Roaming South America

Satipo, Perú

February 16, 2023

Satipo, Perú: population: about 30,000.

The valley where Satipo is located has been inhabited by various indigenous groups for more than 3500 years, based on the petroglyphs that have been found in the area. The Incas moved into the valley and there were wars which the Incas eventually won. The first European missionaries arrived in 1673. The native population wasn't much interested in what they had to offer and there were many uprisings against the missionaries into the 18th century.

In 1947, the city was destroyed by an earthquake. Entire settlements disappeared. There was no road access to the city until 1960.

Satipo has a tropical rainforest climate. The average daytime high of 25° C (77° F), and the night average low of 17° C (62° F). The city sits at about 628 meters (2060 feet).

So, my impressions: Nothing exciting here, in the city, but out in the mountains is where you'll find waterfalls, streams, archeological sites, etc. The city itself is very basic, with nothing of interest.

This is my goal: to find a new place to live. So to reach that goal I am traveling most of South America, visiting the countries of Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, and Chile, passing through Argentina, visiting Paraguay, passing through a bit of Brazil, and finally visiting Uruguay. I have a list of towns, about 70, that meet these qualifications: Cities with average day temperatures of 22-28° C (72-83° F) and night temps of 14° C (57° F) and higher; and a population between 28,000-300,000. I analyzed climate and population data of around 700 towns in the countries mentioned above and then pulled out the ones that meet the previously mentioned criteria, which leaves about 70. My preference leans towards towns of less than 100,000 people. And, now that I have visited more than 30 towns/cities, I've decided I will probably want an inland town. I love the beach and walking in the warm water, but, getting sunburned is just too easy, even on a cloudy day. At least, here in Ecuador. I've also decided that any town with more than 100,000 population will be too big. I've decided that any small town/city (less than around 80,000 population) that meets the temp specifications and has a supermarket and ATM is one worth considering to live in.

My goal is to visit the towns and discover which one calls out to me - "Chip, Chip, make your new home here, this is your new home town". That hasn't happened yet, but there are four towns listed below that are very close to giving me that feeling. At any rate, I am not visiting tourist attractions or archeological sites, etc, those will have to wait for another trip through South America.

At this point in my journey I have four towns on my Top 10 list - Tingo Maria, Moyobamba, La Merced, Perú, and Catamayo and Puyo, Ecuador. In my travels in Ecuador, I visited 31 towns/cities.

Next up: Mazamarí, Perú.