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Again, this month, due to our busy schedule, we will be doubling up on our newsletter. So, sit back and enjoy this special September/October Newsletter. This newsletter can also be viewed at;
Museum of Osteology Construction Phase Nears Completion
Finally, after many months of delays and construction, the second phase of the Museum of Osteology is nearing completion. We anticipate it to be completed by the end of October. This will allow us to move on to the third and final phase of the museum. This will include installing the elevator lift, building the custom displays and assembling the many hundreds of skeletons that will be featured.
Skulls Unlimited in the News
Skulls Unlimited has been featured in an article by MyBusinessMag.com. The article focuses on the unique business that owner Jay Villemarette has built. To read this article, click the following link. Uncommon Enterprise (Word doc.)
Welcome to the Jungle
In August, Skulls Unlimited owner, Jay Villemarette, traveled with his family to Peru. Their trip included 6 days exploring the Amazon River basin and 2 days in Cusco and Machupicchu. The following are some excerpts and highlights of the trip as told by Jay. Click on any image for a larger view.
Day One: Sunday, August 5th, 2007
After a long flight from the US, this morning we landed in Iquitos. We de-planed on the tarmac and made our way to a small open-air building to go through immigration and customs. All went well and we were loaded on a bus and driven to the village of Nauta, where we were to meet our boat. Along the way, our guide stopped at a roadside food stand. These are the equivalent to a fast food drive-through, except that most sell local species for consumption. For five soles, about $1.70, we dined on a plate of paca, a large rodent native to much of South America. The paca was served with rice and an unknown vegetable and was actually pretty good considering it was basically a big, grilled rat. One of the first things we all noticed as we drove was the amount of poverty. Many locals live in primitive dwellings that are not much more than a shack. It was quite humbling to see all of these people living in such conditions, but all still seem to be quite happy. In Nauta, we boarded our boat, a three story hotel-like vessel complete with a bar. We embarked north for the Amazon tributary El Rio Tigre and sailed through the night.
Day Two: Monday, August 6th, 2007
Today began with an early morning wildlife watching tour. We boarded a small 15-passenger boat that allowed us to get into smaller waterways and up close to wildlife. The tour allowed us to observe many species of birds as well as monkeys and sloth. Later this day we visited a family's dwelling along the river. In Peru, there are three general classes of people; city people, river people and forest people. The river people, as their name would suggest, dwell and carve out their lives along the riverbanks. They live a simple life in stilt homes, growing small crops and fishing. I noticed that this family had very few possessions. The only observable items consisted of a small amount of cooking utensils, a radio, a clock, a calendar, a crucifix and a jaguar skull. They claimed that they prayed to the jaguar skull, which made for an interesting mix of local religious beliefs and Catholicism. This evening we were taken on a nighttime hike into the rainforest. This allowed us the chance to experience the forest on a completely new level. Using flashlights, we observed many species of fantastic insects as well as various snakes, frogs and caiman crocodiles. One of the more interesting frogs we encountered had a defense of producing a high-pitched vocalization that sounded like someone screaming bloody murder. A very eerie sound when you are in the middle of the jungle at night.
Day Three: Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
Today started with another early morning boat excursion. Again, saw many species of birds, iguanas, monkeys, sloth, etc. We also got the opportunity to see Amazon River dolphins. Locals have an interesting, albeit naive, legend that explains away unwedded pregnancies. They believe that the Amazon pink river dolphin has the power to take the form of a handsome young white man. These dolphins then walk into villages, lure the young women away, and impregnate them. We have noticed that the river serves as the main form of travel for most of the people here. There are river taxis that run between distant villages as well as large cargo vessels, This afternoon we went fishing. We caught various species including piranha, catfish and bass, all of which we ate. Later we enjoyed scenery as we made our way further north up the river. There are hundreds of dugout canoes along the river. These canoes, hand carved from trees, serve as a means to gather food, transport goods for sale and, for children, get to school. The evening night hike was rained out, but I guess that is to be occasionally expected in a rainforest.
