Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Text and Photos by Niko Kyriakou

Amazon cruise ship 'Dawn On the Amazon III' Photo: Bill Grimes

(LIP-nk) -- After spending close to a year hacking through imposters, paperwork, and the rainforest in search of the perfect trees, Bill Grimes, an Indiana farmer, built the boat of his dreams and started a luxury cruise company on Peru's Amazon River.

Grimes' business, Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises, is located in Peru's northeastern river city of Iquitos and provides something that few other tour companies offer: specialized, high-class tours down some of the most adventurous and ecologically diverse rivers in the world.

Grimes personally made the outlines for his 65-foot boat, Dawn on the Amazon III, which is made of lustrous woods and is full of original carvings and artwork.

Dawn III's rooms are screened in and equipped with fans and bunk beds. The boats cheery, 8-person crew launders robes and bedding daily, and prepares top-rate Peruvian meals with local-grown ingredients. The fee is $289 per person, per day, and includes airport pick-up in Iquitos. Add $100 per day for the matrimonial room. Booze and satellite phone calls cost extra.

Those who hire Grimes' floating palace are most often fishermen and leisure cruisers, but his clients also include entomologists, ornithologists, and ornamental fish collectors.

They come to see the jewels of Peru's rain forest, which is home to 560 species of neo-tropical birds; 3,700 butterfly species (20% of the world’s total); bird-eating spiders; 150-pound rodents; fresh-water pink dolphins; 22 species of stingrays; 420 species of ornamental fish; and the strongest creature on earth (for its size), the rhinoceros beetle, which is able to support 850 times its own body weight.


GETTING STARTED

Bill Grimes, President of Dawn on the Amazon Photo: LIP

Grimes, who describes himself as "one of the great outdoorsmen", initially came to Iquitos for a three-month fishing trip, eight years ago. When the aggressiveness of local tour guides turned him off, he decided to organize his own tour, and bought a 33-foot, thatched-roof riverboat for $800.

"I probably could have bought it for $400, but I didn't know that then," Grimes says.

He hired a captain, which foreigners are required to do by law unless they complete a lengthy licensing course in Spanish, and started taking two-week trips up the area's many rivers. Without a refrigerator on board, Grimes and his new captain, Edson Marinho, sometimes survived just on eggs and the fish they caught.

Before coming to Peru, Grimes had fished on six-continents and in the seven seas, but in Peru's Amazon, he found what he believes to be the mother of all fishing and adventure destinations.

Grimes became "obsessed" with catching Peacock bass, which he calls "the holy grail of sports fishermen - the hardest fighting fresh water fish."

"They're hard to get, hard to find, and as luck would have it, I caught some. Then I caught some more, and next thing you know, I'm over-obsessing," he says in his easy, mid-western drawl.

The "beautiful" and "delicious" bass are so powerful they destroy reels and lures and can tug canoes miles up-river, he said.

Grimes spent five years going back and forth between Indiana and Peru, traveling during the winters, after harvest time on his Indiana soybean farm. While peacock bass initially lured him to the area, ultimately, it was a woman that kept Grimes in Peru.

Some of the crew on board, and Bill's girlfriend, Marmelita (right) Photo: LIP

On his fourth year visiting Iquitos, Grimes, 60, met his girlfriend, Marmelita, 34.

"I courted her with difficulty. I had to jump through every hoop known to man. I had to leave my shoes on. I didn’t get any kisses in the park," Grimes recalls.

"My secret weapon was a satellite telephone. I called her from the middle of the jungle. That got her attention. Who could have thought technology could be so valuable."

Grimes fell in love and decided to make his move permanent. Three years ago, he rented out his 1,500-acre soybean farm in the U.S., and moved full-time to Iquitos.



A VISION

"The idea for the boat came from having the greatest adventure I'd ever had. I thought a lot of people would like to do it, but what I was doing was very rough," Grimes said.

"It seemed most everyone would like this if they could be comfortable and didn’t have to eat rotten eggs."

One of the cabins below deck on Dawn on the Amazon III Photo: LIP

Rather than go up against stiff competition at the low end of the budget, Grimes aimed for something finer.

"I wanted to appeal to the doctor, lawyer, business-class people, because no one was really doing that at the time. The idea was to offer comfortable rooms, screened in areas, electricity, soft mattresses, and table dining."

"I'm kind of proud of myself that I made my vision come true."

