to upgrade from shining shoes to being a candy vendor. He wanted me to help him buy cigarettes to sell. I told him no...he shouldn't be selling cigarettes.
I asked him if he was hungry. He said he hadn't eaten for one day. So I took him to the grocery store. He picked out pasta, canned tuna, bag of rice, potatoes, shampoo and tooth paste to take home to use. It cost me about $10, but it was more than he makes in a week.
Thursday, October 18, 2001
Wood and Supplies
I bought a crude handsaw made in Brazil. There are a lot of imitation products here using American logos but slightly different names. The tools use the "Stanley" logo but are called "Standard". Cameras have the "Canon" logo but are called "Cannon". Leather boots have the "Harley Davidson" logo but are called "Barley Davidson". Most of these imitation products are poor reproductions and questionable quality. You have to look twice if you are looking for authentic American brands.
I am making some beds in Rubby's house. Flor de Luna and Rubby now share a narrow single bed. The two boys and the mother share a double bed. Her father with tuberculosis sleeps in another room.
There is a lot of cheap wood sold along the roadside. I bought three, 16 foot long mahogany boards that are 10 inches wide for $1 each. A similar board in America would cost $25 for pine or $50 for mahogany. The bed frames are crude, but now everyone has their own single bed.
There are many good craftsmen here. They build good, simple, rough furniture from solid plank wood. A chest of drawers cost $75 and a china cabinet costs $150. If there was a good way to export it, there would be market for their style of furniture. The cement masons are also very good and work for about $2 an hour. They take their time and do a nice job of making a perfectly smooth finish.
There are actually a lot of good stores here. Most store fronts are 15 feet wide and crammed with goods. Some of it is junk but there are many nice stores selling American equipment. The hard part for me is finding the correct store. They all look the same from the outside. The main business area is 10 blocks by 6 blocks. That is 60 square blocks with 10 stores on each side of the street. So that is about 240 business.
It is like the Mall of America except the road is packed with motor taxis and people. All moving like a school of fish. I am learning how to move with the crowd and stay of of the way of traffic.
Friday, October 19, 2001
Power Blackout
I was typing this letter at the local internet cafe when the electricity went off. Total darkness followed soon after. My computer went blank and my story was lost for the 4th time into Cyber space.
Only the motor taxi headlights could be seen in the street. I sat in the packed room with 20 people waiting for the power to return. After 5 minutes people started to leave and the counter clerk lit a candle to collect the money. It costs about 60 cents per hour to use the internet here and everyone wants to get their moneys worth, so they left slowly.
I stayed, since I didn't want to go out into the city. I usually feel pretty safe walking by myself, but I have started to be a little more aware of some neighborhoods. I haven´t had any problems except the money changer venders could deal and shuffle cards in Las Vegas. They can count you out $100 and you only end up with $80. I have had to remind them to be more careful with their counting...so they don´t make mistakes.
After 10 minutes the lights came on. The computers restarted. I found a different computer with letters on the keys. I am back writing this letter... again. If it bombs before I send it...you will never know.
Saturday, October 21, 2001
Roof Gutters
The past few days we have been working on installing roof drain gutters on Rubby´s house. When it rains on the tin roof the water drains into the street. The street floods and the water comes back into the house. People then build a levy dam in front of their house to divert the water to their neighbor's. The house with the tallest levy wins.
We dug a drain ditch along the front of the house to divert the water into a larger ditch beside the house. The roof gutters will dump into the side ditch. Hopefully keeping the street dry in front of their house.
Two workers came to help make the gutters. They bent the flat sheet metal into industrial size gutters suitable for a factory. Actually the workers are pretty good craftsmen. They soldered all the joints and fixed the tin roof too. All together the 2 day project cost $57 dollars with labor and materials.
Sunday, October 21, 2001
Rubby's Water
Rubby's family get their water from a hand dug well in the back yard. The well is about four feet deep and located about 20 feet from the open sewer ditch. Their house is unique because they have their own well. Most of the neighbors dip their water from a rain run-off ditch before it drains into the sewer ditch. Most Americans never consider where their water comes from each day. Here people spend a lot of time collecting water and hoping it came from a clean source.
Each day Rubby's brothers bring water from the well into the house in buckets and fill the large plastic barrels in the kitchen and bathroom. All the water they use for cooking, laundry, showering or flushing the toilet comes from these barrels. Their new indoor sewer system does have a toilet that they pour water into. The sewage then drains back to the open ditch in the backyard.
If they want to shower they can stand on the tile floor drain and pour water over their heads with a smaller pail. Rubby's family is very clean and sometimes shower in the morning, afternoon and night. Since they need to ration their water they learned how to shower with less than one gallon of water from the barrel.
