Penned by an unknown Spanish author and lost for four centuries, the battered piece of paper was pulled from the ruins of an ancient Spanish colonial church in 2008.

But a team of scientists and linguists has only recently revealed the importance of the words written on the flip side of the letter.

The early 17th-century author had translated Spanish numbers — uno, dos, tres — and Arabic numerals into a mysterious language never seen by modern scholars.

“Lost” Language One of Two Already Known?

The newfound native language may have borrowed from Quechua, a language still spoken by indigenous peoples of Peru, Quilter said.

But it was clearly a unique tongue, and likely one of two known only by the mention of their names in contemporary texts: Quingnam and Pescadora—”language of the fishers.”

Some scholars suggest the two are in fact the same tongue that had been misidentified as distinct languages by early Spanish scribes.

Read the full story from National Geographic.

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See photos of the hawk release.

The Alabama Wildlife Center is Alabama’s oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation facility and annually receives approximately 2,500 animals from over 100 different species. The two broad-winged hawks released at IE were found in the Birmingham suburbs and brought to the center to be treated for injuries. AWC makes every effort to place rehabilitated birdlife back with its parents, but in these two cases, the original nests could not be located.

After extensive medical treatment, rehabilitation and three weeks of prey testing, these two raptors are new members of the Environs Park family.

About Broad-Winged Hawks:

A small, stocky, forest-dwelling hawk of eastern deciduous forests, the broad-winged hawk is hard to see on its nesting grounds, but becomes more conspicuous on migration when it congregates into flocks.

The broad-winged hawk comes in two color phases: the common light phase and a rare dark phase. The dark form is entirely sooty brown with a tail like the light morph, and with whitish flight feathers contrasting with the dark wing linings.

The broad-winged hawk completely leaves its breeding grounds in the fall and winter. Huge numbers of migrating broad-wings can be seen at hawk watches across the East. It usually migrates in large flocks or “kettles” that can range from a couple of individuals to thousands.

Learn more about broad-winged hawks.

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Since July, more than 25,000 eggs have been removed from the Alabama and Florida coasts to keep hatchlings from emerging onto oiled beaches or swimming into oil slicks. Authorities say 13,671 hatchlings have been released into the Atlantic and the remaining eggs are still incubating.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, turtle habitats have become clean enough to allow the hatchlings an unfettered return to the Gulf. However, precautions are still being taken to protect the sea turtles on beaches where offshore conditions remain uncertain or where turtles might run into offshore booms or nighttime beach cleanup workers.

Most of the nests belong to threatened loggerhead sea turtles. A few endangered Kemp’s Ridley turtle and green sea turtle nests were also moved.

Read the full story from the Miami Herald.

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You’ll work up quite an appetite during daily excursions. And whether it’s sampling restaurants in Lima, Peru, or local fare in India, or settling down for a sumptuous meal in the heart of Laos, you’ll enjoy meals to satisfy every palate. Plus, whenever possible, we use locally grown food to stimulate the economy and give you a fresh taste of the local culture and cuisine.

Some of the true culinary treats IE offers guests include opportunities to dine in a restaurant featured on No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain on our Vietnam vacation, and an exclusive sunset meal at the Miraflores Locks — a Frommer’s Top 5 dining experience on our Panama tour.

Selection of Restaurants:

Anh Tuyet’s (Laos & Vietnam)
Featured on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations series, Anh Tuyet is a well-known local chef and artist.  The restaurant is famous for all kinds of local delicacies but most famous for their roast chicken, which you will sample.

International Miraflores Restaurant (Panama)
As an exclusive treat for International Expeditions’ guests, one dinner in Panama City will be at the fine International Miraflores Restaurant at the Miraflores Locks. Named one of Panama’s “Top Five” dining experiences, from the terrace and dining room we watch ships navigate on their way through the Panama Canal.

