Volume III: The South American Journals
The Amazon
October to November, 2017
[In Peruvian sections prices are quoted in Soles (S); approximately 1$US = S3.30; £1 = S4.30. In Colombian sections prices are quoted in Colombian Pesos (CP); approximately $1 US = 3100CP; £1 = 4000CP. Brazilian prices are listed in Reais; 1$US = 4Rs; 1£ = 5.20Rs. These are September 2018 prices – values have changed a little over the last twelve months slightly favouring both $ and £].
Day 1. Wednesday 10 – 11 October, 2017
Before leaving home we enjoyed a substantial meal of Thai chicken and noodles and got through a couple of bottles of wine with the purpose of fortifying ourselves for the hours ahead.
Aimed to catch the #123 bus at 10.10 pm to Gants Hill Station but got to the end of the road in time to see the bus sail by leaving us with a wait of a further fifteen minutes. In fact the delay proved fortuitous as, sitting on the shelter’s bench I suddenly realised that my hammock was missing! Retraced my steps towards the house and came across a bundle lying on the pavement (and I fondly thought that it had been totally secure!)
Took the #123 to Turnpike Lane and then undertook the lengthy journey to Terminal 2; at least travelling at this time meant few other passengers which made for a reasonably comfortable trip despite our luggage. Arrived at Terminal 2 at 12.30 am and found ourselves a couple of seats on which to spend what remained of the night.
Made several efforts to check-in but all to no avail; just as at home, I would get close to completing the procedure only then to be asked for my Canadian Resident’s Number! Most frustrating and baffling!…
Heathrow began to come to life a little after 4.00 am; tried once more, unsuccessfully, to check-in. No staff had yet appeared at the Air Canada desks but a woman at work on the near-by China Air desk, seeing my perplexity, asked if she could be of assistance; explained our dilemma and learned that, before flying to Canada one had to obtain an ETA [$7 per person] which, after much struggle with M’s phone, we managed to obtain through the clerk using her smart phone! Once the ETAs were obtained [linked electronically to our passports and valid for five years] we were able to secure our boarding passes and baggage labels. Apparently ignorance of Canadian procedures is widespread and we were only thankful that we found out in time (thanks to China Air!)
Our flight was a 8.30 am departure which gave us plenty of time to freshen-up, rest awhile and to buy rum at the Duty Free.
A long walk (approximately 15 minutes) to the Departure Gate (B44) and then a wait of more than one hour before boarding – whiled away the time in part by reading a complementary copy of The Sun! Found ourselves on a Boeing 777 with plenty of empty seats…we sat together for five minutes and then I moved across the aisle to have four seats to myself!
I was glad that last night’s meal had been so substantial for, in my opinion at least, the breakfast served up was dire! Had a processed white roll with strawberry jam, a pot of yoghourt and a fruit salad (OK, the last two items weren’t bad); to my surprise, some passengers asked, and received, small bottles of wine!
The long flight was ameliorated by the amount of space at my disposal but I found the cabin far too cold for comfort and had to employ a couple of blankets to enjoy a modicum of warmth. Despite the cold managed a barely-satisfactory short snooze and woke to find Losely ice creams being distributed. Read an interesting article in Vogue by an Arsenal-obsessed fashion editor and then a reasonable snack was served (Italian meat ball wraps) while we found ourselves flying over some pretty desolate terrain which I assumed to be Quebec.
11.35 am (East Coast time = UK – 5 hours) and we arrived in a very overcast Toronto – needless to say, the airport is state-of-the-art with lots of very tempting (and very expensive) food outlets. Spent some time sitting at a table owned by one of the food chains but where it was emphasised that there was no obligation to purchase. The Lima flight leaving at 5.45 pm meant that we had a long wait ahead of us but not long enough, we felt, for us to be able to venture into the city; on our return there is a scheduled lay-over of some nine hours which should make a city sortie feasible.
Time passed quite comfortably reading and chatting and at 4.30 pm we moved over to the Departure Gate where it soon became apparent that the Lima flight would be full. There was an appeal for public-spirited types to volunteer some of their hand luggage for the hold – I answered the call, deciding to sacrifice the mochilla and was rewarded by being given priority boarding!
We sat in seats 48 A & C at the back of the aircraft and we both took “sleep-aid” tablets in the hope that the evening meal would be served soon after take-off and that, after that, we would be able to get our heads down. In fact take-off was delayed until 6.20 pm and no sooner were we air-borne than the tablet seemed to take effect; I snoozed for the next couple of hours and woke to an over-cooked meal at 8.30 pm. which was accompanied by a couple of exorbitantly- priced 25cl bottles of wine. Managed to return to sleep until close to midnight as preparations were beginning to be made for landing.
Day 2. Thursday, 12/10/17, Lima
Despite the slightly delayed departure we arrived on schedule at 12.45 am. Immigration procedures were handled quite efficiently, our bags came through quickly and, within an hour, we were being met by our taxi-driver. Stood outside in the car-park chatting to another taxista while our man went to get his parking ticket paid and then set off for Miraflores – a much longer ride than I had anticipated and which must have taken at least thirty-five minutes and part of which passed along the sea-front.
Arrived at Kusillus Hostel at 2.15 am – pretty unprepossessing front on the main road; friendly reception where I paid for our stay (plus a night on the return) and then we were shown to our, rather basic, room. Room was pretty dingy but at least the bathroom appeared to be well maintained. Unpacked the essentials, sat on our beds and opened up the spiced rum! By the time we were ready to retire it was 4.00 am and we were beginning to wonder how we would ever make breakfast which closes at 10.30 am!
Kusullus interior: waiting areas
Our room in Kusullus
Bed proved surprisingly comfortable but nonetheless didn’t sleep that well. Up at 8.20 am for a surprisingly hot shower and then to a breakfast of rolls, jam and orange juice.
Left Hostel and made for the nearby Parque Central; asked a policeman directions to a Turismo and he suggested that we took a city bus tour – this seemed a good idea. A one-hour tour of Miraflores and its surrounds was very reasonably priced at S10 each and proved most worthwhile – much of the trip was along the seafront.
Bus brought us back to the Parque at mid-day by which time we were beginning to feel a little peckish. Wandered down a side street (Pj San Ramón) and were inveigled into an attractive little restaurant (Romulo el Remo) offering an appetising menu for S20 where we enjoyed a fine meal of cebiche de pescado followed by lomo asado; promised the waiter, Manuel (what else?) that we would be back before we finally left Lima!
After lunch we returned briefly to Kusillus and then walked four blocks down to a very lively waterfront where we strolled for the rest of the afternoon. Our impressions of Miraflores were highly favourable; lively, spotlessly clean and full of beautifully maintained parks – people seemed very pleasant too.
Returned to the centre to visit the vast Metro Supermarket to buy provisions for the evening (rolls, cheese and tomatoes and then back to the hostel to sit in the Comedor which has a number of tables and is better lit than our dingy room.
I remained undecided about Kusillas: staff were friendly enough, it seemed secure and one cannot fault its location very close to the very centre of Miraflores but our actual room is far from attractive although, it must be noted, it does boast genuinely hot water, the TV works quite well and the beds are comfortable.
We discovered a little terraza on the floor above to which we took our food and drink and where we enjoyed an excellent repast on a table overlooking the main road. Followed our meal with spiced rum and Pepsi whilst we watched the copious traffic below and wondered at the extraordinarily diligent road-sweeps and dedicated refuse removers.
A typical Miraflores pavement!
To ensure a sound(er) sleep we took heavy duty “sleep aids” which kicked in pretty rapidly; by 8.30 pm we were in bed and fast asleep shortly thereafter.
Day 3. Friday, 13/10/17, Miraflores
Slept soundly and found the bed so comfortable that even though I knew that a hot shower was just a couple of feet away, I found it exceedingly difficult to get up! I had had twelve hours in bed! Incredible!
After breakfast we caught the #301 bus from almost outside the door which, in due course (ie about an hour) took us into the centre of Lima.
Inexplicable Lima street sign! (Apparently designed to encourage people to cross quickly!)
Walked a couple of blocks to the Plaza de las Armas which was alive with a colourful and noisy municipality-inspired demonstration aimed at making the populace aware of measures to make the home safe, particularly in the event of an earthquake (actually it is quite disconcerting, there are quake-safe areas, and notices giving advice on how to deal with emergencies, everywhere that one goes! It almost seems as though a seismic catastrophe is expected at any moment!)
Having walked around the Plaza in its entirety we bought tickets entitling us to visit the Cathedral (most impressive) and two neighbouring attractions; unfortunately we only had time to visit the basilica and determined to visit the other two edifices tomorrow. Interesting to see how much space is given over to Pizarro who has what amounts to a chapel to himself at the very entrance to the building. Noticeable that the whole cathedral, every chapel and artefact, appeared to be in pristine condition!
Left the Cathedral at 1.00 pm and retraced our steps to a little restaurant that we had noticed on our way to the Square – Tomi’s on Calle de las Mantas. At Rest. Tomi’s we treated ourselves to ceviche, steak, rice and chips plus a herbal drink; the bill came to a total of S18 – amazing value.
Naturally enough, after eating we found ourselves in need of a cold beer! En route we made a short detour around part of the Peruvian House of Gastronomy where we were interested in an exhibition on Peruvian cocoa – the rest of the attraction we would hope to visit later.
2.30 pm and a #301 from the stop on Tacna Ave. back to Miraflores; a slightly quicker journey gave us plenty of time for the Mirabus tour at 4.00 pm.
Once back in Miraflores bought tickets [S25 each] for a two-hour bus tour of Miraflores and its four neighbouring municipalities – had the same guide, Janet, as yesterday.
Excavations of ancient civilisations in Miraflores
Lima coastal road
Tour proved very interesting and we passed through a number of very attractive neighbourhoods before running along the waterfront. The highlight of the tour, for me at least, was reaching a promontory jutting out into the ocean on which is situated a restaurant entitled El Salto del Fraile (“The Friars Leap”) when, lo and behold, a brown-cowled figure appeared on the cliff and promptly dived into the waters below! He got a good hand from our fellow passengers once he had made ground again and then, having changed his cassock, came over to the bus to ask for alms and to pose for “selfies”!
Back in Miraflores by 6.00 pm we had a lengthy excursion to Metro where it took us an age to work out how exactly one paid for loose goods like salads and sauces and how exactly one got one’s empanada microwaved!
7.55 pm and we were back in Kusillus’ comedor consuming an evening meal of bread, tomatoes, chicken, tamales and picante and which was then followed by a couple of exotic fruits. 8.30 and upstairs to the terraza for our nightcap of rum and cola plus a “sleep-aid” tablet.
Day 4. Saturday, 14/10/17, Lima
Another excellent night and yet again I got up with reluctance! Hot shower, breakfast (rolls and jam) and then out at 10.00 am. Caught the #301 almost immediately from opposite the entrance.
Seemingly fewer vehicles on the road this morning which made for a slightly quicker trip into Lima. Made our way towards the Plaza de Armas stopping en route to look over the Santuario de las Nazarenas and the Iglesia de San Francisco before arriving at the Palacio Arzobispal de Lima where we redeemed the ticket that we bought yesterday. Spent a while wandering through a very fine and immaculately maintained building which, unsurprisingly, contained a lot of religious paintings and statuary and proved well worth visiting.
