This was our last stop for our time in Peru. We flew into Lima from Cusco and spent the night in a hotel at the airport. We stored out luggage there, packed a couple of backpacks and some “Jungle” clothes and took a flight out the next morning to Iquitos.
Iquitos is far in the Northeastern part of Peru and is accessible by air and river only. There have been no roads cut through the mountains and the Amazon Jungle to reach it. The city was established long ago as a trading center for the huge rubber plantations that existed in that area. Being unable to hire enough local people to work the rubber plantations, owners brought in boat loads of Chinese laborers to do the work. Recognizing the value of the product and the climate it grew in, the workers smuggled home seeds and clippings of the rubber plants and started growing them in China. After a while the Chinese market for rubber outgrew the Peruvian market and the Peruvian market collapsed.
Iquitos is now a old town with residents that make a living doing the things everyone else in Peru do. They farm, have shops, and have trades. The primary mode of transportation in Iquitos is the motorized bicycle of various sizes.
We landed in Iquitos at the airport and were taken to a hotel downtown. It was claimed to be the best hotel in town but was a little rough around the edges. Everyone was very friendly and helpful so Nancy and I had a pleasant evening in restaurant. Nancy even taught the bartender how to make Gin & Tonics even thought Nancy speaks no Spanish and the bar tender spoke no English. We had a fun time.
A little about the trip. The next morning we were picked up and taken to an outfitters shop. We were fitted for and provided with a pair of heavy rubber walking boots that came up to our knees. We each got a pair. We were also briefed on the trip to where we were going, what our camp would be like and that we would be four hours from the nearest civilization and there was no phone or medical service where we were camped. The boat we went down the river on was a long (about twenty to twenty four feet long) and narrow with a canopy over the passenger section. There was one seat on each side with a narrow aisle down the middle. Soon we were ready to go so they loaded us up in a pickup and took us to our boat. The boat was at the bottom of a set of stairs off of one of the streets. It was not a harbor but just a place to tie up your boat when you came to town. We passed our gear down and helped them load supplies for the camp. There was the guy who drove the boat, his assistant, and our guide, Moises. The driver again briefed us the trip would take about four hours but assured us there was a “rest area” along the way. Off we went.
We were on the Amazon for five days including our arrival and departure days. We spent four days and three nights in the camp. Each day at the camp we would get up and have breakfast. Our guide would brief us on the day and we would go out for our morning trip. The trips would last two to four hours and we would get back for lunch. After lunch we would again go out and return around sunset for dinner. After dinner we would do a night time activity. We were busy but it was fun. Some of the trips were on land and some were in boats … some were both. I’m not going to do this day by day but rather just show you most of the tings we did. Enjoy!
Old Colonial Iquitos 
Nancy Getting ready to go 
Many kinds of motor bikes 
Nancy’s new footwear 
The big red spot is Iquitos and the little red spot is our camp. The big river is the Amazon. I didn’t even know it started so far west. 
The ramp down ot our boat 
Loading people and supplies into the boat 
Out on the river 
Our send off party 
The river had a lot of Hyasinth growing in it. Some places were so thick the boat would get caught up and need to be backed up and cleared. 
Off we go 
local transport 
Harbor security 
Local boats 
The Amazon … VERY BIG 
Fisherman 
Huts and villages along the way 
We finally got to our “rest area” Here’s how you got to it. The facility was just a board with a round hole in it and whatever you did just dropped into the river. 
Boat traffic on the river 
The main river was not clogged with hyasinth … once you got off on a side river it was all over 
This is the boat in the Hyasinth … There is bunches of water below it 
The trail behind us 
Our Guide guiding the Captain 
Then a rain shower 
and we make it to our camp … Welcome, welcome 
Our bedroom 
Nancy trying out the bathroom 
The entire room 
The camp 
Our back door 
The dining hut 
Fruit snacks and water 
All ready for dinner 
an endless variety of flowers and vegitation 
Boys from the local village checking out the new guests 
Nancy taking a break on our “Patio” 
Our camp viewed from the river … our hut was the one on the left. 
