Day 1: Strikes and Protests in Iquitos

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My first day in the Amazon is coming to an end. As with all trips, it wasn’t without it’s challenges, but for the most part this was a very interesting day.

The plane ride was uneventful - cloudy weather made an early morning view of the jungle almost impossible and only a short glimpse of the Amazon was possible just before landing. After arriving in Iquitos a few minutes early, I was approached by a driver for a jungle lodge who asked where I was going. When I told him Hotel Acosta, he said that no one would be there because there were almost no drivers.

Apparently, in solidarity with the indigenous people of the north who have been involved in violent protests over the government’s giveaways of tribal lands to those seeking to exploit the natural resources, local people went on a city-wide strike in an effort to deny the government the tax money that would be made on a normal day. In the past few days dozens of Indians and police have reportedly been killed as a results of national police action against roadblocks that have disrupted transportation in the already remote north.

On the ride to the hotel we saw police everywhere along the roads and at every major corner along with massive amounts of trash and debris filling the main thoroughfare from the hotel into the city. It looked like a tremendous riot must have taken place that covered 4-5 miles.

Most everything in the city was initially shut down, though the strike had less of an effect as many business began to open their shuttered doors in the afternoon - well before the scheduled midnight conclusion of the 24-hour strike.

A rally was planned for Plaza 28 de Junio and then a protest march through the city. I was awfully tired, but when I heard lots of popping noises coming from the direction of the plaza that sounded like gunfire, I decided to make my way there and see if I could record some interesting video.

It’s a 7-8 block walk to the Plaza and people were streaming on from every corner like ants making their way back to the nest. The very large plaza was surrounded by thousands of people - perhaps tens of thousands. Many were lined up shouting protest chants and waving black flags in support of the Indians killed in the north. Most, however, seemed to be waiting for a show.

There were street vendors everywhere. Children were playing and dogs were running between the legs of those gathered in anticipation of perhaps something remarkable. (Three weeks ago there was a similar protest march that got out of hand and the police fired “bird shot” into a crowd trying to destroy street lights. No one was killed in that incident.)

I spent the next hour following the parade through the city streets - atr times sprinting ahead to get good shots and other times standing in the crowd filming the different groups passing by.

Fortunately, the march was loud but peaceful and afterwards everyone seemed satisfied. The seem very happy to have a “gringo” filming their story. Often different groups or individuals would make sure I filmed them being especially enthusiastic in their protests.

At the end I quickly returned to the hotel with the intention of downloading, editing, and uploading a finished video of the march to the internet. Sadly, the firewire cable that is used to connect the video camera to the computer is bent and a replacement could not be found since many stores closed early to accommodate the march. I was able to locate four more video tapes - I only brought two - but no cable could be found.

That means I have to be a little conservation and cautious in how I film in the next four days. That’s probably not a problems since I tend to use less tape than I should anyway.

I spent a lot of time today at the Yellow Rose visiting Gerald and Pamela and many of the old friends from Iquitos. It was a wonderful day and I was reminded how much I miss this place.

Still, at 7:30 tomorrow I’ll be picked up and head to the Explorama dock where I’ll catch a boat down the river to the lodge in the jungle. That will be the start of my first real adventure in Peru.

I still have doubts about internet access as promised. If possibly, I’ll try to upload a report each day, but it may be necessary to wait until I return to the city on Tuesday. Hopefully, photos can be posted as well. Video may have to wait until I return home in a couple of weeks.

I miss my family and friends back in the states, but the opportunity to do things like this just don’t come along too many times in one’s life.

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Comments

[Phyllis]

What!
Phil, What were you thinking! Running towards gunshots! I now know that you are crazy! Phyllis