Puyo Part II: Mini-Vaca Taxi-Tour

Sunday, Sept. 30

I originally planned to visit a Botanical Garden on Sunday because it was the only place I knew for sure was open on Sundays and go exploring from there, taking a shot at the other places or heading back to the hotel for a swim before I was supposed to meet up with the newlyweds for dinner.

Change of plans: the owner of the hosteria suggested I go on a taxi tour of the city, so adventuring I go! This is why you make friends with the locals and say yes to opportunities that come your way. That way, I got to know my way around town a little bit. I figured it wouldn't matter, since I could always visit the gardens on Monday.

And because apparently myself esteem needed a check, I managed to fall up the stairs 5 minutes into the tour at the first place we stopped (the place with the Puyo sign, handicrafts, and a view of the river – which I later found out is the end of the Paseo Turistico - see below). Yep, up the stairs. Thankfully, I never actually hit the ground, but I came very close and was super embarrassed and never happier to not know a single soul! I was also really grateful that the taxi driver who already thought a little crazy/weird was just out of sight for my little incident. I will however admit that my legs were a little sore afterward. It reminds me of a photo I’ve seen going around Facebook recently comparing childhood injuries (like falling off a bike or rolling down a hill) with adulthood injuries (like sitting for too long or sleeping in the wrong position). I almost fell, and that did me in. Everyone here thinks I'm younger than I really am, typically guessing that I'm around 22 or 23. That's fine with me. However, I was definitely sore after dancing for hours and 1/2 falling – a reminder that I am both clumsy and susceptible to obscure adulthood injuries, too.

I will admit the taxi tour was not what I had planned for the day, but it was pretty cool. I wished the taxi driver would have talked more, but I’m pretty sure he saw it as easy money. Still, I saw some markets (food and crafts – check out my beaded necklace in the next post), some plazas/parks (I love the number of small parks spread throughout seemingly every Latin American town), and got oriented. We went to a bird park (Parque Real de Aves Exoticas), which was neat but a lot bigger than I felt was necessary. Since my taxi clock was running, I basically sprinted through the last 2/3 of it – an impressive feat considering it was uphill in tropical humidity and I hate running (apparently, I’m starting to tell grandparent stories to prove to you my soul is old…you know, the “uphill both ways in (insert drastic weather)” stories…just go with it). It had a lot of chickens, like a lot of chickens. But it also had some pretty painted rocks and a bunch of random statues that were perfect for awkward selfies. So unless you’re a bird enthusiast or looking for awkward wooden statue selfies, I’d skip this one.

Because every Latin America park needs a saint/Jesus/Mary...

If you knew me in high school, then you know one of my favorite things to say was "gonza tonta" which literally translates as "silly goose," but is decidedly NOT a saying in Spanish. I'll admit it made me happy to come across this silly goose. The ostrich was probably the only cool bird to see, but it was just chilling.

I also got to visit a zoo (Bioparque YanaCocha)…basically at the driver’s insistence. Like, this zoo was the only thing he wanted to talk about, so I gave in. And I’ll admit, it was a really cool experience, and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes animals, nature, and/or zoos. 

I may have made it through the zoo in record time (taxi meter still running), but I did enjoy how beautiful the paths, plants, and enclosures were, and I was ecstatic to see the animals living in excellent conditions. I went to an incredibly rundown zoo in San Jose, Costa Rica, and it was depressing to see the conditions there; these conditions were so natural I would say the animals might not know they were in a zoo, except that every time I approached a new enclosure, they instantly approached me and performed. One of my favorites was this little water sausage (otter) who swam over to me, did a trick for the camera, and promptly swam away like there was a treat waiting for him/her. It was simultaneously adorable and discerning. I don't really know much about this "bush dog" (aka "Savannah dog" / "zorro vinagre" -- that's what it's called; I looked it up!), but I definitely wanted it as a pet (which I understand is a no-no).

As any good anthropologist, I also enjoyed the various primates playing, swinging, climbing, and grooming. And while I find them fascinating to watch, it felt like they might approach me at any minute and that is how you get diseases, people! God bless Jane Goodall, but I’m too concerned with germs to be a good primatologist.

But since my only exposure to the Amazon prior to this was movies, let’s just say the zoo setting was a little “too natural” for me. I was waiting for anacondas or other unmentionables to come attack me at any minute. I mean, look at these paths! I realize it was supposed to be an immersive experience or something, but it was a little too real for this giant chicken flying solo.

The big cats are almost always my favorites to watch at the zoo, and they were no disappointment here. This crocodile was straight out of a Disney movie! I expected Hook to be just around the corner.

While exploring the bird park and zoo, I discovered that I talk to myself here because I am alone and my internal voice has become an external voice. (Normally, it’s things like, “Watch where you’re walking,” or “Be careful.”) Thankfully, this was typically on paths where I was walking alone (in the jungle, hence heightening my paranoia – I mean, have you ever seen a movie set in the jungle/Amazon? It doesn’t end well for the people, that much I can tell you), otherwise they would all think I am absolutely crazy. The problem with being one of very few foreigners in an area is that somehow you become a representative of your entire country/culture and people tend to believe that your quirks are shared by everyone. Oops.

Anyway, I considered the taxi tour a success, if for no other reason that it’s something that I wouldn’t typically do but allowed me to explore some new places. Once I was back at the hosteria, the newlyweds decided that dinner wasn’t going to happen since they were leaving at 4am the next morning for their honeymoon. Note: if you ever want to get out of plans with me, just tell me you have to leave your house at 4am. I’ll absolve you of anything. I do not do mornings. 9am seems like a reasonable time to leave the house, in my opinion. If, however, you need me to do something with you at 4am – first of all, I’d better love you and you will owe me big time – you have a much higher chance of success of having me stay up with you until 4am. In other words, despite my mother’s best efforts, I have and always will be a night owl and I’d rather pull and all-nighter than leave my bed before the sun rises because I’m not an insane individual.

But I digress. Back to dinner. Thankfully, I’d met some super folks at the wedding (seriously, it succeeded my expectations! I’m not really a wedding person, but I had a blast!). I went for a short swim (because humidity + accessible pool = must swim daily) and had dinner with my new friend Monica, her son, and his friend. We had volquetero, an Amazonian dish with beans, dried toasted corn, salty plantain chips, tuna, and a tomato/onion salad. It was really good, so long as I ate around the mountain of raw onion (sorry, not sorry). While I enjoyed trying a new-to-me regional dish, the best part was hanging out with my new friend. It made me really glad that I decided to stay for a few extra days to explore the Amazon.