For our final visit of the morning we returned to the Franciscan precinct to visit the Convento. Paid S10 each for a guided tour of the Convento – a fine building in itself with spectacular cloisters but its greatest attraction is undoubtedly the opportunity to visit the catacombs below. Catacombs comprise low subterranean passages with ossuaries here and there being the remains of what had once been burial grounds beneath the Church building.
Tour completed at 1.15 pm, we headed down to Tomi’s for another tasty and filling meal (ceviche followed by chicken and fried rice). Having eaten we decided to return to Miraflores and perhaps spend some time at the sea-front. Meant to catch the #301 at the usual stop on Av. Tacna but, as there was already a long queue of would-be passengers, we walked away from town to the next stop; this gave us the opportunity to witness a far less salubrious side to the city – seemingly in another world to what we experienced just a few miles away in Miraflores!
Supping an Inca Kola
We managed to get on board a very crowded #301 and stood all the way; bus was packed like the proverbial tin of sardines and the driver seemed intent on taking in everyone waiting at the stops in spite of shouts of protest of “lleno!” from the squashed and disgruntled passengers behind him!
Standing all the way aggravated M’s already sore feet and so, on alighting back at Miraflores, we went in search of some suitable trainers. We ended up in Marathon, aptly named as we spent an hour or more in store before she found anything suitably trendy and expensive to match her needs!
From Marathon we wended our way home via the supermarket where we bought the evening’s meal (bread, cheese and salad); we also invested in a bottle of pisco [S23.90] to investigate its properties… Dropped the shopping off at Kusillus before moving down the road to a shop which was selling some quite good postcards but, in the event, we balked at paying S2 per card when, in central Lima and the Cathedral, they retail at half the price. Settled instead for a cold beer before returning once more to the hostel.
Ate a filling meal in the Comedor the highlight of which was a huge cherimoya bought yesterday which was quite the best of its kind that I had ever eaten. After our supper I put on my only warmish shirt and we retired upstairs with our rum and coke and passed the time observing the traffic below and the numerous street cleaners. Called a halt to proceedings at 10.00pm.
On our arrival in Lima this morning we found some of the main road shut off and police and security men everywhere; apparently the President of the Republic was visiting the Church which houses N. Sr. de los Milagros, Peru’s most venerated icon. Alas, next week, and we shall be elsewhere by then, the sacred painting will be paraded through the streets and buses are warning that there will be major disruptions to urban transport; goodness only knows what will happen when Papa Francisco arrives in January!
Day 5. Sunday, 15/10/17, Lima
Another good night though found sleep hard to come by after 6.15 am – it is quite extraordinary how much horn-blowing there is in the early hours!
No orange juice for breakfast but we were able to keep up our vitamin C levels thanks to our stock of previously -bought grenadillas. As usual breakfast comprised rolls and a very good strawberry jam which they only dish out in miniscule quantities – happily, I nosed around the kitchen earlier and located the source of the jam…
First task of the day is to locate the stop for the airport bus before we go into Lima for the rest of the day; as our flight is at 11.30 am tomorrow we shall have to leave Kusillus at around 8.00 am to ensure that we arrive in good time, at what I imagine will be, a pretty chaotic airport.
Found the bus stop along 28 Julio Ave. about ten minutes away. Having found the stop we then went up to the Mirabus office on the main square and bought two ida y vuelta for the airport bus; were warned to be sure to arrive at the stop at least twenty minutes beforehand.
Our plan for this morning was to meander around Lima so sought out the #301 stop outside Kusillus, passing as we did so, a packed Church which adjoins the square. The Church also has a side on Ave. Larco which forms part of the #301 route; as we passed the Church we heard loud disco music and turned into Ave. Larco to find that the road had been closed to accommodate a mass zumba session! There must have been 150 – 200 people of all ages, shapes and sizes zumbaing to the example of an instructor gyrating on a stage at the top of the street – seemingly a good time was being had by all!
The top of the road being closed for Zumba we had to look for a stop further away; waited at the new stop with several others and, very shortly, a #301 appeared and then, to the consternation of all, sailed straight past us! Fortunately, a minute or so later, another #301 came along and picked us up…once on board it became clear that there was a race going on among the #301 drivers! Our bus (and the others) went hell for leather for Lima with our driver gesticulating in triumph any time that he succeeded in overtaking any of his rivals! As there was other traffic on the road apart from the rival buses the lead fluctuated frequently throughout the journey! Clearly health and safety is an unknown concept amongst the bus-driving community at least!
We alighted at the Church of El Señor de los Milagros where there were even more people thronging around than yesterday! Incredibly, on a Sunday, the Church has fifteen masses! We stood outside the 10.00am Mass which, needless to add, was absolutely ram-packed (as Jezza would say!); bought a calendar and a poster from a priest – seemingly any religious not actually officiating at Mass was outside the edifice flogging souvenirs to the faithful!
Started on the walk up to Plaza de las Armas but were led to make a small diversion on hearing a brass and drum band blaring out…Outside the Church of the Nazarenes a large crowd had gathered to watch, listen to, and follow a number of flamboyantly attired bands and dancers plus an Andean pipe band. Having performed outside the Nazarenes (often all at once) the whole caboodle then processed up the road in the direction of the Plaza, led by a statue of the Virgin and Child which was carried on a litter by six young, uniformed men. The din was tremendous but everyone looked like they were enjoying the time of their lives! The procession halted by a Church further up the road and the dancers took time out while the bands continued to play; waiting for further progression, but in vain, we eventually left them to it and went in search of Lima’s Chinatown – a stone’s throw away from the Plaza.
Perhaps superfluous to remark that Chinatown was both exceedingly crowded and exceedingly colourful. We stopped for a tasty lunch of wanton soup, fried rice, char siu and sweet and sour pork [S11 each] before exploring some of the shops, most of which were veritable palaces of junk!
Lima was very warm so we thought of returning to Miraflores and then going down to the front; however, when we got back the weather had changed somewhat and Miraflores was both cool and overcast. Opted to stay in Kusillus and get our packing done and also to make concrete plans for our return to the city in the early days of November.
Packing done, we enjoyed a short paseo down the main road stopping to buy a cherimoya from our new-found friend, Feliciana, and then headed back to the Square where we noticed a bar offering a one litre pitcher of beer for S10 so ordered a pitcher along with two glasses!
Suitably refreshed we visited Metro to buy bread, salad and a roasted chicken and then returned home to a very satisfying meal. By 8.00 pm we were, once again, up on the top floor supping pisco and ginger ale and continued thus for the next ninety minutes before retiring to our room for a relatively early night.
Day 6. Monday, 16/10/17, Lima – Iquitos
Initially slept well but only fitfully from about 3.30 am and finally got up before the alarm at 5.45 am. Showered and finished off the packing (the bulk of which had been done yesterday).
Left the hostel at 7.15 am, the road-sweepers were already at work, and took a leisurely stroll down to José Antonio. Had just sat down on a convenient wall when an Airport Bus turned up! Although there was no mention of it on the schedule we were given the option of waiting for the 8.00 am bus or getting on this (completely empty) one… we chose to jump aboard and were treated to a tour of the major hotels of Lima and thence on to Callao and the airport (in all, something like four passengers were picked up on the trip although I strongly suspect that it is the reverse route that is the major crowd-puller.) Reached the airport at 8.50 am which gave us plenty of time to check-in and then have a small breakfast at MacDonalds and, mirabile dictu, not just write all our cards but, because there is a Correo on the premises, post them too!
Flight [Peruvian Airlines] was scheduled to leave from Gate 12 at 11.30 am with boarding at 10.45 am but, like most of the flights from this airport it would appear, there was a substantial delay. Whiled away the wait talking to a pensioner from Colorado on his way to the back-of-beyond, well beyond Pucallpa anyway, to stay with a shaman.
By 1.50 our Boeing 737 had landed at Pucallpa where most of the passengers disembarked to be replaced by even more travellers. I never realised that Pucallpa was of any significance – clearly it is!
Landed in a very damp Iquitos at 3.00 pm with no procedures to go through; simply had to pick up our bags and exit the terminal.
Soon found a congenial taxi-driver to take us to our lodgings [S20]; Hospedaje Neydita [Calle Morona #979] proved to be pretty unprepossessing from the street but, once inside, was really a very attractive place.
We were put into Room 13 at the end of the ground floor; good sized and well-furnished bedroom with a luggage recess and a private bathroom [S204, in cash, like Kusillus, for four nights – an absolute bargain!] Very helpful and friendly young proprietor of Japanese extraction [Luis] with a wealth of local knowledge (despite actually coming from Lima).
Got things ship-shape in the room and then left for town courtesy of a tuc-tuc which took us to the Plaza Mayor for the princely sum of S2. By now it was early evening and we were thirsty – happily we found ourselves by The Yellow Rose Of Texas which gets an honourable mention in the S. American Handbook and where we ordered a couple of large bottles of cold beer. Needless to say, as we drank our beer we became hungry and so availed ourselves of their menu: chicken fried rice – very good and very generous! [S 26 each].
Feeling somewhat bloated we made our way two blocks across to a large supermarket to stock up on rum, coke and water (also selected some fruit but, alas, when we got to the checkout I found, to my consternation, that I did not have sufficient to pay for it!) Straight walk of eight blocks back to Neydita being careful not to be hit by any of the myriad tuc-tucs.
By 7.30 pm we were ensconced in our room, skimpily clothed, sitting in front of a large fan and drinking rum and coke – what a contrast in temperatures with Lima!
We began watching TV only for a massive storm to break out and put the transmission out of service! Found ourselves left with little alternative but to have a cold shower in the dark and then go to bed – early admittedly, but the day had seemed a long one!
Day 7. Tuesday, 17/10/17, Iquitos
For a while slept soundly but woke in the early hours and subsequently found sleep difficult due to the humming of the bed-side fan and the raucous crowing of cockerels in the neighbourhood. Lingered on in bed until 8.00 am before rising for a refreshing shower. Today is the first day of the trip wearing shorts!
Out just after 9.00 am after a consultation with the proprietor about logistics and prices; armed with this knowledge we approached a tuc-tuc and asked him to take us to Port Nanay for S2 – he told us (politely) what to do with ourselves! Another tuc-tuc proved equally as dismissive at which point, observing the confusion, our host intervened, admitted that he had been mistaken and that the correct fare was at least twice as much as we had been offering!
Arrived at Puerto Nanay in the hope of getting a boat to Padrecochia Town, again for S2 – a boy offered us a boat for S20 (ida y vuelta) which the waiting tuc-tuc driver advised us to take as otherwise, waiting for a boat to fill up sufficiently for prices to fall to S2 might take an age! The boy took us down to the moorings and left us to the boat-owner who asked for S40! We refused, played hardball and eventually a fee of S25 (i/v) was agreed upon. At this point should remark upon the fact that, prior to reaching the waterfront, we passed through a small market whose main feature, for us at least, were the stalls selling giant grubs – some swimming in bowls of water, others roasted on wooden spits!