Petra Kitchen (Wings Over the Nile)
The Petra Kitchen (pictured) is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where you’ll gather to prepare an evening meal, working alongside local women under the supervision of a chef. Each evening meal includes soup, cold and hot mezza and salads, and a main course — all typical Jordanian dishes. You glimpse of the secrets behind the famous regional cuisine of the Levant.

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The World Heritage Committee also added four sites to the List of World Heritage in Danger and removed the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) from this List.

The new sites on the World Heritage List of Sites in Danger are:

• Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (Georgia)
• Rainforests of Atsinanana (Madagascar)
• Tombs of Buganda Kings (Uganda)
• Everglades National Park (United States of America)

The new mixed site is:

• Papahānaumokuākea (United States of America)

New cultural sites:

• Australian Convict Sites (Australia)
• São Francisco Square in the Town of São Cristovão (Brazil)
• Historic Monuments of Dengfeng, in the “Centre of Heaven and Earth” (China)
• Episcopal City of Albi (France)
• Jantar Mantar (India)
• Sheikh Safi al-Din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble in Ardabil (Islamic Republic of Iran)
• Tabriz Historical Bazaar Complex (Islamic Republic of Iran)
• Bikini Atoll, Nuclear Test Site (Marshall Islands)
• Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (Mexico)
• Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Central Valley of Oaxaca (Mexico)
• Seventeenth-century Canal Ring Area inside the Singelgracht, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
• Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong (Republic of Korea)
• At Turaif District in ad-Dir’iyah (Saudi Arabia)
• Proto-Urban site of Sarazm (Tajikistan)
• Imperial Citadel of Thang Long-Hanoi (Viet Nam)

New natural sites:

• China Danxia (China)
• Pitons, Cirques and Remparts of Reunion Island (France)
• Phoenix Islands Protected Area (Kiribati)
• Putorana Plateau (Russian Federation)
• Central Highlands of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka)

Extended World Heritage sites:

• City of Graz – Historic Centre and Schloss Eggenberg (Austria)
• Pirin National Park (Bulgaria)
• Mines of Rammelsberg, Historic Town of Goslar and Upper Harz Water management System
• Røros Mining Town and the Circumference (Norway)
• Churches of Moldavia
• Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley and in Siega Verde (Portugal)
• Monte San Giorgio (Italy)
• Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania, United Republic of)

The Committee also recognised the cultural values of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania), which was inscribed in 1979 as a natural site. This property now becomes a mixed site.

The 34th session of the World Heritage Committee opened on 25 July and will close on 3 August. The next session will be held in June 2011 in Bahrain.

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The Amazon Medical Project supports the Yanamono Medical Clinic in the remote Amazon basin of northeastern Peru by providing primary care, involving locally trained people and encouraging preventative medicine. The clinic was founded in 1990 by Dr. Linnea J. Smith, M.D., who took her first Amazon rainforest tour with IE. The following is Linnea’s newsletter to her friends and family.

When it rains, it really does pour, it seems.  And as everyone knows, we live in a rainforest.

After a lovely April and May in Wisconsin with Jerry, I arrived back at the clinic to find it busy. Within an hour of my hitting the ground, Wilbert took his leave, off to search for a residency position in Lima. He reports that he did well on the test, but did not succeed in gaining a residency. Nonetheless, he was gone for nearly three weeks. This of course means that I am back to being The Doctor, in addition to administrator, purchasing agent, accountant, personnel director, public relations manager and CEO.

And the busy streak that began as soon as we moved into the new clinic (over a year ago, now!) has not faded.

I spent the first few days trying to unpack and put things away, but kept being distracted by more patients arriving.  Finally, I got away to Iquitos to make purchases, buy medicines, run errands and collect supplies. In talking with Miguel Angel, the curator of the vaccines, I asked if the long-awaited vaccine against Swine Flu had arrived, and he affirmed that yes, it had. Great, I said – can you give me 50?  He acquiesced, we filled out the papers, and I collected the 50 vials along with the other vaccines.

