The Belen Market and the Floating Village of Belen

I started blogging to share my adventures in South America over one year ago and my blog has developed into a place to share what I hold dear.  Today I am going to share one of my many adventures in the Amazon Jungle of Peru.  Below are some photos from the Belen Market and floating village of Belen.

You can't image all the animals, fruits, veggies, and other products are sold here.  Among the most unique I saw: alligator (they eat he tail of it and it's delicious), turtle (for turtle soup), tiny jungle deer, paiche (a ten food fresh water fish).

There are many elixirs and concoctions  made from different plants and animals sold in the market along with the skins of what animals were killed to make the elixirs.

My husband and I ate grubs.  They taste wasn't bad but the thought of it was. And yes, those are giant bugs.

The floating village which is located just below the market.  The houses are anchored and move up and down during the rainy season.  During the dry season they rest on stilts.  

Schools, gas stations, grocery stores are among the houses that float here.  The natives also sell food and other items house to house by boat.  Prostitution also occurs on the boats at night on the water.

Below are giant lilly pads growing in someone's "backyard".

When (and I say "when" not "if" because I am afraid you have to go)... eh hem... when,  you go Iquitos, a city in the middle of the Amazon Jungle, you need to visit the Belen Market and the floating village of Belen.  It is a remarkable sight that shows a remarkable way of live.  If seeing this village doesn't change your perspective on life, well, I am not sure what will.

My husband and I traveled Peru and Argentina for four months last year and I'd have to say the Amazon Jungle is one of my favorite places on earth.  It is rich of culture, folk tales, wild life, shamans (AKA witch doctors), and creatures big and small.  It is ridiculously hot and sweaty and there are abnormally large critters to be found, however it's completely worth all the discomfort.  

Iquitos was founded in the 1800's during the rubber boom.  Inside the city there are beautiful colonial buildings and many historical sites founded during the 1800's.  Along the ride of the city lie houses on stilts, slums, and poverty.  In the jungle surrounding it there are natives who still live off the land and wear grass skirts. The floating City of Belen is a place of it's own among the great city of Iquitos.  It is also one of the most dangerous parts of the city.  When you go, be sure to take limited amount of cash, no wallet, no jewelry, and wear plain clothes.  

It is smart to have a guide. That way you can understand the significance of what is going on and it is safer.  We went with a local which is the best way to go in my opinion.  Our guide was from the floating village and was respected among the people.  We were safe with him.  

Going to the Amazon Jungle has been one of my life goals.  I am so grateful I was able to fulfill my dream of visiting.  Wherever your dream travel spot is, I hope you make it there.  Make it sooner rather than later.

Weekend Wonderment: French Friends Come to Visit

Virginie, my husband Chase, Me, Regis

I am not sure how many of you remember when I lived in Peru and went on a 3-day boat ride down the Amazon River.  Well, if you want to read more about it go {here}.  And if you want to see more photos of when I lived and traveled Peru go {here}.

So while my husband and I were on this boat we got to know the couple in the hammocks next to us quite well.  Regis and Virginie are from France and have been traveling South and North America since last September.  (Yes over a year of traveling!).  They are coming to stay with my husband and I for the weekend!  Isn't that exciting!?  I will report next week on how it goes!  

If you were visiting Salt Lake City, UT for the first time what would you want to experience?  

Food?  Sites?  Nature?  Adventure?

Grubs, Elixirs, and Floating Houses

Be sure to check out my {GUEST POST} on Wild and Precious.  I never shared my experience of the Belen Market and the floating village of Belen in the Amazon Jungle of Peru.  Amazing photos.  Don't ask me why I never posted these!  There where too many amazing things to share, what can I say?  

If you want to see more, visit my guest post on Blair's blog {HERE}.

The Truth About Butterflies in Glass Cases

Blue Morpho Butterfly

I wont lie, I love these butterflies in glass cases.  I saw these butterfly cases many places in Peru while I traveled but I waited until I got to the Amazon to purchase some.  

So here's the truth (and it's a sad story) about these beauties.  After I had purchased these, I went to a butterfly farm on the Amazon River (this is where I held the baby sloth and baby ocelot).  As we were walking through the butterfly farm I asked the owner what she thought of the butterflies in cases. The owner proceeded to tell me of how these beautiful creatures come to their doom.  

Many sellers will tell you that they find dead butterflies on the jungle floors of South America, this is a LIE. The jungles are covered with ants that eat the dead butterflies in the matter of seconds.  The butterflies bodies contain vital protein to the ants.  