An agreeable youth, Jair, took us in a comfortable shaded boat on what proved to be quite a lengthy trip upstream (at least half an hour).
On making landfall we walked up to the Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm and Animal Rescue Centre where we were given an informative tour by a recent UK graduate and saw various monkeys, sloths, tapirs, macaws and big cats as well as the butterfly-breeding centre. Visit cost S20 each and was worth every cent.
Jair was taking us back towards Iquitos when the boat broke down and we had to be towed into harbour by another vessel! We enjoyed the outing so much and Jair had sat around good-naturedly while we went on the tour that, when we finally landed, we gave him the full S40!
K with Jair back at Puerto Nanay
Now well past mid-day we took a tuc-tuc back to the Plaza Mayor and called in at the Yellowrose for a beer before wending our way back to Neydita. We broke our return up by stopping off at the nearby Fu Hao restaurant for a ridiculously large (and cheap) lunch (wanton soup, pork stew, fried rice,chips – all in portion sizes which even inhabitants of Northern Portugal would have considered excessive!).
Uncomfortably full, we rested up in Neydita for an hour before venturing out in another tuc-tuc to Puerto Pesqueiro to enquire about boats to Sta. Rosa; learned very little and even that from the tuc-tuc driver! It would appear that one just turns up when one wants to travel and buys a ticket on the spot…
Back to the Plaza Mayor where we paid a quick visit to the Cathedral and then to a shop adjacent to the Iron House where, to our surprise, we managed to buy some postcards. Spent the rest of the afternoon walking along the Malecon, a pleasant spot with some elegant old houses decorated with azelejos although some are sadly delapidated. Had a cold beer along the front before returning to the centre and seeking out Fitzcarraldo’s old home – turned out to be situated on the square and is now a national monument (and bank!).
Views from the Malecon
At the Bar Amazonia
Fitzcarraldo’s house
No way that we could eat another meal today so visited the supermarket for fruit and yoghourt and then returned home for a very welcome cold shower.
Spent the rest of the evening imbibing rum and coke and watching TV; in fact saw a number of interesting documentaries on Mexico, Venezuela and Latvia(!) before taking some of the stronger sleep-aides and retiring for the night.
Day 8. Monday 18/10/17. Iquitos
Slept soundly and got up to shower at 7.30 am before consuming a refreshing, exclusively fruit, breakfast.
Chatted with Luis (the proprietor) about yesterday’s excursion and our plans for today. On Luis’s recommendation we decided to try out a beach which, if his mother-in-law is to be believed, is on a par with Cancun…(but without the surrounding skyscrapers!). Funnily enough though, the mother-in-law has never been to Mexico so could not confirm this assessment!
First trip of the day however was to visit Belen market but not before being warned by Luis only to carry a few soles and nothing else.
Belén in background
Paid a tuc-tuc S2.50 to take us to the market and then spent more than an hour going around a huge market teeming with both people and produce. As one might expect, there were hundreds of fish stalls (selling mostly catfish of assorted sizes and hues as well as many other species which were unfamiliar to us.) It would have been interesting to know just how many chickens, cooked and uncooked, were on sale – many thousands for sure! Came across a number of meats that we could not identify but were dismayed to find a number of stalls selling butchered turtles. Without doubt however, there was more meat of one variety or another than I have ever seen in one location!
Jumped in a tuc-tuc to take us to Plaza de Armas and then walked home. Close by Neydita is a little snack bar offering, amongst other dishes, ceviche… we decided to treat ourselves to an early lunch of ceviche mixto (S25 each) which we both enjoyed and included shrimp, octopus and, apparently, crab.
Having returned to Neydita to gather our beach gear together we got Luis to engage a tuc-tuc for us to transport us to the out-of-the-way Puerto de Pampa Chica from which location, a settlement of just a few shacks and boats at the end of an unmade road every bit as bad as any to be encountered in Ghana, we intended to leave for the mother-in-laws recommended beach.
When we finally reached our destination just one person seemed to be around, Master, who asked if we required his boating services – obviously we did and, having arranged to pay S40 (ida y vuelta), we were taken on a delightful trip of some twenty minutes up river to the pristine sandy beach of Santa Rita where we were the only visitors!
Landing Station at Puerto de Pampa Chica
A bar provided us with some refreshment and some avian entertainment, Master snoozed in his boat and we swam, sat in the river, or read at the waterfront for the following couple of hours.
A friendly local of Santa Rita
Invited Master to join us for an Inka Cola and a chat before we set off for the mainland.
M with Master
Once on shore, Master left us with his wife while he went in search for a tuc-tuc for us; we parted the firmest of friends.
Back at the centre of Iquitos we made for the supermarket to stock up on rum before returning to our lodgings to shower and to change clothing. Only when we had got into our room did M suddenly realize that she was without her bag of swimming gear! Seemed inconceivable that said bag could have been left on a tuc-tuc which really only left the supermarket so, once changed, we went back to the store but met with no success – we were equally unsuccessful in finding shops that could supply replacement swimwear!
Had a beer at the same bar on the Malecon as yesterday and then left the centre for Fu Hao and Neydita…had only gone a few steps when we noticed the odd rain drop and, within minutes, found ourselves in a full-scale downpour! Luckily managed to find some degree of shelter along the side of the road and were even luckier in being able to attract a tuc-tuc to carry us to the restaurant!
To put it kindly, service at Fu Hao proved distinctly slow (very odd given that there were hardly any other customers); we ordered Sancho con tamarindo (sweet and sour) and Aeropuerto (a glorified fried rice) and stipulated small portions…suffice it to say that what eventually turned up was ridiculous! Hungry as we were, I doubt if we managed to consume even half of what was put in front of us!
Aeropuerto!…
As last night we passed the evening in our room watching travel programmes and swilling rum and coke; we went to bed at 10.30 pm – one of the latest nights of our holiday!
Day 9. Thursday, 19/10/17, Iquitos
Had a reasonable night and got up and showered at 7.30 am. Gathered all our dirty clothes together for Luis to send off to the laundry which, all being well, should be returned within twenty-four hours.
After another fruit breakfast we went outside and hired a tuc-tuc [S 30] to take us, ida y vuelta, to O Centro de Rescate Amazónico Acobia where we paid an entrance fee of S 20 each and were then shown a couple of videos before being taken on an informative tour of the premises. O Centro is perhaps best known for its programme for rehabilitating orphaned and injured manatees but it also accommodates other rescued species including capuchin monkeys, sloths, otters, kinkajous, and alligators.
Feeding-time for Manatees
Location of the Centre is very attractive; most pleasant ground in which to walk around and fascinating creatures to observe at close quarters. Our guide, Gonzalo, was an informative host and the tour must have taken a little over an hour; all the while the tuc-tuc driver waited for us in the hot sun…
By 11.45 am we had seen all the that O Centro had to offer and so returned to central Iquitos. Still concerned about the arrangements for tomorrow, or, to be more precise, the lack of them, we set forth once again for Puerto Pesqueiro where an official assured us that we simply had to turn up on the day of departure – about 5.00 pm for a 6.30 pm sailing…Well, there was nothing more that we could do save to resolve that we would get to the dock tomorrow well before the suggested 5.00 pm!
Returned to the Plaza de Armas, gave our driver a well-deserved tip and then went for a very welcome cold beer at the Yellow Rose. Just by the Texan joint we were accosted by an elderly gentleman offering jungle tours whom we managed to put off but not before he introduced us to a younger man, Roy, offering tours of Belén, in particular, Lower Belen where we dared not go yesterday. After a short discussion we soon came to an agreement that, for S 50, Roy would show us around the Belén area once we had refreshed ourselves.
The tour of Belén proved fascinating and lasted well over two hours: Roy was a first-rate guide who, being a resident of the area could take us to places that we would never have gone to by ourselves. We saw an abundance of filth and squalor which matched any that we have witnessed in Ghana! Indeed, I wonder if conditions are even worse!
Got taken out on to the River Itaya for a ten-minute excursion which was of interest too.
Feeling thirsty again (after all, it was a very hot day) we went for a beer at the now-familiar Bar Amazonia on the Malecón and thence to the supermarket before engaging a tuc-tuc to take us home before the weather broke.
Back at Neydita we read and generally relaxed while hoping that the rain would pass over. Had planned to return to Fu Hao for our evening meal but, when we got to the hostel’s front door we were met with a downpour which meant that, although the Chinese restaurant was only around the corner, we would be soaked in the process of reaching it. It was at this point that we realised that right next door to Neydita (@ 981 Morena) was Hamburguesoría La Gordis ; we had a look at its menu and decided that it would suit our needs very handily. In the end we tucked into a small salad, fried rice with pollo asado and cecina (akin to pork pastrami); meal was really quite good and cost a mere S 22.
Returned home, all of one metre, to sit in our room, consume the traditional rum and coke and watch travel documentaries of Latin America before opting for an early night.
Day 10. Friday, 20/10/17, Iquitos –
Had a good night helped by wearing eye shades for the first time. Rose at 7.30 am, showered and began the packing all the while praying that our laundry would be returned to us at the hour promised!
Sought out Luis and was relieved and surprised to hear that in fact the laundry had been returned yesterday, washed and ironed, and all for S 10.50! Wrote the last of my postcards and then completed the packing; attached hammocks to the rucksacks by means of bungee cables hoping to save valuable space by so doing.
Spent time around the city; found the Correo and bought stamps (50% more expensive than in Lima airport!) before visiting the supermarket to stock up on provisions for the journey. Wandered along the Malecón and, inevitably, stopped at Bar Amazonas for a final cold beer. Whilst enjoying our drink a rather raddled individual sat himself down at the next table – seemed a bit odd that he appeared to have his own beer mug which was engraved "All Blacks" with a fern adornment. Before too long we were engaged in lively conversation.
It transpired that our new companion, a New Zealander, was in fact the proprietor of the bar, had been in Iquitos for the past ten years or more after serving for twenty years with the French Foreign Legion! Needless to add, the man proved to be a highly interesting conversationalist. (Incidentally , a very pleasant Chilean girl, Greta, a fellow guest at Neydita, was on the Malecón last night and encountered both large frogs and butterflies…)
Left the bar and walked further down the Malecón looking for lunch; reached a zone of very cheap restaurants and chose one where, for a total cost of S 15 we had a very appetising coriander-flavoured rice soup, a fruit drink, and rice, beans and lomo asado!
Returned to hostel for a short rest and to pick up our luggage and then to make our way to Puerto Pesquero. Took a tuc-tuc from Neydita with our luggage strapped on behind the vehicle! Were charged S10 for the trip which, I suspect, was probably over the odds, but it was still cheaper than a taxi and much more fun!
On arrival at Puerto Pesquero we enquired as to boats to Santa Rosa at which point a man grabbed our heaviest bags, ran to a boat and up to the middle deck and deposited them by the cabins! I gave him a propina of S8 and he was like a dog with two tails.