I ran the remainder of the errands and returned to the clinic, hoping to unpack everything, put it away, and perhaps start recording the expenses in the account book; but it was not to be.  I had hoped to get back to the clinic early Friday afternoon, but did not arrive till 4:00. When I walked in, I found that little Elmer Melendez Murrieta, three years of age, had tangled with a cascavel an hour or so earlier. (Cascavel is a small member of the rattlesnake family, whose venom is thought to be much more potent than that of its larger relatives.) He must have really annoyed that snake, because he had reportedly been bitten not just once, but three times.  Juvencio, Edemita and Tiffany, our wonderful June volunteer, had taken a specimen of blood for clotting, and it didn’t clot at all. Furthermore, he was bleeding briskly from his gums.  Then, just in case I was not yet worried, they reported that when he got to the clinic, his foot was pretty much normal except for three small puncture marks; but by the time I arrived, only one hour later, the entire foot was swollen and blue. They were trying to get an IV line in, but without much success. Fortunately, I was able to slide one into his antecubital vein, where they had drawn the clotting specimen earlier, and we got antivenin into him; but unpacking and tallying of purchases and medicines got pushed off till later.

Then, at supper the lodge administrator told me that the only boat going upriver the next day would leave at 5 a.m.  Edemita needed to be on that boat, because there was a group of visiting surgeons who were going to take her gallbladder out on Monday.  Also, Carmen was in the city for her days off, so on Saturday, we were down to just Tiffany, Juvencio and me. And it was a busy day, again.

Sunday was happily a little more calm, with only a few patients, and only a brief worry, when Edemita called from Iquitos to say that she was at the Clinica Stahl, and her name was not on the list of those to be operated on. Fortunately, the leader of the group was expecting her, went looking for her, found her, and saw to it that she got on the list, for Monday surgery.

While Edemita was in Iquitos awaiting her surgery, Carmen, Tiffany and I were at the clinic, and on Monday, we had a total of 38 patients, maybe a clinic record for a non-vaccine day, although it did turn out to be a vaccine day of sorts.  Once I was in the clinic and looked more closely at the vials of swine flu vaccine, I realized that each vial contains ten doses. We thus have 500 doses, and they will expire at the end of July. Having acquired those 500 doses of the coveted H1N1 vaccine, it behooves us to apply them. For years, I have pleaded, cajoled and begged people to get their vaccines, but now, for the first time ever, folks are showing up actually requesting to be vaccinated against Swine Flu. Thus, virtually everyone who comes into the clinic this month who is over four years of age, not already immunized, and not really sick gets the vaccine. We vaccinated 26 people against Swine Flu on Monday alone.  Some had come with other problems, though, and if we discount the 13 persons whose only service was the H1N1, we still had 25 patient visits, which is a very busy day.

The first patient was a man in his 40’s who had come in the day before with fever, body aches and general malaise.  His malaria smear was negative, and I thought he probably just had a viral syndrome. Nothing to do but take ibuprofen to bring down the fever and calm the aches, and wait for it to go away. If he was not feeling better in two or three days, I said, he could come back, but he was having none of it. At 11:00 that night he decided he could not stand it any longer, and returned to the clinic, moaning and groaning. I was relieved that Carmen had cut short her days in the city and returned to work on Sunday afternoon, so she took care of him overnight. Monday, she smoothly triaged, vaccinated, etc., etc., while Tiffany and I did the rest of the work.

Among the patients were several little ones with colds — there has been a wave of respiratory ailments in the last month or two. Monday, the kids were all doing pretty well, but we have seen some very sick babies, including one who died from pneumonia (well, pneumonia and severe malnutrition; at over one year of age, he did not even weigh ten pounds).  Now that many villages along the river have water treatment plants to provide clean drinking water, we are seeing fewer patients with diarrhea, but we did have a couple of those on Monday, too.  Then there was an older man with a very sore shoulder, I think due to a rotator cuff injury; and a 13 year old who needed sutures removed from a laceration he had suffered a week earlier; and an eight month old for dressing changes — he had pulled a big pot of soup over on himself a few days earlier, and burned much of the front of his body, as well as both hands — and our young snakebite victim, who was not yet able to bear weight on his injured foot but who did have less swelling and no more bleeding from the gums.  There were several women for family planning, one for a Pap smear, a couple with urinary infections, and finally, a 26 year old man who had a bad case of pneumonia.

