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December 2nd, 2003
Howdy once again-
So once again I sit and write… wasting time just out of spite… cause I’ve got so much homework I really should do tonight.
But here I will remain sitting and typing… even though my professors will be griping… cause I already missed two weeks of school… so I could have
a stinkin’ incredible adventure into the perilous jungles of Colombia and Peru… but although I’m back safe and sound, my final duty remaining from traveling is to write this letter and make you all insanely jealous that you weren’t there…
or for some, to make you happy that you weren’t.
And of course I hope you all are still alive and well… although it sure would be nice to know for sure, instead of just hoping. (Guilt trip for those
who haven’t written for a while.) All’s well here… I’m just working my booty off to catch up on all the work I missed, but it should be fine.
Ok… required info… blah… school’s fine… classes are good (for
the most part)… partying’s better (just kidding, of course)… the Secaira family is doing well (the parents just took off for the week to travel to Argentina… taking advantage of their crappy economy and all… so the grandmother is here
staying with us… which means we get spoiled rotten with good food… wooohooo.)
Other than that everything’s normal… or getting back to normal after traveling. The only relatively new bit of info is that I’m now seeing this
Ecuadorian girl named Cecelia (for any of you who are familiar with the Simon & Garfunkel song… this relationship is nothing like it… knock on wood…). We have a lot of fun together and she’s patient enough to talk to me despite my crappy
Spanish… so it’s nice. She’s finishing up her 4th year of graphic design and doing at a 5th year to double major in advertising. So yeah… that has nothing to do with anything I’m studying… kinda funny… but it’s
definitely not a problem. Anyway… they say the best way to learn a language is to date a native speaker (ok… well, I really don’t know if anyone says that but it sounds good to me).
Ok well enough chitchat… time to document the great adventure (and it was indeed an adventure. no exaggeration). So get out your map… or else just
skip down to about page 5 (in retrospect: I mean that literally. This is insanely long…) for the conclusion.
And the journey began… 9 pm October 29th, when the adventurers David Krafft “el Gringo” May de Martinsville and faithful friend and
professional B.S. artist Jennifer blah blah Law del “jolly ol’ England but rudely transplanted into the backwoods of Va” (quite a title...) loaded into a night bus bound for Coca in the eastern
rainforest region of Ecuador. Arriving some 8 hours later, our story’s heroes were about to realize exactly how screwed they really were…
Upon arriving in the morning, we made our way down to the infamous (at least for us it was) Rio Napo, that would be our means of travel and source of
frustration for about the next 7 days. At the dock we asked about boats heading toward the Peruvian border and were informed that there was a canoe leaving within the hour, and maybe a faster motor boat a few hours later if they could round up
20 people that wanted to go. (So here we have clue #1 that David and Jenny are in for some difficulties… happily ignored of course.) Luckily (you will notice that luck plays a hefty role in this story…) they found enough people to fill the boat
(keep in mind that in S. America, filling a vehicle usually means doubling the maximum weight capacity) and roughly 2 hours after departure time, we departed.
About 6 hours later we docked at the town Nuevo Rocafuerte, the last village in Ecuador before Peru (later we found out that the canoe with motor
thingy that we could have gone in took about 28 hours to get there… pure luck that we didn’t take that one). We ran into a Danish guy and an Ecuadorian traveling with his polish friend (we found out it’s really easy to “run into people” in
towns that only have 1 or 2 streets… and we never did figure out why they had streets seeing as there were no cars… that’s S. America for you) and made arrangements to sleep on someone’s floor for the night. The next day, after seemingly
endless bartering, we managed to hire a guy to take us another 2 hours down the river into Peru (once again… luck, that we met those guys so we could split costs), thinking there was a big boat we could catch to go all the way down the river.
However after wasting about 45 minutes looking for the immigration officer in and around the office (and eventually having to scream and yell to wake him up in one of the rooms of the office) and then more formalities/bureaucracy for the boat… we
ended up missing the boat at the next town down.
Soo… there we were in the village of Pantoja, Peru where we couldn’t buy packaged foods or bottled water… but it really didn’t matter anyway
because we couldn’t exchange our dollars for Peruvian pesos and no one would have change for a bill bigger than $5 if that. So being the gourmet chefs that we are, we used my nimbus 2000 super-duper powered camp stove to make chifles (potato chip
like thingys) made with plantains we found on the ground (and with oil we bummed off a nice old lady), and then fried an onion and some eggs that we bought for about 70 cents change. We mixed up some Tang and sat down to feast (it really was good…
I was surprised too).
