Living in Peru : your everyday companion

I once visited this place and hope to go there again this summer.  From what I can remember, the place certainly has nice and friendly.  I only thing I did not enjoy was the train ride up.  I wonder if there is another way to get there. [REPLY]

I look forward to read your book. Nobody bikes in Lima out of fear of being stolen the bike. Public transport is a catastrophe, an eletric train system (i.e. Metro) is a top necessity but corrupt administrations usually have other interests.  [REPLY]

Great descriptive read Rodney..planning our escape already. Inspiring pics, thanks [REPLY]

awesome [REPLY]

I WISH YOU LUCK IN YOUR TRIP AND THE BOOK.
 I HOPE IT COMES OUT SOON.
[REPLY]

Thank you for the kind words. You are certainly correct that drowning and other accident/trauma-related hazards are the more likely. It was not my attention to emphasize candiru (or piranha, for that matter) as a cause of injury but rather to include them as an interesting aside.

As for malaria rates, the data cited are from surveillance obtained in these tourists' home countries, not in Peru. When we encounter malaria in the US, for example, determining where the patient acquired the infection is a major concern, and this data is reportable to the CDC. Other countries and regions, such as the EU and Canada, have similar systems. These specific numbers may vary somewhat, either due to under-reporting when the patient doesn't mention their travel to Peru or due to over-reporting when the patient has traveled to multiple malaria-endemic countries and the source country cannot be clearly identified. On the whole, however, they are reasonably accurate. I would mention additionally that the potential incubation period for malaria may exceed 15-20 days, potentially by very large margins depending on the species of malaria and the use or non-use of prophylactic medications.

As for the accent in "Peru"...well, you got me there. Course of habit, I suppose.

Thanks again for the interesting and insightful comments.

Cordially,
Ryan Maves [REPLY]

An excellent article, and a practical one.  Aside from mentioning that "Peru" in English lacks an accent, I want to point out that tourist malaria statistics are not useful owing to the 12-20 day iuncubation period.  The disease often strikes when a tourist is already out of the country.

Regarding number 5, it is most accurate to stress the danger of drowning as opposed to the usual culprits in the Amazon.  Aside from a couple of records of bullsharks from fifty years ago, no one has seen or reported this animal from the upper Amazon since.  The Candiru, as pointed out by Spotte in his excellent book on the subject, continues to be enigmatic and there is but one proven case, that being from the middle Amazon in Brazil.  In 35 years of residence and work in the Amazon basin I am unaware of any candiru encounters.  And I have collected and filmed these fishes.

Piranhas and snakes rank among the most misunderstood of all creatures and the occasionally spectacular behavior of piranhas is a product of isolation and interspecific competiton as opposed to voracity.  Think of ten men in a prison cell without food for a week, then toss in a loaf of bread.  Our problem in general with wildlife is we fail to distinguish between hazard and risk.  As a rule the least risky hazards such as anaconda or jaguar or piranha attacks are what attracts Hollywood and our perceptions follow.

Aside from the medical issues so well covered in this article, high-risk hazards in the Amazon include: drowning, slipping and falling, getting lost in forest, getting sunburned, or getting stung. [REPLY]

Mancora Peru is sunny 365 days a year, is ideal for rental, vacation. [REPLY]

David, One of Lima's best restaurants, La Gloria, has gone into partnership with an organic farm very close to Pachacamac. La Gloria al Campo serves really inventive 'new Andean' and traditional Peruvian dishes, some cooked in wood ovens, all fresh and mainly using ingredients grown right there on the farm. The surroundings are superb and the service is attentive but not intrusive. But if that's too fancy for you, you could also try one of the many places serving chiccarones along the main road. You could probably have your jeep cleaned at the same time. [REPLY]

If God let me do it, we  would like to Visit Tarma as soon is possible and the Senor of Muruhuay as well. [REPLY]