Day 27 - Manu National Park

Day 27 - Manu National Park

Tuesday, 9 September 2014

At about 7.30 am I left the hotel to leave for Manu National Park. This is a large area covering about 1.5 million hectares. Depending on which scientists or biologists you listen too, there are altogether 28 different types of ecosystems in the world, 14 of which are in Manu National Park. Some scientists or biologists say there are about 100 different ecosystems in the world altogether, 54 of which are in Manu National Park. So whichever way, about 50% of the world's ecosystems are in Manu National Park. We will get to see 3 different kinds, the Andean plains, the cloud forest and the rain forest. The difference is mainly in the altitude, flora and fauna.

On the way we stopped in a place called Ninamarka, also known as "chullpas". 'Nina' means fire and 'marka' means place, so this place is called the Place of Fire. It is a hillside area, with pre-Inca tombs rising out of the ground in a cylinder shape. There used to be mummies buried in each tomb together with artifacts, but a lot of it had been robbed. The cool mountainside was ideal for preserving the mummies. The place is called Ninamarka because when they buried the mummies in these tombs, the embalming potion mixed with the air inside the tomb collected to create a type of gas, and when the tombs were opened, this gas reacted with the outside air to burn, and villagers have apparently reported seeing the hills on fire.

From there we stopped at a small picturesque Spanish colonial town called Paucartambo. This town overlooked a river, and was once a famous barter trading place. In fact, the people here still practice barter trading among themselves. We went to a small museum where we saw some of the pre-Inca artifacts such as pottery, jewellery, weapons and rafts. There was a famous lady here who was made a saint, the Lady of Carmen, and every year there is massive celebration in this town with people dressing up in masks and dancing in the streets.

Among the people in the group I am with, is a French couple with 3 young children about 7,  5 and 2. Why would anyone bring 3 young children into the jungle is beyond my comprehension. Besides making it difficult to listen to the guides giving us information about this place, they also talk non-stop and are very hyperactive. I don't blame them, they are kids. I blame the parents. Not like they are going to remember any of this!

I remember when I was their age my older brother and I were model children. Whilst my brother was a naturally quiet person, I was boisterous and full of imagination and energy, but I was always too scared of my mother to move or talk, with the result that we were really well behaved children. Maybe my parents could've encouraged a bit of freedom of expression, but discipline is always a good thing also. Of course, it is difficult to find a balance but I'd rather disciplined children than maniacal children anytime!

We stopped for lunch at the Andean plains, it is mainly mountainous regions with grass like plants. Then we drove on to the cloud forests, at approximately 2,000 to 3,500 m above sea level, passing the Acjanacu pass, which marked the beginning of the Cultural Zone of the Manu Biosphere Reserve. Here we walked for altogether about 2 or 2 1/2 hours. Whilst walking we saw a South American coati, a highland mot mot (a type of bird with blue feathers on its head and greenish feathers on its belly, and a long tail that it moves like a clock when sitting on a tree) and a Cock of the Rock, another bird where the male has reddish feathers. Plants include orchids, lots of ferns, mosses and lichens. There are lots of epiphytes, plants that grow own other plants but do not hurt or benefit from that other plant.

Then we arrived at the lodge, luckily I had a single room. I took a shower because there was hot water for a limited time, but the pressure was really bad so mandi kerbau. Then dinner, which was actually quite nice, soup with egg in it, spaghetti with tomato sauce (the others had a type of beef sauce) and a typical Peruvian dessert called masamora, it is a hot dessert which tastes a bit like melted jam, ours was pineapple masamora. The lights were turned off at approximately 9 pm and it was pitch black. I slept quite soundly covered by mosquito net.