What really happens is hunters go out, set up nets where the butterflies can get in and can't get out.  They tempt them with sweet nectar in the center of the nets.   The owner of the butterfly farm, Gudrun Sperrer,

 went with a local hunter to see what exactly happens.   She said in one afternoon they caught 467 butterflies!  One afternoon!  And when they got to the net the man killed them all with poisonous gas without looking to see what was inside. 

That is how these beauties come to be in these glass cases for your enjoyment.

Now this wouldn't be a problem if it was in moderation and if there were more butterfly farms to cultivate more butterflies. The fact is, there is ONLY one legitimate butterfly farm in all Peru; The Amazon Animal Orphanage & Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm. Gudrun Sperrer is only one person researching the host plant of the 2,000 unique butterflies native to the Amazon Jungle.  The host plant is vital in the farming of butterflies.  The caterpillars only eat one plant.  Without knowing what they eat you cannot breed them.  

Gudrun Sperrer has found the only 47 host plants of 47 Amazon Butterflies.  There are 1,957 more host plants to find.  It has taken her more than 20 years to collect those 47 different host plants.  We can't keep using the resources in the Amazon without doing our part to farm and cultivate what resources we are using and diminishing.  The fact is many of the resources in the Amazon are not protected and are being used at a rapid rate without the research and restrictions to learn about what we are using up and to protect these things from extinction.  

I encourage you not to buy these butterflies in cases.  If you do make sure that you know where they are coming from, though you might be lied to on how they caught these butterflies.  If it is from Central and  South America, more than likely these butterflies were hunted.  They say they are farmed to make you feel better. 

If you do buy these, I encourage you to donate to the butterfly farm to aid the researching of the host plants and the farming of Amazon butterflies.  

For more info on the Amazon Animal Orphanage and Butterfly Farm go {here}

Other ways to incorporate butterflies in your home:

1.  A Mills and Boon Romance- Butterfly Framed Art 2. Butterfly Garland -  Sugar Plum 3. Butterfly and Roses Print 4. Vintage Dictionary Art Print 5.  Pink Glasswing Original Signed Photo 6. Blue Wing Limited Edition Photograph7. Moth Silk Screened Pillow 8. Large Vintage Butterfly Silk Screened Pillow 9. Butterfly Postcards

Butterflies and Biting Monkeys

These are pictures from the Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm and Amazon Animal Orphanage. The lady who runs it is from Europe.  She visited the Amazon about twenty years ago, fell in love, and stayed there.  She saw a need for a butterfly farm and animal orphanage.  She runs the ONLY legit animal orphanage in the Amazon.   She is very passionate about her work.  It's a little intimidating but motivating at the same time.

This is my husband and Chavo.  She is a red faced Huacary monkey.  Apparently female monkeys only like males.  When my husband touched her she was purring.  When I touched her she grabbed my hands with both of hers and bit my arm! Luckily it didn't break the skin but it sure freaked me out.

This is a young ocelot I had the pleasure of holding!  This isn't a petting zoo but since this ocelot was so young and I am an animal lover the owner let me hold her!  She bit me all over but I didn't care. Isn't she gorgeous?

These last three pictures are of an indigenous village, Yaguas, we stopped at on the Nanay River in the Amazon Jungle.  We danced together and listened to them sing.  They taught us how shoot blow guns with poison darts.  they were eager to sell their handmade goods and I had a hard time saying no.  I brought home a few necklaces and bracelets.  It was extraordinary to be in such a different and less complicated world than mine. 

The tour agency we went with.

3... 2... 1...

Iquitos in three pictures (the largest city in the Amazon Jungle).  More to come on the adventures around Iquitos like the floating village, an indigenous village, and the butterfly farm.  This place has so much to offer.

A building downtown built in the 1860's during the "rubber boom".

Houses built on stilts. The river rises a few meters during the rainy season.

Some of the giant bugs that lurk in shady places. 

For more info on Iquitos go here.

Also, I wanted to thank a few bloggers for giving me some awards!

Mere from Idle Banter, an adorable fashion blog.

Amy from Junghwa, if you aren't a follower already head on over.

Hope Chella, beautiful blog FULL of eye candy.

Kristina from Kristina Cipoll Photography, immaculate images.

Lisette from Sweet Lisette, she is so cute you almost want to hate her.  Almost.

Izzy from All Swamped in Flowers, a fashion and fun blog.

I am SO flattered by the awards!  Thank you so much for reading and it brings me much happiness to know someone out in blogland is actually enjoying my blabs!  

I want to pass the "Over the Top" Award to:

Dena

Clare

Kakes

Tywo

Gracie

and

Josie

Thank you for inspiring me my lovelies!

