Friday 11 February 2011

Close to perfection

ok, so the spellcheck has decided to default to spanish again... reader beware.

All the sleep yesterday did it's trick. I awoke ready to enjoy my Tarapoto time.

Breakfast was bread and jam, which is pretty much all you get when it is included with the price of a hostal. It was accompanied by one of the best cups of coffee I have had in a while. Home grown, organic and sold through a local growers group. I am pretty sure I waxed poetic about it last year in one of my posts.

I followed breakfast up with some time dreamin and scheming. Life, you know. How, where, when kind of stuff. Several people have recently given me much to think about, so I will devote time to doing so.

I wanted a walk today, so headed out into familiar territory, upriver towards the waterfall. Suited up in my "crazy Canadian lady"outfit. Remembered my sunscreen, packed my water, poncho, mosquito repelent and camara. The day was overcast and humid, a great day for a walk in the woods.

The flowers were out and resplendent, the river sparkled, and I got to watch a passle of kids having what looked like major fun and games in the water. School is out for summer break, and I guess they have "camp" here too. I occasionally stopped to put my feet and hands in the water for a cooldown. Much needed. Oh the difference a day can make, no?

There was a new checkpoint / entranceway to the footpath that continues upriver at the road's end, and it looks like the intent is to try and raise funds to maintain the areas around the river - that is just a guess though, because it was spanish only on the signs, and I am pretty sure that the guides were trying to communicate to me in Quechua. I just stood there patiently with my make nice smile, and they eventually let me pass. Really, the things I get away with.

I knew that there would be no major hiking for me today. Pacing and all that. It has been a while since I had a good walk and I didn't want to overdo. I took a break at the municipal water control dam, and perused the cliff like walls surrounding me. The crags and pits, the vegetation clinging precariously here and there. Birds nesting. Spider web holes big enough to make me shudder. And the butterflies. Maybe it was the fact that I was wearing a bright blue shirt, but the area seemed to come alive with huge, irridescent blue wonders. (and no, there are no pictures... butterflies are really hard to photograph when they are flying!)

Along came Aldrich from Ohio, and we had a nice chat after he had a wee swim. Another wanderer, although he has put down some roots here. Nice guy. Suprised me when he said he really didn't like the locals. It became clear that he had an expectation that they be more like "us"... Peruvians rarely like to admit they don't know something, and will tell you what they think you want to hear, not what might be true. Comes from a combination of misplaced machismo and a reluctance for confrontation. I have found that letting go of what I expect to be, and just accepting what is, has perhaps allowed me to enjoy the people here more. Because I really like the locals. Friendly, welcoming and helpful, even if the help is sometimes uninformed.

So off went Alrich from Ohio, back to the bario he lives in with his wife and daughter. Our chat did leave me with a warning of sorts... Dengue fever is apparently making it's way around town, and he has just recovered from a bout. No malaria in the area though, which is good news. But I will watch out for the mosquitoes. No need to add more excitement than necessary, no?

I continued my way upriver, crossing the "footbridge", and boulder hopping. I found that my balance is not keen right now, and that put some hesitation into my movements. Didn't like that.

Found a lovely big boulder to perch on to soak up some sunshine that had broken through the clouds. Tried closing my eyes to meditate, but just couldn't give up the grandeur around me. I sat still though and let the mystical to soak into me. Somehow I am usually rewarded with gift of a beautiful moment when I sit still, and this was no exception. Soon the greenery around me was filling up with lovely small dragonflies, bright red bodies in contrast to their black legs and black lacey wings. The air filled with butterflies of many hues and colours, and small fish started wandering the water in front of my perch. It was a wow moment, and I felt as though I had been blessed. I have needed that.

Saw a cute small bright green and black frog making it's way, carrying its tadpoles on it's back. Reminded me of my time poisen dart frog hunting in the amazon. Why not, this is the "amazon light"... supposedly all the good and little of the bad.

Nature was calling by this time, and I scouted out a cleared area to squat and take what must be one of the fastest pees I have ever taken. All the while swatting at the air around the lilly white, exposed mosquito and/or tick fodder, and keeping an eye out for scurring spiders and inquisitive ants. Mission accomplished, I headed back down the path towards town.

On the way home I stopped to buy some Guava from a local that had a huge load of them packaged like firewood and carried on his back. Quechua again. Friendly local woman came out and helped, which allowed me to revist the experience of peeling the pods back to expose the fuzzy white fruit chunks that lie in the pods like peas. Eat the white, spit out the poisen seeds. Repeat. I consider it the ultimate jungle treat.

And yes, this gringa paid way more than she should have. I consider it a "visitor tax", so to speak.

There is soot floating about, a reminder that the jungle still burns.

I made it back to my room, nicely cleaned, and put back up my mosquito netting around the bed.

Had the pleasure of listening to the guy in the room next door do his bathroom duties. He has diarhea and likes to ***** in the morning. Hard not to hear it though because the wall between us only goes up one floor and there are two floors to each room. Lovely really. Hopefully he will check out tomorrow?

I have not yet braved the cold water shower, and have contented myself with sponge baths. Tomorrow I think I will take my shampoo with me and wash my hair in the river. I find cold water is more palatable that way.

And so I will leave you with the vision of me laying in my hammock under a lovely night sky, surrounded by tropical vegetation, typing away on my netbook. Much nicer that the internet cafe next door.

Damn it, I just got bit by a mosquito. See, it is not perfect after all.

:)

No comments:

Post a Comment