2015 Flooding in Iquitos region - Otorongo Expeditions Jungle Lodge open for business

( We just received the following update from Anthony Giardenelli ) 

So everyone thought that our epic flood in 2012 was a fluke 100 year flood. Well, I think that idea came from the climate change deniers. I knew that something wasn’t right when each year since 2012 we have had more than normal flooding. Worldwide there have been extremes ranging from drought to deluge. In the ten years I have been living in the Amazon River Basin I have witnessed record drought and record flood.

It is time for the world to come to grips that the earth we live in is dynamic, changeable sometimes volatile but always awesome. There is more water available now than there has been for thousands of years.

As of now, the level of the Amazon River is close to rivaling our epic flood of 2012. We were lucky in 2012 that the floods did not obligate our lodge to close like so many other lodges in lower lying areas. Right now, roughly 70% of jungle lodges located in Loreto are either closed or executing provisional floors and bathrooms so they can stay in business.

For Otorongo Expediitons the flood is an inconvenience, not a danger. Inconvenient because I had to pull many ornamental plants from my garden and we have lost many crops such as yucca, plantain, papaya and squash. Since 2012 I have been very careful what I plant where and the damage would have been a lot more if I hadn’t had that idea that the flood could come back with a vengeance. ( I had a vision of water up to my doorknobs) 

CONTINUED - Read the entire story here:  

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Video Review of the Peruvian Hairless Dog, the "Peruvian Inca Orchid

Many tourists find the Peruvian Inca Orchid dogs to be unappealing if not downright ugly but their true "underdog" story and ancient history is quite interesting and worth a look!

Although the facts and data surrounding these dogs is interesting it is, like their official designation with breeders who note their most important identifying attribute is 'hairlessness', is a bit boring.  Most animal lovers tend to focus on their quirks such as their desire to sleep in tight spaces and affinity for 'blankies'... If given a blanket the Inca Orchid will carry it from place to place. Both of these affectations are the result of their desire and need to keep warm without the fur so common in their canine neighbors.

(Image via Public Radio International)

Using the Rainforest in a Sustainable Way - To Relax (Video)

Go full screen, volume medium to loud, and take a break.

The Pink River Dolphins of the Peruvian Amazon

This video does a great job of showing the mysterious and exciting side of life in the Peruvian Amazon as the splashing and whoosh of their exhalations occurs with just split seconds to turn and see what is going on only to find a somewhat magical creature, the pink river dolphin.






Video shot by Lowell Carson and uploaded by Anthony Giardenelli of Otorongo Expiditions

Peruvian Fisherman and Guide Catches World Record Black Pacu!

Amazon fisherman from Peru, Anthony Giardenelli, was hunting catfish in low water conditions of the Amazon river when this world-record giant Gamitama took his bait and took off. Anthony immediately knew enough to cut the boats from their tethers just in time to allow the fish to pull the boat away from shore.

 

Once he finally landed it, the fish weighed 81 pounds and fed over seventy people over the course of a week. The guests at Otorongo Expeditions jungle lodge were treated to a local delicacy that would be impossible to top.


His achievement is documented here at Fishing-WorldRecords.com 

We have followed Anthony's Peruvian fishing career for years as have many other fishing celebrities, documentarians, scientists, and featured experts as he has become a go-to guy for Amazon fishing needs - Who could ever forget this footage of Anthony and his crew hauling in this massive Electric Eel!

Otorongo Expeditions