Along the Amazon from Peru to Colombia

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We decided after Cusco to swiftly make our way North, back to the amazon, via a few days in Lima. Lima was a big city, with a frantic bus system, surrounded by quite depressing city outskirts and the centre felt more colonial than latin american. we managed to leave one rucksack there too (as we head back there to fly home) so were now travelling with much less stuff.

Next stop Iquitos, the amazonian town with no roads leading to or from it; we flew in and left by boat. we spent several days here in the humid heat and tropical rains, its a big town built on the rubber industry, and has great views out to the amazon river. One of the most memorable parts of Iquitos is the Belen market, which was probably the dirtiest market i've ever walked through, but also bustling and lively. With table upon table of fresh fish, fruits and veg and even a medicinal aisle of all kinds of remedies. It runs down to the river, where the Belen area is; full of rickety houses built on stilts, it's probably the poorest area in Iquitos.

Whilst in Iquitos we also took the boat to Padre Cocha, a small village, that's also home to a butterfly and animal sanctuary, surrounded by rainforest. The butterflys house was brilliant, with the huge owl butterfly stealing the show. although some of the catterpillars looked like they belonged in Alice's wonderland too. Pink faced monkeys ran around the reserve, one managed to intimidate Stu enough for him to surrender his peanut brittle, and the reseve was home to all kinds of other animals; pumas, sloths and tiny pygme marmosets, which had mainly been bought and sold on the markets.

Although Iquitos wasnt the most touristy of towns, we met quite a lot of other backpackers and got some tips for the rest of our trip, which has already proved to be great advice. We left Iquitos on the faster boat, travelling 10hrs along the amazon before reaching the 3 way border between Peru, Colombia and Brazil. Our chosen destination was Leticia, in Colombia. We made this choice mainly with the beautiful beaches on Colombia's Carribean coastline in sight.

Leticia felt similar to Iquitos in some ways, and to Rurrenebaque; they all share the Amazonian identity, which perhaps is even stronger than their National one. But Leticia definitely has a laid back colombian edge, with bars by the river and bbq stands on every corner. We were also lucky to arrive during an Amazonian festival weekend, with the centre being full of stands, people and a parade marching through the streets.

But, the absolute highlight of our time here, was the 2 nights we spent in a village called Puerto Narino, 70k up the river from Leticia. Its a green town in every sense of the word; surrounded by luscious green rain forest, but also a town where cars and motorbikes are banned and everything is recycled. We stayed in Friars Cabanas, just outside of the town; with trees full of friendly and playful monkeys all around us (look at the photos!), colourful parrots and a short walk down to the river where there were kayaks and boats free to use, it was a great place to stay. We went out on the river in the kayak a couple of times, we also managed to capsize it a couple of times and in the process lost my dress to the depths of the amazon but it was a lot of fun, with pink river dolphins jumping only a few metres away from us! On one of the days we took a boat trip further afield, from the clay coloured waters of the amazon into a nearby lake where we (well actually, everyone but me) went fishing. I hopped about the boat like an old lady that had seen a mouse whenever a catch came in; but in my defence they were catching piranhas!! It was a bit concerning when the designated swimming spot was in sight of the piranha fishing area...but we all returned with our feet intact.

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