Daily Life
Otorongo is a place where the intimate connection with nature determines life from morning to night. People live according to the rhythm of the sun, a rhythm which hardly changes due to the proximity to the equator. The day starts around 6 am and ends when the sun sets about 6 pm. Long siestas in the afternoon are mandatory for everybody. During my stay there were maximum of 5 people in Otorongo – a cook, two workers, Dr. Himmelbauer and myself. Salomon Karli, the son of Dr. Himmelbauer, came on a visit sometimes too.
Everything seemed to be in a flow in Otorongo, even at the time of massive Covid. The father in law of Dr. Himmelbauer died from it two weeks before my arrival, but life went on. Judith, the main cook in Otorongo was very sick and could not work when I arrived. She was replaced by Isabelle, who did not cook very well, but did her best. This was okay too. So, the first two weeks, Dr. Himmelbauer took over specific things like making hot black tea with sugar and milk- a beverage we both loved to drink in the morning.
Dr. Himmelbauer pointing to the thermos can containing hot water for tea to make
Everything needed in Otorongo had to be brought from the village of Tamshiyacu. As it rained nearly every day, walks to and from Otorongo were dependent on the weather. Roads sometimes became unsurpassable after heavy rain.
Milton, one of the workers of Otorongo, is running to the motorkar to help it push up the hill. Just moments before, the guy with the yellow shirt slipped into the mud when pushing. Everybody was laughing – including him. Peruvians seem to have lots of humour.
It was very interesting to see that people in the Amazon rain forest do not like the warm rain on their skin. They think that it causes pneumonia and avoid it as much as they can. I took this photo when I met Milton and his brother Luis (foreman) going home for the weekend. They were protected with heavy rain gear. In contrast, I was coming back from a jungle walk, soaking wet from head to feet. I did not get sick.
Depending how water is used, it is taken from three different sources – the pond, a well and a spring in the jungle. The pond provides water for cleaning the body, serving as a huge bath tub with a constant flow of fresh, warm water.
The artificially built pond with two bridges crossing it and two wooden stair cases providing access.
A well beside the pond provides water for washing laundry.
In this photo, Milton cleans the well beside the pond. Milton was a very shy and gentle man, always friendly and smiling.
Isabelle washing laundry, a task done every day.
A spring in the jungle just some minutes outside of the camp provides fresh drinking water.
Jungle spring water
Stalin carrying fresh drinking water to the kitchen.
During my first three weeks, the foreman was on vacation and replaced by a young man called Stalin. I found his name fascinating – not only because of his name but also that a man called Stalin was gay. Gay men are not accepted in Peru, except in the district of Loreto (the district where Otorongo is located). Also, names are very interesting in Peru – people even call their children Hitler. They want their kids to have future power and give them names of powerful world leaders (most of the time they do not know the history behind the name).
Life in the jungle requires constant work on the buildings and in the camp area. After heavy rain, for example, the temple roof started to leak and had to be repaired.
Stalin brings palm leaves from the jungle for roof repair
Milton weaves the palm leaves together into a usable pattern
The intricate pattern of woven palm leaves always fascinated me
Like in the Japanese temple areas, raking leaves seemed to be also an activity constantly done in Otorongo. This was especially necessary after heavy rains, when dried and dead palm leaves crushed to the ground.
Dry leaves and branches are burned in the camp
In general, trees in the rain forest are not deeply rooted (except old trees) and can collapse when the ground is too wet and cannot hold them anymore. This tree probably threatened one of the buildings in Otorongo and had to be taken down.
My days in Otorongo consisted of eating, sleeping, resting, reading ( I found an exquisite library with German, English, French and Spanish books) , meditating, going on jungle walks, talks with Dr. Himmelbauar and listening to sounds day and night. Most of the time my energy was high and I did not need much sleep – I was on a higher vibration than in my usual, everyday life. My senses were fully opened and I could swing in the harmony of the jungle like swinging in a hammock. I felt fully embraced by the life around me.
I was free to structure my days and did not have to follow any meal plans. Usually I ate twice a day – l ate breakfast and a meal in the afternoon. Food was always available and a real treat, especially when Judith took over the cooking. Judith is the sister of Milton and Luis and worked in Otorongo for a long time. She cooked, cleaned, washed and even did massages – an all around woman.
Judith serving breakfast with fresh squeezed orange juice.
Meals were prepared over open fires on coal burning stoves. Judith even prepared a cake on this fireplace! The gas stove to the right was hardly ever used.
Judith preparing the dough for the “torta”
The chocolate cake turned out to be delicious!!!
Fresh papaya juice and the sweet baby bananas were available every day. One time I mentioned that I would like to have an apple and from that day on apples were brought from the market. We often ate fish, potatoes, fried bananas, salad, soups and rice in all kind of combinations. Peruvians do not eat lots of meat, which was fine with me – I am mostly a vegetarian.
Fried bananas
Except for bananas, it is hard to grow fruit and vegetables in the jungle. There are too many animals who would eat them. However, there are trees in the rainforest with edible fruits – like a tree in front of my cabin (I do not know the name of the tree).
One of the workers picking fruit
A hard shell similar to the shell of peas containes seeds coated by a foamy mass. Only the white coat could be eaten – I did not especially like it.
Life is never hectic or stressful in Otorongo. Things which have to be done get done, but without strict work schedules. Life is very different from how I know it – time disappears into the activity and looses the importance and grip on people. There is freedom in Otorongo, freedom to simply just being.