Subsequent days have been similar. Once in a while we get a lull, but we have seen around 300 patients this month, and still have a few days to go. Dr. Wilbert came back to work last Monday, then left again on Thursday afternoon to take a woman in labor into the city. She is not quite 18 years old, and is small even for around here. Her mom and sisters and she are all well under five feet tall, and her pelvis was just too tiny for a baby to squeeze through. Wilbert got her part of the way in an Explorama boat, then they caught a speedboat that was passing, and she had a Cesarean section in Iquitos. He reported later that she and the baby both did fine.

He was still gone, though, on Friday, June 25, and we had 20 patients that day, with only me and Juvencio to take care of them all. These included a young woman who had a terrible breast abscess. I drained it, and you would not have wanted to see what came out. (The nice thing is, with the drainage and the antibiotics, her fever should go down and her pain should improve, and the whole nasty thing, with a little luck, should heal up quickly.)  There was also a 16 year old from a village out on the Napo River who according to his parents had broken his leg the day before. They knew it was broken because they had seen the bone come poking through the skin.  (Why had they not come the day before? — No boat available.) I clambered down the muddy bank and took a look at him in their boat, but shook my head. I could see the wound where the bone had pierced the skin, and knew he needed more care than we could provide, starting with an x-ray to see exactly where the bone fragments were located. His parents were disappointed to hear that we do not have x-ray (hey, I said, we are just a country clinic). I settled for giving him a tetanus vaccine, a dose of injected antibiotics, and a note for the doctor at the government health center at Indiana; and off they went in their pequi-pequi boat.

So far, it has been quite the month.

And, the river is falling daily. Despite the torrential rains in Cusco early in the year, this year’s annual flood was not much. The stream did not even get out of its banks at the clinic or at my house. Now, the water is dropping rapidly, and soon we will be walking across. For the moment, however, each day means negotiating a longer stretch of mud in order to reach my dugout, which I use to cross the stream to get to the clinic. The higher ground has dried out and is pretty firm, except when it rains (did I mention it has been raining a lot, lately?), and then the surface takes on the slick, slippery texture of wet potter’s clay. The farther down I go toward the stream, the softer is the mud … putty, then pudding, and finally slop. Golbert, who lives on the far side of the crossing, has been wonderful about putting out ever longer handrails and pieces of old lumber embedded in the muck to provide firmer footing. It is still quite a challenge, though. The other day, I successfully entered the canoe and pushed off from the bank, only to leave my paddle stuck in the mud as I floated gracefully, backwardly, across the stream. I used my hands to propel myself back and retrieve the paddle, but it was a bit of an operation, and I am sure that Golbert’s family has been deriving daily amusement from observing the gringa’s efforts to get into and out of her canoe.

Now comes a sad note … we bid goodbye to Peter Jenson, aka Don Pedro, on June 20. Peter is the man who came to Peru in the early 1960’s, stayed and founded Explorama. Hundreds of Peruvian workers, past and present, owe their livelihoods to the company that Peter built, and the Clinica Yanamono could never have existed without his generosity in feeding and housing me for many years.

Last fall, Peter was found to have esophageal cancer. His sister lives near the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, and Peter went there for treatment. Studies showed that the tumor was limited to his esophagus, and surgery was undertaken in January. Unfortunately, just before his return to Peru in May, the tumor was found to have spread, with multiple metastatic lesions.

Peter’s greatest wish was to return to his home on the Amazon, and he was able to do so, and spent several weeks in his beloved rainforest, in his own home. On June 19, he showed a burst of energy and walked as far as the dining room.  That night, he slept through the night. In the morning, it was very difficult to awaken him, and by mid-morning, his breathing slowed, then stopped. We are all grateful that he went without pain, in the comfort of his home, with Pam and his faithful nurse at his side.

