PERU: Andes to Amazon ~ Day 11

Rain. Heavy Rain. Wind, too. Today we depart Manu, traveling down river to Laberinto and then by bus to Puerto Maldonado. Typically an eight hour journey. Usually when we think of the Amazon, we think hot and humid. Well, not when it is cold and rainy on the Madre de Dios River! The extra ponchos available on the boat certainly helped, but we still got wet and cold. Very cold.

Water is a powerful force. The shoreline erosion can be spectacular. Soon this tree will be drifting down river, however, the tangle of roots will undoubtedly snag on the bottom creating a dangerous obstacle which boats must avoid. As we motored, we watch for such objects constantly.

However, at one particularly rough point on the river, while the rain was coming down in buckets, our motor quit. As we began to drift we were aware of just such an obstacle, but we were helpless to avoid it without power. We spun perpendicular to the river and caught the tree in the center of the hull. As the river pushed us up onto the log, the other side tilted downward within millimeters of taking the powerful river over the gunwale!

We had not seen anyone else along the river for the past couple of hours, however, at that moment a boat appeared from around the bend, heading upriver toward us. We waved them down and they pushed us off the log and to shore where we could do repairs. THANK YOU!

On our way again, about an hour more down river we began to see gold mining rigs. These rigs destroy the river bank helping erosion to happen even quicker.

Many different designs of varying degrees of capabilities lined the river banks for the rest of the trip. We also learned that these locally owned rigs are gathering only what the commercial rigs left behind. The commercial rigs have moved up into the feeder rivers to search for more gold.

Finally our boat made it to Laberinto where we unloaded to shore and filled the back of our bus with the luggage. The next 90 minutes offered a few birding stops, but we were mostly interested in a hot shower and hot meal!

Next... back to the mountains!

photos, videos and text © Kevin Loughlin