Hello friends of the world. My name is Béder Chávez. I am a naturalist guide working in the tourism field for over twenty-six years in the area of Iquitos. I was born near the mouth of the Rîo Napo near Iquitos and raised in a typical river village. I spent my boyhood swimming, fishing, and going to school by canoe. I have been married since I was twenty-one years old. My wife and I have four children. They all live in Iquitos. When I am not guiding, I live there too.

I went to Iquitos to study in secondary school, but never finished because one day I started to work in a tourist lodge as a house boy. There I learned English, French and Italian. Later I became a guide and got hooked on the job and never went back to formal school. Since then I have taught myself many subjects. That is how I became a self-taught naturalist guide.

I am also a painter. I usually paint on paper or canvas with acrylics and watercolors. I paint birds, flowers, butterflies and other things from the forest. I like to paint nature because I am a nature lover. I like to take photos for my family, friends and for myself. Three years ago I began to take slide pictures and I do slide shows for tourists. My next project is to make postcards out of my pictures to sell.

Another thing I like to do is to write poems. I have written more than one hundred and twenty poems in Spanish. Last year I translated thirty of my poems to English with the help of a North American friend. I haven't published any of them yet.

PETALOS AL VIENTO ¡OYE TÚ, MI AMIGO VIENTO! ARREMOLÍNATE ESTA PRIMAVERA CONUOCA AL DIOS DEL VIENTO Y A TODAS LAS FLORES DEL MUNDO QUE TODAS ELLA SE REÚNAN EN ALGÚN HERMOSA PRADO. ARRANCA CON TUS SOPLIDOS< TODOS LOS TIERNOS PÉTALOS TRÁTALOS CON MUCHO CUIDADO ELÉVATE HASTA LAS NUBES DESDE ALLÁ DERRÁMALOS, TODOS HAZ QUE LLUEVA PÉTALOS SOBRE LA FAZ DE LA TIERRA.< ESCÚCHAME CON ATENCIÓN; QUE LOS PÉTALOS CAIGAN CUBRIENDO MONTES Y VALLES, RÍOS, SELVAS Y DESIERTOS, LAGOS, MARES Y PANTANOS< QUE LOS PÉTALOS DE LOS LIRIOS DE LAS MARGARITAS Y ROSAS< DE LAS BUGANVILIAS Y JAZMINES CAIGAN EN CUALQUIER SITIO; PERO QUIERO PEDIRTE ALGO QUE LOS PÉTALOS CARMESÍ DE LOS LABIOS DE MI AMADA NO CAIGAN, SINO SE PUSEN< EN LAS PÁGINAS AMARILLENTAS DE MI CUADERNO DE VERSOS. CON EL CARMIN MANCHADO ESCRIBIRÉ MILES DE POEMAS PARA QUE UN DÍA TÚ VENGAS A LLEVÁRTELOS PARA ESPARCIRLOS POR LOS CONFINES DEL UNIVERSO. Béder Chávez Octubre de 1995