Chanchamayo

The jungle....finally!  Well, okay, Chanchamayo may not be the first place you think of when you think 'jungle'.  It's not Iquitos or Tarapoto, near the Amazon, but rather the transition between the mountains and the Amazon jungle.  People here refer to it as the central jungle or the highland jungle.  But at least it's a start for me!

This is the beginning of the jungle.  The vegetation became much more verdant and the weather was much warmer than the places we had seen around Tarma the previous day.

This point marks the geographical center (north-south) of Peru.

Not oranges, but grenadillas-a relative of passion fruit

We saw several waterfalls on our trip.  First was la catarata del diablo, which we viewed from a distance.

Can you see the profile of the sleeping man on the left?

We also met Katusha at our lunch spot.  I was thrilled, but Juan was not quite as excited!



Next was Catarata Bayoz, where were able to swim in the pool under the falls...

...closely followed by Catarata Velo de la Novia (Bridal Veil Waterfall).

We took a boat ride on the Rio Chanchamayo...on a boat named El Titanic.  But, at least it was too warm for icebergs!

Then we visited a native Asháninka village where we got the full immersion experience-being dressed up to be part of tribe and dancing with them around the fire.  I even got to hold another snake (although I didn't learn his/her name).

Our tour ended with a coffee tasting.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to try the Cafe Misha-the most expensive coffee in the world (you may or may not want to know why it's so expensive)-but I bought a few varieties that I'm hoping I will enjoy!

All in all, I can say that the first trip to the jungle was fantastic and I can't wait to explore deeper into its depths.

Tarma

I was so excited to make my first foray into the jungle!  The trip started out by meeting my friend Juan in Tarma.  To get there, you take a 6+ hour bus ride over one of the highest peaks in Peru, el Ticlio.  I thought I would be okay since I would be sleeping on the overnight bus; however, I awoke in the middle of the night to several uncomfortable sensations-sweating, chills, and feeling like everything I had eaten wanted desperately to evacuate my body-all at the same time.  I felt like I was going to die....but, then we headed down the other side and, happily, the symptoms dissipated.
 

Juan first arranged for us to take a tour of the area around Tarma.  Tarma is nicknamed la perla de los Andes, the pearl of the Andes, and is known for the flower farms that surround the area.  The peak seasons come later in the month for the the festival of el Señor de los Milagros (Lord of the Miracles) and for Semana Santa (Holy Week), so we didn't see the fields in all their glory, but it was still beautiful and green.

On the way to our next stop on the tour, we drove through the reserva, where we saw wild vicuñas ranging across the landscape. The penalty for trespassing on the reserve, however, is to be shot on sight, so we opted to take pictures from inside the van.

 We were able to get out of the van at Cachi pozo, two pools that date to pre-Incan times.  Legend has it that they were formed from two two lovers who ran away together after being forbidden to see each other.  Despite the murky looking pools, the water is actually clear when it is scooped out, probably due to the high salt content of each pool-one measures 80% salinity and the other 97%.  As you might imagine, the water in the 80% pool tastes very salty and the 97% tastes as if you are eating pure salt.

After a stop at an artisenal shop to see some weaving, we were off to la Gruta de Huagapo, a cave filled with stalactites and stalagmites.

And, it wouldn't be a tour in Peru without a stop at a religious site or two.  First up was el Rostro de Cristo, the face of Christ, in the rock.

The second was el Santuario del Señor de Muruhuay, a sanctuary that was built around this image of Christ that is said to have appeared one day on the rock face.

It was a great tour and I took the opportunity to enjoy being a tourist and take this uncomfortable picture: