The witch doctor
Trip Start
Feb 06, 2007
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55
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Trip End
Jan 14, 2008
Iquitos,
Peru
Friday, April 20, 2007
When we woke this morning Barb was not coughing, so we thought the bronchitis was receding. But it made up for lost time later. This was not entirely bad as slightly-engineered coughing fits allowed us to escape from predatory tour agents. They are like vampires, and even in the pouring rain will try to stop you in the street while you are rushing for shelter, in order to spout their sales spiel. We visited 4 recommended companies, but after this we were quite confused. Each tour went to a different place, and what with different combinations of boat and road, camping and basic house, it was like comparing apples with cheese. Travel pods were no help either. We think we have settled on a tour starting 5pm tomorrow, but this is subject to Barb's cough having abated. The tour guy gave her some local medicine for the cough, and if the degree of horribleness is proportional to its effectiveness, the cough should run away very fast
Pic1
. It was a foul concoction involving plants and ALLIGATOR FAT, and honey to make it less revolting (the honey didn't work). A disgusting-tasting greasy sensation hung around her mouth for hours. not helped by toothpaste. Part of the cure is no alcohol and no drinks out of the fridge for several days. A cure or punishment ?Yesterday's hot water treatment on Barb's debit card seems to have worked. An ATM doled out the money and gave the card back. Hurrah.Friday night seems to be family night in Iquitos. A group of dancers performed along the Malecon, A group of dancers performed along the Malecon, aided by 2-metre live snakes that must have been fairly fed up with the process and kept trying to sneak away to a dark corner. A monkey dressed as a small boy was ready to take part in the proceedings, but we had seen enough by then, and went. The Plaza de Armas was crowded with young children, balloon sellers, and lots of cameras. We took several photos of families on their cameras, closely watched by the grumpiest-looking female cop we have ever seen. Maybe she thought we were about to take off with a camera. She also shooed boisterous small boys off the gardens, without a smile cracking her face. A young guy came to talk to us. He was studying English (and hoped to be yet another tour guide). After 12 months work his English was pretty good, and we were happy to chat. We would have loitered longer, but the midget biting insects came to chew the tops of our heads and our ankles, and sent us scurrying back to the hotel
