Martin arrives in Atalaya

Atalaya is a jungle town. The only way to reach it is by boat or plane. Everything is alive with green as the jungle tries to retake the city. “I love the smell of the jungle,” a soaking wet Martin declared as he exited the plane with his new Peruvian guitar in his hand.

The true founder of Atalaya was Juan Santos Atahualpa. He was an Apu Inca who led 50,000 Ashaninkan Indians against the Spaniards in 1742. “There will be no slavery,” he declared, and they gave up their lives to ensure the future freedom of these same Incan descendants who gaze on Martin today. He is the first white man some of these warm people have ever seen and is twice as big as most of them.

THE DEADLY JUNGLE

Martin is very happy with the new machete he purchased from a native last evening and likes to carry it around the village with him. Today he is preparing for a scouting mission on a small boat that will take him deeper into the jungle. He visited this area two years ago to exchange gifts with some tribal chiefs and shamans in order to be granted permission to pass through certain remote areas of the river.

Some of the natives have expressed great concern over the dangers in this part of the river. The Candiru is a small fish that is attracted to the smell of urine and releases razor sharp spines into the orifice it has crawled into. An experienced riverman suggested Martin carry lemon juice as a natural remedy for this problem. Crocodiles are also very common here and Martin will be in great jeopardy each time he swims in dark, still waters away from the fast current. This will make getting into and out of the river extremely dangerous. Anacondas and piranha are also attracted to the slower moving water. The team is taking malaria pills, but nothing is 100% effective. Atalayans tell us that some of us may go home with, “just a little malaria.”  We’ve heard a few reports of banditos who do some smuggling downstream from here, but natives tell us not to worry as those reports are exaggerated.

>>Matthew Mohlke