Leaving Urubamba, a small town located in the Sacred Valley of Peru, eight of us were destined for Quincemil, a jungle outpost. We were celebrating my wife's birthday; she was born in Cusco, a high altitude city located in the Peruvian Andes.
It was here in Quincemil where my wife’s ancestors migrated from Poland and Croatia in search of a new life, laying claim in a sweltering jungle at an elevation of 2,108 feet. With names like Kalinowski, Stambuk, and Zlatar, some became scientists and taxidermists. They were critical in the development of the Manu Biosphere Reserve . The largest rainforest reserve in the world, it is located in the regions of Madre de Dios and Cusco.
The road to Quincemil was windy and narrow as we reached heights of 15,000 feet before dropping down into the jungle. A few years ago it would have taken a week of driving to seek out this adventure. But with the new highway that links Peru’s Pacific Coast to São Paulo on Brazil’s Southern Atlantic coast, a day's journey is all that’s needed.