Geoman's Journal

Geoman's Journal - April 21, 2013 - Final Post!

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:52:25 -0400

It’s time to bring this incarnation of Geoman’s Journal to a close. I’ve returned to Las Vegas with new and wonderful experiences to share. I’m a bit tired and my back muscles a little sore, but all in all, extremely happy about my involvement in the 2013 CONAPAC/Explorama Adopt-a-School Program. I would once again like to send a gigantic thank you to Claire (Detroit Zoological Society), Pam (Explorama), Megan (CONAPAC Librarian), and my friend Cliver (Explorama Guide) for making my time in the Peruvian Amazon both productive and fulfilling. The project and our work was facilitated by many people including a myriad of Explorama and CONAPAC staff, and two amazing teams of volunteers from across the United States. I would also like to thank all the southern Nevada schools that donated to the Adopt-a-School Program & raised funds for the CONAPAC Amazon Library – Hyde Park MS, Leavitt MS, Martin MS, Sawyer MS, Silvestri MS, Webb MS, Miller MS, Goolsby ES, and Sandy Miller ES. Now that I have personally experienced the magic of this fine program and understand fully the wonderful impacts it has on communities and families that it serves, I can assure students and teachers more than ever that their generosity and hard work is not being wasted. Just the opposite is true. Their donations and letters are helping to inspire and help individuals and entire river communities! I’m so looking forward to revisiting and personally thanking every teacher and student at the schools involved. I have so many more pictures and stories than I was not able to share here, so I hope they are prepared for a wonderful presentation and to receive their actual Peru school packets that I was entrusted with to bring back to Las Vegas. Surprise! That’s right – you’ll get to see (and touch) the letters and artwork from the Peruvian schools on the very day I visit each school. So teachers, don’t delay! Contact Geoman and set a date for me to visit as soon as possible. Until then and until the next time Geoman takes off on another adventure (possibly Tibet & Everest Base Camp in June 2014), this is Geoman signing off with a reminder to explore you’re world – both near and far, and both virtually and in person!

Copa Airlines Jet arriving in Iquitos - Saturday April 20, 2013.

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 02:06:58 -0400

Copa Airlines Jet arriving in Iquitos - Saturday April 20, 2013.

My friend and Explorama guide, Cliver Rioja, recuperating at...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 02:04:21 -0400

My friend and Explorama guide, Cliver Rioja, recuperating at home after surgery on his arm, wrist, and hand.

Record high water mark from last year on the steps to...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 01:53:45 -0400

Record high water mark from last year on the steps to Explorama’s Ceiba Tops Luxury Lodge on the Rio Amazon.

Early morning mist on the Rio Napo in route to Mazan, Peru.

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 01:49:54 -0400

Early morning mist on the Rio Napo in route to Mazan, Peru.