Hanging, Dangling, and Chicken Foot Soup

Our internet connection has been horrible while in Iquitos, Peru so I have much to catch up on.  Let me start with our two day/ two night boat ride down the Amazon River.  The boat departed from  a port in Yurimaguas and headed down the immense river to Iquitos early on a Thursday morning.  We had woken up in Tarapoto at 3:30AM to catch a taxi to get us to the port on time.  That was after a twenty hour bus ride the pervious day to get us to Tarapoto.  Wow.

We slept in hammocks on the third level of the boat with about 200 other travelers.  There was little space but hammocks don't require much.  We met people from all over the world.  France, Tunisia, Switzerland, and Germany were among the countries represented.  I fell in love with one traveling couple, Regis and Virginie, from France.  They were so warm and friendly and seemed very at peace with life.  They have been traveling since September of last year and they hope to travel until December!  I don't think I could travel that long.  I think of myself as more of a vacationer.  This couple is coming to the States this summer and I hope to see them!  Look for a post this summer with them (cross my fingers).  It has been wonderful to meet people from all over the world and to learn about the world they live in.

The truth is, you see what you want to see in people and we are more similar than we are made to believe.

The boat ride was not as hot, sweaty, or as buggy as I thought it would be and for that I am grateful.  There was a good breeze going basically the whole time.  When we stopped at ports (which was pretty often) bugs would join us, the heat would catch up with us, and villagers would come on to sell local goods and unique fruits.

On the boat we were either hanging, dangling, or eating.  Hanging in our hammocks, dangling off the side of the boat, or eating chicken foot soup (and you know, the flavor was excellent!).

TRAVEL TIPS:
* We went on the boat Eduardo I which is the cheapest boat (soles/50 per person or about $18 US).
* Food is included but bring water and snacks.
* You have to buy or rent a hammock (s/20 for renting, s/26-50 to buy).
* WATCH YOUR STUFF!  Lock it if possible.  Never let your bags out of your site. Be careful when villagers get on the boat, this is when you need to watch your stuff the most.
* Bring toilet paper, soup, Tupperware, silverware, a headlamp, & wipes.
* You can shower on the boat if you dare.
* Bring a book and something to do.
* Bring bug repellent and sun screen.
* You can stay on the boat the night before departure for free if it's in the dock.
* Know where you want to stay in Iquitos because the dock is insane when you get off with different travel companies and mototaxi's all trying to take you to the "best place".  Watch your stuff here as well.
* There are nicer boats and rooms to rent for a more expensive price.

Sloth Speed Ahead!

My internet connection is slower than a baby sloth (like pictured above).  Who would've thought that in the middle of the Amazon Jungle it would be this bad?  Anyways, I want to share with you all my adventures and the plethora of priceless pictures with you pretty people. Unfortunately at this time my connection will not allow me to upload photos at a faster pace than one per hour.  Yes I waited one hour for this to upload.  I kept myself entertained with other things while checking on this photo every so often.  Wow.  Patience is a virtue right?

So out of all the 296 pictures (in five days) we've taken since we left Trujillo, Peru (where my husband was doing an internship thru Utah State University and I was learning to cook Peruvian food), why did I choose this one?  I'll tell you.  It's because this picture marks the completion of one of my life goals.

A couple things on the list:

1. Ride in a limo, roll down the window, and ask if the person in the car next to us if they have any Grey Poupon Mustard (did you see that commercial? if not it's below).     CHECK.
2.  Ride an elephant in India (not fulfilled yet).
3. Hold a sloth in the Amazon.  CHECK.

In fourth grade I wrote a report on sloths (we were learning about the Amazon Jungle at the time) and since then it's been a strong desire to hold one in the Amazon.  Today was an amazing day.  I hope to share more soon.  On Tuesday we go to Cuzco.  I hope our internet connection is better there.



P.S. Did you enter my GIVEAWAY yet?

Hear This.

This was filmed in Peru on a mountain top. Beautiful.  Enjoy this video and the sounds of the Dirty Projectors. They have some amazing harmony going on between the three females and three males in the group.


I made my journey on the 16 hour bus ride, which turned into a 20 hours, to Tarapoto, where we stayed at a hostal for the night. We got up at 3:30Am to make our boat ride from Yurimaguas to Iquitos. Tarapoto was beautiful and an expected stop for us. We enjoyed the artisan market, where I bought even more feather earrings! We went to a gorgeous waterfall and had a refreshing swim. We also visited a lovely little laguna where I met a very friendly monkey. He got a little too friendly and ended up licking my shoulder profusely and I had to pry him off of me.


The boat ride was gratifying and humbling. We met some fabulous friends from all over the world. There is so much to say but I need to think about how and what to share. So I leave you with this and stay tuned for more details and pictures. I am off to the zoo (to hopefully hold a sloth) and to get some descent grub.