In these parts, the custom when someone dies is to hold what is called a velorio, which is a sort of wake. Friends and relatives gather to bid goodbye to the deceased for the entire night, and burial takes place the following day. In Peter’s case, the Amazon Queen, Explorama’s three-decker large boat, brought him from his home at Ceiba Tops 25 miles downriver to the Yanamono Lodge, so that employees and friends there could say their goodbyes, then back up to Iquitos where residents of the city who had known him had an opportunity to pay their respects. Hundreds turned out at each stop, including the first one near the Lodge, despite the fact that the Amazon Queen arrived at 10:00 at night. At noon on June 21, he was cremated, and one day soon, his ashes will be spread over the rainforest from the highest platform on the canopy walkway, which was his desire. I can think of no more fitting farewell for a man who made such an impact on so many people, over so many decades.

Rest in peace, Peter. After more than 40 years of adventurous living in the Amazon, you deserve it.

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This is the fifth installment in a series by Wayne Zanardelli, an IE guest who generously shared notes from his recent Amazon adventure aboard La Amatista. Get caught up with Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV here.

Today we go piranha fishing.

We motored up river until we found a narrow waterway about 20 feet across that had cut through very high saw grass. We pulled into a small, tree-covered cove and broke out the bamboo fishing poles. Each pole was about seven feet long with an eight foot line tied to the end and then a small hook.  The bait was raw meat and chicken. We were fishing for red piranha, the meat eaters. Not all species of piranha are carnivores.

I got lucky and caught the first one, a six incher. George grabbed the fish and removed the hook. The mouth on these things is scary big with razor sharp teeth. This guy was thrown in the basket and flipped wildly for about one minute.  George caught the next one and then Ginny, who caught the largest of the day, nabbed a nine incher (piranha don’t get much larger). Dan and I caught a total of eight and the group caught 27. Our driver strung them on a stick. We are going to eat these babies for lunch.

During our fishing, a large howler monkey entertained us for 20 minutes. He was only about 15 or 20 feet away enjoying our attention. The river is two miles wide here and 65 feet deep. Further downriver it becomes six miles wide. We were back by 11:00 — in the rain, by the way. Lunch included our regular food and fried, freshly caught piranha. They were very good — there just isn’t much to eat.

We were out again at 4:30. We saw birds, naturally, but we also saw huge wasps’ nests and huge (two inches long) ants, the latter known to inflict extremely painful bites with the pain lasting 24 hours. Hernando said he was bitten by a wasp last week and his wrist was swollen to the size of a softball. Several years ago he was bitten by one of these ants and said it felt like a knife was thrust into his ankle. It is a reminder of all the perils that await a human in the jungle. We were back in time to catch the band and drink pisco sours.

A little about the food on board: It is uniformly very good and not really very unusual. We have had a few different drinks like purple corn juice and green tomato juice, but for the most part we had orange juice, papaya juice, mango juice and bottled water to drink. We had some native fish that were very good, manioc, which tastes like potato and lots of plantains; but otherwise, it was all familiar and well prepared.

Sunset tonight was particularly gorgeous with all the water reflecting the brilliant colors of the sunset and tall trees at the horizon.  It is magical.

This being our last night on board, the captain and his officers, crew chiefs and head chef came into the dining room.  The captain, a tall, handsome man, spoke to the group with George translating. It was a warm, humble, heartfelt and gracious speech. Everyone at my table was crying. I looked around the room and everyone was crying.  I’m not sure I can explain any of it except a strange, family-like bond developed in the seven days.

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Carrying little more than a backpack with survival gear and a laptop computer, Stafford wrote frequently about his adventure on WalkingTheAmazon.com, Stafford’s Web site devoted to his record-breaking, continent-crossing trek. Although he started his journey alone, Stafford was soon joined by Peruvian Gadiel “Cho” Sanchez Rivera who wanted to help the Englishman survive the perils of the Amazon — which haven’t been few in the over two years the pair has been walking together.

