FECHA: 06/12/2009
AUTOR: Jessie Poquerusse
TITULO: Note from a past volunteer

What a relaxing, blissful three weeks I spent volunteering at the Atalaya reserve!

From planting sustainable, long-lasting trees in the more barren buffer zone of the Manu Biosphere Reserve, to building a fishing rod from scratch to capture fish to feed the turtle, to painting a colorful mural on the “comedor” wall or planting yucca behind the bungalows, each volunteer experience was rich and fun.

With afternoons “off”, I was able to freely explore the fascinating flora and fauna of the surrounding forest. Though I missed the river otters, observing the vivid “gallitos de las rocas” or spotting wild monkeys (and tarantulas) were but a few of the exciting elements of nature there. In retrospect, even the ubiquitous mosquitoes of Atalaya contributed to its endearing character. Truly, it's not every day that one gets to shower in a waterfall, bathe in a river, or wake up to bird calls and rays of warm “jungle” sun (when it's not raining!)… I can still hear the bright laughter of the kids of Chontachaka when I attempted to teach them some English and see the spark in Teddy's (the local jungle kid) eyes when other volunteers showed him how to play the mandolin.
Infinite thanks to the locals whose hard work and simplicity was inspiring. Thanks to Raul (who taught us the art of reforestation), Maria, Gloria, Indira and Teddy (the Jungle Kids) and the beloved monkey Paulo (and the awesome Paula and Mario) for each contributing in their own way to the colorful mosaic of experiences of the Atalaya Reserve.