El Gran Diego #2
By 5.30 pm we were aboard the El Gran Diego #2 and had put up our hammocks and arranged ourselves a cabin as well, all without paying a cent thus far! Departure was scheduled for 7.30 pm or 8.00 pm depending on which official one asked! In fact we left dock at 7.50 pm by which time the boat was pretty full, especially in the hammock areas.
Testing the hammock prior to sailing
We must have travelled no more than a hundred metres or thereabouts when the Gran Diego turned back to port!…A couple of hours passed as tons of potatoes, cabbages and assorted boxes were loaded up. Finally, at 9.50 we set off down river once more; M and I sat in the stern supping rum and coke. Just before midnight an official came around and sold us our tickets – S200 for the pair of us; he wondered whether we were travelling on business the very idea of which rather amused us (later came to realise that this was not such an outlandish idea!)
Having secured our passages there seemed little to sit up for; M went to the cabin and I settled down in a hammock which was directly under a cabin light making me grateful for the eye shades which proved surprisingly effective.
Day 11. Saturday, 21/10/17, Amazon
By and large had a good night, albeit a short one! At one stage I began to feel quite cold and wondered about the wisdom of eschewing the “comfort” of the cabin but I found that by wrapping the hammock’s webbing around me it was possible to keep tolerably warm; vowed that on future nights I would be sure to have one of the TAP rugs to hand and to keep my socks on!
Woke around 5.30 am and got up soon after as we approached a scheduled stop [Apayuca ?] where a lot of cargo was unloaded and a number of hawkers came on board. After 30 minutes we set sail again into a very cool, damp and misty morning. There was a longer stop of an hour at 8.00 am when we reached the lively-looking settlement of Pebas – here a number of passengers alighted and much cargo, drinks, potatoes, chickens etc were unloaded. There were a number of brief stops in the early afternoon.
The service on the Gran Diego #2 is really pretty good; at about 7.00 am rolls and cinnamon-flavoured gruel were distributed to the passengers in lieu of breakfast (I passed!) and at 12.30 pm everyone was brought a tasty plate of rice, beans and beef – all of this included in the fare!
During the course of the day the hammock area (save for where we hung ours) thinned out considerably though remained quite noisy with lots of children running around including two young girls whose games invariably degenerate into a scrap!
In the early evening we reached Altamonte where there was a lengthy stop – town had, apparently, been enjoying a week-long festival and assorted religious joined the ship. Had a friendly chat with a “nun” who had just attended the festival and was on her way back home (which should be reached at dawn).
Evening as a whole passed uneventfully; a meal of chicken and potato stew was served up after which we resorted to some cups of rum and guaraná. We finally departed Altamonte at 8.40 pm in teeming rain after which we took some heavy duty sleep aid tablets and retired for the night – M to the cabin and me to the hammock with some quite unnecessarily close neighbours!
Day 12. Sunday, 22/10/17, Sta. Rosa
Up at 6.15 am to wash and dismantle the hammocks. Day really began with our arrival at Chimbote with dolphins cavorting in the river and hawkers bringing melons and lettuces aboard. Had quite a good night in spite of the lack of space – there was even someone sleeping beneath my hammock! I developed a cold yesterday but fortunately had a small stock of Tesco’s Max Cold and Flu tablets – took one designed for night-time use and that, coupled with the 50mg. sleep aid, doubtless contributed to a better sleep than might otherwise have been anticipated.
There were a number of stops in the night with the consequent heavy revving of engines and people coming and going. Spoke to the “nun” again in the morning and she reckoned that we would probably reach Sta. Rosa sometime in the afternoon.
At one of the mid-morning stops a little boat ran alongside full of nun-like women – heads covered and wearing long maroon robes – the movement (a Protestant sect of some description) must be very popular along this stretch of the river from Altamonte onwards.
10.45 am and we deviated from the main body of the river and turned up a creek which eventually brought us to a large and vibrant settlement, Caballococha, where we remained for a good while.
Back on the main stretch of the river, an excellent lunch was served at 2.00pm after which I retired to the hammock and fell into a deep sleep. On waking talked to a young man in the adjacent hammock – he is on his way home to Sta. Rosa and he estimated our arrival time at 5.30 pm at the earliest.
K with student from Sta. Rosa
Impoverished riverside dwellings
During the afternoon we pulled into the shore at a seemingly deserted location and unloaded a ton of furniture onto the grassy bank! The furniture looked as if it were designed for a school and was soon loaded up onto a couple of motorised canoes – must have been destined for a pretty remote establishment!
We finally arrived at our destination at 5.40 pm and had to scramble up a muddy cliff with our bags ( luckily a cheerful crew member carried M’s bag). Immediately on reaching level ground we were greeted by a tuc-tuc that already had one passenger but was still keen to take us and all our luggage! Heavily laden we set off along muddy and unmade tracks towards town; at one stage, when the going got too boggy, I had to dismount and walk! (actually this ride, which cost a mere S5 was a nightmare and I quite expected the vehicle to turn over at any moment!)
With a strong sense of relief we finally reached the centre of the little, but amazingly vibrant, little town. We made for the first guest-house to come our way which turned out to be Hospedaje Amazonas – basic but clean and very cheap [S25].
Our room in Hospedaje Amazonas
Put our bags down in our room and then crossed the street to Rest. Manuela where we had beer followed by chancho (pork) and rice [S34]; when it came to paying we endured a lengthy wait while the management sought change for my proffered S50 bill! Eventually received my change in a mixture of soles and reais!
About to dine at Rest.Manuela
Manuela’s meal wasn’t at all bad; afterwards we went further up the street to another establishment where we enjoyed another cold beer and where we met up, for a brief interlude, with the youth from the Gran Diego who hailed from Islandia.
Returned to Amazonas for a night-cap of pisco and fizzy pineapple (quite a good combination!) Tried in vain to get the TV to work so had a quick shower and then went to bed – room was very warm but at least it did have an efficient fan.
Day 13. Monday, 23/10/17, Sta. Rosa – Benjamin Constant
Had a good night, all things considered…room cooled down nicely which was just as well as it was not long before the fan stopped working! However, the fan had done its job and heavy rain overnight meant that the room did not heat up again. Actually, when the fan stopped I tested the room light but that wasn’t working either! It was at this point that I remembered reading somewhere that at a particular hour of the night Sta. Rosa shuts off all electricity fearing that otherwise lights would encourage undesirable river creatures to come ashore!
Both fan and light had been restored by the time we got up at 7.30 am. We showered and made ready to leave the premises by 9.00 am. Concluded that though Hospedaje Amazonas is a very simple hostelry, nonetheless, it fitted our requirements perfectly.
Walked down the road a few metres to Inmigración where we obtained our salidas from a very taciturn official. Proprietress of Amazonas then flagged down a tuc-tuc for us which, at a cost of 4 reais, took us down to the waterfront for a boat over to Leticia [8 reais]. In view of the overnight rain we were grateful not to have to walk the route as we did the last time that we were here!
Leticia seemed little changed from last year. Walked up the main road from the dock towards the centre stopping at the Cambio [El Opita] to exchange US $110 and to receive in return CP302,500. Continued on foot past the Niño Divino as far as the official frontier and then hired two motorcyclists to take us, plus all our baggage, to the Federal Police – a ride that I very much doubt that we shall ever forget!
Entradas obtained (from yet another rather subdued official) we experienced another hair-raising ride with the motorcyclists to the Tabatinga dock at Rua Pedro Teixeira (motorbike rides cost us R10 each.)
The Tabatinga dock proved to be most efficient; we bought tickets for the speedboat [R20 each], had our baggage loaded on board and then waited about five minutes before the imminent departure of the boat was announced. An exhilarating journey brought us to Benjamin Constant within twenty minutes.
As elsewhere, the waterfront is quite a step from the settlement but here at least there was a duck-boarded path to follow. Not knowing where we would be staying we decided to walk to the main square and take things from there…well, B. Constant is a rather odd place and, as we soon found out, does not have a main square! Happily we had gone but a short distance up one of the two major roads when we passed the entrance to Hotel Amazonas which looked quite good and so we stopped to make enquiries. We were offered a small but very well-appointed room (TV, fridge, A/C,and separate bathroom) for Rs.55 per night – we accepted on the spot!
As our room would not be ready for a while, we piled our bags into Reception and went for a recce – OK, primarily to find both beer and a lunch! Went down to a nice airy restaurant overlooking the river but they did not sell beer so wandered up the road again and, passing an appetisingly aromatic churrasqueria, decided to make lunch the order of the day! For Rs30 we had bbq chicken, rice, feijão, farofa and a fruit drink; meal itself wasn’t bad but the inordinate number of flies buzzing around was somewhat off-putting!
Walked off our lunch by returning to the front and finding a rather ramshackle pavilion blaring out music and patronised by a number of clearly unemployed, or underemployed, men – place was friendly enough and it did sell very cold beer very cheaply [Rs5 per bottle].
Unsure of what we thought of this little town we then determined to, more-or-less, walk its boundaries…The South American Handbook talks of a friendly pleasant town – well, its OK, I suppose, but there clearly is not much going on in the town and there was little for us to do or see…
Passed the Benjamin Constant Public Library and chose to have a quick look around…a very genial official (the Librarian, perhaps?) came to greet us and show us the book collection which was, he explained, outdated but, however, the authorities had promised to rectify the situation and, when we next visited, we would be suitably impressed! At the end of the room, however, there was a children’s area, very attractively designed and decorated and that really did impress us!
One thing that Benjamin Constant does have is a well-regarded museum which we called upon, to no avail, at 2.00 pm – I assume that the place had closed for lunch but there was no notice to that effect.
Made our way back to Hotel Amazonas where we were given Room #116 and into which we transferred our bags. Bought a couple of ice lollies and then sat at the back of the building in a pleasant thatched area where, we assumed, breakfast would normally be served.
By mid afternoon it was pretty clear that we should struggle to fill in our time here constructively; we had hoped to visit some of the near-by beaches but, according to the Librarian, the rising water level has now covered them! On the other hand, apparently, Islandia is a very short boat trip away so that might occupy one of our afternoons and, of course, we still had the museum to visit!…
After our walk we took things easy – visited the market to buy maracuyas and then a nearby shop to acquire 51 (cachaça) and then returned to the hotel recreation area to read for a while. Put up one of the hammocks and then made another sortie to the market to buy pawpaws and plantain chips before returning for a very welcome cold shower.
Our evening meal comprised tostadas and avocado followed by maracuyá and papaya and then we whiled away the time quite pleasantly with our guaraná and 51. Retired eventually to our air-conditioned room to read a little more before sleep.
Day 14. Tuesday, 24/10/17, Benjamin Constant
Bed was comfortable and I had a reasonable night. Heavy rain in the early hours and it was still raining when we got up at 8.00 am. Breakfast comprised toasted cheese and ham sandwiches plus some rather sour passion fruit juice.
Hung around the hotel until the weather ameliorated and then, after a sudden change to sunshine, we went down to the waterfront where an obliging individual hailed a passing skiff for us which took us on a journey of perhaps fifteen minutes to the Peruvian outpost of Islandia.[Rs 3 pp]
B. Constant river transport depot
Islandia proved to be a revelation! For a start, we arrived at a permanent landing-place thus obviating the need to totter along wooden boards surrounded by seas of mud! We soon found ourselves in a charming little town where all the dwellings are on stilts and are connected by a network of concrete (mainly) and wooden walkways; there are no motorised vehicles and there are rubbish bins attached to railings at intervals of, perhaps, every fifty metres!
