Jungle Living

The Nanay River, viewed from an animal sanctuary we visited upriver from Iquitos.

In Spanish, the word selva is used to describe the landscape surrounding the city in which we currently live. It translates best to “jungle,” and that, along with my (Serena’s) odd love for alliteration and the word “journey,” is the reason behind the name of our blog. But what is it like to live in the jungle?

In truth, Our Jungle Journey is a bit of a misnomer, as we are living in a city and rarely see, much less enter, the jungle that surrounds us. The only reminders of the rainforest are the constant heat and humidity and the sandy soil that coats everything. There are also, of course, palm trees and other tropical plants scattered about, as well as occasional birds – most often parakeets or vultures.

For the most part, we had expected this. What we did not expect was the noise. In a city where the roads are dominated by motorcycles, silence is pretty much nonexistent. And if someone is playing music, it has one volume: loud. This is true even in church on Sunday morning and children’s ministry on Saturday, though despite the excessive volume, I do appreciate the passionate, worshipful atmosphere, and we are beginning to remember the words to the songs.

Dancing and singing during children's ministry in Rumacocha.

Getting around the city is quite easy, as motocarros – motorcycle taxis – are abundant and inexpensive. The buses are even cheaper, and we often take one to the outdoor Belen Market to buy produce at some point during the week. They are much shorter than a typical city bus in the U.S. and built with wooden ceilings and floors to prevent the inside from getting too hot.

Riding in a motocarro with John Lapp, who visited for a weekend along with Linda Shelly (both MMN staff).
(photo by Linda Shelly)

We were noting recently the lack of colonial architecture here, though Iquitos has its roots in rubber production, and we saw much of this style in Lima and Cusco. Instead, the buildings are typically plain cement and brick structures. Houses tend to be made of the same materials with iron grates over the windows and doors (often with decorative patterns), though in the areas where we work, most houses are wooden and have either cement or dirt floors. Nearly all buildings, residential and otherwise, have corrugated metal roofs.

One day in early October, we did head upriver in a boat with our friend Freddy (who happens to be a tour guide) to see a bit of the jungle and visit some touristy locations. Our first stop took us to a mariposario to see and hold butterflies, moths, and caterpillars, as well as to a Kukama village where we watched traditional dances and bought a few handmade souvenirs. We then visited an animal sanctuary, where we were encouraged to hold many of the animals that our guide showed us, including, to my great delight, a three-toed sloth! It was a welcome opportunity to get out of the city and be tourists for a day.

Our routine remains much the same as it is described in our previous blog post, though the lessons with Juan Carlos have been put on hold while he and Cielo are in Colombia for a few months, and we haven’t scraped any paint for several weeks. We appreciate your continued prayers as we teach and serve and navigate life in the jungle city of Iquitos!