Grimes, who says he "never bribes anybody", handles the difficulties of living in the Peruvian jungle with the help of a loyal core staff, and his girlfriend, Marmelita. Dealing with local officials can be particularly tricky, he says.

"Peru is number five in the world in the amount of paperwork required to do business…if you raise your voice here, you are already going backwards. So I send Marmelita. She makes cakes and cookies while I'm more likely to make enemies."

Also, without his trusted motorista, or captain, Edison Marinho, who still drives his boat, Grimes says he "would be a miserable loss."

Edison Marinho, Bill's motorista Photo: LIP

"He's been reading the current so long he doesn’t even know he's reading it. Edison was born on the river," he says.

THE BOAT

The company hires out two boats, Dawn on the Amazon I, and III. Dawn I is 33-feet long, and offers less expensive and shorter-term cruises than the unique, 65-foot Dawn III.

Grimes spent a year traveling up down the Amazon looking at boats before picking a design and a builder for Dawn III.

"I probably went down into the hull of 100 boats with a flashlight on my hands and knees bumping around trying to learn how boats here are built and the design I wanted."

Finally, Grimes, who has been boating since a child and has also worked in construction, found the "Bonito" boat. A vessel built by a "master craftsman", it had perhaps "one of the best built hulls on the entire Amazon," Grimes said.

On deck of Dawn on the Amazon III Photo: LIP

Grimes hunted down the builder, who lived in the jungle, four-days up-river, and brought him to Iquitos. He gave the craftsman detailed plans for a hull, down to the number of nails and bolts.

Two days after commissioning a hull and signing a contract, Grimes got a phone call from a man who said he was the real builder of the Bonito. Grimes realized he'd made a deal with an imposter.

The real builder was a Peruvian man of about 70, named Quintana Ruiz. As it turned out, the first builder's claim to fame was that he had watched Ruiz build the Bonito. In the end, unwilling to break his contract, Grimes commissioned two hulls.

"I am an honorable man, a stupid honorable man," he jokes.

The first hull, for which Grimes paid $3,500, did not turn out to be what he was looking for. Unable to resell it, he eventually gave it to a friend for $1. Grimes says he does not tell anyone what he paid the master craftsman, who used super-long timber to build the length of the hull with single trees.

The eagle masthead, which has a Peacock Bass in its claws Photo: LIP

The hull of Dawn on the Amazon III is made of the resiny, water-resistant wood, Itahuba. Above the water line, it is finished in Violeta, or Purple Heart, as well as Palo Sangre, or Blood Wood, and Marupa. Grimes trudged deep into the jungle and personally selected the trees he wanted, which were all purchased legally.

Everywhere above deck, the boat is tattooed with carvings of animals, fish, and jungle plants, which are inlaid with vegetable ivory. The work was done by the local artisan, Gary Lomas Vasquez. The boat's signature is a giant masthead of an eagle with a Peacock Bass in its claws.

Powered by a 125 horsepower Caterpillar engine, the ship holds 12 guests comfortably, and has a maximum capacity of 20. Up top is a balcony with lawn chairs and recliners, good for sunbathing in the humid-heat one might expect to find in the jungle, three degrees south of the Equator.

Bill Grimes points to his boat's deep-cell batteries Photo: LIP

But Dawn III's masterpiece may be its eight, 320-pound, deep-cell batteries, which "cost a small fortune", Grimes said. Once charged by the boat's 10,000 watt electrical generator, the batteries supply the boat with enough juice to run the lights, fans, computer, freezer, water pumps, and other appliances for two days, without the chugging sound of a generator to drown out the jungle's music.

"That's the thing about my boat I'm most proud of. I think this is completely unique on all the Amazon," Grimes says.


RIVER LIFE

This quietness is one of the reasons the Dawn III is permitted to enter Peru's largest nature reserve, Pacaya Samiria, which is bigger than the state of New Jersey.

The 5 million-acre reserve has 85 natural lakes which contain 250 species of fish. Amongst the reserve's jungle and flooded forest live some 130 mammal species (13 of which are primates), 449 tropical bird species, and 250 reptile and amphibian species. Dawn on the Amazon is one of the few eco-tour companies with legal permission from the government to operate in the reserve.

Visitors on Grimes' boats can take a dip in the river to cool off, but should take some precautions, he warns.

"I consider myself to be brave, but I didn’t swim the first two years here with Edson. I used a bucket to wash up because it was my preconceived idea that piranhas would get me."

