Launching soon, Travel to Peru, Amazon and Colombia coffee Farms
In my youth, my life revolved around farm chores, fixing fence, weeding the wind break, watering the bulls, etc. It was a simple life on a farm 12 miles from town. The small distance could have been a galaxy away. We didn’t get to town often. There was always something to do. It was a challenging way to grow up. I had no idea just how much I learned until years later!
My adventure in those days consisted of looking through the encyclopedia and seeing all the amazing animals living in different parts of our world! Now, I’ve learned now to travel there!
In a little over 30 hours, I’ll be off to the airport for a 6:17 am departure for my next adventure. I began thinking of this adventure last summer. Daydreaming, I started contemplating places I’d like to see while I’m still healthy and able to get around. Almost instantly, the image of the Amazon popped into my head. I’ve been there once before but that was a different time…nearly 30 years ago.
My process involved listening, feeling and launching into a bit of research. Often, the idea and energy fizzle out and I stop. Times like this, the energy builds and builds, ideas get clearer, possibilities emerge and connections form. I contacted a lodge on a different part of the river from where I was last time. The agent recommended some activities they offered. I told him I have a knee issue so hiking on slick, muddy trails with slippery and tricky tree roots won’t work for me.
He suggested I come during his favorite time of the year: high water season! It’s rainy season, the river is high and the trails are flooded. However, the trails are still there, only below water. That means canoeing those areas rather than hiking! Perfect!
Broad Stroke Travel Planning Process
This is a HUGE area! What happens for me, I start looking at options and doing a bit of research. Either the energy fizzles and disappears or it grows and drags me along! This time, It continued to build. But nothing fell into place. I went on my trip to Malaysia and Bali returning home mid-December. Once again, I began to explore options. Letting ideas rest and settle for a bit brought new clarity!
Initially, I felt like I wanted to start in Colombia, visit the coffee farms, then fly to Leticia in the SE corner of Colombia where it borders Brazil and Peru. There are jungle lodges along the Amazon in that area so I felt like I’d start there before taking the three or four day slow boat trip to Iquitos. I’d be on a boat going against the current upriver during high water season. It could take longer.
However, asking more questions and getting clearer on how the tours and the lodge in Peru worked, I needed something approaching a distinct start date. The guide, my persona guide, doesn’t live there. He might be hours away by boat and needs time to plan, get supplies and be prepared for my arrival! My plans flipped…in the best of ways!
Now, I’m doing this in reverse! I fly to Lima, spend the night, get another flight the next morning, and fly to Tarapoto! (click the link for Tarapoto travel info) I’ll be spending my birthday there. And I’m spending three nights there to adjust a bit, rest up from travel, and get supplies I’ll need to take along like rubber boots for the jungle. Surprise!! They don’t have those in a size 13! More surpirses: the boots I buy I can not wear at the lodge. There is a risk of bringing in bacteria and soil contamination so I have to use their boots. Yes, they have them in my size.
That little purchase might give you a glimpse into the magnitude of the details I plan out for myself. I don’t plan everything, that’s impossible. However, knowing when boats leave my next village so I can coordinate with Acatupel for my tour of Pacaya Samiria out of Lagunas is important. It’s a lot of work and I enjoy it…it really contributes to the experience of travel.
I could have someone else handle all the details for me. Those companies would be charging thousands where I’m spending hundreds. And, I’m going with local companies where the money goes to supporting local families, not large corporations. Plus, I’m a patient planner and I like mysteries!
Information is scarce, contradictory and unreliable! I posted a question to a group specific to the area in Peru where I’m traveling. A person responded sounding confident in his instructions…”take the Huallaga express at 7:00 am, it takes hours less than the other boats”. I wrote to Acatupel and they told me that company no longer operated that route. Ha! Good to Know!! Acatupel then told me of another company, gave me a whatsapp number, and I now have contact for when I reach Yurimaguas to travel to Lagunas. And that….that is only one detail!
I travel slow, take my time, build in time for flexibility and trust that everything will fall into place. It always does.
Information. possibilities. Coordination. Poof! Something will happen!
Piece by piece, segment by segment, I become very good at identifying what details are priorities. What I really need to know and handle. I do those while continuing a bit of broad brush research. I wrote to my hostel in Tarapoto asking them a question about the best way to get there from the airport. They wrote very specific and helpful information for me. I asked them about finding a place near by to buy my rubber boots. They simply replied with a “yes” and told me they would help me with anything I wanted help with when I arrived! Awesome!
But, then again!!!
Sometimes I feel like I’m insulting peoples intelligence by asking fairly obvious and specific questions. However, the mindset there is different. The notion of looking ahead, identifying options, communicating those, etc. doesn’t exist in many cultures like it does here. Over the years, I’ve learned to ask very specific questions. Sometimes, I ask them over and over with slight modification.
I wrote to the hostel in Iquitos asking about the slow boat to Colombia. From Iquitos, I will take the slow boat (roughly 3 days) to Leticia. From there, I will take a flight to Bogota, stay a couple nights and then head to coffee country. Those details require some fairly solid idea of time schedule.
For some information about Iquitos, click here: IQUITOS
When I asked about the boat, they wrote back “there is one leaving tomorrow afternoon”. Good but not helpful. They also suggested the boat only runs a couple times a week. I need to go to the port in the morning, talk to captains, and remember they only leave when fully loaded and full. A 10:00 am departure might not leave until 8:00 pm! Be flexible!!
Rather than fight, push and struggle to make something happen, I let it go. I know that things will work out once I’m there. A few hours later, I got a notice about a travel question on Facebook from the travel group. A traveler asked if anyone knew the schedule for the fast boats to Colombia? Hmmm?
I piggybacked on their question and asked about the slow boats. Voila! Viktor wrote back. I asked some specific questions and he assured me that boats go everyday. I can go to the port in the morning and make arrangements. Or, I can contact him at his agency. They book transport on those boats!
Perfect!
Let go and Flow! Everything works out!
Piece by piece, things have fallen into place. The hostel in Lima offers transport. We worked out a way for me to contact them when I depart Houston so the driver has an idea when to meet me at the airport. The flight has a tendency to be late. And, when I checked, midnight is peak arrival time for international flights. It could take anywhere from 30-90 minutes to get through the process. And, it always works out! Something will fall into place! I’ll get picked up. The hostel will wait my arrival. The next morning, I’ll have breakfast, head back to the airport, then fly off to Tarapoto to settle in to the Peruvian Amazon part of my journey. The pieces that need to be firm to begin are. Others, well, those will come together as I travel!
Reminder....minimal travel gear!
I’m packing as minimum as I can for travel in different climates. My laptop is staying home. I love writing when I travel!! This time, I’m experimenting with writing through my iPad with portable keyboard and photos on an external drive. We’ll see! At the least, I hope to post interesting photos as I get them!
I’m happy having you travel along with me! If you have questions about where I am, what I’m seeing, what the weather is like, etc, let me know and I’ll do my best to provide that information!
BELOW…images of prior adventures. I feel so blessed to have learned to travel like this. My most common advice for people who want to learn to travel and visit interesting places: START! Pick something simple! GO! Without actual experience, there is no learning. Once you start, then you learn to adapt, adjust, do things differently and you become clear on your personal priorities! GO! And enjoy!