Now with bellies full, we at least didn’t mind as much that we were stranded hopelessly in the middle of the Peruvian jungle with literally no way
out. But once again the gods dedicated to dumb-ass travelers smiled down on us, and through pure, stupid, blind stinking LUCK… we overheard that there were 2 guys in town for just the day and they were heading down the river. So later that night we
talked to these 2 guys that worked in Iquitos, Peru (the capital of the Amazonas province of Peru and the place we were trying desperately to get to) for a government program called the Defensoria del Pueblo that protects the rights of the people
(principally indigenous) living in really isolated places, like the Amazon rainforest. So they were traveling down the river, stopping at different villages and talking to people… doing their job, and they offered to take us all the way to Iquitos
(3 days because of the stops) having us pay only for gas for the boat (a real deal). So the next day got up and left by 9am, got to the next village in about 3 hours, and went exploring for the rest of the day.
So… on only the third day of our adventure we docked at the village of Angoteros, and were surprised (…we obviously hadn’t been reading the irony
and dark foreshadowing thickly spread throughout this novel) that upon asking where we might get bottled water and food the reply was… “food… water… difficult.” So for lunch we wandered around town asking who might be willing to make us
some food for a dollar. We finally found someone that had a little extra, so Jenny, Miguel (the Dane) and I climbed up the steep stairs of this house on stilts with a type of palm frond thatched roof slightly nervous about what might await us. The
house consisted of 2 rooms… the front room having about 3.5 walls and the back having 2 (the houses were on stilts because in the rainy season the whole Amazon river basin floods). So we went into the back room and sat down at a table while about 6
children and the husband and wife were kind enough to serve as our audience on the other side of the room 10 feet away. We ate umm… this stuff… that supposedly is hunted a few hours deeper into the forest and was about the equivalent to a guinea
pig on steroids (23 lbs they said), with rice and some sort of soup. Whatever it was, it was really good and we were really hungry and it could have been worms for all we cared. So with bellies full of mystery meat, we went to explore the village. We
hiked around a bit, swam and I futilely attempted another 5 minutes of fishing (patience isn’t one of my strong points). For dinner we once again used our ingenuity to construct a meal of plantains bummed off of a nice indigenous lady in a house on
stilts without walls and also mixed up some tang. Then after making a fool of myself for about 30 minutes trying to talk in Quichua to a little kid from the village, we strung up our hammocks in the boat and slept amazingly well.
The next day we headed downstream to the town of San Clotilde, which was exciting because it was the capital of one of the districts in the Amazon
province of Peru (the title “capital”, we would soon learn, was slightly misleading… meaning that they had electricity from 6pm until 11pm, as opposed to until 9pm in the other villages). So we hung around the town, ran into a guy that had a
pet monkey and a baby nutria (otter like mammal) that we played with, and bought food and water for the first time in what seemed like forever. We made dinner (pretty much the same stuff as every night…) with an appreciative audience of some 10
kids and then walked around a bit. Later we bought a bottle of the local sugar cane based firewater to try (served out of a plastic trash can into an empty unwashed plastic soda bottle gathered off the floor) and we hung out, talking with the locals
until the power went off and we wandered back to boat that we now called home.
On what would hopefully be the last day of our journey to Iquitos the gods changed their mind. About halfway to our destination the motor decided to
make its peace with this world and left us stranded on the bank of the Amazon, a long way from nowhere. Finally, after borrowing a canoe to go up to the closest village, the driver came back and picked us up in a different boat and we arrived that
night in a town close to Iquitos, cold, wet and hungry. The next day we finally arrived in Iquitos.
Iquitos… Iquitos… where to begin… It was founded by Jesuit missionaries who were trying to convert people who didn’t see any need to be
converted, in a land that they would have seen was already filled with the miracles of their god if they had ever opened their eyes and looked. In short… it was poor, noisy and ugly. The best description we could come up with was a rainforest
village that grew to disgustingly large proportions. With a population of 500,000; it is the largest city in the world that isn’t connected to any other cities by road. Travel is either by boat or by plane. Thanks to this… there are very few
cars. However, the population has made due with thousands of very dirty, very noisy motorcycles and scooters. So… at about 5am we were woken up with the noise of lovely machines that the missionaries so kindly (and of course unconsciously and a few
years later) introduced along with their god. Arrgh… civilization stinks.
So we only stayed one day. We ate lunch with Diego and later that night went out with him and Jose (the 2 guys whose boat we were riding in) and a few
of their friends (really neat guys). The next day Jenny and I hopped a plane over to Leticia, Colombia at the “Triple border” of Peru, Colombia and Brazil. We decided that if we really wanted to get lost deep in the jungle it was now or never. So
we did some investigating at travel/tour agencies and discovered (surprise, surprise) that we were screwed. We had neither the time nor the money to do anything organized. Sooo… David did what he does best… and gave travel agency lady the
“We’re poor knucklehead students” sob story. To our amazement, she was actually willing to help us, and she informed us of a boat that went daily into the Colombian park Amacayacu.
