After a hectic visit to Iguassu waterfalls we bid
goodbye to Brazil and flew further West to Peru – Lima. We landed late in the
night and stayed put in Hotel Palmetto San Miguel which is a 15-minute drive
from Jorge Chavez Airport. The hotel is basic and clean with a very good restaurant.
After a very early breakfast we went back to the airport to catch a flight to
Iquitos.
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| Four for the forest |
Iquitos has the unique distinction of being the
only large city in the world which can be reached only by air and river. No
roads are there to reach the city. The area rapidly developed into a big town
during the great Amazon Rubber boom during the early 1900s. In later years it
attracted hordes of tourists wanting to visit the Amazon. Iquitos is now the
staging post for the Peruvian part of the Amazon rain forests with its related
activities. It is located in the Amazon basin at the confluence of the Nanay
and Itaya rivers, about 3,700 km upstream from the Atlantic Ocean and 1,030 km
north-Northeast of Lima
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| Motocarro experience |
The most common way to move around town is by
motocarro, a motorcycle with a small, rickshaw-like passenger cabin in the back.
The last night in Iquitos the driver of motocarro managed to take all four of
us back to the hotel. There are a lot of signature ‘must do’ items in Iquitos.
We took a ride around the city in the motocarro, stayed in the Amazon rain
forest, caught and ate Piranhas and relished the Peruvian National drink ‘Pisco
Sour’. The last one is so addictive; it is being savored even now, back home in
Bengaluru.
We checked into a boutique hotel ‘Casa Morey’. Our
stay in this hotel turned out to be yet another highlight of our SA trip. The hotel
is located in front of the Itaya River. The Casa Morey is a historic building
and is a national monument that dates back to 1913. The house was built by a
wealthy rubber baron, Luis Morey, in 1913.This attractive building was restored
as the Casa Morey Hotel to conserve the charm and splendor of past eras
reminding us of the elegance of the historic buildings of the rubber boom era
in the Peruvian Amazon.
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| In front of the hotel - Itaya river basin |
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| Photo op for Sushama in the reception area |
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| The corridor in front of our room |
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| Rita texting in the reception area |
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| Unbelievably beautiful swimming pool |
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| Another view. Spiral staircase leading to our rooms |
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| Reception area |
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| The dining area |
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| City Centre |
Casa Morey is an experience to be cherished. The
rooms are huge by today’s standards with high ceilings and exquisite interiors
which reflect the grandeur of a bygone era of opulence and leisure. The swimming pool comes alive in the evening
with attractive lights. A swim is a must to overcome the humid atmosphere. The
hotel overlooks the river Itaya. The staff is very helpful, especially the cook
who went out of her way to prepare dishes which suited the Indian palate. We
enjoyed our stay in Casa Morey to the fullest.
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| Enjoying the delectable 'Pisco Sour' |
Iquitos has a number of riverside restaurants
catering to the tourist. In one such place, we were initiated into drinking
Pisco Sour.
The very word ‘Amazon’ conjures up a deep sense of
excitement. I have been hearing this word since my school days. Just the mention of the word Amazon is
sufficient to imagine very tall trees jutting into the sky blocking all
sunlight, thick undergrowth, incessant rains and the muddy, often soggy ground
filled with creepy crawlies. While planning our trip, the choice was between
Iquitos/Amazon and Puno/Ariquipa. Sushama is an extreme wild life buff and wasted
no time in deciding to visit the rain forest. The excitement starts to build up
even before landing in Iquitos. The aircraft when descending flies over a vast
stretch of the Amazon River. From the air, one can clearly see its vastness,
its meandering and its sheer length and width.
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| From the aircraft prior to landing in Iquitos. What a vies |
The river flows through Brazil, Peru, Ecuador,
Colombia and Venezuela. However, the major portion of the river runs through
Brazil and Peru. Peru’s rainy season runs from December through May. Our visit
to the rain forest was during the high water months of Apr/May. The entire
forest is inundated with water reaching up to 7 meters at some places. In a
typical year, the Amazon River rainforest experiences 200 rainy days, which
means that there will be days of rain even in the low water season. During this
period all travel to and within the forest is by motor boat and canoe. The
weather is muggy but tolerable. The fascinating aspect of the weather is its
unpredictability. One moment it is dull and cloudy, and then it suddenly
changes to bright sunshine and scorching heat. As one starts to appreciate the
clear sky, clouds gather once again and the famed torrential rain engulfs the
entire area for hours on end. The Amazon Jungle is as big as the
Australian Continent. It has almost one-quarter of all the Earth’s species of
plants. There are more than 60,000 different species of tropical plants here,
and around 4,000 species of trees. As
you navigate the rain forest it is very common to see a very large variety of
plants growing next to each other with no two trees or plants alike.