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A group of Peruvian archaeologists from the National Institute of Culture discovered ceremonial offerings buried under Machu Picchu, including three ceramics or miniature aryballos with globular body and covered with stone slabs forming a circle, known as “apachetas.”

“These are likely to be part of a ceremonial rite of payment to the land, the only of its kind found in Machu Picchu,” said archaeologist Ruben Maqque.

He also said that the findings took place at a sector known as Cementerio (”Cemetery”),where there are nine different types of rocks, brought from several parts of Cusco by the Inca workers. There were no traces of skeletal remains, which rules out the hypothesis that the place was an Inca cemetery. However, archaeologists believe that this was an exclusive site for ceremonial rites.

Read more on recent discoveries in Peru.

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These expert Peru travel tips were given by our Peruvian Expedition Leader,

1. When visiting Cusco, Peru, find free time to stroll through the streets of the San Blas District. This is where the artisans have made their homes, which have mostly been turned into workshops, classrooms and shops. Here, the older generation of artists share their knowledge and teach their children and grandchildren the handicrafts of Cusco in order to keep the traditions of their art alive. Treasures abound and one can always find that special handicraft that will truly remind them of their magical journey through the land of the Inca.
2. Don’t Miss: T’anta Restaurant in Lima, Peru. Located in the San Isidro district, T’anta is one of Peruvian culinary star Gaston Acurio’s moderately priced, café offerings. With delicious, freshly juiced drinks and inventive soups, pastas and a variety of options from a New Andean cooking style, Tanta’s sidewalk cafe is a great lunch spot in this trendy Lima neighborhood. (Editor’s Note: I recommend sticking to the appetizers so you can leave plenty of room for dessert!)
3. Lima is recognized as the culinary capital of South America and is full of really great restaurants. Add a few days in Lima to your next visit to enjoy some of them. Don’t miss ceviche at La Mar Restaurant, a chita a la sal at Costanera 700 Restaurant and a pulpo a la oliva in any seafood restaurants. For dinners you can’t go wrong with Rafael, Central, Fusion and Astrid y Gaston.
4. When visiting Peru is almost mandatory to enjoy a Pisco Sour, the national cocktail made with pisco, a local brandy. One of the best experiences while in Lima is to enjoy one at La Huaca Restaurant located right in front of a pre-Inca temple. Enjoy a 45-minute tour of the archeological remain and crown it with the local beverage at the restaurant overlooking the remains just when it is illuminated after sunset. (Get traditional Pisco Sour recipe here.)
5. Shopping in Peru is very good and the main products to look for include alpaca, pima cotton, Andean textiles, silver, pottery, music, coffee and chocolates. While in Lima, there are two places where you can find these products. Both are located in the Miraflores district. The first is the handicraft or Indian Market, an outdoor market with vendors from the whole country. The prices are fair and the offer is wide, but double-check the quality as it is variable. Bargaining is expected here and credit cards are not widely accepted. The second is Larco Mar, a mall that overlooking the bay of Lima, with good restaurants and cafes. Here you will find top-quality stores, all of which accept the main credit cards and where bargaining is not expected but superb quality is guaranteed. As a note, Larco Mar is the second most visited destination in the country, after Machu Picchu.

And one last tip from Kim Guth, our Peru Custom Travel Planner.

1. A bit of France in Machu Picchu — who knew! Indio Feliz Bistro in Aguas Calientes came recommended to me as the best restaurant in town… although from the outside it seemed just like another basic place with bland food. Talk about not judging a book by its cover: this place was amazing!  Each of the eight tables downstairs was immaculately set with crisp linens, attractive dinnerware and a vase of lilies, hibiscus and other beautiful flowers.  In one corner was a working fireplace. Everything I sampled would not be out of place in a fine Paris restaurant — minus the prices and attitude.  The meal was a dream. The fresh bread and red wine from Chile rounded out the experience.

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