Just got back from PERU!

[daninthesand]

Hi gang.

I thought I'd give you all a little tease about a recent trip I took. In fact I just got back yesterday. It was my fortunate pleasure to spend 10 days in Peru enjoying a fish (aka DISCUS) collecting trip on the Nanay river in Peru. My incredible hosts were Alberto and Annabella of Aquatechnics. I took many picutres but alas I do not have a digital camera so you might have to wait a while for pics (sorry).

We caught RSG's, spotted Scalare, and a host of other fish most of which I don't know the names of. Our outpost was the city of Iquitos, where we boarded a boat which took us up the Amazon river (holy crap, the AMAZON! tee hee) where we then entered the Nanay river. From there we met up with some expert discus fishermen. We had the priveledge of going out in pairs (me in the back and the fisherman in the front) in tiny dugout canoes into the Amazonian darkness. Watching these amazing fellows catch discus, one by one, at night with a flashlight and a small net was a humbling expereince to say the least. I can attest first hand at the difficulty of catching these fish. Suffice it to say, I have a new respect for the people who do this and it makes me appreciate ten fold the RSG's that swim in my tanks at home.

Hopefully I can get some pictures up soon. I won't be back at home until next week, (I'm still in Miami) and it will likely be a few days before I get my slides back from the developer. Alberto will probably have posted his digital pics before then. :-)

Well, thats all for now. I am truely exhausted...ten days without much sleep is a process I'm likely not going to repeat. But I would not have missed it for the world.

Thank you Alberto and Annabella. YOU ARE AWESOME!

Daniel

[discusnutz]

Wow, that's all I can say!!! What an adventure ;D.

Maybe one day(dreamin) !!! Can't wait to see some pics

Brenda

[oodi]

Wow, Dan...

What a great experience!!! I can't wait to see pics!!!

Judi
:)

[brewmaster15]

Welcome back Dan! Get those photos developed and posted ASAP!!!!! Thats sounds like an awesome Trip. :)

Welcome back as well Alberto and Annabella! :)

-al

[Rod]

WOW Dan, sounds like a trip of a life time. One day i hope to do the same. Can't wait for the pics.

[Tad]

Dan,
waiting patiently for pics from your adventure with Alberto and Annabella..Im sure your going to make me regret not taking Alberto up on this oppurtunity :-[

regards,
Tad

"I’m sure your going to make me regret not taking Alberto up on this opportunity "

Same here lol. Hope that someday I might can go though.

So lets see what happened

Ronald

[jimmyjoe]

Welcome back Daniel, do you know if alberto maybe, possibly or maybe even you. Did you see anyone catch any Blue-face Heckel's ??? ??? ??? ??? Jim

[yogi]

I just want to say I spoke to Dan a little while ago. He spent about an hour telling me about his trip. You could hear the excitement and joy the whole time he spoke. I can't wait to the pictures.

[daninthesand]

Jim, nope no bluefaced or any other heckel are in that area that i've been told. If there were, i might still be there......heckels are my favourite!

[daninthesand]

I just got some pix back which were taken with a disposable camera i brought along on the trip. I warn you the quality is poor.
This first pic is a shot of the Nanay river. Its is quite a large river with fairly muddy water with poor visibility. You can see less than a foot down which can give you an idea how difficult it is to see the fish especially at night.

This time of year it is winter in Peru and the Nanay is at low water levels, the best time to catch discus.

btw. that goofy looking blue boat with the three gringos in it we dubbed "the yacht" it was a poor excuse for a boat and was not used for any serious fish catching. Mostly just for goofing around. And yes, that IS indeed a broom being used for a paddle. ;D

You can just make out the main boat we sailed on in the background. I have better pix of it on my good camera, but you'll have to wait for those.

[daninthesand]

Most of the discus collecting was done in small channels that drained off the main river. Below is a picture of one of these typical little streams. Its here we journeyed at night with flashlights and caught discus in pitch darkness. These waters are infested with piranah, so the idea of sticking my hands down into the water to catch fish was a little concerning at first. Eventually you realize the piranah are not attacking and you concentrate on fishing and staying awake so you don't fall in and tip the canoe. Most of the discus collecting was done between 8 pm and 4 am.

