Sunday, August 28, 2022

Day 20 - The Big Drop

After a very nice breakfast in Cusco, we headed East up the mountains to get over the Andes and begin our descent to the Amazon basin.

I have mentioned this before and today I was reminded again of the intensity of starting a new day, on your motorcycle, on a beautiful day, in foreign lands, into the unknown.  The wonder of what the day will bring. The intensity of having all your senses focused on what is happening right then and there. 

Moments like this makes you think about all that has taken place in the universe to make this day possible ... infinite number of coincidences ... is it evolution? destiny? Or something else? In any case, here we are, however we got here.

It is also interesting to see how elevations, mountains, glaciers, snow, rivers, vegetation, clouds, air, water all interact to create unique, logical, and predictable ecosystems.  Today, we rode through some amazing terrain again.  

We saw people living at all elevations, even all the way up at 15,000 ft. As humanity continues to grow, it is inevitable that we will populate every corner of this earth and the impact on the environment will be significant.

However, as we moved from rocky peaks with no vegetation to the thick jungle of the Amazon, I cannot help but feel that we earth will be OK.  Our planet has the ability and wisdom to rebalance itself.

Puerto Maldonado is one of Peru's gateway to the Amazon.  A relatively large town, hot and humid, very tropical, on the banks of the Rio Madre de Dios, a major tributary to the Amazon river.  A stark contrast from where we were this morning in Cusco.

Tomorrow, we head to the Peru-Brazil border.

Ready to leave Cusco with my new guardian angel - Maria

Our first stop, a Sunday market in a village up in the mountains

A lively scene

On our way to the top of the Andes again

Wow!

Before starting our descent

Our lunch stop at 15,000 ft.

Life is good and Maria is still there

Always good to see Alpacas in the wild

That is were we are going to begin our descent to the Amazon basin






On our way down to the Amazon basin

More green, more water, more clouds as we make our way down

I found a machete to be ready for the jungle - it is hot down here!

A quick stop it feels like the ocean should be nearby - very tropical

A sad scene - slash and burn plots everywhere, smoke/haze in the sky from the burning, trees and jungle replaced by grass and cattle

Puerto Maldonado - the view the Rio Madre de Dios, a major tributary to the Amazon river, from my room at the lodge 

We all made it - exhausted - a long long day - having a drink at the lodge

A view of a park in Puerto Maldonado from our restaurant for dinner

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