Arrival in Islandia
We arrived close to mid-day and the little town was bustling but without any of the noise and squalor of B. Constant; most noticeably, however, the inhabitants all came across as exceedingly friendly and welcoming, rather a contrast from the Brazilian town ( the staff of the Amazonas, for example, are among the most taciturn and cold as any people that I have encountered!)
Once on terra firma we sought out a bar and sat for a while drinking beer before exploring the walkway network – passers-by continually wishing us Buenas tardes. The town itself is pretty small so it did not take us very long to get around it. We returned to a comedor that caught our eye on our perambulations (Aqui me Quedo) where we had a fine lunch of arroz con chancho assado and a jug of jugo de maracuyá all for Rs.14!
Went back to the first bar and had another beer to round off lunch and then walked along the front to the end of the concrete walkway before, somewhat reluctantly, returning to the river and taking a boat back to Brazil.
Spent an hour or so back at the Amazonas before going off on a shopping expedition to try to find something for the evening; in the event we bought a large pawpaw and some more plantain chips and another bottle of 51 – hardly sustaining fare!
Spent the early evening on the verandah at the back of the hotel. One of our gripes is the matter of towels…on our arrival our room had no towels and, when I asked for some, was told that they were all being, or had been, washed and that there were none dry! Eventually the humourless youth/stand-in proprietor who hangs about the place managed to find us one rather ragged towel! I asked a maid this evening about the possibility of another towel but was informed that they were all still wet! Later I managed to sneak into their laundry-room where dozens of towels were hanging on lines – indeed, they were all wet!
By 8.30 pm we had eaten our fruit, consumed a fair amount of cachaça and had come to the conclusion that nothing remained for us but to go to bed! All the streets are deserted and shops closed – churrasquerias, bars, forget it!…
Before getting into bed thought that I would get something out of my rucksack but, try as I might, I could not get the correct key to fit the padlock, just the partition that houses my toothbrush and wallet with credit cards! Decided to try again in the morning when stone-cold sober!
Day 15. Wednesday, 25/10/17, Benjamin Constant
Another reasonable night and by 8.20 am was at the breakfast table (we supplied the maracuyá and the hotel provided the cheese and spam sandwiches)- greeted the serving maid with a cheery Bom Dia and was met by a stony silence! Tried again and still failed to elicit a response! The meal itself was, of course, served without the faintest hint of a smile… At 9.30 am we set off for the Museum which, in fact, was not at all bad; small and dusty admittedly but with a number of interesting artefacts. We took the best part of an hour to exhaust the attractions and were surprised to see that quite a number of people had visited this year (including a number of Poles) but, as this building really seems to be the only “attraction” in town, one supposes that anyone misguided enough to be passing through would be likely to pay a visit!
On our way back into town we stopped to buy some cheese [Rs.8.90] and then continued down to the river and the boats to Islandia. Took a barco but made the mistake of not having the exact change so that, when I proffered a R10 note, the boatman gave me back Rs2 claiming that the fare was Rs4 each – a blatant lie.
Morning in Islandia was hot and sunny so we repaired to yesterday’s bar and and revived ourselves with cold beers and waited until nearly 1.00 pm before wending our way along the walkway to Aqui me Quedo for chicken/coriander soup followed, in my case at least, by Sajino con yuca y arroz ( a Sajino was described to me by the proprietress as a mountain-dwelling creature somewhat akin to a pig!) and very good it was too.
Lunching at Aqui me Quedo
House resident…
After the meal we chatted with Julia, our host; she teaches in the Primary School opposite on the morning shift and then crosses the way to run her restaurant in the afternoon! We were anxious to hear what she thought of B. Constant and its inhabitants and her views confirmed our impressions – she felt that the word fria summed up the natives perfectly!
M with Julia
Having taken our time over lunch we then went down to the riverfront to sit on some bleachers looking out across the water. At 3.00 pm we went for a quick beer before returning to Amazonas.
Whiling away time in Islandia
Once back in the hotel we spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening in the open area at the back where, in due course, we had a simple meal of rolls and cheese followed, inevitably by 51 and guaraná. Come 8.15 pm and lacking any other diversions we were about to retire to our room when two very attractive and lively young women joined us in the dining area; turns out that they are both from Manaus and are working with the indigenous people – they were not too endeared to Benjamin Constant either, preferring by far, Leticia. We spent a pleasant interlude together and it was encouraging to be able to chat with them and understand one another perfectly (which, alas, hasn’t always been the case on this journey!)
Evening falls in Benjamin Constant
Day 16. Thursday, 26/10/17, Benjamin Constant – Leticia
Passed a comfortable night and was in the breakfast room by 8.20 am. Once again said Bom dia to the empregada in the kitchen and yet again she made absolutely no effort to respond! I cannot remember having encountered this level of rudeness ever before, not even in Trinidad! (and that’s saying something!)
Breakfasted on cheese and spam mixtos plus our large pawpaw and then returned to the room to get ready for departure in a leisurely fashion; once packed we sat around and read for a while as there was little point in arriving in Leticia anytime before mid-day at least.
At this point we remembered that our stocks of Engove at home were rather depleted so went across the road to the local farmacía and bought fifteen tablets [Rs30]. Leaving the premises also gave me the opportunity to pay Mr Disaffected, the young custodian of the joint, our rent of Rs 165; he agreed that we might stay until mid-day and that he would provide a receipt upon our departure (in fairness, the youth may be positively taciturn but he does at least possess basic courtesies, perhaps, more than anything, he is is to be pitied – after all, the job must be pretty tedious; as for the empregadas though…)
Our removal to Colombia proved straight-forward; a launch to Tabatinga and then a taxi at the dock to Leticia. There was a minor delay at the Policia Federal where the individual in front of us, a French citizen, was denied entry to Brazil on the grounds that he had already spent ninety days in the country during the past six months and was thus barred from returning until the end of November!
Just after noon we were settling in to a well-appointed and friendly hostel [Casa de las Palmas]. We were allocated a small but pleasant room with bathrooms and kitchen close by and, just outside, a small, well-maintained swimming pool; very handily, any laundry can be sent off in the mornings at a rate of CP6000 per kilo.
Left the hostel in search of lunch, walked up Calle 9 to Carrera 12 where we came across a well-patronised little restaurant [Las Delicias] where we stopped for a very satisfying meal of soup (pasta and coriander), and stewed tongue with rice and garbanzos [CP 6000 each].
Carried on into town and changed some dollars at El Opita (Las Palmas, like so many other establishments has no card facility) and then engaged a tuc-tuc to take us close to the airport (since we were last here the taxi monopoly now bars tuc-tucs from actually going into the airport environs!). Entradas secured we then took a short walk before being able to find a tuc-tuc to take us back to town.
Stopped for a cold (red, like Hobgoblin) beer at what was the first restaurant/bar that we ever patronised in Leticia (Las Tierras Antioqueñas) and had no sooner left the establishment than we felt a few small raindrops…made it to Opita when the heavens opened and we found ourselves imprisoned in the Cambio for the next quarter of an hour!
Once the rain relented we walked down to the jetty where I soon became engaged in a discussion with a boatman about the trips that he could offer us when…just at that moment, up walked Eduardo! Greetings over, we made arrangements to meet up tomorrow.
Back to Las Palmas to sit by the pool and to be serenaded by a multitude of birds before heading off for Parque Santander to see the loros returning to roost and then to check out a supermarket and an ATM.
We did learn one uncomfortable fact; Eduardo told us, and a travel-agent confirmed his information; there are no departures for Sta. Rosa on Mondays, meaning that we must either leave on Sunday or Tuesday…
Went back to town to the main supermarket to buy guaraná, tomarillos, tomatoes, cheese etc and then visited the ATM at the nearby Banco de Bogota to withdraw CP 400,000 on my Barclays Platinum Visa. Got back to the park just in time to witness the roosting of the parrots.
Hot and sticky by the time we reached the hostel we were only too glad to be able to take advantage of the pool! Had a simple, and solitary, supper by the poolside at 7.00 pm and then took to a table adjacent to the pool to enjoy some cachaça and guaraná all the while being serenaded by cicadas.
Day 17. Friday, 27/10/17, Leticia
Did not have the best of nights – think I’ll take a stronger sleep aid tonight. Got up at 7.30 am and enjoyed the more expansive bathroom facilities. Local parrots kicked up a hell of a din as dawn broke!
By 8.30 am we were at a pool-side table breakfasting on a hostel-supplied fruit salad. I took some washing down from an outside line and was bitten on the palm by a large beetle for my pains!
Met up with Eduardo on the Malecon at 9.30 am as arranged. We set off together on a very cloudy morning for Sta. Rosa for Eduardo to refuel and where he assumed, erroneously, that we would wish to get our entradas (we didn’t).
Set off again for the beautiful Victoria Water Lily Park – clearly the wrong season to see any flowers, just lily pads. The macaws were very much in evidence but otherwise the place was deserted; apparently it is very popular at weekends but today there was just us and all the facilities were closed. We carried out a thorough exploration of the various walkways and then returned to the boat.
Next stop on the itinerary was the large lake populated by dolphins who, today at least, were keeping themselves very much to themselves although we did manage to catch a fleeting glimpse of the odd one!
The main objective of the trip was Puerto Alegria where we came ashore and made once more for the thatched reception area where, pretty quickly, locals came bringing a veritable menagerie with them: parrots, alligators, boas, sloths, monkeys, mata-matas etc – all incredibly tame and seemingly quite content to be in each other’s company (thus, for example, one woman was able to cuddle a sloth and an alligator at the same time!).
After meeting the animals and making a small donation of US$5 we were plied with coconut water and then taken to see the community’s pride and joy…a new jungle hotel (surprisingly well-appointed) with not a guest nor an employee in sight! Indeed it was not wholly clear when the facility actually became operational or whether it is yet to be fully completed!
The hotel itself stands on stilts above a small lake which, apart from assorted fish species, hosts several manatees to one of which we were introduced!
Amazingly, as we left the lake, lying just under the water’s surface, by the shore, we actually saw an alligator!
Having seen the sights of P.Alegria we headed back to Leticia but not before arranging to meet up with Eduardo again on Sunday and probably Tuesday as well. Before we parted Eduardo gave us some unwelcome news: the Iquitos boat arrives at St. Rosa on Tuesday but then goes on to Islandia and does not set off for Iquitos until the Wednesday! This was dire news indeed, threatening to disrupt all of our plans as we had fondly imagined a few days ago that we would be departing on Monday; we had subsequently accepted departing on Tuesday but now it it is to be yet another day later!
At this point had a bright idea! Eduardo is keen to take us on another trip passing by Islandia…perhaps we could do this on Tuesday with him finally dropping us off in Islandia and then us staying the night there! I had already come across a good-looking hospedaje in the town centre the other day whose proprietor seemed keen to entice us and, given that Islandia also boasts an Inmigración, a one night stop-over should prove perfectly feasible and also give us the advantage of being among the first on board!
