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The Amazon of Peru, Puerto Maldonado |
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Puerto Maldonado is a frontier colonist town with strong links to the Cusco region and a great fervor for bubbly jungle chicha music. With an economy based on gold-panning and Brazil-nut gathering from the rivers and forests of Madre de Dios, it has grown significantly over the last twenty years from a small, laid-back outpost of civilization to a busy market town.
The Madre de Dios provides passage into the Amazon boasting spectacular virgin rainforest and exceptional wildlife. Traveling by boat deeper into the Amazon, alligators slink silently into the murky waters. Above, families of monkeys play as they climb higher into the camouflage of the forest. All around, sounds of the Amazon play like a symphony.
The Sounds of the Amazon RainforestThe Madre de Dios provides passage into the Amazon boasting spectacular virgin rainforest and exceptional wildlife. Traveling by boat deeper into the Amazon, alligators slink silently into the murky waters. Above, families of monkeys play as they climb higher into the camouflage of the forest. All around, sounds of the Amazon play like a symphony.
The morning sky was filled with the deep orange of dawn. As I lay in my cozy bungalow the sounds of the rainforest filled this new day. Birds, insects, and animals of all shapes and sizes are chiming in unison to create a harmony of music. Deep within the forest I hear what sounds like a far away wind. I strain to hear more. As the noise becomes louder, it sounds more like a 747 overhead. But this is not to be. I wipe the sleep from my eyes and make my way outside gazing into the now brilliant orange sky. There is nothing flying overhead.
Our guide, Ruben, seeing me wandering with wonder asks what it is I am looking for. I respond to him, ‘The source of this incredible sound’. He slowly gazes upwards and with a smile says, ‘That my friend is the sound of the Howler Monkeys greeting the day’. Later that morning as we made our way deep into the forest, we were able to actually see the Howler Monkeys. From limb to limb and tree to tree they would drop into the space of the forest in total trust that they would land safely on another flexible limb. Bouncing limbs cushioning these leaps of great faith were everywhere to be seen. This family of Howler Monkeys entertained us for quite awhile. As we continued to travel the soft, leaf covered path we each contemplated what we had just witnessed -- the faith of the unknown in truly ‘letting go’.