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Juanjuí, Perú
February 8, 2023
Juanjuí, Perú: population: 30,000, or about 35,000 for the entire metropolitan area. Juanjuí sits in a mountain valley at 283 meters (928 feet). It's a very pretty valley and quite close to the Amazon region. Juanjuí is the gateway into one of the national park Rio Abiseo and the ruins Gran Pajaté. The history of the region dates back to the Inca years, but it was in 1827 that the Spanish conquered the area and founded the town. The name Juanjuí is a contraction of the name Juan Huido. The Spanish founded the town with this name: Villa de Santa María de la Merced de Juanjuí, Sworn Protector of the Captives. The growth of the town didn't really take off until the highway was built in 1956, prior to which the airport was the only way to reach the town.
Read MoreTarapoto, Perú
February 4, 2023
Tarapoto, Perú: Tarapoto was founded in 1782 with the full name of Santa Cruz de los Motilones de Tarapoto. Tarapoto is the main tourist town for people going into the Amazon. The town itself is nothing special, no interesting architecture, the parks are small and few and in need of a lot of attention. The traffic noise is terrible, as is the case pretty much everywhere in South America. People come here to use it as a jump-off point to the Amazon, not to visit the city itself. Besides bringing in tourist heading into the Amazon, Tarapoto's other main source of income is retail services and agriculture (coffee, corn, rice, cocoa, tobacco, and more). Outside the city, in the mountains nearby, you can find many waterfalls, lakes, rivers, climbing and hiking areas, and mountain biking trails.
Read MoreMoyobamba, Perú
February 1, 2023
Moyobamba, Perú: Moyobamba was founded in July of 1540 with the name Santiago de los Ocho Valles de Moyobamba. The town sits at the base of the eastern slopes of the Andes Mtns, in the Alto Mayo Valley. The population is around 55,000. Moyobamba has been used as a base for missionaries, soldiers, and merchants heading into the Amazon region. The Mayo River passes alongside the town and it has eight tributaries, hence the "ocho valles" part of its name - 8 valleys. The nickname of the city is "city of orchids" because, around the city, that is outside the city, one can find as many as 3500 species of orchids. At the end of October each year, the city celebrates an Orchid Festival. The name "Moyobamba" comes from the word "Muyu" of the Quechua language and means "circular", and "Pampa" which means "plain".
Read MoreReflections about Ecuador
January 29, 2023
I'm in the town of Moyobamba, Perú, population of around 55,000. I'm going to stay here for a week and recharge my batteries. After two and a half months of backpacking through Ecuador and northern Perú, it's time for a break.
Read MorePiura, Perú
January 26, 2023
Piura, Perú: (San Miguel de Piura) Population: I've seen numbers range from 155,000 (the city itself in 2017) to around 450,000 (the entire province). Piura is a small city on the northern Pacific coast of Perú, in the Sechura Desert. Therefore, it sits at only 15 meters elevation on average. The Spanish name of the city, Piura, comes from the indigenous Quechuan word pirhua, which means "abundance". But, now the city is known as "Ciudad del eterno calor" or "The city of eternal heat" because it's hot all year round. I think it should be called "The city of endless sand" because you can't get away from the sand, anywhere.
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I used to teach English as a foreign language in Barranquilla, Colombia. Now I'm retired and traveling throughout South America.
I'm from Kennewick, Washington, USA. In my previous life, as I call it, I was an IT guy, systems administrator, computer tech, as well as a shipping/receiving guy and also worked as a merchandising guy in a RV/Camping store.