November 1, 2007
From SATA-Peru-2007
Today we woke up at 4:30 and left Shipitiari. After bringing all of our things to the river, we had a quick breakfast and said our goodbyes. We got into small boats that could only fit 5 people at a time, and these boats took us across the river where we then had to walk a bit to get to the bigger boats. We needed to use the small boats because the river was not high enough that day for our regular bigger boats to pick us up at Shipitiari. This process took a while, but we were soon on our way to Casa Matsigenka, where we spent one night. Before reaching Casa Matsigenka, we stopped at Boca Manu, where we were able to buy candy and slingshots! It was funny how this was considered the hot spot, as it was such a small little place, but it had stores, phones, and internet! Mike and Manuel had a slingshot competition before we got back onto the boats, but I forget who won...?
When we got back onto our boats Glenn surprised us all by giving us candy, which was a great treat since we hadn't gotten any on Halloween the day before! We still had a long ride ahead of us by boat, so some of us took naps, or just enjoyed the beautiful views and relaxed. We officially entered the Manu National Park, and immediately saw the differences in the area's diversity. For example, we saw many more cedar trees, which are logged outside of the park for the strong wood of the trees, but it is protected inside of the park. If a cedar tree falls down while inside the park, many people will wait outside of it until it floats downriver so they can take it and sell it. We saw some interesting wildlife, such as a family of capybara (the world's largest rodent!), 2 huge black caimans, and many storks.
When we arrived at Casa Matsigenka after our 5 or so hour boat ride, we were greeted by Carloshi who was wearing his kushma, the traditional garment of the Matsigenka. Some of us visited the "store" which was a hut where the Matsigenka sold their handicrafts, such as bags, necklaces, and bows & arrows. We played cards, had dinner, and saw a rare mushroom that looks like a veil that is only open for a few hours. We had a quick lecture from Varun about Cocha Cashu, where we went the following day, and we all went to bed soon after.
