2011.7.10We got up early and took the boat back to Puerto Maldonado to catch our flight to Juliaca via Cusco. After the boat was docked, we were transferred to Inotawa’s car. Before we could leave, we had to go to the town center to get some cash – we had not paid our trip yet because we couldn’t make money transfer in Lima during weekend. We were in a bit of hurry, but as luck had it, not far from the port, when the car were climbing a slope, the engine stopped working. Luckily, we found another tour group that was going to the town as well. They dropped us near the town center. Our guide called a motocarro. It is the most popular transportation in the city. Riding one is a travel experience, but we couldn’t think of that at the time. ATM machine could be found at one side of the main plaza. There seemed to be a martial festival and soldiers in different uniforms marched around the plaza – I didn’t feel like taking picture either.

Motocarroes outside of Puerto Maldonado Airport

In fact, we still had 40 minutes when we got to the airport. We got both flight confirmed and seats assigned. After half an hour, we arrived Cusco without any delay. But while we were waiting for the transit flight to Juliaca, as boarding time approaching, we realized the gate was actually for a flight to Lima. Checking with LAN’s personnel, we learnt our flight had been cancelled. There was a strike in Juliaca and some part of airport facility had been damaged. The planes were only allowed to come in and out Juliaca in the morning. We were so surprised because no one informed us earlier. At Puerto Maldonado, LAN’s counter must have known the connection flight wouldn’t exist. We considered to take bus to Juliaca because we really didn’t want to miss the Lake Titicaca tour the next day, but thinking of that we could be grounded in Juliaca and missed our international flight back home, we decided to spend another day at Cusco.

We went back to El Dorado San Augustin Hotel. One restaurant I noted before the trip was closed for renovation. To make sure not to make mistakes on selecting restaurants, we went to Chicha again for dinner.

Cuy Pequinés

Adobo

After dinner, I had the opportunity to take some night shots around Plaza de Armas. Temperature drops fast after sunset at this altitude. In July, it is barely above freezing point at night.

Night Scene of Plaza de Armas

Night Scene of Plaza de Armas

Missing the Lake Titicaca trip allowed us to explore more in Cusco, which we didn’t have enough time before we went to the jungle. In the next morning, we first walked to the Church of San Cristobal. It’s built on the hill of Colcampata, about half way to Sacsayhuamán. The church has a modest design but offers a wonderful location to overlook the city. The stone-paved narrow alleys leading to the church, presenting various vivid colors in doors, balconies and tiles, were fascinating too.

A Cat at Cusco

Cusco

Cusco

Plaza Regocijo is next to the Plaza de Armas. The hotels, restaurants and cafes around the plaza have a modern touch compared with other places in the city. We had some snacks in a cafe and had our final lunch at Inka Grill.

Plaza Regocijo

La Merced Church and Convent

A University on Plaza de Armas

We left Cusco in the afternoon. Coincidently, during our 7-hours wait at Lima airport, we met those two Americans who shared the boat with us on Tres Chimbadas Lake in Amazon. They went to Lake Titicaca earlier without even aware there was a strike, because their flights were all in the morning. They comforted us by saying that it’s the least favorable place in their trip because it’s too commercialized.

We didn’t plan to go to Nazca Line or the Northern Peru because they are too out of the way, but the places we visited were culture-rich and diversified enough to keep us dream on for the next trip in the future.

2011.7.9Clay-eating behavior by macaws is unique in western Amazon region. Traditionally, it is believed that macaw’s diet contains toxic elements so they eat clay from exposed river banks to neutralize the toxins; but new research showed that macaws prefer clay with higher levels of sodium, which indicate the reason of clay lick is to obtain this vital element that is scarce in environments far from the sea.

We got up at 4:30 in the morning. Wind knocked the dew off leaves and it sounded like rain. It’s our biggest concern because Macaws wouldn’t come if it’s raining. After a little breakfast, we set off at 5:00am. For 5-minute boat ride, we arrived at the spot. The river makes a big detour here. The water level is low, the land in the middle is like an island and the river bank is like a cliff in 180 degree arc-shape. There are enough space for Macaws to lick.