Parted from Eduardo, visited the market to buy bread and tomatoes and then, walking up the main road en route to the supermarket, we bumped into Julia! A brief and joyous reunion then took place and she was delighted to hear that we would meet up again in her home town next week!
Bought a large chicken at the near-by Polleria (and were given a bag of potatoes, plantain and arepas as free add-ons) and took this home for a late lunch by the pool. Spent the rest of the afternoon pool-side reading before a quick dip at 5.15 pm and then more relaxation!
By 8.45 pm we were ready to retire for the night! We had consumed 500cl of cachaça, eaten the chicken, rolls and tomato salad and then chatted by the pool for a couple of hours. Took some heavy-duty sleep-aids in the hope of a better night.
Day 18. Saturday, 28/10/17, Leticia
Another rather poor night – slept reasonably at first but someone kept ringing the bell for admittance (seemingly to no avail!) in the early hours and I then awoke properly at 3.00 am to find that, once again, the fan had turned itself to the wall. Slept with difficulty thereafter.
Breakfasted at 8.30 am on another very cloudy morning on the hostel’s fruit salad supplemented by our maracuyas. I paid up the hostel’s bill – a total of CP 299,000 and then it was time to go out and about.
Made Tabatinga, or to be more precise, the odd supermarket just inside its boundaries, our first port of call. Reached the supermarket, or World of Chocolate (or whatever it calls itself), which actually isn’t a supermarket but rather an emporium of liquor and sweets plus a variety of health supplements! We were a little surprised to find a number of buses parked outside the store…On entry we found that the place was absolutely heaving with customers all with baskets piled high with chocolate, booze, shampoo, dietary supplements and detox powders! I’m unsure as to how long we stood in the queue but it felt like an age!
Finally released from the emporium we walked back to Leticia passing on our way a shop selling both motorbikes and Santas of every shape and size imaginable! In fact the town seems to be full of shops selling Halloween and Christmas tat – there are a number of military installations dotted about Leticia and all of them are decorated for Halloween!
Now gone noon, we lunched at El Punto del Consome on Carrera 9 where we enjoyed another good value/quality meal – soup with plenty of ground provisions followed by rice, beans, plantain and piracuru [total for two – CP 18,000.] Meal over we went back to Tierras Antioqueñas for a couple of very cold beers and thence to a clothing store a little further down the road to buy M a new swimsuit and me a Colombia football shirt (both at bargain prices).
Returned to Las Palmas, changed into our swimming gear and took a welcome dip in the pool on what had become a very hot afternoon. Sat in the easy chairs and first read, and then snoozed, until a torrential storm brought us back to consciousness!
The downpour eventually eased off leaving us with a very overcast late afternoon and evening. Having drunk some of the hostel’s beers we set about our evening meal of cheese, rolls and tomato/onion salad which, once consumed, we followed by glasses of cachaça and sparkling grape juice.
Took to our room at 8.45 pm to read for a while before attempting to go to sleep (have now come to the conclusion that one of the reasons for our poor nights is the plastic covering on the mattresses…).
Day 19. Sunday, 29/10/17, Leticia
Enjoyed a much better night and got up only reluctantly at 7.40 am. Things were very quiet and both bathrooms were vacant suggesting that many of the guests were either late risers or, alternatively, had left the premises at the crack of dawn.
Usual pineapple/pawpaw melange for breakfast supplemented by our own grenadillos and accompanied, as an experiment, by a tomatillo (a firm and slightly sweet relative of the tomato); to drink, a glass of guanabana yoghurt drink.
Spent much of the morning reading by the pool before upping sticks to go and meet Eduardo for a trip to Sta.Rosa where we intended to renew our acquaintance with Restaurante Las Brisas! At this stage of the trip it becomes something of a challenge to juggle our reserves of three different currencies – the great advantage , in this respect, of both Sta. Rosa and Islandia is that reais are accepted freely which enables us to husband our reserves of soles for the boat and for arrival in Iquitos.
Met up with Eduardo and his mate at noon and were whisked across the river in a powerful speedboat and were then left with just a short walk to the restaurant. At first we failed to recognise Las Brisas as the last time we visited it jutted out into the river; today the water must have been at least a hundred metres away!
Treated Eduardo to a beer and then M and I embarked upon a lunch of such generous proportions that we had to call for an empty plate and some utensils so that Eduardo could help us out! M had chips and Pollo Milanesa whilst I had Arroz chaufa con cecina – both dishes were of a very high standard. The final bill came to Rs. 71 but I received my change in Colombian pesos and I suppose that the original tariff was actually designated in Peruvian soles!
Returned to the jetty to take the speed boat back to Leticia; gave Eduardo CP 24,000 and then made our way up to the supermarket to stock up on cheese and gaseosas for the evening.
Rested in the room for an hour and then went outside to the pool for a refreshing swim. Again, come 5.15 pm all the loros in the neighbourhood were working themselves up into a frenzy as dusk approached!
Rolls, cheese and tomatoes for our evening snack after which we gave ourselves up to the delights of cachaça and a local refresco (Sabor de las Amazonas) – a most pleasant drinking experience which we feared we might possibly regret in the morning!
Incidentally, for the first time on the tour we have felt the need, this evening, to employ insect deterrent.
Day 20. Monday, 30/10/17, Leticia
Another reasonable night and woke early to another cool and overcast morning. Before our fruit salad we ran the rule over our finances and found that they seemed to be working out quite well; there might be a need to cash up to US $40 depending upon the day’s expenditures.
Read the Telegraph after breakfast (it was particularly slow to load-up this morning) and then prepared to go to the airport for our salidas. Engaged a tuc-tuc and was charged CP 5000 – not a princely sum, admittedly, but still a rip-off! Acquiring the exit stamps was a matter of moments and we were soon back on the road. We realised that, in fact, the airport is quite near to Las Palmas so resolved to walk home. On the route back we passed a Vivero (plant nursery) which, on the last occasion had been closed but now appeared open for visits – we called in and wandered among the many species of plants and seedlings before resuming our walk.
Fortified ourselves during our walk with a couple of very tasty arepas con pollo and then, afterwards, unsurprisingly thirsty, made our way along the Malecon (and some of its adjacent shanty town) into the centre of town and thence to Antioqueñas where the waitress brought us our two cans of beer without a word being exchanged! We ended the morning with a return to El Punto for another great value lunch [CP 16,000].
Spent the afternoon going in and out of the pool before, at 4.00 pm walking across to El Opita to cash US$30 for which I received CP 82,500 which, together with the CP 20,000 already in our purse, we envisaged would ensure a good final meal if not much else.
Later we took a final trip down to Parque Santander to see the loros roosting. On entering the Square I noticed a cordoned-off memorial which I did not recall having seen before…turned out to be a monument dedicated to the glorious memory of the armed forces of Colombia who triumphed over Peru in the Amazon War of 1832-34, a conflict of which, I am ashamed to admit, I had never heard! A friendly by-stander pointed out to me on a map the sites of the major battles but he seemed totally in the dark as to who the Colombians were fighting!
Once the loros had quietened down we returned briefly to Las Palmas and its foyer where, for CP5000, an itinerant salesman sold us a most curious snack (Casabe or Kasave), a tapioca empenada filled with cheese, ham and pineapple! Rather unusual but appetising nonetheless!
Sat by the pool and had a couple of tots of coke and cachaça before setting off in a fine drizzle for the long-anticipated final meal at the up-market Tierras Amazonicas. Arriving at 7.15 pm we made ourselves comfortable at an upstairs table (and enjoyed this location to ourselves throughout the meal although there were a number of diners on the ground floor.)
For the entrada we both opted for a Copa de Ceviche de Pescado which was quite delicious. We differed on main courses both of which proved to excellent: M chose Dorado de Pescado en leche de coco con carril while I went for a carniverous Picada Mixta.
Foolishly, I ate all my plantain chips (of which there was a mountain) first before turning my attention to the french fries, battered pirarucu, fried sausage, beef and chicken! The point came when I really did not think that I would be able to complete the meal! However, in the end, sheer doggedness got me through! The final bill came to CP 84,000 (including 10% servicio voluntario) which left us with some CP6000- an ideal situation.
Feeling exceedingly full we trundled our way back to the hostel where we resumed our consumption of cachaça and coke (probably the best combination) enhanced by the juice of a tangerine; by 10.15 we were beginning to flag and so prepared for bed. Halloween fever has gripped the town and it seems a shame that we shall miss the festivities – saw little sign that it was such a big deal in Islandia…
Day 21. Tuesday, 31/10/17, Leticia – Islandia
Looked set for a good night but sometime after 3.00 am was disturbed by the miaowing of the resident Siamese and then the barking of Pancho, the hostel’s dog! To compound matters, a lengthy power-cut disabled the fan making the room too warm and stuffy for comfort. Finally got up at 7.00 am to shower and to pack.
Breakfasted on the usual fruit melange with the addition of an avocado and some tostadas which we had left over and which Pancho helped us finish off!
Said goodbye to Las Palmas and its young supervisor, Juan José, and then set off for the Malecon to meet up with Eduardo at 9.30 am. At the waterfront two men insisted on carrying our luggage to the motorboat; one of them, carrying M’s bag, slipped on the walkway and fell together with the bag almost at the very water’s edge! (much to the amusement of his mates looking on from above!)
Set off from Leticia at 10.15 am and sped over to Sta. Rosa for fuel. At this point Eduardo explained that if we were to go beyond Islandia to an attraction beyond , which he recommended, where we could not only see assorted native species but also do some fishing, it would cost us a further CP 150,000! Told him that we would be content just to go as far as Islandia!
An exciting excursion up-river from Leticia to Islandia took forty-five minutes bringing us into shore at 10.00 am which, in the circumstances, was far earlier than necessary. In some respects we were a little disappointed not to be going any further but we felt that we had already paid enough and, besides, we had spent up all but CP 6!…
Arriving at Islandia
Eduardo kindly guarded our bags while we went to Inmigración where a very charming young woman dealt with us; I do not imagine that she had ever had to deal with such exotic creatures as us before and, to add to the confusion, their network was down so she had to phone our details through to Iquitos! After what seemed like an age we finally received our entradas.
While in the Inmigración office I thought that I would enquire about the boat to Iquitos but very soon repented! In reality I might just as well have asked about the next spaceship to Mars! Apparently, I was told, tickets for the boat can only be bought in Leticia or Tabatinga and the boat itself departs at 3.00 am! This, of course, may be true of the Rapido but is quite nonsensical where the Lanche is concerned: The truth of the matter is (and I experienced this in a travel agency in Leticia), people simply cannot imagine that well-heeled foreigners could possibly contemplate travelling on a slow and crowded river boat as the locals do – sad really!…
Went next door to the Police Station to get the real facts about departures but, if anything, they were even more clueless! Just as we were beginning to despair an elderly man came out of one of the back offices and told us all that El Gran Diego leaves from the dock in front early on Wednesday afternoons – the very news that we longed to hear!
