Final destinations

Since I last wrote you from Sepahua, I have traveled to Atalaya, six and a half hours in a boat with an outboard motor; to Satipo, eight hours in a 4x4 truck; and to Lima, nearly thirteen hours in a double-decker bus -- I arrived here last night around 9PM.  All the sites I have visited since my departure from Kitepámpani one week ago have been for the sole purpose of further familiarizing myself with the terrain in the southern portion of Peru (and getting back to Lima), this trip taking me from the Department of Cusco (Sp. spelling), through Ucayali, Junín and on to Lima.  One city that I did not visit in this final portion of the trip, but which will likely be of central use to me in the future, is Pucallpa, which lies in the northern portion of the Department of Ucayali, near the border with Loreto, on the Ucayali River.  The fastest way to arrive from Lima to the lower Urubamba river valley is to fly to Pucallpa on regularly scheduled commercial flights, and then to take chartered air transportation to Atalaya (and sometimes even Sepahua, farther up the Urubamba river and nearer to Matsigenka communities).

Atalaya, Ucayali, Peru

Atalaya is considerably more developed than Sepahua, as it is directly reachable by road (see below).  It is one of the main port cities on Peruvian rivers south of Pucallpa.  I stayed at the fairly affluent (three stars) Hotel Atalaya II (s/40/night w/baño propio 'private bath'), diagonal from the local plaza that borders the river.  The rooms were unexpectedly nice (albeit the TV didn't work), quiet and well furnished, i.e., it was actually a hotel, and not a hostal.  I would have stayed two nights in Atalaya if the transports to Satipo didn't leave at 4AM, a departure time I have come to detest in the course of these excursions.  (The apparently non-universal concept of 'gassing up before you leave' has not yet reached Peru -- movilidades 'transports' of all sizes stop, often for long period of time, at gas stations after everyone is crammed into the vehicle.  This becomes problematic at 4AM, when rumoredly 24-hour gas stations are not open, and one has to carouse shady harbor streets at 4AM, waking up families who sell gas privately from their homes.)

The road from Atalaya to Satipo consists of two portions, that from Atalaya to Puerto Ocopa (a small port town on the Tambo River), and that from Puerto Ocopa onwards.  The Atalaya-Puerto Ocopa portion was only opened a few years ago, and as such, still needs significant improvement, one of which being the need to build up parts of the road that currently cross rivers.  In the dry season this is not problematic in a truck, but in the wet season, the road may be impassable with higher water levels.  However, the drive is beautiful, as one descends into narrow, steep gorges with trees and thick undergrowth climbing sheer inclines high above.  The last segment of the trip before one arrives in Puerto Ocopa winds through coffee growing territory, most of which is comercializado 'marketed/traded, etc.' in Satipo.

Atalaya-Puerto Ocopa Road

The Puerto Ocopa-Satipo portion of the road has been around for a longer period of time, and does not transverse as many low-lying areas.  Before the Atalaya-Puerto Ocopa road was opened, one traveled by boat (surprise, I know) along the Tambo River, which joins the Urubamba just downriver from Atalaya to form the Ucayali river, which flows northward all the way into central Loreto, where it joins with the Marañón to form the Amazon proper.  A boat ride to Puerto Ocopa may have actually been the more enjoyable trip in the end, but everything on this trip is a learning experience.

Puerto Ocopa, Junín, Peru

It only takes about two hours (minus stops by the Peruvian military for drug searches) to reach Satipo from Puerto Ocopa, the former being a fairly unexciting but pleasant city of about 15,000 in the central high jungles of the Department of Junín (though much more exciting than Atalaya).  I stayed there two nights, to get some work and done and catch my bearings, at the quite-nice Hotel San Luis, with reasonably speedy internet, new rooms and soap & toilet paper in the bathrooms!  (I am currently working on a field report in Spanish to document what I learned in the portion of my trip in August that took me to the Urituyacu river in search of Omurano speakers.)  After thirteen days without coffee (yes, I was counting), the most beautiful site in Satipo (i.e., not the gorgeous mountains that rise up all around it) was a warehouse filled with large sacks of coffee beans -- and of course, my first cup of coffee.  Satipo is also relatively cheap, with dinner menús at s/3.50 if you look hard enough.

I left Satipo at 8:30AM yesterday (Friday) morning, for the long, ascending trip over the Andes and downward to Lima, passing through such places as La Merced, Tarma, La Oroya, Chosica and Huaycán.  The region west of Satipo (i.e., that reached by a two-lane road that has been paved for several decades, at least from La Merced onwards), is in stark contrast to that stretching eastward, to Atalaya (and Sepahua by boat).  One climbs steeply into the Andean foothills and then into the Andes themselves.  Inhabitants of these cities seem much more in tune with and a part of "mainstream" Peru -- mestizo culture emanating from Lima.  Ways of life are not necessarily different, but general concerns and access to various materials and goods are.  At the highest point of the trip (Ticlio -- 4818m ~ 15,803ft.), it's extremely bleak and snowy, and your breathing and head feel noticeably altered.

Near Ticlio, Junín, Peru

Staying in Lima is always filled with mixed blessings.  The general metropolitan sprawl is hideous (in my opinion), but the colonial areas surrounding the Plaza de Armas and the modern, elite neighborhood of Miraflores are always striking -- internet is also significantly faster.  A favorite spot of mine in central Lima (the city is divided into several other neighborhoods, including San Isidro, Miraflores, Barranco and Monterrico, inter alia) is the Plaza de San Martín, hedged on all sides by old-world architecture that bespeak a time when the streets weren't horrendously littered with trash (as was that on which the agencia of the bus company I rode with was last night) -- or at least that's what old pictures give the impression of.  From here, I fly out tomorrow morning at 6:30AM -- yet another 3AM wake-up call.

Plaza de San Martín, Lima, Peru

I have immensely appreciated the opportunities given to me during this trip to explore widespread, varied and fairly remote areas of Peru, those which I had had no intention of exploring as recently as April.  Many new doors for work have been opened for me, and I have made connections with a good many people that I hope will serve me (personally and professionally) in upcoming years.  That said, I am ready to come home, and look forward to seeing all of you who have been following this very soon.

Arinungandanáhemba [aɾinuŋɡandaˈnahɛmba] -- 'see you' in Kakinte