First note: iPad is not cooperating with wifi so using my phone which is not ideal.
Made it Iquitos this morning which is a one terminal airport. Was relieved to see someone was there to meet me. Found out the boat to the Explorarama Lodge would not leave until 1 so I had 5 hours to explore the city. My guide showed me some great spots and taught me a bunch about the culture. Some quick observations:
Did not see one grocery store - a lot of open air markets
Did not see one person smoking.
Took a ride on one of the 3 wheel motorkars - there are no rules to driving that I could tell
Great Vibe in the city - everyone was friendly and seemed to be smiling!
Caught the boat at 1 and went on a 1 hour ride up the Amazon to the Lodge. The River was much wider than I imagined. Great views though. Upon arrival found my room - pictures to follow - pretty neat setup - mosquito netting - kerosene lamps - but a shower and bathroom! After settling in went on a two hour open boat (no roof) trip looking for birds, animals and nature in general. Saw a ton of cool birds and a bunch of sloths and some giant lily pads.
It was just me the driver and my guide. Pretty cool! Dinner at 7 was great and enjoyed meeting the group of 7 - a more experience group than me as far as age goes. Going to hit the hay early as I havnt really slept on 36 hours an getting up at 6 am to go bird watching.
JB
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6 comments:
We stayed at the Explorarama Lodge outside of Iquitos! Great place. I remember a 4 mo. old tapir that followed us all around the grounds. Would nudge us as we relaxed in the hammocks. Breathe deeply and enjoy all the sights and sounds. There's no place like the Amazon!
The Amazon! You are taking boat trips on the AMAZON! I'm heading to Google Earth to check out the lay of the land. Did you head upriver or down?
Really! It is amazing. The sounds - sights - staff - food! Do you remember your guides name. I have a 1 on 1 situation here which has even awesome. The night sounds are very cool.
Yes Nick - I even went swimming - well no but I did out my hand in! You can probably google Explorarama Lodge - or check near where the Napo river meets the Amazon I'm kind if near there I guess. The river is huge! And very brown. It's been amazing here so far. You would love it - Eco stuff and nature and all that. When Zora gets older you can bring her!
Our guide's name was Percy. And I only know this because I keep a journal for each trip (& I dug ours out for the 2007 Amazon/Peru trip) we've taken and try to write in it religiously every night -- or I'd forget what we'd done. The days are so packed with new sights, sounds and experiences. You say "I'll remember this, for sure"...and then a day or two later you're thinking "What did we do? Where were we on Tues .?!"
Yes! I am trying to download my pictures to the iPad after each outing and labeling what it was - this blog will also help me keep track!
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