Now confident that we would not have to retrace our steps to Sta. Rosa, we bade farewell to Eduardo and, by now hot and thirsty, went across to a bar and bought a Crystal and a Cuzqueña (akin to a Mackeson) after which, refreshed we went in search of the hospedaje that I investigated the last time we were here. Passing Aqui me Quedo, Julia spotted M and sent out a charming youth, Jhon Mario Ruiz, to help with our baggage! Jhon’s Spanish was absolutely incomprehensible but, nonetheless, we got on pretty well!
Together we had little difficulty in locating the hospedaje, El Amanacer, in Calle Nuevo Jerusalen.
We paid Rs 35 for a decent-sized room with an adjacent bathroom – well-appointed, clean and comfortable.
Deposited our luggage and then sought out Julia’s for a lunch of pirarucu and rice [Rs.15] followed by a beer at the bar on the front.
The question for the afternoon was how exactly we should spend the time remaining to us…Islandia is a pretty and quaint place but is also a little on the quiet side (to put it mildly!) We went to the bleachers overlooking the river and relaxed for a while before a bright idea came our way! Why not go on a short trip by boat to Benjamin Constant?
At 3.00 pm we engaged a boat driven by a rather eccentric, possibly drunk, boatman to the little Brazilian town where we walked the streets in search of a pharmacy for Engove and a supermarket for cachaça. Found Engove on sale at Rs 6 for a strip of three and then encountered a supermercado with an adjacent room dedicated to liquor af all types but which looked as if no-one had visited it for years! The cachaça bottles were covered in dust and the attached price labels were well below current prices!
Shopping completed we returned to the front and took another boat back to Islandia. Between 1.00 pm and 5.30 pm Islandia is without electricity and so there was no hope of relaxing in the cool of our room; instead we had another beer and then walked along the front and watched a mixed-sex volley-ball game. The electricity was switched back on at 5.30 pm which was our cue to return to El Amanacer.
Showered and then enjoyed a cachaça and coke and, when the coke ran out, went out in search of more. At night Islandia is quite fabulous! with people traipsing along the walkways and barbecues at each corner of the square facing the Ayuntamiento. I found a large shop in which to buy Coke and then treated myself to barbecued chicken, plantain and rice at a corner stall [Rs.5]; returned to the hospedaje to eat the small meal and finish off the evening with a final alcoholic drink before turning in for another relatively early night.
Day 22. Wednesday, 1/11/17, Islandia –
Had a surprisingly good night – “surprisingly” because the electricity went off after a short while and we were without the benefit of the ceiling fan until 6.00 am this morning!
Rose at 6.45 am, showered and rearranged my baggage. We have a good TV in the room – last night we watched programmes on Peruvian cuisine (we could have watched Bake Off had we so desired!) and this morning we watched an informative news programme followed by the Peruvian equivalent of Animals do the Funniest Things; finally we found ourselves viewing Juez Franco, the Latino version of Judge Judy!
Went down to the front and sat for about ninety minutes on on a vacant plank of what passes for a pier but which did at least have good views of the river in both directions. The weather looked far from promising and we had visions of dragging our belongings through a raging tempest! Happily, though,our fears were not realised and there was little more than a light shower. Left for an early lunch at Julia’s restaurant where M had stewed tongue [Rs.7] and I had ceviche [Rs.18]; said a fond farewell to Julia and then hastened back to the front to see if there were any developments concerning our passage to Iquitos (there weren’t).
12.40 pm, having returned again to El Almanecer and gathered together our belongings, we again made for the pier; on our way, seeing our baggage and guessing our destination, a woman passing by told us that the Gran Diego was approaching! By 1.30 pm we were Iquitos – bound!
Boarding in Islandia proved ridiculously easy! Down a few steps, a couple of metres of scrubland and that was it – quite unlike the nightmarish quagmire of Sta. Rosa! Once aboard we were directed to El Capitan, a cheerful and welcoming soul, who rapidly fixed us up with Camarote #7 on the top deck; there were few other passengers around which meant that I could pick my spot for the hammock on the middle (theoretically cooler) floor.
Departure was announced for 3.00 pm and, sure enough, we actually left on time and reached Sta. Rosa at 5.10 pm where we stayed for a couple of hours and the boat filled up. I went ashore and bought our evening meal which was both very cheap and very good: pollo y arroz for M, calabresa (chorizo) y arroz for me.
El Capitan is a very sociable type who seems to have taken a shine for M! Apart from having shaken her hand umpteen times he has also tempted her into eating half of his banana!
By 10.00 pm most of the passengers were going to sleep so we decided to follow suit!
Day 23. Thursday, 2/11/17, Peruvian Amazon
All-in-all slept well in the hammock and got up at 6.00 am when I saw the maid go to sort out the men’s washrooms ; the thought of being the first user of the day was sufficient to rouse me from my torpor! Had no soap but the cold shower was efficacious nonetheless.
In fact, when I arose from the hammock we had already been docked at the very lively town of Caballococha for an hour; there was much noise and disruption and many passengers disembarked and an equal number took their places. Having filled up with passengers the Gran Diego continued to load barrels, ice etc. A large contingent of would-be passengers arrived alongside courtesy of what looked like a homemade vessel – holes cut in the side for portholes and an alarming amount of water sloshing about in the rear section!
Finally departed from Caballococha at 8.00 am with tons of fish in ice in large containers on deck. Within a very short time I began to feel exceedingly tired and had to retire to my hammock…was woken up an hour later with a demand to pay S. 160 for our tickets (which was S 40 less than we paid on the outward voyage!).
Joined M upstairs at the front where we sat on a couple of stools and enjoyed a perfect view of the river ahead. Lunch was served at 11.20 am – rice, noodles, fried tomato and a miniscule piece of chicken (or rather, chicken bone!) however, with the addition of our own pepper sauce the meal was perfectly acceptable.
11.35 am found us stationary at Chimboti for a security check; all [passports were inspected and there was long delay whilst officials probed the various containers of frozen fish!
The early afternoon I spent in the hammock but roused myself at 3.45 pm to join M on the floor above where she had made a friend of Melva who has the neighbouring cabin.
4.25 pm and the evening meal was distributed (chicken soup, pasta and banana) after which the three of us sat outside the pilot’s wheelhouse; eventually the pilot himself joined our group and actually invited M to take the wheel! Shortly thereafter we docked at San Pablo where the Gran Diego was positively besieged by hordes of hawkers – nuts, bread, cakes, fruit, drinks, dinners etc etc.
Oh yes…whilst I was snoozing in the hammock, so M tells me, the ship passed close to the shore and much interest was aroused amongst the passengers who witnessed a no-holds-barred fight between a man and a woman on the river-bank! According to M it was a battle on the scale of the Rio Negro affray in 2015! Apparently the boat pulled in as close to shore as possible and the pilot and some of the passengers called out to the combatants to desist! Other passengers, M felt, rather enjoyed the spectacle!
The chef/barman proved to be a jolly type whose kitchen lay behind the cabin and who seemed to turn out some pretty tempting grub…eventually I yielded to temptation and, for S 7, had arroz chaufa con huevo y platano and very good it all was too!
We spent the rest of the evening on our stools by the pilot’s cockpit quaffing cachaça and coke. There were numerous stops along the way and we saw a variety of attractive settlements as we passed – one, Nuevo Paraiso, really did look as though it might live up to its name! To the hammock/cabin at 10.00 pm.
During the day we saw some evidence of cattle-grazing but what serious agriculture we observed seemed to be rice cultivation; passed many small fields of paddy and a number of threshers – clearly the intention is to get the harvest in before the river rises any further.
Day 24. Friday, 3/11/17, Peruvian Amazon
In spite of several factors really did not have too bad a night; there were several stops with people getting off and, even more people embarking. Unfortunately I had left my eye-shades in the cabin and had difficulty escaping the glare of the ceiling lights until I realised that I was close enough to M’s empty hammock to be able to pull it over my face.
I awoke at 5.00 am to a promisingly bright morning and, as the washrooms (for want of a better word!) seemed to be doing little business and, in the hope that the maid had already done her duties, I got up and showered.
By 6.30 am we were moored up against a rice field, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and an incessant stream of large sacks of rice were loaded on board (it transpired that they belonged to Melva’s husband). Rice-loading took at least an hour and I should imagine that they must have brought something like 10,000 kilos aboard! When eventually we moved on it was only for a matter of a couple of hundred metres before we stopped to load another mountain of rice!
Lunch today was served at 10.20 am – rice, pasta, beans and meat stew and then, just as everyone had been served, we fetched up at Nuevas Pedras where a mighty army of food and drink sellers flooded the boat! Some of the food on offer looked really appetising – just a shame about the timing! That said, we were still marooned at N. Pedras at 11.15 am and in spite of the recent ship-provided lunch, the hawkers seemed to be doing a roaring trade!
The next major halt came at 12.45 pm when we reached Pebas where a number of passengers left the ship but a multitude joined it!
Gran Diego was by now positively crowded. 2.30 pm and we came to a halt by a huge mud flat in order to take on more rice as the rain teemed down. M passed the time by showing Melva pictures of Ilford in the snow; Melva, for her part, presented us with a large papaya.
4.45 pm and yet another stop in the middle of nowhere to take on rice. I spent a large part of the afternoon on the upper deck trying, at times, to converse with a very friendly gentleman whose Spanish I found almost entirely unintelligible! Catastrophe! The bar ran out of beer! Feared for our evening should the same happen to their coke supplies!
In actual fact the bar did run out of coke but our friend the barman was able to offer us its Peruvian equivalent, Kola Fruitimix which was only S 2 per bottle but was, sad to say, sweet and nasty! Alas, we were desperate and had to purchase a couple of bottles to accompany our cachaça.
Having had an early start to the day we took some sleep-aid tablets and prepared for an early night (along with most of the others on board.)
Day 25. Saturday, 4/11/17, Iquitos
Did not have the best of nights! Someone strung up his hammock as close to mine as possible so that we touched continually. The night was further disrupted by the strange fact that I had to get up to urinate copiously four times before 2.30 am!
Scheduled to arrive in Iquitos around 8.00 am and the hammock area this morning was positively alive with excitement. Among the passengers yesterday I saw a youth wearing an Arsenal shirt! We had a lively chat – he bought the shirt in Iquitos (its a fake) and, like the rest of us, hankers after the days of Henry and Bergkamp! Later on he came to the cabin hoping to purchase some toilet paper! As a fellow Gooner I gave him a roll of Tesco’s finest for free!
Well, as the Pilot predicted, we docked at 8.00 am. People poured on deck including Motor-taxistas, one of whom we employed to take us to Calle Morona. Carried our bags off the boat and on to the back of the tuc-tuc and within another fifteen minutes we were being greeted by Luis!
We found ourselves being accommodated in one of the Neydita’s de luxe rooms (at the standard price i.e. S 102 for two nights) and it felt positively luxurious (two towels for a start!).
