Barges, not bridges

From the school in Pichanaqui, we traveled another hour east to reach the jungle town of Satipo. Both Pichinaqui and Satipo are unique because they are very new towns; they sprouted around a road that was built only 20 years ago. In these new towns, there is an interesting clash between modern and primitive elements. For example, we were excited to find abundant internet cafes in the main square in Satipo, we used a rustic barge rather than a bridge to cross the river about a mile down the road.

In Satipo, we ate lunch in a reed-roofed restaurant that served typical "jungle food." We tried yuca (a starchy root that tastes somewhat like a potato), platanos fritos (fried sweet bananas), doncella (a river fish), majaz (a dark meat that some locals say is the best meat in the world-- I beg to differ), and cocona (a sweet, yellow fruit that is native to the area).

After our feast, we visited a local farm that prinicpally harvests oranges, bananas, and mahogany. The best part was getting there! There is no bridge to cross the river, so the bus dropped us off near the river's edge. Once we crossed the Rio Perene by barge, the farm was still a two-hour walk on foot. So, we gave a local some soles (money) and piled 15 people into the back of a rusty Toyota pick-up truck. I can say with confidence that it is the first time that I hitch-hiked with my professor!

When our visit was over, we enjoyed a more spacious, but more bumpy, ride back to the river on the bed of a tractor trailor. At a 15-mile-per-hour pace, it took us about 40 minutes to reach the edge of the river. To our dismay, the barge was stationed further down the river. So, we turned around, retraced the road where we came from, and took another one down. Then we had to beep the horn until the boat operaters woke up, and we were finally able to cross. In this case, it was very evident that this small jungle town of Satipo is still very far from modernity.