06/09/2026
Shawnee MS/HS Trip to Peru--The Final Update
Mrs. Caraway shares that she is not really sure how to wrap up this time with words that match the experiences. We have arrived in Lima following the first of four flights to make our way back home!
We’ve spent the last few days cruising the Amazon and visiting with a local village community and tribe. The village community could not interact with us yesterday because they had a very important day! A medical team from the United States had arrived to see them and help them! They receive medical assistance once or twice per year. We were proud to learn that the lodge where we are staying runs a non-profit to support these local communities. They’ve worked to supply 42/49 areas with clean water, and they provide school supplies for 3,000 children. The parents, in return, agree to send their children to school 5 days a week.
We visited another tribe that did a reenactment for us to show us their traditional ways, and this also allows them to keep their traditions alive and passed down. We met the best blow dart gun hunter in the area, and many of us tried to hit the target before us! Wow!
We’ve seen electric eels, caimans, sloths, parrots, turtles, piranhas, tarantulas, pink dolphins, owls, and many other amazing animals along with some large insects.
We spent our last morning listening to a “medicine man” who has learned all about using the jungle plants to treat medical problems. This information has been passed down for generations. He showed us leaves, bark, roots, etc., to teach us how they have survived in the jungle for generations. He said that without these medicinal responses, there would be no more people surviving in the Amazon. He knows how to treat kidney, pancreatic, and respiratory issues. He knows what to do for snake bites, insect bites, parasites, and even acne. His home is sixteen days upriver by boat, and he treats people all over the jungle.
We have had an epic adventure! Our long travel home is underway! See you tomorrow!