Day Four: Wednesday, August 8th, 2007
This morning on our boat excursion, we passed many stilt homes. While many of the locals wave at us and seem friendly, it is obvious that others do not want us here. One small girl stood with her mother and older sister as we past. She began to wave but was quickly scorned by her mother. I guess I wouldn't want a constant string of tourists driving by staring at me either. Our guide explained that some locals believe that tourists profit from selling photographs of them. On our day hike, we traveled to a local cemetery. The graves were marked with simple wood crosses. Noticeably, there were quite a few fresh graves. Prior to visiting, we had been told that the Amazon basin was void of rocks. Josh, my son, set out to prove different...and succeeded. In several small streams, we found gravel. The kids also had the opportunity to play Tarzan by swinging on an actual jungle vine. Next, we visited a typical river village schoolhouse. This one room, cinderblock building was constructed, along with hundreds of others, by the Peruvian government. It was a simple room with very few supplies. Each student had a desk and there was a chalkboard, but there was little more. The children sang songs for us and were fascinated at seeing themselves on our digital camera playback. My daughter, Shala, was a hit with the school children. They made up songs with her name and played games of tag. It seems there aren't many western children that visit the Amazon, and even fewer with blond hair and blue eyes. We gave the children gifts of pencils, markers and candy. This night the boat traveled through the night back toward Nauta.
Day Five: Thursday, August 9th, 2007
On this morning, and while the large boat sailed on, some of us took a short excursion into Nauta. Our party included a father and son from our group, my son Josh, our guide, Rene, and myself. This afforded the opportunity to see the local people going about their normal daily lives. There were many men fishing with trident spears in a small cove. Judging by the catch they all had in the bottom of their boats, they all seemed fairly proficient at it. This short side trip was very culturally rewarding and probably one of my favorite parts of the trip. Later we took a short hike just outside of the town. This gave us the chance to see poison dart frogs and several bats. Rene caught a bat, by hand, to allow us a better chance to observe it. After the hike, we sped down river to catch back up with the large boat. The boat sailed through the night back to Iquitos.
Day Six: Friday, August 10th, 2007
Today we visited the Belin market. Fruits, nuts, fresh fish, live animals, trinkets and souvenirs, the market had it all. We spent much of the day touring this area. There were many opportunities for up close views of wildlife, such as monkeys, that was being sold. It was actually quite sad to see how many live animals and wildlife products were available for sale. One thing that is often overlooked when people talk about the "bush meat" market is that the people who live there have nothing else to eat. No McDonalds, no Piggly Wiggly not even a Wal-Mart. People have survived off the land in the Amazon for thousands of years. The main problem today is the sheer number of people trying to survive there. Humans are depleting the wildlife, and consuming the habitat, faster than it can reproduce. All of this seems very grim and most people would just say the quick fix is for all the locals to quit living off the land. However, it's not that simple. They have no other choice. It's easy to criticize when you have a full stomach and a comfortable life, but when you meet these people first hand, it opens up your perspective. So, what's the fix? The answer is, I don't know. Later that night we left the rainforest region of Peru and boarded a plane to Lima for the second leg of our journey.
Day Seven: Saturday, August 11th, 2007
Left Lima early this morning bound for Cusco. The city of Cusco is situated high in the Andes, 11,000 feet to be exact. Only thirty minutes after we arrived, we began to feel the effects of the altitude. Climbing the smallest staircase proved quite a workout. Several of us experienced dizziness and fatigue. This afternoon we took a tour of the Cusco art district and visited some local Incan ruins. Like the other Peruvian cities we visited, Cusco has its nice touristy areas, but they are always surrounded by the impoverished shanty sectors, making it easy to remember we are in a third world country.
Day Eight: Sunday, August 12th, 2007
Today we boarded an early morning train and descended to 8000 feet to visit Machupicchu. Listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Machupicchu is an ancient Incan city. It was mysteriously abandoned while still under construction. The design and sheer scale of the structures suggest an advanced society once lived there. Machupicchu was a spectacular experience. When we returned to Cusco we had the opportunity to dine on two local favorites; llama and guinea pig. Both were excellent.
Day Nine: Monday, August 13th, 2007
This morning we began our long trip back home. Only 20 hours after leaving Peru, a 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck Lima and the surrounding area destroying many structures, killing over 430 people and injuring over 800. This disaster provided a somber, but grateful end to our trip and helped remind us that there's no place like home.
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