In the Jungle!

We left Machu Picchu on Friday and returned to the city of Cuzco that night. At 3:30 the next morning, we got up and boarded a bus that would take us on a 12-hour journey across the Andes to the eastern part of Peru - into the Amazon lowlands.
It was a trip that none of us will ever forget: the bus crawled its way along narrow roads that clung to the edge of mountains all the way, and at very high altitudes. The last part of the trip was by boat, up a big river. We were accompanied by a couple of excellent guides who worked for the Manu Learning Centre, a new education and research centre in a remote part of the jungle area. This is where we stayed for three night, in the full heat of the tropical rainforest.

While we were there, we had some extraordinary cross-cultural exchanges with indigenous peoples from that area. It was fascinating. They have only had contact with outsiders since 1948, and one of the elders in their group recounted in detail what those first experiences were like for the people involved. They showed us how they make their clothing and hunting tools, and let us try their bows and arrows, which they still use for hunting fish, birds, and big game in the dense forest. They also showed us their fishing techniques down at the river.

We shared our culture with them and they were very interested in learning about how Inuit hunt, among other things. Apparently, our visit had a big impact on these people because their experience of outsiders has never been very positive, and we were told that it was the first time they met outsiders who actually showed respect for their culture. they were quite moved by the experience, and showed it with a very generous gifting ceremony where they gave each of us special gifts such as their bows and arrows, neclaces made with jaguar teeth, and articles of their clothing. It was a powerful encounter that will have lasting impacts on everyone involved.