Sunday, May 27, 2012

Earthly Connection – Part 1

Well it has been about two months now that I have been in Perú. I have traveled to many parts and have experienced the different faces. I have experience the Coastal Region culture, the culture of the Andean Region and the cities that have heavy influence of tourism. I am glad to be out of the tourist loop and find myself in another side of Perú. I am currently in the Capital San Martin – the City Moyobamba – which is located at the transition zone where the jungle meets the Andean Mountains.
On my arrival to the department San Martin I was rushed around to get from Tarapoto to Moyobamba by taxi. The next day in Moyobamba I had a meeting with the group of permaculture here and then was off to an eco-tourist area within the jungle. At first I was questioning what I was getting myself into. The family that I was going to stay within the reserve did not speak a lot of English. Also I was never briefed on what the plans were in the reserve and the schedule of activities. So I sucked it up and decide to have faith in the people that I was going to stay with and with the group of permaculture that I have recently met.
The bus ride from the city of Moyobamba to Tingana (the eco-tourist reserve) was an unpleasant one. The bus was hot and the road was not in good condition. I was cramped holding all the equipment that I brought and was really sweating. In these situations you just got to deal with it and remember that it is all about the experience. In Canada we have the luxury of very well paved roads and good buses. It is a good eye opener for what we take for granted. It was a relief when we arrived to the boat loading area. I was glad to get off the bus.
We then entered a boat that was going to take us to the reserve where I was going to volunteer. The boat ride was very pleasant and very scenic, but for the second this trip I forgot my memory card for my camera. I was taking lots of photos but then realized that there was no card in the camera. There was no turning back to get the card so these next post I am going to try to be as descriptive as possible.
The river we were going up was an extension of the Amazon River. Unfortunately I will not be in the thickness of the Amazon Forest but I am in an area that has had lots of deforestation. The main rive that I was traveling up did not have many trees surrounding the area but the sky was amazing. In the distant you can see the foothills of the Andean Mountains covered in greenery and just above and behind them you have the scenic clouds. In that moment everything is still and quiet. The only sound that disturbs the scene is the motor that is operating the boat. We were going up stream and even the river looks calm the current is very strong.
Along the river we stopped at one of the friends of the family to purchase some fresh sugar from them and the local rum. The sugar looked much like the texture of pumpkin pie but very sweet. When we arrived they were just finishing crushing the sugar cane for the next batch of sugar and rum. Then the family offered me to try some of the local rum. I did not know it was rum until it hit my lips. There is another drink out there that is sold on the streets that is just the juice of the sugar cane which I thought this was. They defiantly like their rum strong because it was like paint thinning and felt like my mouth was on fire.
After the short stop we then head back up the river. The only indication that shows where to go to Tingana is a small little sign that points to a small little off river that leads into the bigger one. We turned down into the little river way and it became very dark and scenic. This stream is an area that was not affect by the forestry industry and is not protected.  Trees all over hang above you and block out the sun. The motor slowed down and you could start to hear the forest come alive. You could hear leaves falling down from atop the canopy and hitting every branch as it fell. You always looked hoping that you would get a look at a animal swinging from the trees. The birds were singing and the husband start to mimic the sounds of the birds and the birds would answer back. As the boat passed down the river you would have to look out for many roots of ferns hanging down from the trees. It was like entering a whole new world and I was very glad that I get to experience it.
Tingana is a small little reserve that is aimed at getting tourist in for boat rides and also to learn about the forest. It also has 15 families living within the reserve and they produce coffee, chocolate seeds, oranges, lemons, limas and many other fruits. The area for tourist is very small and has a small sitting area that has many facts about the animals and plants of the area on the wall. There are two little storage houses that hold the paddles for the boats and seats. The person that lives in the area is the cousin of the husband I was going to stay with. After the short visit we head to the house of the family I was going to stay at.
The walk to the house was very muddy and was a good thing that I brought the rubber boats for the trip. The area experiences much flooding and on the buildings you can see previous water levels. From what I saw I could see that the water was 2 to 3 feet along the side of the house. These houses are not water proof and what I found out later was that everything needs to be moved out including animals.
The pathway to the house was surrounded by many plants but one that persist the most was the coffee tree. Here the man production is coffee and a lot of the farmers were growing them in the area. When we arrived to the house I got to meet one of the workers and friend of the family that lives with them as well. He was in the process of getting the coffee seeds to become de-husked. The house was a very simple rectangular structure. There were no windows and only two doors. One door lead into the larger area of the house that had two rooms, one of the rooms consisting only of a bed form the friend and the other room and two beds  and tables with a small TV. The other door leads to the room that stored the motor to power the house, kitchen and the pump. Separate from the house was the kitchen; in the kitchen there was a medium size oven that had three burners on it. The oven was made of cement and the heat was conducted from the burning of wood. There was a medium sized table and four shelves holding the produce. Running around the floor of the place was many Guinea Pigs. Once we entered the kitchen the noise of the pigs started and the room was filled with the noises especially when food was brought in for them. The bathroom was an outhouse in a field of coffee and fruit trees. I got the tour and realized this was going to push the comfort zone. Like I said it is all about the experience and seeing this setup brought a calming energy over me and I felt comfortable where I was going to stay.
After the tour I decide to help the husband and the friend de-husk the coffee seeds which is a very simple process.  First you let the coffee sit in water so that it could become soft and easy to peel. After a day or two in the water you then out the seeds through a machine that separates the husk from the seed and places the seeds in one area and the husk in another. After the de-husking we headed into the kitchen for dinner under candle light.
After dinner I took everything in that I was experiencing and realized that is was nice to be in such a simple environment. My cell phone had no reception; there were no computers and little electricity. This relieves out of so much stress are you are calm. You do not have to worry about emails, text messages and social status on a website. Your only care in the world is in the now and what is going on with your life. You think a lot more, observe more of your surroundings and feel happy with the simplest of things. I was enjoying watching the social structure of the animals that were on the property. There were many chickens, dogs, cows and even one little pig all running around the places getting into trouble and playing with one another. The one thing that really caught my eye was the sky at night which I was waiting for the longest time. I got to be in the jungle when in this area was going through a new moon. The stars were bright and you could see so much it was stunning and was glad to see the sky like this since I have not seen it with so many stars in many years. The next few days I was going to be put to work and would experience life on the farm of coffee.       

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like an amazing (and delicious!) place to be in! It is really nice to get away from all the technology and rush of life in towns and cities.

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