Welcome to the Jungle
On tuesday (the 12th) we were up really early to catch our 5am flight to Iquitos, the ´capital of the amazon´, and the biggest city in the world to be unreachable by road. The reason for the flight being so early is to avoid vultures on the other side from being injured during landing. After sitting on the plane (on the runway) for an hour, we were told that due to poor weather conditions, the flight had been moved to 6pm. So, after a bit more time in Lima, we got back to the airport and were successful in making our way to Iquitos.
Iquitos has something like 500,000 people, and in my humble opinion is a place that is going down the wrong road. It´s drugs, child prostitution and street vendors are a real problem, and as a travel destination I would say that it has as much charm as a rotten fish. It must have been a fabulous place before us tourists first arrived, what a shame. Luckily we were only there on our way to a Jungle Lodge, 140 km´s (this is what we were told, but I reckon it´s more like 80 km´s) down the Amazon.
Our group of 20 was squashed into 2 boats, and 1 and a half hours into the trip (three quarters of the way), the steering wheel in our boat broke, leaving us floating uncontrollably towards Brazil, and wondering if we were ever going to make it to our seemingly elusive destination. The other boat pushed on, dropping most of the group at the lodge, and making it´s way back for us. About 2 hours later we arrived at Muyuna, and besides being relieved, I must admit feeling that our 2 days wouldn´t be worth the hassle of getting there. I could not have been more wrong.
What a place! Without a doubt the highlight of our trip so far. Fauna and flora in abundance, like nothing I have seen before, and an authentic jungle culture and extreme hospitality. Jackie and myself were busy from when we arrived until the moment we left. Seeing nature on guided walks and on boat trips along the amazon. Highlights were pink river dolphins, a tarantula, pygmy marmosets, 3-toed tree sloths, caymans, and more bird life than you could ever imagine. We went pirahna fishing, with Jacks catching 3, myself getting only 1. We even had a swim right in the middle of the main channel of the amazon. The guides and staff at the lodge were great, and the food was superb (we ate the pirahna´s that we caught!). We took on the staff in a game of football, and managed to walk away victorious, much to their disgust. I think they were quite scared of our big, aggressive center back who was playing in his gumboots.
The first picture is of the village of San Juan, the closest to the lodge that we were staying in. It has 150 residents, 2 churches and 1 bar (next to the church). It has a leader, a few policemen and even a jail, which is so small that when inside, the prisoner is unable to lie or stand.
Iquitos has something like 500,000 people, and in my humble opinion is a place that is going down the wrong road. It´s drugs, child prostitution and street vendors are a real problem, and as a travel destination I would say that it has as much charm as a rotten fish. It must have been a fabulous place before us tourists first arrived, what a shame. Luckily we were only there on our way to a Jungle Lodge, 140 km´s (this is what we were told, but I reckon it´s more like 80 km´s) down the Amazon.
Our group of 20 was squashed into 2 boats, and 1 and a half hours into the trip (three quarters of the way), the steering wheel in our boat broke, leaving us floating uncontrollably towards Brazil, and wondering if we were ever going to make it to our seemingly elusive destination. The other boat pushed on, dropping most of the group at the lodge, and making it´s way back for us. About 2 hours later we arrived at Muyuna, and besides being relieved, I must admit feeling that our 2 days wouldn´t be worth the hassle of getting there. I could not have been more wrong.
What a place! Without a doubt the highlight of our trip so far. Fauna and flora in abundance, like nothing I have seen before, and an authentic jungle culture and extreme hospitality. Jackie and myself were busy from when we arrived until the moment we left. Seeing nature on guided walks and on boat trips along the amazon. Highlights were pink river dolphins, a tarantula, pygmy marmosets, 3-toed tree sloths, caymans, and more bird life than you could ever imagine. We went pirahna fishing, with Jacks catching 3, myself getting only 1. We even had a swim right in the middle of the main channel of the amazon. The guides and staff at the lodge were great, and the food was superb (we ate the pirahna´s that we caught!). We took on the staff in a game of football, and managed to walk away victorious, much to their disgust. I think they were quite scared of our big, aggressive center back who was playing in his gumboots.
The first picture is of the village of San Juan, the closest to the lodge that we were staying in. It has 150 residents, 2 churches and 1 bar (next to the church). It has a leader, a few policemen and even a jail, which is so small that when inside, the prisoner is unable to lie or stand.
posted by Brad at 06:41
1 Comments:
Jax, how could you hold that ugly abomination of god?
;)
Sun Jun 17, 09:24:00 am GMT+2
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