Blogs from Loreto, Peru, South America - page 4

(Dit artikel is nog niet af en zal nog regelmatig bijgewerkt worden) Op maandag 16 januari, aankomst in Iquitos (Peru). Na een boottocht van exact 3 dagen wringde ons vrachtschip zich vandaag 16/01 rond 8h30 tussen de andere aangemeerde vrachtschepen in de haven van Iquitos. Iquitos, gelegen aan de beroemde Amazone-rivier, in het noordelijke deel van Peru, en één en al omgeven door Amazonewoud. De grootste stad ter wereld die enkel bereikbaar is per boot en per vliegtuig. Over vliegtuigen gesproken: een tochtje boven het Amazonewoud in een vliegtuigje is niet iets dat op regelmatige basis georganiseerd wordt voor toeristen, maar het kan. Kostprijs: S/. 2800 per uur, ongeveer 750 euro. Iquitos dankt haar inkomsten blijkbaar aan de petroleum. Die petroleumbronnen moeten zich situeren verder in de jungle, dieper het woud in. In de stad zelf ... read more

I spent about a week in the Amazon jungle and it was a pretty amazing place. I had very nice accommodation considering it's the jungle. There were flush toilets, cold showers, meals prepared, and even laundry service! Though no electricity, no internet... which was good... but fortunately I still had my iPod! I couldn't have survived without listening to some of the music I love. In the clearings I saw countless butterflies and a variety of other creatures. In the jungle, it was a bit darker and, being non-native, I was kinda scared of just about everything around me. At one point there was a huge track of ants on the trail for about 100 meters. Others were bitten, but I was spared. Here are some pics of what I saw.... read more

Iquitos The view from the plane was spectacular during landing: an endless sea of green jungle with the wide, black Amazonas river snaking through the middle. Iquitos is the largest city unreachable by land, a hot and humid metropolis where you just can't get rid of that layer of sweat. The extent of poverty became apparent to us as we walked to Belén, the floating slums. Its currently the end of the dry season, so we got to walk around the dirt paths between the bare wooden houses on stilts. In the gigantic Belén market you can find absolutely everything, from chopped up turtle to giant slugs and snails and fish with what seems like crocodile skin as well as any type of fruit, vegetable or herb. The Amazon At 6.45am we were ready for the ... read more

Die Reise von Quito nach Coca absolvieren wir einmal mehr mit einem leicht wahnsinnigen Busfahrer, welcher die in Abschnitten kurvenreiche Bergstrecke als seine persönliche Rennstrecke ansieht. Die Toilette im Bus ist versperrt und auf Anfrage sagt er mir, mit entsprechender Geste, dass diese nur für Frauen geöffnet ist, weil die Männer immer daneben machen. Dafür brauchen wir dank seines Fahrstils statt der erwarteten 10 – 11 h aber auch nur 8 ½... Coca ist viel größer als erwartet und es gibt unzählige Geschäfte und Restaurants. Begrüsst werden wir von Regen, durchwachsen von einigen heftigen Güssen. Während es in Strömen regnet, machen wir unseren Weg hinunter zum Fluss, um nach einem Boot zu fragen. Morgen in der Früh gibt es eines. Wir beschließen, dieses Boot zu nehmen, wenn das Wetter halbwegs in Ordnung ist. Am nächsten Morgen ... read more

On April 12th we landed in Iquitos to blistering heat and a tiny Peruvian man waving a placard saying 'Chris Fuchter', which was quite a surprise as we didn't remember arranging to be picked up. Unfortunately it was not a stretch limo, but a mototaxi - a motorbike with two seats attached to the back of it, sent courtesy of the hotel. We climbed in the back for our first ride of many, feeling every bump and and small crack in the road as we made the short journey to town. Iquitos is in the northeast of Peru, right in the heart of the Amazon rainforest and on the shores of the river, only accessibile by boat or plane. A road stretches 100km to the south, seemingly to nowhere. There are few cars, though it apparently ... read more