[daninthesand]

Another pic of a small channel we ventured into during the day to catch various fish, incuding angels. Local fishermen could be found fishing for food fish with traditional wooden stick and string. The canoe you see here is typical of the dugout boats we saw everywhere and is exaclty what we were using at night for the fish collecting. There was little more than 2 to 3 inches between the top of the canoe's edge and the water, so keeping the tiny canoes level to avoid spilling water over the sides was a little tricky. Luckily each canoe had a tiny bailing bowl to quickly dump out the water that inevitably made its way over the sides or leaked in through the cracks in the wooden canoes.

It became quickly apparent that our job (us ammateur fishermen in the back of the canoe) was mainly to keep the water out, while the pro in the front caught all the discus. I tried several times to catch the discus that were pointed out to me ("I can't see any discus there?!?!?")but it is a skill that definitley needs to be mastered.

Maybe if I had practised for a few years I could have had a chance....tee hee.

Most of the small rivers and channels we searched for discus were crowded with sunken trees, bushes, aquatic plants and we often had to duck under low lying branches and logs to make our way through the night. A quick scan of the area with a flashlight revealed any snakes that might be lurking in the branches above our heads....

[daninthesand]

Thats all the pics for now. In about two weeks I should be able to post some better pix of actual fish caught, the larger boat we sailed on etc etc. I only have about 30 rolls to develop and sort through so please bear with me!

Later,

Daniel

[oodi]

Daniel,

I can't wait to see the rest of the pics. I'm willing to bear with you... but hurry up about it! :P

Judi
:)

[Smokey]

Congradulations Dan. A trip of a lifetime.....
BTW how are the fish you caught doing??????????
Smokey
[waiting for more]

Welcome back, Dan!! Nice trip. And I can't wait to see yours and Alberto's photos. ;)

**Angie**

[gang_mary]

wow~ :o
what a amazing trip...thanks Daniel,
I will be there someday.....

[daninthesand]

Any fish that were caught on this trip are still in Peru in a holding/quarantine location. No fish are ever sent without first going through this process. It allows the fish to recover from the stress of capture, etc. Its a long plane ride to the US so the fish need conditioning first. Furhtermore, the fish are also held in quarantine for quite some time (weeks) once they arrive in the US before they are available for sale and/or distribution to hobbiests etc.

I should warn people planning to take this trip that it is NOT a picnic. Be prepared for long stretches (days) without proper sleep. Discus collecting is done at night (ALL NIGHT) and other activities are carried out during the day. The intense heat of the Amazon makes sleeping difficult if not impossible. Anyone in reasonable physical condition can easily make the trip however. I was surprised at the lack of bugs and biting insects on the trip, but I am told this was unusual. Normally there are a lot more. I recall only two individuals (not me Phew!) who received nasty bites form little wasps while we were on the boat. Judging by the swelling on the unfortunate victims' skin, it was no minor bite!

If you plan to go, make sure you look into immunizations and medications MONTHS before you plan to travel. You will have to be prepared for yellow fever vaccine, typhoid medication, Malaria pills, tetanus vaccine etc etc. any of which could make you sick so you want to make sure you know the effects of any particular drug has on you, long before you travel to Peru.

I don't think anyone on this trip was the least bit ill other than a cold or two but nothing major. So the trip is easily done but you have to be prepared.

If anyone has any question, I would be happy to answer as best I can, by IM or whatever.

Daniel

PS. If you are adventurous you might decide to make the extra effort to go to the ancient Inca fortress of Machu Picchu. I did, it was thoroughly exhausting, but I would not have missed it for anything! Here's a pix I just had developed to show you what is possible to visit while in Peru.

[daninthesand]

another view

[daninthesand]

one more for now

[daninthesand]

AND...if you go through Miami on your way to Peru you might want to do some fishing there as well. This is me yesterday. ;D

http://www.mts.net/~9trader5/images/colour/sailfish.JPG

65 lb sailfish, my first. ;)

[Jason]

This is AWESOME Dan!!!!

keep the pics comming! the pyramids too!

[Tad]

Dan,
I agree, Keep the pictures coming....Love the Black and white photography...Your very good at what you do!

regards,
Tad

[aquatechnics]

Dan,

Those Macchu Picchu pictures are AWESOME!! It is really hard to believe how and where the Incas got those big rocks to build such a fortress when those rocks could not be found any place near the highlands. There are many theories trying to explain this but wherever these rocks come from, this archeological site is simply AMAZING!! Please don’t forget to send us the link of the album with all your pictures (Cuzco and Iquitos) once you have them ready. We love black and white photography too!!

