After two weeks of working on the clinic grounds, rain or shine, we have finally been ready to begin planting in the beds. We wrote a letter to the community of Santo Tomas, asking them to help us collect cuttings of the most commonly used medicinal plants for a compensation of 2 soles per plant as well as inviting them to a Medicinal Plant Day celebration that we will be hosting at the clinic on July 9th. Much to our delight, on the morning of the collection day, we received over 40 plant cuttings and were able to mark off almost every species on our list. Most importantly, we were able to raise community awareness of the work we have been doing for the past few weeks and get to know a couple faces. It was nice seeing the clinic grounds filled with people and we are excited to become more and more involved with the community here.

 

We are now enjoying our last few hours in Iquitos before we head back to Madre Selva for the last stretch of the project. We have been here since Friday afternoon, enjoying the hustle and bustle of city life, which is quite the contrast to the tranquility to which we have gotten used to in the jungle. The first rickshaw ride to our hostel was a feast for the senses – loads of people, colors, and sounds – and speaking of feasts, we could not get enough of the incredible fresh fruit and superfood smoothies here in Iquitos. Collectively, it comes out that our favorite fruits for juices are either Camu Camu or Maracuya (passion fruit).

 

Yesterday we took a trip to the Belen Market, which is the largest and most famous outdoor market in Iquitos. It is connected to a city that is built on the river – much like a kind of Venice of Peru. We were overwhelmed by the amount of various goods offered, from live guinea pigs to freshly caught fish, to dried herbs and potions for every ailment imaginable. It is stunning how the Amazonian Jungle is such a bountiful source of medicines and sustenance. We spent the evening watching the sun set from the top floor of the hostel and then walking along the riverfront, where Iquitos nightlife comes alive on a Saturday night.

 

Now that we are heaving back to base, we will begin preparations for the fiesta on Saturday (which may involve the making of chicha) and host a meeting with the community member of Santo Tomas to make amendments to the contract written by last year’s interns, as we have learned from individual interviews that there are a few things that have to be smoothed out. In addition, we are planning on getting involved with the school to teach the local children about the importance of certain plants in traditional medicine and how to identify the most common ones found in the community garden, as well as have some fun, play some games, teach some English, and hopefully squeeze in a soccer game or two.