Rubby's house was built as part of the shanty town 20 years ago. Her family has made some improvements like adding plaster walls and some concrete floors. They still have pieces of cardboard boxes lining the rafter walls. I noticed the boxes because they had our PAC Tour labels on them from tools shipments I sent her father last year.
Rubby's mother washes all the family clothes in a shallow plastic basin. She uses a hand scrub brush and systematically scrubs every inch of clothing. They avoid using white fabric because it is difficult to wash. Rubby likes turquoise blue for most of her clothes.
Their clothes are hung on a rope in the backyard to dry. Everything dries slowly in the jungle humidity. The waste water is poured on the dirt floor of the house to keep down the dust and harden into a firm clay. Washing the family's clothes takes about an hour everyday and five gallons of water. I am always amazed at how clean everyone looks.
Monday, October 22
Joe Visits the Hospital
Joe the shoeshine boy, I met a few days ago, was complaining of pain in his crotch (penis). He said he had an infection down there from a mosquito bite and needed to see a doctor. Today we went to the hospital. The building had a walk up area where the doctor can make a quick examination and send you to the proper line for medicine.
Joe and I were sent to wait in the hallway for sexual diseases. At least that is where I think we were, based on the posters on the wall. Everyone in line kept looking at me. I had to keep explaining I was just there to help Joe. After an embarrassing 30 minute wait Joe received an injection and some penicillin. It cost about $10 for treatment. I told Joe he needs to be more careful about which mosquitoes he exposes himself to.
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
Building Stairs
I have been building a back porch stairs at Rubby's house. The boys carry water from the well and it is quite a jump from the ground to the door. I am adding 5 steps where there used to be two.
I bought all the boards first, then designed the stairs to fit. It turned into an all day project because I had to cut notches in all the diagonal braces. The wood was wet and the saw was binding on every stroke. I had to rebend the teeth of the saw to make a wider cut so the blade wouldn't stick. The finished stairs worked okay and should make walking into the house easier.
Wednesday, October 24
History of Iquitos
I met an interesting fellow named Bill who moved to Iquitos 30 years ago. He had a fine job as a naturalist guide and made good money in Peru. When he moved to Iquitos he built a nice modern house on the edge of town in the jungle. He owned over 10 acres of land. Iquitos had 100,000 people and everyone had a decent job.
In the 1970s oil was discovered near Iquitos. The oil companies were paying for cheap labor. Within 10 years Iquitos had grown to 500,000 people. Most of the people could not find work or a place to live. The president of Peru said people had the right to settle on unused land. Even if someone owned the land, and did not have building on it... it was considered unused land.
When the Holiday Inn Hotel closed near the airport a thousand people pitched their tents and made a shanty town on the 20 acres of property. The government ruled that the people had the right to live there since the Hotel closed. Holiday Inn could not sell the property to a new hotel owner.
Bill had a similar problem with his land. Bill divided his land into 50 foot by 100 foot lots and sold them for $75 to anyone who would build a permanent house. All his land was soon sold near his house but the shanty towns surrounded his area. Even where there were swamps the shanty town was built on stilts. This is similar to how the houses were built where Rubby lives.
Raw sewage was everywhere and polluted Bill's well. He had to pipe in fresh water from the city. The same thing happened all over Iquitos as the town area tripled in size. The unemployment rate was over 80% and most people had to find basic jobs selling bananas or fruits for a few dollars per day. Most of the well educated and successful tour guides I know are happy to make $20 per day.
The good thing is, there are few bugs. Even with all the street garbage there are few flies, knats or mosquitoes. I walked many miles at night and have not received one mosquito bite in two weeks.
Thursday, October 25, 2001
Stuck in the Bathroom
Last night I was at a restaurant. I felt a touch of diareaha coming on so I went to the bathroom. The men's room door was locked. I tried it again a few minutes later...it was still locked. It was starting to rain hard outside so I was it no hurry to leave. The people sitting at the table near the washrooms could see I was getting desperate by my frequent visits to try the door.
Finally I noticed the door was ajar. I went into the one hole room in a hurry. When I tried to leave the door was locked. I knocked and shook the door but no one could hear me.
The only way out was over the nine foot dividing room into the women's room. I jumped up and pulled myself up far enough to see into the women's room. There was no one there. I had been training for the Inca Trail back packing hike by doing 50-100 pull ups a day. Now I needed all my arm strength to pull myself over the top of the wall and lowered myself into the ladies room.
When I walked out the door the table of people next door wondered where I had come from. Now before I shut the door, I always check the lock and toilet paper supply.