I was looking through the pictures we took in the boat and I found one with you trying to see how Brujo could see a sleepy discus in the darkness! Keep looking, keep looking!!!

:)
Alberto

[jimmyjoe]

Gosh Dan, I hope that sailfish was a catch and release..Or is back home in a tank 8) 8) 8) 8) Nice Pics..........................Jim

[Sean Buehrle]

i can only imagine what an experience that was for you, congrats.

this might sound stupid but while you were there
did you happen to do any tests on the water?

[Howie_W]

Dan,

Thanks so much for posting the pics! You guys obviously had a great trip!

Your pictures instantly brought me back to my trip to Central America. Studying the Mayan and similar cultures is amazing...these people were once the rulers of most of our planet!

The pictures of Macchu Picchu reminded me of treking through the jungle and climbing places such as Xunantunich and Tikal...incredible views and wildlife everywhere you turn!


Howie

[oodi]

Dan,

Great pics!! What a terrific opportunity! Thanks so much for sharing it with us!

Judi
:)

[discusnutz]

awesome pics, thanks again for sharing


regards.... Brenda

[daninthesand]

Another pic.

http://www.mts.net/~9trader5/images/Machu%20Picchu/mp001b%20copy.jpg

[daninthesand]

and another

http://www.mts.net/~9trader5/images/Machu%20Picchu/mp0050copy.jpg

[Rod]

Stunning Dan, truely stunning. I don't normally show my wife pics from the forum but we were both amazed.

Thanks for sharing the pics

Rod

[Mike_T]

beautiful pics dan. looking forward to more...

-mike t 8)

[DarkDiscus]

Dan,

I'm most envious. Very cool trip and thanks for the pics!

John

[aquatechnics]

Hi Dan,

Very nice pictures................. :o :o :o

Alberto

[jim_shedden]

Dan : Thankyou very much.

Jim

[daninthesand]

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

I brought a bunch more film for development today. Stay tuned.....

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Cool Dan. Beautiful pics.

Reminds me of when I was a kid roaming with friends in the jungles of the canal Zone in Panama.

dan

[heckelcrazy]

absolutely fantastic thread dan! keep them pics coming...im hooked on this thread now. SHOW ME THE MONEY..er i mean SHOW ME THE DISCUS!

aran

[aquatechnics]

There is a legend about the mountains you see in Dan's pictures.

This legend says that these mountains resemble the side of the face of the Inka. If you turn the last picture 90 degrees counterclockwise, you can clearly see the eyes, the nose, the mouth and the chin of an Inka. Cool, huh!

The Inkas did amazing things!

;D
Alberto

[daninthesand]

lol! very neat Alberto!

Amazing.

Daniel

[Smokey]

Incrediable !!! It does .

[daninthesand]

Finally another pic.

http://www.mts.net/~9trader5/images/Machu%20Picchu/5651_15-web.gif

[daninthesand]

Dugout canoe

http://www.mts.net/~9trader5/images/Machu%20Picchu/5651_24web.gif

[discusnutz]

Beautiful Pics Dan

thanks for sharing, looking forward to seeing more!

Best Regards...Brenda

[daninthesand]

Thanks Brenda, here you go.... ;)

http://www.mts.net/~9trader5/images/Machu%20Picchu/5651_21web.gif

[daninthesand]

lazy day...

http://www.mts.net/~9trader5/images/Machu%20Picchu/5651_14web.gif

[daninthesand]

rub-a-dub

http://www.mts.net/~9trader5/images/Machu%20Picchu/5651_15a-web.gif

[aquatechnics]

Nice pics.....
Specially the rub-a-dub............ :o

[daninthesand]

Thanks Alberto.

rub-a-dub yeah.....what do you think that kids is doing in the fountain, especially considering the two women are getting out toilet paper? ;)

[bryalk1]

drool :lickin: :lickin:

[vinson]

Great photographs. Wonderful civilisation...

[jim_shedden]

thanks for the pictures...truly wonderful

jim

[CARY_GLdiscus]

;D

[mench]

All I can say is WOW....sounds and looks like you had the experence of a lifetime...looking forward to seeing the rest of your pics...Ahaaaa to be younger and have a body that works the way it is supposed to LOL..
Again great pics.


Mench

[Ardan]

Very Cool Dan!!! 8) Thanks for sharing :)