There are not just  'Snakes on a plane'... Photo: LIP

In actuality, Grimes explains, piranhas are most dangerous in shallow, stagnant waters, and generally only attack, "if you are bleeding severely".

"Swimming here is a little dangerous -- not because of the sting rays, anacondas, piranha, bacteria, or anything you know," Grimes says, "but because of a tiny fish that follows the urine stream right up your hole, attaches to you with spines, and you can't remove it except surgically."

Despite such pests, Grimes himself now happily swims in the warm, milky brown rivers.

The man who used to consider himself one of the great outdoorsmen now calls himself "a computer nerd".

Grimes' elaborate website (www.dawnontheamazon.com) offers heaps more photos and information about his tours.

tags : Peru travel tourism business fishing Amazon cruise DawnontheAmazon eco-tourism adventure Iquitos

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19 Comments

# Gloria I. Stansbery says :
12 October, 2006 [ 07:37 ]

This could be a wonderful B-day surprise for my husband. He enjoys fishing and love Iquitos. Looking forward to planning for next year. Please tell me if you travel to any part of Brasil. Thank you and congratulations on your vision.

# Bill Grimes says :
13 October, 2006 [ 12:51 ]

Hello Gloria, In 1999 I traveled down the Amazon River through Brazil to Belem at the Atlantic Ocean.
I prefer the upper Amazon River of Peru. Iquitos is floating in the middle of the greatest fresh water fishery on earth. I plan to enjoy the upper Amazon watershed "until the creeks dry up".
I would be delighted for you and your husband to join me. Please look through my web site at www.dawnontheamazon.com for more photos and information.
You can email me direct from the Contact Us link.

Thank you, and best regards, Bill

# Wanda Lockwood says :
14 October, 2006 [ 11:29 ]

Hi Bill & friends, I have been to Lima, cusco, & Machu Pichu about 3 years ago. I have friends now living in Lima. What a beautiful country!! I get news from Peru every day "Living in Peru" and happened to see your article. How exciting for an american to be living in Peru and actually do something that you can enjoy the beautiful rainforest and live among the people. I did not get to see the rainforest only pictures, but what an awesome trip that would be!! Thanks for your article, I plan to go to your website and see more pictures...a great-grandma in "Texas"

# Randall Quinn says :
15 October, 2006 [ 07:59 ]

I can attest to you boat [ship?] is as nice as the article implies. After reading your caution on urinating in the Amazon, I'm happy I was a gentleman in that sense and refrained. One caution to your future customers. If you elect to swim in the Amazon, be prepared to swim vigorously back to the boat. I jumped in off of the fantail and tried to touch bottom. I was completely surprised to surface 30 to 40 yards downstream. Randall Quinn

# Bill Grimes says :
15 October, 2006 [ 08:39 ]

Thanks Wanda, don't forget the suggestion on this web site; one visit to Peru will change your life, two visits will get you hooked.

# Bill Grimes says :
15 October, 2006 [ 08:55 ]

Randall, you should be proud to have set at least two world records; by finishing the longest raft race ever held, and being a member of the oldest raft crew in the longest raft race. Were you attempting a third record by trying to touch bottom in the channel of the largest river on earth? Two world records in one week is enough for most people...

# Mike collis says :
16 October, 2006 [ 07:48 ]

Congratulations Randy, You really did find it in the end. Remember you and your brave crew spent 3 days rafting down the Amazon struggling to find the current. You see, it was under Bill's boat all the time !

# DAN C. BUZZO says :
16 October, 2006 [ 05:09 ]

Bill, Although you are not the greatest explorer of the Amazon, nor are you as great as Colombus, but I certainly have not met one who more enjoyed exploring the beauties of this wonderful area, since my friend Francisco de Orellana died! "Papadan"

# Bill Grimes says :
16 October, 2006 [ 09:01 ]

Papa Dan, sir, it is a great honor for me to be mentioned on the same page with you, a living legend. Should you agree to continue tutoring me as your apprentice, and if I should accidentally live to a ripe old age like yourself, perhaps some eager young adventurer with a gleam in his eye will come along and ask me to share some of the stories from the olden days before the Dawn on the Amazon Explorers Club was born, and I will tell how me and you helped Francisco de Orellana build the boat we floated down the Rio Napo from Ecuador, and how we discovered the greatest river on earth. I will tell him, "Son, the name of that boat was Dawn on the Amazon I, and when we got to the Atlantic Ocean, I sold her to a friend of ours for $1, and son, you know back then when the new world was young, that was a real good deal."