I feel in good health and my foot blisters are fine. I am still making the four mile walk each way to Rubby's house in the morning and afternoon. I stop by the same street vender each day and buy some of her ice tea. It tastes horrid, like it is made from Oak leaves and beef bouillon. But it is ice cold and a good place to stop for a drink. In the afternoon her ice has melted, but the tea still tastes as bad.
Friday, October 26, 2001
Rock Concert
We had four dry days here, but it rained hard this afternoon for two hours. There was a street festival that was rained out.
Tonight I went to a music concert with Rubby and her sister. It was outside at a soccer stadium. We got there early so we were close to the stage. Later it was so packed with people we couldn't move. Rebecca would have liked the dancing and street party atmosphere.
Between songs the singers threw prizes into the crowd. I out rebounded all the five foot tall Peruvian people and won a bag of potato chips.
There were three famous south American groups playing. The main group was a girl band similar to the... SPICE GIRLS. We were there 3 hours but most of the Latin songs sounded the same to me. Tickets cost $2 so this was cheap fun and a different kind of night.
Saturday, October 27, 2001
Zoo and Iquitos Jobs
Today we went to the jungle zoo. Not like American zoos. You can stick your fingers in the jaguar cages here. There was a swimming beach at the river. The water was about 90 degrees. It was great swimming. Most people here do not know how to swim, and they were amazed to see me padding around swimming the back stroke.
There are Piranha flesh eating fish here. They will not bite unless they smell blood. Urinating in the water has the same attraction as bleeding. I kept remembering this while swimming with 100 little kids.
I have met a lot of new people here. Most of them seem very friendly and not trying to take advantage of me. I have learned to be careful about my money and I act like a modest American. Sometimes I treat my friends to dinner and learn a lot about the local culture.
Sunday, October 28, 2001
House Dancing
People are very proud of their homes. Everyone wants me to visit them. I was skeptical of going into the rural neighborhoods at first. Now I know my way around a little and feel safe as long as there are children playing in the street.
A basic house is smaller than a 2 car garage. The open beam ceiling is usually shared by several neighbors. The walls are made of plywood dividers. The bathroom is usually an outhouse in back. Each house plays their radio as loud as possible so the whole street is a collection of music radiating from the open windows.
Most houses have some electricity for their radio, TV, and 2 lights. I was at one house that had a refrigerator they were very proud of. It turns out during the day they open the front window and their house becomes a store front and they sell sodas from the window.
I was at one house visiting a family at 9:00 pm and all the mothers started bringing their children over to see me... "the American". Soon the house was filled with kids and they were dancing to the disco music. They wanted to have a dance contest and for me to be the judge. It was really funny to see 6 year olds break dancing like they were on "Soul Train".
I am learning some things about building construction. Every time I make something it takes about 4 times longer than at home. I miss my workshop, but I also miss having good basic hand tools. The wood here is always wet and green, so cutting it with a handsaw is sticky and frustrating. It is best to buy the wood first and make the project fit the size of the boards to minimize cutting it.
There are no rocks in the rain forest here for mixing cement. People use old tile and bricks from demolished buildings. The problem here is that they have to mix their cement by hand. It is hard work and there are many workers needed to make enough cement to build a wall or sidewalk.
Monday, October 29, 2001
Building the Deck
Rubby's mother decided to add on to the back deck of their craft booth downtown. In October the Amazon River is low and it is 18 feet to the bare ground below. During April, in high water season the the river is up to the deck.
We started building the deck by adding four more 20 foot long poles stuck a few feet into the ground. Some local carpenters came to help and they climbed like monkeys up the poles. They added cross braces made from smaller 3 inch diameter poles.
The whole project looked like a pile of Tinker Toys held together with twine and nails. I was doubtful that the deck could support the weight of one person. I wanted to add more wooden beams and support the floor boards with better lumber. When I suggested that the carpenters use more wood they said Rubby's mother didn't want to increase the cost of the deck. She said the neighbors made a similar deck and it was fine.
I looked at all the other decks and I was amazed they didn't fall down when the river flooded the area. But this is how people were used to making decks. I asked the carpenter how much it would cost to add several more floor braces to the project. He said it would cost $5 for three more eight foot beams.
From building this deck I learned that most people in Peru will only construct the minimum to get by. A $5 increase in cost is a huge investment for them. In the future I will need to consider the total cost verses quality more carefully.
If I help someone by buying them building materials or clothes I found it is best to be discreet. Otherwise someone else starts to look for a handout. I can't afford to help and make a huge difference in someone's life. I need to help just a little where it will do some good.
