Photography
News
Where’s Manchester? A photographic expedition
Between June and October 2008 Chris Smith & Liz Peel
will be in Peru and Bolivia paddling a canoe down the
Rio Manuripi and its lesser tributaries in the Amazon basin.
Whilst there they will be photographing whatever they
encounter, to capture the Manuripi as it is today.
They will also be looking for Manchester!
What is the objective?
The objective is to explore by canoe the remote Rio Manuripi
watershed from its headwaters at Mavila in Peru to its
confluence with the Rio Madre de Dios in Bolivia. The route
runs through one of the most remote areas of the Peruvian and
Bolivian Amazonian region and has never before been attempted
in its entirety in this way.
Bolivia’s portion of the Amazon basin reflects the classical image
of remote jungle, which many visualise when thinking of the
Amazon. While Brazilian rainforests continue to suffer heavy
degradation, the archetypal forests of northern Bolivia remain
relatively intact, offering a glimpse of the deep and mysterious
Eden, rich in flora, fauna and tales of lost cities. (They have also
been called the Green Hell – Julian Duguid 1931.)
Traditionally the only means of transport in this region has been
by canoe and overland portage. We will be undertaking a
self-supported expedition using a self-propelled folding canoe. The expedition will cover the Rio Manuripi and
its tributaries, endeavouring to provide a snapshot in time to capture and understand the area as it is today
through the use of photography and video. The expedition will cover (as the crow flies) approximately 350
miles, however given the meandering nature of this river and its tributaries, a more accurate total distance
would be 800 miles or more.
The expedition is to a little known and poorly explored region of the Eastern Amazon basin, but someone has
been there before us. Lost in the jungles along the banks of the Rio Manuripi is the remains of an old
settlement called Manchester! How did Manchester come to be in Bolivia and who was behind it. What
happened to Manchester and does anyone remember it? Is there anything there now or has the jungle reclaimed all that it once was? The Where’s Manchester Expedition will attempt to find out.
When will we attempt this?
The expedition will be conducted over a 2-3 month period between the latter end of June 2008 and the end of
October 2008. The exact duration of the expedition will be governed by water levels and other factors.
Why do this? Along the jungle waterways the traditional means of transport has always been by boat and canoe. In this region villages are scarce and some remote tribes have had only minimal contact with modern civilisation. The fundamental basis of the expedition is based on a growing realisation that these remote areas may not be with us for much longer. We wish to record how this region is today. Its people and its nature. The watershed of the Rio Manuripi is one of the few areas, which the destruction of logging has yet to reach due to its geophysical and hydrological nature. During our research of this area we came across a small settlement called Manchester, which has further fuelled our curiosity for this region.
What is behind this mystery of a settlement called Manchester in a region of only Spanish named villages? How did this happen? Who was behind it? Questions such as these will take us to Manchester, Bolivia.
The expedition will be undertaken using a self-propelled folding canoe. The minimum amount of equipment will be used on the expedition to ensure that distances can be covered more efficiently whilst portaging any non-navigable sections of the river and its tributaries. Efficiency will be aided by the use of a folding canoe rather than one of traditional construction materials, as this will
enable it to be carried over distances more easily if required. Dugout canoes are impractical for portaging due
to their weight. Traditionally indigenous people would paddle to a headwater, leave their canoe at the river
and walk over to the next tributary and use another canoe previously left in that location by other Indians to
continue their journey. This tradition is no longer observed with the adoption of outboard engines and
therefore we must carry our own canoe.
Folding solar cells will provide sustainable, clean, non-polluting power for all our electrical equipment. The
expedition will be conducted as a no-trace-project to absolutely minimise any human impact upon the area.
We will undertake this expedition alone to facilitate both speed of travelling and decision-making. For over 12
years we have undertaken a variety of expeditions and have come to know each other’s individual strengths
and weaknesses intimately. As such, we can make the right decisions at the right time to ensure the success
of undertakings of this nature.
This expedition will face logistical, physical and mental challenges, not least of which is the very nature of the
environment into which we are going. The waterways of a jungle can be a hostile environment of heat,
humidity, mud and flash flooding, presenting physical challenges of fatigue, disease, restricted diet and
occasional danger. There are the mental challenges of isolation, incessant insects and claustrophobia. The l
logistical challenges include the need to replenish food supplies, portaging of gear, navigation using
inaccurate maps and limited GPS signals amongst others. We will be supplementing our food supplies by
fishing. In the dark under storey of the jungle electrical equipment will be recharged using solar cells and we
will have to gain power through being in mid river wherever possible to utilise available sunlight.
This endeavour is based on the experiences of previous expeditions into the jungles of Belize, Costa Rica,
the Darien Gap, Ecuador and Peru whilst on photographic trips and working with conservation organisations
in those countries.
An outcome of the expedition will be the video and photographic recording of the attempt. This will be shared
with the general public through a series of exhibitions, talks and this website following the attempt.
What is the history behind the endeavour?
Someone has gone before us, giving a settlement in the Bolivian Amazon the name of Manchester! But who
was this person or people? There are very few previous explorers of the region known of. However, arguably,
the most famous is Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett (1867 – 1925) He travelled to the Southwest Amazonian
region to explore and map the area at the behest of the Royal Geographic Society, initially in 1906. He
undertook a number of expeditions to both the Mato Grosso (Northern Pantanal) of Brazil and the Amazonian
region that forms the border confluence between Brazil, Bolivia and Peru (and beyond). The exact
circumstances and location of his disappearance in 1925 is unknown but two disputed suggestions are that
he was in what is now the Pando Department of Bolivia with the intention of establishing a cult commune and/
or looking for the fabled lost city of Gold, sometimes referred to as Paititi.
Portuguese and Spanish fortune hunters first explored the region in the footsteps of the Inca searching for gold and fame. Prior to Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett were the Rubber Barons who exploited both the resources and people of the region.
All images are Copyright Liz Peel / Chris Smith / www.piecesofsky.com. No image may be copied in full or in part without licence.
