Arco Iris Community

Our experience at the Arco Iris community here in Peru was definitely an interesting one. We weren't entirely sure what to expect coming in, but we had heard good things from several people about the community and farm. First of all, we made our way from Iquitos by hopping on a bus with all of our gear and a fair amount of groceries for the group. After the bus let us off somewhere in between Nauta and Iquitos, we started down a path that went directly into the jungle and that did not seem to get cooler as we continued. With all of our gear (and all of the humidity/heat here) we (I especially) were getting very sweaty very quickly, and we knew it would be about 30 minutes or more before we reached the community. Before long, we reached the community and joined the group immeditately as they were just sitting down to eat some lunch.

There were a few things that we noticed when we entered: there were dispersed buildings in the forest that were built according to local styles (open-air wooden structures with leaf-thatched roofs); there was a small river running the length of the community; a few developed fields existed; and immediately when we sat down, there was nothing but completely whole, healthy foods available. Our original intention was to stay for two weeks, but we later decided to stay for a single week for one primary reason: the food. Although it was very good, and it felt good to eat so healthy for a while, Kait and I both discovered that we needed more calories in order to have the energy needed to be very useful on the farm, so perhaps our second day in, we recognized that two weeks might be a bit of a stretch.

Our stay was in the middle of the hot season, so productivity in the community was a little lower than it otherwise would have been throughout the year. Since this was tha case, Kait and I didn't quite feel that we had much of a solid job that we could do to really be helpful, but we did manage to help dig up some amber from the garden in order for the artisans in the community to transform it into crafts and jewelry. The amber was usually in small pieces and was a result of a fallen tree that had been partially buried in the ground. Kait and I also helped with some smaller tasks like cooking and collecting wood for the cookstove.

Cooking itself was actually something that took nearly half the day, so it was essentially a day's chore by itself. One would have to first prepare all of the food that they would need and build a fire in the stove to cook with. There were pots and most everything (that doesn't require electricity) you would find in a normal kitchen, but somehow building and maintaining the fire added quite a lot of time to the whole cooking process. (The heat from the fire also added tremendously to my level of sweat!)

We managed a few social activities during our stay there as well. We had a few gatherings at the fire circle, which is where/how we celebrated New Year's. One of the members, Krishna, had prepared chapati bread and chocolate as a treat for all of us. We played some music during this time and just sat and talked a bit as well. Seeing as how the night approaches seemingly faster in the jungle, Kait and I retired to bed pretty early. Another time, we had a drum circle where one of the members taught polyrhythmics/complementary drumbeats. We even had one night where some members managed to combine playing didjeridoo with guitar and a drum.

The rest of the time, we basically just hung out and got to know the eclectic mix of people that we had encountered there. One who stands out to me was a Serbian guy living there who showed us the land and explained how things worked. Our "bunkmates" were a mix of French, Italian, Swiss, German, and Chilean travelers, some who came and went quickly and others who are staying there still.

Since we just returned to the city today, we immediately checked into a hostel (with beds and a shower!) that will surely prove to be an improvement on our tent-on-wood-floor situation in the community. Plus being in the city, we will not be eaten alive by mosquitos and other small bugs that we don't know the name of that exist in abundance in the jungle. All in all, we are happy to be back and to have decently full stomachs! We will stay here for perhaps 2 nights total, and then we will take the boat trip back to Yurimaguas where we can continue south by bus.