To Ucayali!

I'm heading to the Peruvian Amazon. We received word via email today of our deployment locations and I will be participating with 7 other interns in the Eastern Province of Ucayali.

Some exciting things about Ucayali:

-Three Toed Sloths can be found in trees!

-River Manatees and River Dolphins!

-Pucallpa, the Capital of Ucayali, is one of the most progressive cities of the Peruvian Amazon

-A festival celebrating Saint John the Baptist will take place during the week of my arrival (more info here)

After finding an English Language Brochure created by Prom Peru I've discovered I may be lucky enough to snack on some baked Amazonian Rat during my time in Ucayali....other tasty treats include:

- Patarashca (fish wrapped in banana leaves and roasted over a fire)

- La Sarapatera.

- Inchicapi (chicken soup with peanuts, coriander and cassava).

- Juane (mushy rice cooked with Peruvian saffron and chunks of chicken wrapped

and cooked in bijao leaves)

- Picadillo de Paiche (Cured paiche fish, shredded with onions, tomatoes and hot

chili peppers).

The Ucayali Tourism Brochure can be read here.

Finally, it's worth noting that there has been some conflict between the Peruvian government and the Indigenous populations regarding land rights and socio-economic equality in the Amazon. You can find a link to that story below:

http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/797/41023