Geoman's Journal - April 19 & 20, 2013

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 01:09:25 -0400

Friday is as good as any day for a travel day. A WARNING: travel days in the Amazon Basin can be a little more complicated than in more developed parts of the world. The Napo Lodge is just about as far away from Iquitos as you can get at an Explorama property, with only ACTS and the canopy walkway more distant. After taking it somewhat easy yesterday it was time to think and ask about how I was going to get back to Iquitos for a Saturday afternoon flight. I was hoping to return a day early to visit with my friend Cliver who had corrective wrist and arm surgery earlier in the week. Operations informed me that my best option was to hitch a ride back to Ceiba Tops Lodge on today’s garbage and recycling boat and then join two guests on another small boat scheduled to return to the Explorama office in Iquitos later in the morning. The only drawbacks were that the boat described above was an open boat, and that it would leave Napo Lodge at 6:00am. So, get up early and hope for an hour or two without rain, and gamble that I’d make it to Ceiba Tops before breakfast ended and in time to join the other boat with guests going back to the city. No worries, a piece of cake. I love this plan! In total this plan would include the garbage/recycle boat described above, a three-wheeled motor taxi from the Napo River town of Mazan to the Amazon River town of Indiana, a super short 5 minute transfer boat to Ceiba Tops where I could possibly grab some breakfast, and finally an hour or so on the scheduled speedboat back to the Explorama dock in Iquitos – no sweat! Well, it turns out that Friday is indeed as good as any day. Maybe better, because each segment that I outlined above came off in clock-like fashion and I arrived at Cliver & Megan’s house, after a stop at the Hotel Acosta, dry and ready to visit by 1:00pm. I woke up in the rainforest, more than 100 river miles from Iquitos, and had lasagna with my friend at a Peruvian chain restaurant in a city with approximately half a million people. Not your typical day in the tropics, but certainly a good and lucky one! This good fortune allowed me to spend half of Friday and half of Saturday visiting and helping Cliver while his wife Megan remains with the volunteers of group two as they complete their work in remote communities and the library. All I needed was a fine company with experienced boat drivers, a good map of the city (drawn by Megan), and a little luck. And, if you noticed not a single car (only a short ride in the Explorama’s luggage truck from the office to the hotel). I left Iquitos Saturday on a 2:15pm flight bound for Panama City and a Sunday connection to Las Vegas where I’ll write the final installment for this Geoman’s Journal adventure at home.

Explorama boat returning to the dock at 28 de Octubre after...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:51:47 -0400

Explorama boat returning to the dock at 28 de Octubre after installing water systems at homes across the beautiful Yarac Yacu Lake.

An entire family posing with the new addition to their home!

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:37:15 -0400

An entire family posing with the new addition to their home!

One of the family houses, known as Palapas, where our team...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:24:38 -0400

One of the family houses, known as Palapas, where our team installed a Sawyer Water System in the community of 28 de Octubre on Lago Yurac Yacu, a tributary of the Napo River.

The house-owner and shelf-builder with his assistant (a.k.a....

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:04:45 -0400

The house-owner and shelf-builder with his assistant (a.k.a. Geoman) after finishing the assembly and testing of his families Sawyer Water System.

Volunteers organizing components of the Sawyer Water System in...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:50:57 -0400

Volunteers organizing components of the Sawyer Water System in the main classroom at the school in the community of 28 de Octubre - Rio Napo Region, Peru.

Geoman's Journal - April 17, 2013

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:40:37 -0400

Once again I’ve been reminded that all days are equal, but some days are more equal than others. Our team spent a very special day in the village of 28 de Octubre. About forty minutes by boat from the Napo Lodge, this growing community is located on a black-water lake known as Lago Yurac Yacu. Our goal for the day was to bring more than twenty Sawyer Water Systems to families in 28 de Octubre. After preliminary introductions and demonstrations the plan was to split up into teams and assist individual families with the construction of two shelves of the proper height, along with the set-up for the simple Sawyer water filtration system. Yes, by the end of the day more than 100 people would have a dependable supply of safe water for the first time ever. April 17 will be a day to remember for the families of 28 de Octubre, not just for me and the other CONAPAC volunteers. Morning and afternoon sessions were separated by lunch in the school’s main classroom. Sawing the hard wood was hot and tiring, but well worth the effort when the shelves were finished and the system complete, producing almost twenty liters of safe, clean drinking water in just over an hour! The Sawyer two-tiered system helps removes sediment and bio-matter and the 0.1 micron filter removes all harmful bacteria and protozoa. This simple and affordable gravity system is extremely easy to set up, requires only syringe backwashing for occasional cleaning, and can last for decades. In short, it’s revolutionary for people and communities in rural or remote areas and its impacts are multi-faceted. It saves the time to collect, and the burning of, various fuels needed to clean water by boiling. It also improves health so parents can work and children can attend school. These real economic impacts can improve the quality of life for people in a community, and can also lessen negative impacts on the environment such as the burning of trees or other fossil fuels. Families will try out the system for six months and then will be able to keep it for 60 soles or about $20 USD. I’m proud to have been even a small part of CONAPAC’s efforts. I’ll remember this day not only for its potential to change lives, but also because of the fact that I fell through the floor of the raised-houses or Palapa I was working in. Thank goodness it’s not far to the ground and that the edges of the floor-boards on my back slowed by descent. All in all it could have been much worse. Claire from the Detroit Zoo administered some excellent first-aid in the field and given a few days, and a cautionary trip to the clinic near Explorama Lodge, Geoman will be back to normal and ready for some work at the Amazon Library and the long trip home. So, no Geoman’s Journal for April 18th while I take a day and recuperate – sorry. Geoman will return soon!