Tuesday, October 30, 2001
Photo Night
I have been in Iquitos, Peru about two and a half weeks now. It has really changed the way I look at problems and how people deal with problems in their own life.
I hate to dwell on the poverty and poor economy here because the country has so many other positive things to offer. As an American, to see how people deal without basic items is very amazing and inspiring.
I tend to hang out on the streets and meet the people there. I know people who live very basic. I am sure someone in this town has money, because there are ATM machines.
No one I know has a ATM card or probably no more than $10 in cash savings. I feel like a hypocrite if I pretend to understand how the people live here. I always have some money in my pocket and I have an airline ticket home to a nice house. Until I am unsure if I will eat tomorrow, will I begin to understand what it is like to live here.
I have become good friends with several families. Every night I am invited over to one of the family´s house for dancing to the radio. Tonight I was there again. Within minutes of my arrival the small room was packed with 20 people. Most of them were kids age 6 to 14. I had my camera and we had portrait night. Many of the kids do not own a photo of themselves. I will get the photos developed tomorrow at KODAK and give them to the kids on Thursday.
When I walk through the fish market in the morning I like to take photos of the mothers and babies. A few days later I get the photos developed and give them back to the families. Everyone is always surprised to receive a photo. This is how I got to meet many people because they usually ask me to visit their house to have a glass of tea.
If you visit someone's house it is considered bad manners for you to remain standing if they are sitting. They will offer you their chair or get you a stool to sit down on. Even if I was meeting someone for a few minutes they would insist on me sitting down first, before they would talk to me.
Wednesday, October 31
Shopping With a Clown
I see some of the same people each day. Sometimes I carry my tools and wood saw. I think they accept me as a regular worker...not as a tourist. I see the family that sells the horrid ice tea everyday. They don´t speak a word of English. We write translated messages on my note pad and draw pictures.
I do not think the kids go to school because they cannot afford the $5 per month entrance fee. I tried to explain that I was a carpenter helping friends build their beds. Two of the girls said they did not have beds. They asked if I could help build them a bed to share and how much would it cost.
I calculated the lumber cost and mattress price and said it would be about $30 to $40 depending on how good a mattress they wanted. Their mother shook her head, no...not now. I could see their disappointment but I told them I had a better idea for getting a bed before I left town in a few days.
I had been looking at the family furniture stores that make their own beds at a low price. I asked the girls and their mom if they wanted to go bed shopping in the morning. They said they had no money to buy a bed either. I told them it wouldn't hurt to look and get some prices.
The next day we met to take the moto taxi into town. Everyday at their street corner there are several mime clowns who perform. One of them is named Austin and he speaks some English. The mother asked this clown to join us for our shopping trip. So we all crammed into a motorcycle taxi and headed for town, with a clown sitting between us.
When we got to the furniture store the clown attracted more attention than us. We walked between the rows of handmade beds and the girls looked for the right one. The clown was doing his mine routine for the people and then talking prices with the salesman. The girls asked if they could get a double bed to share instead of a single bed. I thought that was a good idea.
After about 15 minutes they found the one they liked. It was bolted together and looked very strong. The clown negotiated the price and the bed would cost $35 with delivery. The salesman said he would disassemble it in have it ready in 10 minutes. I told the mother I thought the price was good and I would pay for the bed. It was actually cheaper for me than building a bed from scratch.
We loaded the mattress on the canopy of the moto taxi and put the bed frame boards across the back. Then we all headed back to their house to assemble the bed. We followed a maze of dirt trails into their back neighborhood. The houses here are made from weathered barn wood that are tacked together with plenty of spaces between the boards. If you can imagine an old, dirty poorly built pig barn...that is how the houses looked.
Now, remember the clown is still with us.
We drive through the streets and the neighbors are coming out see the clown. We arrive at the house and all these people start helping unload the moto taxi. The clown and I just stood and watched. The whole experience was kind of like a dream. The family didn't speak any English, but the clown kept telling me..."they can not believe they have a bed".
The clown and I said goodbye to the family and walked back to the main paved street. The clown got on the next bus to work his mime routine for the passengers. It was hot again.
I walked one hour back into town. Along the way I bought a whole coconut and drank the milk from a straw, then had a plate of rice from a street vender. I took some photos of vulchers eating street garbage. Later I met some local students that said they spoke good English. I asked them if they could recite Shakespeare.
Thursday, November 1, 2001
Time to Leave
Today I fly back to Lima to begin our bicycle tour over the Andes Mountains and then to hike the Inca Trail. I will be traveling for the next 20 days. My time working here in Iquitos has been one of the best experiences of my life. Each day has been different and memorable. I hope to return again someday with more jobs to complete and people to meet.
Lon