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21 de abril de 2017

Hola todas,

I know I am really bad about keeping up with a blog, but anyway I do what I can.  This past weekend I went to Iquitos, Peru which is one of four districts of the Amazon. I am so glad I went because it was such a different experience than Lima. There are motor taxis because the native people use the rivers as roads. It down poured for fifteen minutes and then stopped. Mosquitos are pretty aggressive. They loved my blood. I borrowed  98.1% DEET repellent from my friend and put it on my skin one day because my 25% DEET wasn't working too well. However, DEET is a man-made insect repellent that is fairly toxic and may cause neurological damage. Therefore, I was a bit nervous about using almost 100% DEET. I went through the day actually getting some bug bites. It didn't seem that effective, but I am not dead from malaria or DEET yet. Also, there are piranhas in the water, but Hollywood exaggerates how aggressive they actually are. My tour guide said that as long as I am not dead in the water; they will not bother me even if I am bleeding, but I am not entirely sure about that. But, I did go swimming in the black river in the Amazon, and I am still alive. I didn't get any piranhas bites. I also tried to fish for them. My friends caught some, but the ones I was trying to get were very good at stealing my bate. We all had the option to try the piranhas we caught later, and I tried some. They tasted pretty good, but I felt bad about eating them. For those of you who don't know. I am trying to be a vegetarian to lessen my carbon footprint and help save the environment. Cows produce a ton of methane which is one of the main carbon emissions contributing heavily to the green house effect, making the earth a lot warmer, hence global warming.  In addition, I care about the fair treatment of animals, and many times before they are slaughtered for their meat , they are treated so terribly. It isn't right. Anyway, I ate meat this time because I wanted to experience more of the peruvian culture. And, food is such a big part of culture. It is kind of a dilemma for me because I know I should not be eating meat, but I think cultures are important as well. What else did we do? I got to hold a squirrel monkey, an Anaconda, and a sloth. Good times.  Oh and we met a native tribe of the selva de Amazon (Amazon jungle).The chef member painted lines on our faces to represent our relationship status. We got to dance with the natives and blow darts out of a blowgun. It also was interesting to see the people in their native dress during the time of the Conquistador Columbus even though they just wore their traditional outfits for the tourists, but normally they wear modern clothes. I was glad that they didn't just put on a show for us; they just hung out mainly while the tour guide spoke since I felt like we were kind of exploiting them. However, these people do get compensated through the tour company I believe. That is all I got for now. Hopefully, I can blog again soon! Discover your world to the fullest!

Saludos, Nicole

 





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