So off we were once again… ready for whatever might and most likely would kick us in the rear. We arrived in the park and quickly realized that we
were in for something completely different than what we had expected. The park entrance/office area was really nice with rangers, sleeping quarters and a cafeteria… obviously set up for travelers who weren’t on such a tight budget. So our dilemma
was that… according to the park officials walking in the rainforest on unmarked trails with venomous snakes, leopards and such, can be dangerous, especially at night. So we weren’t allowed to go anywhere outside of the headquarters alone… which
meant that we had to have a guide… which meant that we had to pay them… which meant that once again… we were in a tight spot.
So jenny and I sat down and calculated expenses (since there was no way to get out more money than what we had brought to the park) to figure out how
to do the most for the longest amount of time with the money we had (I think we ended up getting back to Leticia with about $2… close calculating). The park officials were frustratingly useless… I suppose they counted us as just another pair of
rich tourists with money to throw at them, but in the end we settled on a plan. The next morning we left with an indigenous guide from the Ticuna tribe (Colombia is a country of incredible diversity in peoples, as well as geography and wildlife,
which in my opinion is why it’s having so much trouble organizing itself into one country. Really a tragedy considering all it has to offer). The Ticunas (in an unrelated language group from the Quichuas/Quechuas who are right next door) are a
special situation, being situated in the middle of a national park. They have an arrangement where they conserve their traditional way of living and their oral traditions and they provide the park with guides that rarely get lost, and in exchange the
park protects them and gives them a cut of the profits. So our guide took us for a 3 hour hike to the closest Ticuna village, explaining to us along the way the different uses of the plants and identifying animals. Incredible.
At the village we paid a native to make us a little lunch and also to make us a dinner to take with us, and off we were with another guide to spend the
night in the forest. Victor, an ancient and slightly rickety Ticuna, led us at a slow ambling pace for about 3 more hours until we reached an little shelter where we strung up our hammocks. We rested for an hour and then headed off at dusk to explore
some more. The night hike was awesome. The jungle completely transforms into a cacophony of new sounds (some quite scary) as some things go to sleep and others wake up. We saw a few frogs and tons of huge insects. Victor also took the opportunity to
show us how they made light before the conquistadors brought oil. He took the almost solid sap oozing out of a certain type of tree, wrapped it in a green leaf, stuck it in a stick that he had spliced and lit it with a match (yeah… so the match
wasn’t too impressive). It took fire rapidly and gave off a light better than our flashlights. The leaf around the sap slowed down the burning so it would last longer. Cool stuff.
The next day (after spending almost all night smacking at mosquitoes that somehow managed to creep into our mosquito nets) we headed back to the
village. It really was amazing to have Victor explain to us how almost every tree/plant/animal had a use. He showed us a tree whose bark was removed and beaten until soft to make their hammocks, a moss growing on a tree that would stop the bleeding
when applied to a wound and a flower that was put in a tea to drink in the case of a snakebite. Now, with officially no money whatsoever, we headed back to Leticia. We made friends with a Colombian hippie and his Dutch girlfriend who were wrapping up
almost a year of traveling around South America, and hung out with them that night… more really interesting people.
One noteworthy event… simply because some people joke about it… let it be known that YES, David and Jenny did indeed contract a strange tropical
disease. Hopefully I’ll have the pictures up on the web site soon… but yeah. We both got what the pharmacist described as some sort of jungle chigger. Literally from head to toe. And wooohooo… that stuff itched something serious. I know the
locals got a kick out of the red speckled gringos walking down the street, discreetly scratching their rears at every step. So we got some body wash medication stuff to use in the shower from the pharmacy in Leticia, and inevitable funny (or rather
embarrassing) moment came when David, from the shower, had to cry meekly, “Jeeeeennny, help!… I can’t reach my back…” So yeah… a true bonding experience.
The next day, Monday, Nov. 10th I think, after about 12 days of traveling we decided that our
allotted time of skipping classes was about over. We went to the airport to see if had any chance of ever getting back to Quito (by this point we were becoming skeptical as to whether this would be possible or not), and found out that we could get a
flight to Bogotá, Colombia and then to Quito. We arrived in Bogotá that evening and managed to find the most tourist filled hostel in the metropolis of 7 million (Quito is 1.5 million…). We walked around town for a bit, and I waited and laughed
while Jenny tried on and bought new pants; having successfully destroyed her current pair while traveling. For my birthday Jenny bought me a nifty new tongue ring which was really cool (I can totally picture Dad’s face as he reads this…haha).
