Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Pica Flor Research Center

Like we predicted, it took us awhile to get another entry up... We're hoping to get new ones up about once a week, but as we travel, sometimes that might not be possible. That said, because it's been so long, we have lots to say. This is the first of a few entries that will be posted in a relatively short time (we've recently arrived in Bolivia), so keep checking back!

"Pica Flor" means hummingbird in Spanish (so does "colibri"). The Research Center is in the rainforest about 30 kilometers down the Tambopata River from the port city of Puerto Maldonado. We headed to the Pica Flor on Nov. 9th and ended staying until Nov. 17th. Because of the remote location and the unique jungle atmosphere, many people pay as much as a couple of thousand dollars for a short three or four day stay in lodges in the jungle. Pica Flor offers a different experience than the tourist lodges. Travelers work on a voluntary basis for four hours a day, helping maintain the area, and pay just $10 a day. For the remaining part of the day we were free to explore the jungle trails and relax in the lodge. It was a unique opportunity to spend some time in the jungle without spending an arm and a leg.



Pica Flor Research Center is part research center, part jungle-lodge home, and entirely focused on sustainable ways of living. It´s located in a bamboo-filled rainforest and surrounded by an amazing diversity of wildlife and vegetation. Some of the animals we saw included macaws, agouti, pacas, capybara, guans, frogs, beautiful butterflies, termites, a tarantula, grasshoppers, crickets, vultures, praying mantis, lots of different types of ants, lizards and birds, and the rarely seen japiru stork. We also heard monkeys, bambu rats, and a pom rat, but never saw them. Some of the plants they had included passion fruit vines, banana trees, cocona trees, lemon trees, papapa trees, guava trees, pineapples, and mangos. It was really quite tropical!



A small, dream-chasing family owns the place: Laurel, Pico, and their 2-year-old son Picito. A hard-working jack-of-many-trades named Larry also works and lives there, helping the family to work on their many projects. The family also has Campiona (a cat whose main job is to keep the rodents at bay) and a somewhat aggressive pet guan named Chick-Chick who was adopted by the family just after hatching from his shell.



One thing that struck both Jeremy and I about our time at Pica Flor was the glimpse we received of a sustainable way of living in the rainforest. They have so many projects going on and many more that they have planned for the future. For example, they use as much of their own produce as possible. This includes the variety of fruits mentioned above plus protein sources that they cultivate including chickens, eggs, and rabbits. They are close to adding cuy (guinea pig), turkeys, and native fish to their list as well. They also use their waste very efficiently. Any leftovers from meals goes to feed the chickens and rabbits. They compost or burn anything that those animals won´t eat. In addition, the home is energy efficient in that it uses solar power and water-wise because they pump all the water they use each day. The research center has an orchid house, a library with lots of guidebooks as references for looking up wildlife and plantlife, trails, and harvests brazil nut trees. Plus, they are currently protecting their land from illegal loggers. They do this by talking with the illegal loggers, and when that doesn´t work, they hammer tons of nails in the trees that the loggers have fell so that it is difficult to process them. All in all, Pica Flor Research Center is doing a ton!

While we were there, Jeremy and I helped the family to construct a chicken fence to separate their breeding free-range chickens from their egg-generating ones, added a trellis for future passionfruit vines, pumped water (and lots of it!), hiked to a nearby rainforest stream and a cliff overlooking the Tambopata River, read books, completed crucigrams (Peru's take on the crossword puzzle), relaxed in hammocks, and took naps. Most days we woke up at 4:45am so that we could finish with our volunteer work by 9am before the sun started really beating down. Then, the rest of the day, we´d practice the fine art of relaxation, eat and fall asleep by 8:30pm. It was hot and sticky the whole time, but it was wonderful.



Overall, some of the highlights for Jeremy and I were seeing a strong model of sustainable living in action, an introductory tour of the rainforest trails with Laurel (she knows so much!), late night animal sightings with Pico (a tarantula, a capybara, and a paca), and the beautiful surroundings in the lush diverse rainforest. Picture a backdrop of a dark rainforest lit up by fireflies with an accompanying symphony of insects, mammals, and amphibians as you fall asleep... It was exquisite!

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