Sauce 7/4/07 - 7/10/07

Leaving Sauce, in order to bring our bags from Tarapoto, was a very interesting "combi" ride at four in the morning, the cheaper means of transportation that the locals use. Basically, an old torn-up van, over-packed with bags and people, bouncing down the mountain! It´s a good thing most Peruvians are short and can fit into small spaces . . . Mishka and I on the other hand are biggerStill, it´s worth saving almost HALF of the travel expenses and you get to enjoy the beautiful sunrise on the ferry The hostal we found was splendid: rooms surrounding a little forest filled with flowers, orange trees, and all kinds of sweet smells and colors.
The people of Sauce are very sincere, hospitable, and kind. Walking down the dusty streets, all the locals smile and say hello to you in Spanish while the kids yell out "Hello", "Hello mister"or other coin english phrases, then giggle and run away.
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Nothing like hitching a ride on the back of a truck to establish yourself in a small town!Right Misha!? ( xutpiú takoú)
We ate at the local eateries and swam in Lago Azul (the lake bordering the town), which will forever be known as Sauce Coche to the locals (name for "lake" in the native language of that area - Quechua)
(and this special video was made for the viewers´ entertainment)

. . . on occasion enjoying a cool refreshing Brahma-yes, we found it girls!


Mishka is a master pourer just so you know but I´m afraid being a bartender is out of the question!
Turns out that Sauce is filled with natural attractions . . . and we decided to hike to another lake 2 hours awayIt was a beautiful hike through many green fields filled with horses, cows, and goats grazing in the sunshine. We also passed small villages and even a dormant volcano on the horizon . . .
The trek took longer than we thought because of all the wonderful distractions
Butterflies for me . . . so amazing! Neon blue, light green, organge, hot pink, yellow, forest green . . . you name it! They were flittering around like rainbow-colored snowflakes . . . guiding my way through the forest.
For Mishka, cow shit happened to be a big distraction.
But hey, to each his own. Right?!? Hahaha

The lake was definitely beautiful and refreshing at the end of our 4 hour hike

And we swam across the lake to rent some kayaks so we could explore some more.Catching a boat ride back to Sauce with some people made this whole trip wonderful and also free!
Jeeeeeeeeeeew-Ish!

We finished our week at Sauce with a trip to the local sulfur hot baths. A little smelly. Sulfur does smell like eggs . . . but nothing a little shower can´t handle.
We bathed in the hot and cold bathes for almost 8 hours.
(Hey, no hot water for 2 months can do that to you!) And great views of course!
A calm, peaceful, and relaxing end to our Sauce trip. . .
and our "authentic" ride back

Next stop -- Chachapoyas!