After passing through the snowy, rainy, muddy Andes roads we were back on pavement for a while. When we looked behind us we could see the snow covered peaks, peeking through.
Again it was time to clean up, so we located the Fierro Termales. These are iron rich, warm water springs. There are large community pools and then private rooms with deep tiled tubs. Mike is modeling the use of the private tub!
We spent the night in front of a beautiful, old convent. The Santa Rosa convent housed many Franciscan missionaries here as they prepared for their religious work in the Amazon. There are many tragic stories of the outcome of those missionary attempts. The untouched tribes and people of the Amazon did not warm to the religious visitors and many were murdered. Inside the convent is a colorful chapel dedicated to the martyrs from those missions and respecting the indigenous of Peru.
Outside the monastery we observed the gardner cutting the grass in the traditional method. He was using a sharp machete and swinging it rapidly over the blades. In the other hand he holds a broom to clean up the cuttings. Peruvian ninja, perhaps?
While there we met a nice guy from Lima who introduced us to his family. He wanted to practice his English. We chatted and showed his family our home. We hope to meet Gerardo and his family again when we are in Lima.
But it was time to say goodbye to this desert climate and move closer to the edge of the Amazon jungle.
Another interesting thing here is the unusual pets that wander around. The man owns three jungle javelina. Yes, there is such a thing as an Amazon javelina. And these have been hand-raised. So they come in each night for a good night kiss.
This took us to the edge of the Amazon jungle region. We took a wonderful $1.75 ferry across the Huallaga River. It was time for us to tackle the rough roads that would take us out of the jungle and across to the north portion of the Cordillera Blanca.
I will close this post with a photo of Pacha smiling. This is the first time I captured her smile on camera. More about our new dog later. But see if this makes you smile.