Puerto Nariño - Life with Dr. Dolittle

The day after arriving in Leticia, I headed straight for a small river community called

"Puerto Nariño". This town is made up of three or four indigenous communities. To keep the town clean and to preserve the natural environment, there are no cars - only one tractor.

There are also about ten ladies who regularly clean the roads of Puerto Nariño. This is a huge accomplishment for South America, where the habit of throwing your trash

WHEREVER is a huge problem. I know this all boils down to education, like most things, but it has been very hard for me to deal with. Needless to say, Puerto Nariño was a breath of fresh air for me.

I

stayed in hostel ran by a local friar. It is called the

Alta de Aguila - the height of an eagle (I think). The Friar, like the hostel owner in Leticia, was a character. He has a collection of animals staying at his home. He had three monkeys, one cayman, two parrots, one cat, one dog that had five puppies while I was there, and one owl. I like to call him "Dr. Dolittle" of the jungle. I was even able to hold the monkeys. They just climbed right in my lap!

There were about five men working at the hostel, which as located on the same property as a Catholic school where kids from the local communities study and live. I had my own cabin for about 7 dollars a day.

I met a great British couple who were also staying in the cabins. We spent two nights and days chatting and cooking (and eating) meals together. We also went on a small excursion together to Lake Tarapoto. It is located about thirty minutes from our cabins via boat. We went there in search of pink dolphins and paranas. The

heavy rainfall was inhibited our ability to catch paranas, but we did see pink dolphins, which I do not have pictures of.. I do have a picture of me "fishing". Even though it was more like

"holding a stick for the camera", it was very fun. We did, however, see pink dolphins. And, they are VERY pink and a little grey. Dolphins are my spirit animal, so we, the dolphins and I, are always excited to see eachother.

The following day I walked around the town of Puerto Narino. I discovered that the local people are having a local garden contest, and the majority of the families are using recycled materials to decorate their gardens. The wild flowers throughout the town were also a delight. I spent an hour just taking pictures of the wild flowers.

I am now in a wonderful hostel in Salento, Colombia. I am mentally and emotionally preparing myself for the trip home! I miss my family and friends very much, but I couldn't imagine a better pace to finish my last weeks of this experience than than in Colombia. This country is phenomenal. The people are very nice, and the scenery is incredible. Tomorrow, I hope to go on a small day hike to see the infamous Wax Palms that grow in this region. I am in the coffee region of Colombia, so of course I will be drinking way too much coffee while I am here! Talk to everyone soon - minus 16 days before I return to the States!