Day 1: Iquitos, Peru

Sitting at a sidewalk cafe in the warm tropical air overlooking the river… Yes please! What a lovely day after a long journey. Delayed flights led me to flying standby in an attempt to make my connections (thank you to the incredible Delta staff) but I resigned myself to not seeing my luggage upon arrival as a result. But there it was on the carousel in Lima!!! 😃 A moving ramp made schlepping my bag through the airport a breeze and I got on my final flight just as the doors were closing with a cafe con leche in hand. The view from my window seat showed the vast expanse of the Andes and my first glimpse of the meandering Amazon.
I walked across the tarmac in Iquitos to find a guide holding a sign with my name on it. He shared lots of local history on our way to the hotel. Iquitos is a city of about a million people surrounded on three sides by water: the Amazon, Nanay, and Itaya rivers. Their buses are made of wood (mahogany until it became rare) and “jungle Ubers” (3-wheeled tuk-tuks) are the main mode of transportation on land. The rivers are filled with all sorts of floating transportation. Gorgeous tile from Portugal adorns many of the buildings built by the wealthy during the rubber boom. Flags are stretched across many of the streets and a promenade offers river views. I spent the day wandering and napping, exploring and playing with my binoculars, and trying the local fare. Though I wasn’t brave enough to try caiman yet, I did have paiche, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. The day was a perfect introduction to this gorgeous place!
Tomorrow I head off on a 3 day river cruise. Looking forward to the incredible views and hoping to see the elusive pink river dolphin. Good night!Read more