The Trip Upriver

Today is the day! I dragged my suitcase down to the "dock" and waited with several other people, some returning from the party, plus Jerome and others, for our ride. It's one thing to read about a 6-plus hour trip up a river in the Amazon, another thing to actually partake in one. The long distance on the boat passed by very quickly with amazing scenery along the way. Saw much jungle and many species of birds along the way. We took our lunch, wrapped in a leaf. Periods of heavy rain alternated with bright sunshine. The resources rangers of Peru required us all to disembark and show permits (yes, the one that I waited 11 days for) to proceed upriver.


View from the Boat


Arriving in heavy rain at TRC, we had to wait until the downpour subsided to walk (drag the suitcase) the 500 meters or so to the lodge. The light that should have greeted us was absent (the generators were down). Carina (the research manager) ended up assigning me to a guest room rather than the dormitory as there was no space. What an interesting place! A researcher from Mexico and a student from ASU are here for several months conducting capture and radio collaring of jaguars.
Luckily, during the night, no biting flies entered my mosquito net through the small holes I noticed in the morning and proceeded to repair with bandaids. I'd rather leave here without leishmaniasis, thank you!


The Control Station