We saw this Walking Stick insect on the night walk back to our...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:13:13 -0400

We saw this Walking Stick insect on the night walk back to our boat after visiting the Explorama Canopy Walkway!

The view leading up to the platforms at tree #6 (118 feet) on...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:01:00 -0400

The view leading up to the platforms at tree #6 (118 feet) on Explorama’s amazing Canopy Walkway.

Components of the Sawyer Water Systems provided by CONAPAC that...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:41:58 -0400

Components of the Sawyer Water Systems provided by CONAPAC that we’ll deliver to nearby communities over the next two days.

Cocona (relative to the tomato) growing in the shaman’s...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:28:50 -0400

Cocona (relative to the tomato) growing in the shaman’s garden. It makes great juice and jam!

The demonstration hut at the ReNu PeRu Ethno-Botanical Garden...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:20:14 -0400

The demonstration hut at the ReNu PeRu Ethno-Botanical Garden near Napo Lodge.

Geoman's Journal - April 16, 2013

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:03:02 -0400

The rains came to Napo Lodge after dinner last night and lasted a good portion of the night. Two such storms would probably equal a year’s worth of rain for Las Vegas! The result however, was a pretty cool morning for us to visit the local shaman at the ReNu PeRu Ethno-Botanical Garden. Julio showed us a variety of medicinal plants that are used by river people throughout this region. A common one is Sangre de Grado or Dragon’s Blood. This blood-red tree sap is extracted from the tree by inflicting a deep cut in the bark with a machete. When vigorously rubbed into the skin this liquid quickly turns into a whitish cream which is used to treat cut’s, scratches, and insect bites. An anti-inflammatory, it also helps blood to coagulate. We also saw Cocona fruit which I have had in the form of juice at breakfast. It’s high in anti-oxidants like its cousin the tomato, and is also high in vitamin C. This juice provides anti-diabetic effects and can also substitute for insulin. Before and after lunch we assembled the components of the Sawyer Water Systems that we will be delivering to nearby communities over the next two days. We saved our visit to the Explorama Canopy Walkway for late afternoon so that we could be there for sunset and it turned out to be a fabulous idea. Both tourists and scientists can utilize and enjoy this amazing quarter-mile-long structure which slowly ascends to 118 feet above the forest floor. We traveled by open boat up the Quebrada Grande or Big Creek that leads to ACTS – the Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies. This small research station is only ten minutes by foot from the Canopy Walkway’s entry tower. We explored the canopy and emergent layers of the rainforest and enjoyed a sunset from the platform at tree number six. There were many bromeliads (flowering canopy plants), and we saw a pair of Blue-Headed Parrots fly overhead. We also saw several creatures on the night walk back to our boat, including a Tailless Whip-Scorpion, a Walking Stick insect, and two frogs that Geoman couldn’t identify. It’s back to work manana however, so goodnight from the lungs of the world!

Group photo on the front steps of the Amazon Queen with kids...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:02:28 -0400

Group photo on the front steps of the Amazon Queen with kids from Jorge Chavez elementary school.

Families leaving the Amazon Queen by canoe after recieving their...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:51:00 -0400

Families leaving the Amazon Queen by canoe after recieving their schools supplies.