Blogs from Loreto, Peru, South America - page 6

An update on my weekend, which was eventful to say the least! On Saturday I got up really early and went to the butterfly farm alone, as to go with a guide was 25 pounds, more than my budget for a daytrip. The Lonely Planet guide had basic directions and I got an article from a local newspaper so I had figured pretty much how I was going to get there and how much money to pay. I had to get a mototaxi from the hostel, basically a tuktuk, a motorbike with a box on it, and go to the port near Iquitos which is 20mins away, THE bumpiest and coolest and most exciting and life-risking journey of my life! I got to the port and there were NO tourists at all, so I stood out ... read more

Salutations! I spent this past weekend (Friday-Sunday) in the Amazon, and I must say, it was a unique experience. I use the word "unique" loosely because it was both good and bad. It was unique in a good sense because I was able to see some amazing animals in their natural habitats like monkeys, bugs, spiders, birds, sloths, snakes, lizards, etc. It was bad in the sense that there were an abundance of large, disgusting bugs that enjoyed making you uncomfortable. It rained quite a bit the first day as well. Overall, it was most certainly worthwhile. I started out flying into the northern jungle city of Iquitos. You see, in Peru there is northern, central, and southern jungles. In my prior travels to Peru I visited the central jungle in Chanchamayo (*see old entries*). This ... read more

It’s early Sunday morning in the rainforest. It’s about 6:50 in the morning as I write and it looks like a beautiful day ahead. The last two have been pretty overcast and a little wet, but that has also kept us cloaked in unseasonably cool temperatures. Sleeping has been easy the last 2 nights. I’m curious to see what today will bring, though I can take a little discomfort for another day and a half. I’m awfully curious to see how the video will come out. It’s frustrating not to be able to do some editing or even look at it on a bigger monitor, but I’ll be able to hook up to the TV in my hotel room once I return to Iquitos tomorrow. Soon we’ll be served breakfast - the menu say scrambled eggs ... read more

Well, this rainforest adventure has begun and I’m making this latest report from 50 miles downriver from Iquitos about a mile back in the jungle from the Amazon River. I got up early after finally sleeping five hours following 43 hours without a wink of sleep. Explorama arrived about 15 minutes early - unheard of in Peru - and it turned out that my guide is Segundo, the same man that I was with four years ago. The trip down the Amazon was faster than I remembered which was good because I kept trying to nap all the way here. Did see one good omen. Just as we were about to enter the Amazon from the Rio Itaya, a pink dolphin surfaced just a few meters away. We dropped a lot of passengers off at the ... read more

Nous voici au terme de notre petite semaine au coeur de la jungle amazonienne. Nous avons passe trois jours a Iquitos meme, durant lesquels nous en avons profite pour visiter la ville flottante avec son marche haut en couleur ou des centaines d'odeurs montent de partout, de quoi retirer l'appetit au plus affame des touristes...mais ca ne semble pas affecter plus que ca nous amis peruviens qui profite allegrement de cette abondance de nourriture. On peux trouver tout ce que l'on veux sur ce marche, des plantes medicinales les plus diverses, aux animaux en voie de disparition...a emporter ou consommer sur place. Au detour d'un chemin nous avons aussi rencontre un vieux chaman absolument terrible avec qui nous avons beaucoup echange...Il a reussi a guerir Michy de ses maux de ventres et a me faire avancer ... read more