# Morton L. Caplan says :
17 October, 2006 [ 07:47 ]

I recommend Bill's tours for anyone looking for something intersting to do for a day or longer. He is a gentleman, knowledeable and informative, and will customize tours according to your interests,as he did for me.

# andres cabrera aliaga! says :
8 November, 2006 [ 03:56 ]

its really awsome all about this documentary!! IM SO proud to be peruvian because we have a wonderful country with everything! i`t`s the paradise!and i want to take this oportunity to give my regards and congratulations to grimes and his soul mate!and of course a good friend coky!!good job!! its a dream comes true!! good luck on everything and blessings! best wishes!

# Molly Mednikow says :
5 December, 2006 [ 08:49 ]

I have lived in Iquitos for 2.5 years and have traveled this region for a decade. I am always amazed at Bill´s never-ending energy & dedication to bringing high quality and diverse travel options to people visiting Iquitos and the surrounding areas. I have only heard wonderful things about Bill Grimes and his fleet, an incredible feat, as traveler´s are a notoriously picky lot! One key to his continued success is that he is very hands-on. At a time when he could easily coast on his laurels he still manages the daily operations and tours. He truly loves people and showing them the bountiful gifts of this region! I highly recommend his journeys and boats! Sincerely, Molly Mednikow of www.amazonhumanesociety.org

# Abraham Encinas says :
30 January, 2007 [ 09:31 ]

   Iquitos and all the Peruvian rainforest are a blessing for the world.  The solitute, natural beauty, flora and fanuna, and the charisma of people in the area makes any foreign vistor forget the stressfull and materialistic life in developed countries such as the U.S.  I live in the U.S. at present,  but I used to work as a tour guide in  rivers cruises down the Amazon river (Iquitos to Leticia).  I am grateful to live i nthe US now, but I dream with those days in the huge and magic Amazon forest.  I did not have the pleasure to experience this company, but I highly recomend Bill's tours for future vistors of the rain forest. Eerybody needs to experience places like the Amazon rainforest becuase we do not have soem many places unspoiled like this. Experience the magic trip down the Amazon is a must for any traveller.

Regards,

  Abraham Encinas

abraham_encinas@rocketmail.com
UNC-TV North carolina, USA

# juanita milhollin says :
13 February, 2007 [ 12:50 ]

Hi this is Juanita Milhollin I am from Iquitos Peru and my husband is a norteamerican we meet each other in iquitos four years ago when he was visiting iquitos he was living in iquitos for almost six months and he had to go back to the U.S.A, we live in chattanooga Tn now and I miss my country

# Maridell says :
1 May, 2008 [ 09:35 ]

Hello , Mr Grimes, I live on "cheese head land , you know.. Packers, Brewers, bratwurst, did you guess? and of course I am not that far from Indiana, we have as you know terrible winters here, this year in cheese land we had 15 snow storms.
All my best wishes for you and your girlfriend and keep enjoying that beautiful amazon region, full of colors and beautiful blue skies.

# S. Benjamin Doxey says :
8 May, 2008 [ 01:42 ]

G'day , Mr. Grimes, You may not remember me since it has been some time. In 2005 I had the pleasure of meeting you through an interview for Iquitos Times on one of your first launchings. I remember sitting atop the vessel for the interview, the forest beyond and the shores of floating homes and the distant stilt homes of Belem and before. 

Your background and accomplishments have been an ecouragement as I begin my life here in Australia. I have used your example to encourage others and myself in knowing that when you want to achieve something enough and have the will to go for what you want in life then amazing things are possible.

I'm currently in Sydney, Australia completing my International Business Degree however I do look forward to getting back to Iquitos soon. 

 

It was such an amazing experience and such exquisite art creation to be seen throughout the vessel. I want to thank you for allowing me the honour of sharing such an amazing display of craftsmanship and creative design. 

I thank you again and I do hope all is going fantastically well back in the jungle.

Kind Regards,

S.  Benjamin Doxey

# Mari says :
8 May, 2008 [ 11:55 ]

Peru has been blessed to have a beautiful and magic Amazon Rain Forest.

# Magnifico says :
10 May, 2008 [ 08:51 ]

Calgon.....take me away.....

# Charles Miller says :
15 August, 2009 [ 11:36 ]

Does anyone have a fax number for Dawn on the Horizon?  i have not been able to get through by e-mail, and the telephone connection was so bad i could not understand a word.
Thanks.
Charles
chmiller33@gmail.com

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