River Bank at Chuncho

Panorama of River Bank at Chuncho

Around 5:30am, parrots started coming in large groups. Soon the number reached several hundreds. They circled around the area and stood on the tree branch for no more than15 minutes, several at first, then suddenly all of them came down from the tree at the same time and started licking. Our guide showed us a brochure called “Tambopata Field Guide of Parrots”, which illustrates about 20 species of Macaws and Parrots. Most parrots we saw on the cliff were of blue feather on their head, they might be Blue-Headed Parrot. The rest were in total green, I don’t know what they are.

Parrots on the Cliff

Macaws usually came as families, either a pair or a parents with their chick. Compared with their hasty relatives, macaws were more prudent. They stood on top of the trees and watching parrots busy licking disdainfully. In 10 minutes, in the same manner as they came down to the cliff, parrots left the river bank all together simultaneously. Lingering for another 5 minutes, they all disappeared.

Macaws are big birds and certainly took themselves more seriously, anything abnormal made them suspicious. We wanted to move closer to the river to see the birds more clearly, but the guide of another tour group told us that our cloth color was too bright, so we had to retreat further back and hid ourselves in the bush. This started our standoff with macaws for the next 3 hours. More macaws were coming. We saw all three kinds of large-size macaws in the reserve, Scarlet, Red-and-Green and Blue-and-Yellow Macaw. They were at least twenty macaws of each type. They gathered on their own trees and never mingled with others. Sometime, they seemed feeling safe and gradually moved to lower branches – macaws never go to the river bank directly, they always do it step by step – but all of sudden, maybe because they heard something or saw something, they flew back to the top of the trees again. Sometimes, they just moved to another tree 100 yards away.

Scarlet Macaws on top of the Tree

Blue-and-Yellow Macaws

Red-and-Green Macaws

The other group had left and we also went back to the boat to take a rest. We then decided to let the boat go back to the camping site to wrap up our staff and we stayed here and kept waiting. In the next hour or so, we sit among the bushes, put large leaves on our heads to cover us from the raising sun. For some reason, Blue-and-Yellow Macaws left one family after another, but Scarlet and Red-and-Green Macaws were still here.

Unknown Bird

Blue-and-Yellow Macaws are Leaving

The remaining macaws kept playing tricks with us. Finally at about 9:40am, one of Macaws came down to the cliff, then others followed in minutes. There were about twenty macaws on the cliff at the same time. This lasted less than 10 minutes. Our boat came back, the sound of motor broke the serenity. Macaws went back to the tree. The guide said it might take them an hour to come down again. From what I read before we left to Peru, beginning of July is not a good time to watch macaw’s clay click. At least we saw all of them and we waited long enough for them to be on the cliff. The only regret I had was that I should have taken more pictures.

Macaws\' Clay Lick

Frightened by Boat Motor, Macaws Went Back to the Tree

The returning trip took only 3 hours. When we walked into the lodge, a group of American middle school students meeting at the open patio. They are the new guests of the lodge. We had the lunch of fishes that the captain caught in our trip.

Fried Fish

At the afternoon we had our last activities of the Amazon trip – we went to Tres Chimbadas Lake to fish piranhas. It was only a short boat ride away downstream, after that we walked about one mile to across the jungle. Together with another guide and his tour group, we paddled around the lake watching birds at lake side. The lake was quite and water was dark, maybe because it doesn’t connect to the river. We docked our boat and tried to fish piranhas. Most popular piranhas are golden one in the lake. They don’t really eat human, but they were quite aggressive at the baits we threw in. One guy from another group caught one fish, I almost got one too but as I pulled the pole out of the water, the fish got loose and gone.

Massive Tree Trunk

Our Guide Paddling the Boat

A Piranha

Tres Chimbadas Lake

The night already fell as we left the lake. On our way back to the lodge, the guide used searchlight to scan the river shores looking for caimans. Caiman’s eyes reflect the light and will be seen as two red gleams. We didn’t have much luck and only saw a small caiman. I caught it on the video.