Later we headed back to the hostel and ended up hanging out with the backpackers all evening. It was slightly strange to run into so many stereotypical travelers after traveling for almost 2 weeks an not seeing anyone. Kind of a surreal atmosphere to
still be traveling but to be in the presence of every country but the one we were in. But anywho… we had fun talking to a few French guys, some brits, a guy from Australia, a New Zealander, an Israeli… and probably some more that I’ve
forgotten. Tuesday morning, since our flight didn’t leave until 4pm, we went up in a cable car to the top of one of the mountains that over looked the city. Only then did we realize how stinking MASSIVE Bogotá really was. The mountains seem to
suddenly drop off into a flat mountain valley that is the city, extending as far as you can see. The city doesn’t really appear to be in between the mountains, but rather the mountains pushed to the side by the city. Enormous! We got back into
Quito that evening and spent the rest of the night trying to explain (in Spanish mind you) all the amazing adventures we had had to our respective families.
So there it is… the great adventure… in brief (if you believe it).
I’d like to thank Mom (because it’s required that you read all this…haha) and any other brave masochistic soul that felt compelled to read this in its entirety. I hope it
provoked at least a smile to imagine us wandering aimlessly throughout the Peruvian rainforest… and not really caring at all if we ever got home.
Well since this I’m sending this a few weeks after getting back I may as well fill you in on what’s been going on recently. Two weekends ago I week
with my mountaineering class to the volcano Cayambe. We hiked around and played on the glacier, practicing techniques we would need for future climbs. It was incredible (I promise to get the pictures up soon). I also got my first taste of ice
climbing… and I loved it. (Mom and Dad beware… ice axes and crampons maybe on next years Christmas list…hehe)
So after (supposedly) learning everything there was to know about climbing mountains, we left the following weekend (Nov. 29-30) to go climb the north
face of the volcano Cotopaxi. Cotopaxi (about 50 km south of Quito) at 5897m (about 18,000 ft I think) is the highest active volcano in the world and Ecuador’s 2nd highest peak. Although not a very technical climb… it was as tough as
something that’s really tough. We went up in groups of 4…1 rope per group, and I received the honor of being in the first position of my group. Meaning that I (supposedly) was the most experienced… and wouldn’t fall and would be the fastest
to react if someone did fall. I was overcome with the warm feeling flattery that I was esteemed responsible enough… and also the warm feeling of wanting to sprint to the bathroom. Fortunately I managed to keep down my dinner, and we managed to get
up and down without a hitch. We got to the mountain refuge at about 1pm Saturday, ate lunch, and laid down for a nap. At 12 midnight we all got up, got dressed, ate quickly and by 1am we were on our way up the mountain. My group made it to the top in
about 6 hours, summiting right after sunrise at about 7am, and we were back down to the refuge before 11am (when the sun starts melting the snow/ice and climbing gets really dangerous). Needless to say after 10 hours of climbing we were all about
dead. (but to give you a comparison… people who are in good shape can make it to the top in 3.5 hours and back down in 2) We got back to the refuge, laid down, and passed out until it was time to hike back down to where the truck was supposed to
meet us to take us home.
So I suppose it doesn’t sound like much fun… but it was incredible. We definitely pushed ourselves close to the limit… and once again… pictures
will be up as soon as possible. Oh… and I’m probably going to be going up again this weekend (Dec. 4-6) because we’re doing the south face, which is longer, less traveled and reportedly beautiful. Wish me luck…
Now looking into the future… school is wrapping up in about 2 weeks and Dec. 14th I’m leaving with my Ecology class for the Galapagos
archipelago for a week. We get back around the 22nd and after that I’ll hopefully be traveling down to Chile, Argentina and Uruguay until classes start in January.
One other thing… I’m currently looking for an apartment for next semester, so it’s best to mail anything anyone may want to mail to my
university.
David May – Va Tech
c/o Programas Internacionales
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
PO Box 17-12-841
Quito, Ecuador
Finally... my website is now updated and will hopefully continue to be updated regularly from now on (with the exception of when I’m traveling). Note
that the “friends” link still doesn’t work seeing as I don’t have any… or at least don’t have any pictures of them. So go check it out… I even put up captions. And let me know if there’s any other info or whatever that I should put
up.
www.angelfire.com/apes/yesweare
Please stay in touch. I miss you all. Come visit me! Take care.
Love, David May
