Iquitos

Strange is the best way to describe this place. In all of our travels we have not yet encountred a place where we have been harassed by locals to join their tour as much as we were here. Thankfully in time they left us alone and we met people who were more genuinely concerned about us having a great stay in the place that we called home.

The funniest story would have to be our moto-taxi driver. The airport is small and very simple. When you exit the building after getting off your flight you are immediately swarmed by the usual mob of taxi drivers. Since the only way to get supplies to this city is by boat or plane people tend not to have cars but 3 wheeled moto taxis. The was a group of them that were regulatd so we got into the one that was waitign at the front of the line. Our choice was made easier by the fixed rate. It takes 20 minutes to get into down town. We made it maybe a 1/2 a kilometer before our driver pulled over to show us the tour company that he recommended. Since unemployment is rampant people try to get a little comission where they can. He drove slowly the rest ofthe way to our hostel trying to convince us to buy this or that. It didn`t work but he was persistent. Later that evening when we went for dinner and again the next morning he was waiting outside the hostel, preying on you as you tried to sneak out the door. We decided to call him Shadow as he was always around it seemed. We didn`t see much of him again until our ride back to the airport. We passed him while we were in another moto taxi. He waved at us! We couldn`t believe it.

The city has many unusual things to offer. From a building that was made by the same guy who built the Eifel Tower to a church with a clock built in Sweden to old mainsons decorated with hand made tiles sent from Europe during the rubber boom in the early 1900s. But what we liked best was the Belen Floating market. It was the dry season when we were there but when it rains several thousand houses begin to float. Surrondignthis area is a hure market. It offers everything you could imagine and more. We saw some geat things and soem awful things ( turtles which are illegal to sell.) We me a guy who guided us around and taught us abuot local traditions. It was super great.

Iquitos City - No Road Access!