SAUCE, ON THE SHORES OF LA LAGUNA AZUL
​Sauce (pronounced sau-say, meaning willow) is small, rural town on the northern shore of the Laguna Azul. The setting is beautiful, but the town itself is basic and unspectacular. The main industries are agriculture and tourism. The overwhelming majority of tourists are Peruvian daytrippers, who come to amble along the waterfront or take an outing in one of the many motorboats. The laguna itself is great for swimming and kayaking, warm year round and pretty clean.
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The locals here are conservative, and many are Christian. There are a lot of churches, and services are well-attended. There is very little crime or alcoholism, and drug use is frowned upon.
Like all Latin places Sauce is patriarchal, with its inevitable machismo and entrenched gender roles, but the people here are decent and honest, and there are many more nuclear families than in the western world.
Sauce is on the fringe of the jungle. West of here is jungle all the way to Brazil.
There is only one way here, by minivan from Tarapoto and across the river Huallaga on one of the trimarans. It is a haven for naturelovers, hot and green and replete with birds and insects. There is no ATM here, and just a few places with wifi. Phone coverage is relatively good, and there are always fresh fruits and vegetables, but restaurants only tend to serve meat, meat or meat.