A Hawk 
Parakeets 
The river 
A Bird 
Birds nests 
Our first sunset on the Amazon 
Our first night out 
A Spider web 
Cayman Catching … Moises would shine the shore until he spotted their eyes, the guy driving the boat would coast up to the spots and Moises would grab the caymen 
Caymen are like alligators and grow to be six to eight feet long. They are considered to be one of the more dangerous preditors on the river 
I got to “cuddle” with one .. even these littlle guys bite 
A Spider in our hut!! 
Nancy in netting on the walk way to our hut 
Well Pilgrim … I’m ready .. are yoou? 
Our first night walk … it was soon dark! 
Ants on a tree 
The View from our hut 
rubber sap flowing from a tree 
Huge termite nests (the nest was huge .. the termites tiny) 
Interesting roots 
Clinging Ferns 
A centipede 
Baby rodents 
Mushrooms 
A Monkey 
Ants eating the bark 
A day walk 
A vine .. I thought it was a snake 
A Catapiller 
A dead frog … the ants got him 
Interesting tree 
Guess you could call it a ladder tree 
Very Tall trees 
Insect Eggs 
A family outing 
Going Perana fishing 
This looks like a good spot 
I’m trying to decide if I’m going to fish or not 
We rolled bread dough into little balls and caught these little fish with them.. then we used these little fish for the Pirana … this young man was our pilot today 
I got one!! 
Watch the teeth! 
I’m glad I tried it 
Watching to see if anyone looses a finger 
The sun is setting 
Everyone getting ready to roost 
Nancy’s Catch … enough for dinner! 
Sunset 
Heading home … Moises was an excellent guide. His father was a Warden on the river and he grew up on it. He now lives in Iquitos 
A Rainbow 
A HAwk watching for a meal 
Find the Bird 
Incredible sunset 
Family comiing home 
Eating our Piranana 
Enough for everyone … better to eat than be eaten by! 
A Toad 
Back out at night 
Gathering Palm Branches for Thatch 
Our Thatched roof 
The walkway to our hut 
The Camp 
ooops, I mean Lodge! 
Aahhh 
It rained fairly often … it is a rain forest you know! 
A near by village 
Looking for Monkeys, birds, and other animals of interest 
The driver … Moises would hire a new guy each day (spread the tourist bucks) 
A wet walk 
I preferred riding in the boat 
but the jungle was very interesting 
The vine grew around the tree, suffocated the tree, the tree died and rotted, now the vine stands alone living a hollow life (sorry) 
Yup … I’m having fun! 
All these little critters eat anything dead on the ground … up to and including trees 
Time for a drink 
The vine is filled with pure water 
Better that Perrier water from the green bottle! 
Everything has a story 
Lunch? 
Nope! 
Bird eggs 
It has stopped raining so now its just humid and sticky 
But fun 
This a book written by one of Moises clients. She mentions him in the book. It is about the pink dolphins that live in the Amazon. They really are pink. You can buy the book on Amazon (what else? 
Moises was very proud of this signing 
A nice day to be on the Amazon 
Peak! 
The only snake we saw 
He was in this bush at night 
These little grey patches are bats 
The Hunter!! 
Giant Lilly Pads (Six feet across) 
Lunch! 
Laundry day at the village 
Pink Dolphin hunting 
Looking for pink dolphin. Moises would hit the water with a foam tube and they would come up to play sonewhere around rhe boat. they were quick 
There’s one! 
Looking hard 
there’s another one … they were very difficult to see nd even more difficult to get a picture of 
Big Lizard in a tree 
There he is! 
Saying Good bye 
bye bye camp 
locals 
Heading back up the river 
A big banana boat 
So we made it back to Iquitos, turned in our boots and gear, and they took us to the airport. A most interesting trip.
We made it back Lima, picked up our luggage and spent the night at the airport hotel. Next day we flew home with many, many fond memories. Super trip.
