Ichytoes, the quintessential amazonian town
Trip Start
Dec 10, 2005
1
24
Trip End
Jun 05, 2006
Iquitos, Peru
Thursday, May 4, 2006
Andrew and I arrived well rested and well fed from our boat trip down the Rio Huallaga and Rio Maranon. Iquitos is similar to Tarapoto in terms of noise levels, red soil, green vegetation, humid weather and moto-taxis everywhere. But Iquitos is different at the same time, its not located in the amazon highland, its in the basin and can only be accesed by air or waterways, and the people here are even nicer than the rest of north Peru. Now my description thus far does not explain Iquitos´s quirkynes yet, but perhaps it will become apparent by the end of my blog.
It was only 9AM when we put our bags down in our Hostal and had the whole day ahead of us. We decided to visit the Belen floating village and the Belen market. Both places were very interesting. Iquitos is really quite different from the rest of the peruvian towns i have visited. It was fun strolling down the narrow passages of the Belen market admiring and tasting some of the different medicinal potions. I passed up tasting the one for 'male vitality' and tried something that was more appropriate for a lady suffering from pollen and dust allergies - something to help me breathe better, perhaps dilate my bronchioles a bit. The potion was mixed with some honey and tasted sweet and alcoholic, similar to a nice shot of sweet brandy or liquor. After chatting with the vendors about the pharmacopea in front of us, we decided to head to the harbor to catch a canoe for a tour of Belen.
This was my first experience (sincethe age of 10yrs riding around a canoe on Dal Lake in Sri Nagar, Kashmir)of navigating through a city on a boat. Houses built on stilts and many sitting on wooden logs. I am here in the amazon in the tail end of the rainy season and am lucky to be able to see the houses and village life wet and floating. Surprisingly I did not find the environment reaking of foul odor nor did i see any floaties. Belen is truly a town afloat. Life is wet and floating out here. All business is conducted on and in the water: schools, vendors, eating, cooking, defecating, swimming...........its all done in the same place, in the same water that encapsulates this place. There even was a floating church.
The houses are mostly enclosed with two levels. I suspect, the second level is meant for times when water levels rise even higher. The people are most certainly poor but seem to make do as is the case in many poor places around the world.
I still continue to be amazed at how adaptive people are to their environment and the difficult conditions they are able to live with.
The reality tour of Belen was brief but eye opening and certainly one most different way of life i have seen on this trip.
So i mentioned earlier that Iquitos is quirky because it is made up of polarities in people and places. Already on my first day I met a person who is a larger than life character, something out of an adventure novel - I am hanging out with the Great White Hunter from America and coincidently I am staying at his hostal the Hobo HideOut.
Yesterday evening, Andrew and I stopped by the Texas Rose Resaurant, the only place i knew on my first day here that had the potential to serve me some decent coffee. Andrew startles the waitress by ordering coffee and a beer......you see Iquitos is already starting to work its magic, people behave strange. Well, i find strange and odd interesting. After a coffee and a glass of wine for me ( yes me too, needed some alcool to balance the caffeine), in walks Mr. Americana from Alaska with his pet mcCaw which he leaves sitting on the motorcycle parked next to us, requesting we keep an eye on it. Hmm, i wonder what should i do if it flies away, yell out...........hey stranger your parrot is gone ??? Ooooops !!!!!!! Seriously, how does one watch a bird with unclipped wings, a big beak and sassy attitude ? Well, knowing Jimmy for less than 24 hours now, i can confidently tell you his response..........just figure it out !
Jimmy is a professional hunter and explorer, runs a hostal, a fish reserve, an ecologically sound but high end adventure business. He is a veteran and professional fisherman from Alaska. I would like to describe word for word, the converation that followed last evening, but sadly my memory fails me. Let me just say, the guy is crazy and interesting and that is an understatement.
Fortunately, Jimmy invited andrew, collins and myself ( travelers staying at his hostal) to join him and his friend from canada on a 2-3 day visit to his private fish reserve. He is going out there with some Peruvian biologists tomorrow to do some kind of survey and we can tag along and walk in the near by jungle and fish and swim in his lake. He has promised to provide gear and we are to chip in $25 for gas and provide our own food. I think the deal is a steal given that excursions run about $40-50 a day. It should be great fun. I am looking forward to more of his hunting stories and opinions on preservation and the poor managment of money and environmental issues by corrupt environmental protection foundations.
By the way, Iquitos is not swamped with tourists yet, i suppose its stil the tail end of the low season. Even then, less than 11% of the tourists visit northern Peru and hence you wont encounter many gringos in this part of the country. Stay tuned for more when i get back.