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| The thick undergrowth |
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| A solitary crane amongst many other birds we sighted |
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| A random orchid |
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| The extent of inundation |
The four of us and two girls from Canada embarked a
motor boat at the jetty to be transported to Sinchicuy Forest Lodge for our
three day ‘Amazon Rain Forest’ experience. Our English speaking guide Oscar was
with us all through our stay and accompanied us on our conducted tours, telling
us stories and facts about this great river with utmost passion and diligence.
After an hour’s boat ride we arrived at the lodge. The lodge is built on an
elevated area mostly out of seasoned wood. The lodge consists of a huge main
hall which serves as the sitting and dining area for the tourist. The entire
tall structure is covered by nets to keep the mosquitoes and other creatures at
bay. The living accommodation is on stilts and the rooms come with a sit out
and independent bathroom. Here again the entire area is covered by a net. The
lodge sits amidst a thick forest growth with small rivulets flowing underneath.
Mosquito repellent has to be applied on all the exposed parts of the body at
least 3 to 4 times a day. It is advisable to carry a spray with you on all your
outdoor visits. Mr. Franco is the manager of the lodge, a very approachable and
helpful gentleman. The food is frugal but sufficient. It is helpful to carry
some eats from Iquitos to supplement the lodge diet. One can hear the constant
chirping of the insects, strange bird calls and all the other forest noises
throughout the day and night. Added to this was the local colour and sounds of
the lodge pets- Amazonia the cat, Paco the Parrot and Marco the monkey. They
roam around the forest and return to the lodge for their meals.
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| Making our way through the Amazon |
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| Worms on sale |
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| Approach to the boat through their fishing market |
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| The Sinchicuy Lodge |
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| A private sit out |
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| Sushama all engrossed . Notice the net covering the entire area |
The Amazon is a beautiful combination of visual and
physical experiences. It is very difficult to express this unique communion
with nature.
During our stay in the lodge we ventured deep into
the rain forest three times a day. We took a tranquil canoe ride to Nueno Pero
to encounter the indigenous locals of the riverside village. Peruvians love
rice and it is on their table for all three meals. On our return we were served
hot rice and a curry made out of jungle beans. Imagine having rice and rajma dal
for lunch. It was heavenly. On both the nights we were taken into the forest in
a canoe to get a feel of the forest in the dark. Somehow, we felt no fear as we
canoed our way in the pitch darkness of the forest accompanied by sounds and
shadows and a few twinkling stars seen peeping through the thick foliage. It is
very easy though, to lose one’s way going up and down those canals leading off
the river. Our guide, who was in a mischievous mood, asked us to guide the
boatman home; we thought we were doing great till he finally backtracked and
took the right canal home. During our boat rides we were able to spot monkeys,
pink dolphins and the elusive sloths resting high on the tree branches. The
forest is home to a very large variety of birds. We went on a Piranha fishing
trip and came face to face with the deadly fish. We caught many piranhas and
cooked them for lunch.
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| My firist fishing experience |
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| A very risky item for lunch |
We did a short trek to interact with the Yagua tribe. We
danced with them and took a pot shot with ‘Punaca’ a native blow gun. We
visited a local ‘Shaman’ to see local medicinal preparations. There was a very
interesting visit to Fundo Neiser Custody Centre, an animal rescue centre, which
gave us an opportunity to be up close to an anaconda. We had an extremely
hilarious encounter with a local parrot. There was an impromptu singing session
with Oscar on the guitar and a local boy on the drums with Jai and Rita singing
‘Lipstick on your Collar’. Within minutes the parrot repeated the song and
continued with it till we left. It was really amazing. We crossed Yanayacu
River from end to end and visited the Tambo Yanayacu Lodge located in the
“Kingdom of the Giant Trees”. We saw a “lupuna” or ceiba tree species over
150-feet high.
We returned to Iquitos with ever lasting memories
of the Amazon.
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