After showering and relaxing for a short while we set off for town, keeping an eye open for prospective lunch spots; in reality we were a little early and few establishments were functioning fully. Walked along the Malecon towards Belen and eventually came across El Tacachito, a restaurante tipico. Tacachito proved to be pretty basic and not particularly cheap (S 39)but, that said, we were glad that we tried it; M lunched on pollo con tacacho (ground, grilled plantain with onion and seasoning) whilst I was served cecina con yuca, and these meals we washed down with an indigenous fruit drink (Camu-camu.) There was an almighty downpour as we ate!
Whilst eating I began to develop a headache so we hailed a tuc-tuc in the pouring rain and returned to Neydita.
After another rest I began to feel better and we were able to go out again. Starting off with a cold beer at the Yellow Rose we turned on to the Malecon and paid a visit to the Amazon Eco Museum which is favourably reviewed in the South American Handbook (although I must confess that I did not have particularly high expectations, particularly as we had to pay S 15 each to enter!).
My doubts were soon dispelled! The Museum was excellent with a number of interesting and well-presented exhibits, welcoming staff plus an informative 1hr. 7m. film on reclusive Amazonian tribes.
Left the Museum at 6.30 for the supermarket before dashing home before another cloud-burst! Later on we ventured out as far as Fu Hao where we shared one portion of chancho con tamarindo plus a dish of wanton soup – this simple meal cost S 20.50 and was every bit as much as we wanted (or could possibly consume!) The remainder of the evening we spent in our room with the TV and our rum and coke…
Day 26. 5/11/17, Iquitos
Reasonable night; woke at 6.15 am and read the Telegraph before rising for a shower. Breakfast of tostadas, cheese and fruit. Weather forecast not particularly optimistic – a predominance of cloud plus the odd heavy shower…Chatted with Luis and decided to take a gamble on the weather and visit a lagoon resort – Quistacocha.
Engaged a tuc-tuc outside of Neydita for S 15 ( a value-for-money trip as it was a very good distance away – well beyond the airport.) The driver was very keen to talk to us but, given the noise of his engine and that of the heavy traffic all around us, conversation proved none too easy!
Arriving at the resort we paid an entrance fee of S 9 each and then descended some steep stairs past the dolphin pool until we reached the lagoon and a wide expanse of sand with lots of tables, thatched shades, bars and stalls on the periphery.
We began our visit with a cold beer before crossing the beach and following a path into a forested area (apart from being a beach resort, Quistacocha also houses a zoo!) In the course of our stay we saw monkeys, tapirs, peccaries, capybyra, pumas and jaguars, otters and pink dolphins; we had been given the impression that the animals were accommodated in a rather limited environment but we were quite pleasantly surprised.
Beyond the animals a path leads to a botanical garden and a plantation of medicinal trees and shrubs (alas, just like Aburi, all the informative placards had aged to illegibility!) Apparently the path through the forest leads another 3.6km to the River Itayo and we intended to pursue this route until we came across a local who advised us that the path ahead was blocked and quite impassable.
Returned to the main body of the resort and had lunch in the same establishment in which we had earlier bought our beer. Apart from an extensive menu a further attraction of the restaurant/bar was that they accepted payment by VISA ( we were running low on cash) and we were able to enjoy an excellent meal. For her lunch M had filete de pollo and I ordered paiche Milanesa; we had only one gripe (leaving aside the fact that my plate came at least ten minutes before M’s) and that was, surprise, surprise! when we came to settle the bill with our Visa card we were told that the system had broken down! So, cash once again [S 51 including a beer.]
After lunch we walked in the opposite direction to earlier and visited the rest of the zoo; we had just about covered all the attractions when it began to rain. We put on our rain garments and sat watching the dolphins.
Abandoned Quistacocha at 3.15 pm and returned to Neydita where we lay up for a while in the hope that the weather would improve. By 5.00 pm we decided to make a dash into a very quiet town; had a beer in Delirium Tremens on the Malecon and then went directly to the Yellow Rose for a valedictory drink there too.
We noticed a lot of police in the roads leading to the Malecon and, when we left the Yellow Rose, we found that all the roads to the main square had been sealed off and given over to children and pedestrians! We had a walk around the square before visiting the supermarket for tostadas and queso and then making our way back to the hospedaje.
Spent the evening in our room drinking rum and coke and watching TV: there was an interesting feature on Santiago (Chile) and then a couple of very good cooking programmes (some Argie chefs grilling steak on a barbecue followed by Comete Colombiano which featured a number of particularly appetising recipes.) Lights out ca. 10.00 pm.
Day 27. 6/11/17, Iquitos
A comfortable night if not a particularly sound sleep. Up at 6.45 am to shower, then to get M a cup of coffee before breakfasting at 8.00 am (tostadas, cheese, guanabana yoghourt drink and granadillas.) There seemed to be a number of guests at Neydita at the moment; apart from a very pleasant Latin American girl all the rest seemed to run the gamut of boorishness – the most egregious example being, perhaps, the Australian woman travelling with a man wearing a notice around his neck saying My name is Jack Squat…
By 10.30 we had been on a final trek into town to draw some cash and to buy some paintings on canvas (S 20 each) and had returned, showered and packed. We lingered on in the room enjoying the fan until our official quitting time of 11.00 am when we moved our belongings to Luis’s office and then sat in the foyer until we could face Fu Hao!
Am happy to report that the Fu Hao maintained its generous standards! Our small, single portion of Aeropuerto came on two dishes and was, once again, more than we could get through! We seem to have made a friend of one of the young waiters who seemed keen to try out his English – doubtless it was through his good offices that we also received a plate of crispy puffs and a dish of sweet sauce!
We returned to the hospedaje to bid farewell to Luis (Shinoda), collect our bags and then take a tuc-tuc to the airport [S 12].
By 2.10 pm we were ensconced in Departures waiting to leave on a full flight at 3.10 pm (some forty minutes behind schedule). Travelling in seats 15B and 16D we arrived in Pucallpa at 4.10 pm where many disembarked (and subsequently just as many got on!) Made it to Lima by 5.30 where we picked up our belongings and hastened to the car/bus park where we just missed an Airport Express and had to wait for the next one at 6:.30 pm. A journey of nearly an hour brought us to Hotel José Antonio from whence we walked back to Kusillus stopping only to greet, and purchase from, our friend, Feliciana.
Arriving back at Kusillus we were a little disappointed that they had reneged on their promise to change our room to the attractive one on the other side of the corridor and so found ourselves back in the familiar, rather gloomy, Room #6.
Paid a visit to the nearby Dial Supermarket to buy some liquid refreshments which we then took upstairs to to consume with avocado, cheese and tostadas. Found it necessary to wear a long-sleeved shirt but found the ambience most pleasant – I have to confess that I find Lima’s more temperate climate preferable to the humidity of Iquitos.
We sat upstairs and drank more pisco than was probably good for us before retiring to our room at 10.30 pm.
Day 28. Tuesday, 7/11/17, Lima
Kusillus’s best features are quite definitely its hot water and its comfortable beds. Woke quite early but lingered on in bed until 7.30 before having a hot shower and then moving on to a breakfast of rolls and strawberry jam supplemented by a few of Feliciana’s granadillas.
We took bus #301 towards the centre, a very slow journey due to chronic traffic congestion, and got off at the Church of the Nazarenes, motivated by the fact that it houses El Señor de Los Milagros – Peru’s national icon.
The Church itself is vast but I found it to be nothing out of the ordinary. Around the corner from the Church is a museum dedicated to the icon which, on three floors offers a video show, a number of eighteenth century devotional paintings and some of the most extraordinary exhibits that I have ever seen displayed! (for example: Presidential, Military and Police awards in gratitude for the benefits bestowed by the image…)An odd museum to Protestant eyes at least but maintained to the highest of standards and well worth visiting.
From Las Nazarenas we walked up three blocks to the Santuario de Santa Rosa de Lima, a beautiful house and chapel in a courtyard. Sta. Rosa died at the age of thirty -one after a life of good works on behalf of the poor and self-inflicted privation. Amongst other miracles Sta. Rosa is credited with saving Lima from the Dutch by virtue of her prayers (the attacking admiral died suddenly and his fleet then sailed away!) We also saw the branches from the Saint’s lemon tree that the Devil blasted but which still continued to give fruit! All a little hard for an outsider/Protestant to take on board but we were at least glad that we took the opportunity to visit!
Walking towards the Plaza Mayor we came across a chapel and museum dedicated to another patron saint of Lima and Peru, San Martin de Porres, a late sixteenth century religious renowned for his holiness and who was canonised by John XXIII in 1962. Interestingly, in the precinct, adjacent to the chapel is a comedor for the elderly and indigent which, at the time of our visit, was pretty well patronised.
We ourselves had lunch at a quite basic, but good, restaurant where we had ceviche followed by a main course and a soft drink, all for a total of S 18.
The last time we were in the centre we came across a thriving artesanal market so thought that we would pay it a longer visit; took us quite a while to find the place but it was well worth the effort ( a couple of policemen went out of their way to help) and we were able to buy a number of gifts at highly attractive prices.
Remembering what a nightmare the #301 back to Miraflores can be in the afternoon we decided not to stay too long in central Lima and found a bus-stop by 3.00 pm.; boarded a bus and even managed to get a seat but it was 4.00 pm before we reached our destination. On alighting we bought tickets for tomorrow’s Airport Bus thus saving us some time.
Returned to Kusillus to deposit our purchases and then went for a stroll down to the waterfront calling on Feliciana as we did so; bought some fruit (alas there were no more ripe cherimoyas) including a round, green fruit about the size of an orange which looked exciting enough but proved to be a massive disappointment! Completely juiceless and utterly horrible! (I forgot to make a mental note of the fruit’s name.)
On our way back into the centre of Miraflores we visited a bar/restaurant which was trumpeting its Happy Hour – a most attentive waiter encouraged us to try their Pisco Sour which he claimed would be the best drink that we had ever had! Well, we ordered a couple of maracuya pisco sours and the waiter, having brought the drinks, hung around until we had had a sip and could give him our verdict!…He had not exaggerated, the drink was simply sensational! We just had the one cocktail each (S 25 in total) but promised to return to sample the lemon variety as well!
On our way back home we called in at Dial and bought a roasted chicken and some chips (S 26.90) only to find, a few minutes later when we plated up the meal that both items were stone cold!
As usual, after eating we went upstairs for a final look at the night-time street life of Miraflores and to enjoy a drink or two of ginger ale and pisco. Stayed upstairs as long as the pisco held out by which time it was decidedly chilly. Downstairs and to bed at 10.00 pm.
Day 29. Wednesday, 8/11/17, Lima
I enjoyed a particularly comfortable night and M had to wake me twice on account of my snoring! Only the thought of the hot shower just a few feet away got me up at 7.00 am. Usual roll and jam breakfast supplemented by our own granadillas and a melon-like fruit and then returned to the room for the final pack.
Soon finished the packing; I had been sure that somewhere we had an unopened 500cl. bottle of cachaça but, after a fruitless search of the heavy bags came to the unsurprising conclusion that, absent-mindedly, we must have supped it…
Left our baggage by the Reception Desk and left Kusillus for Lima. As usual took the #301 and got off opposite Las Nazarenas before walking up to the Plaza de las Armas. Our first port-of-call was the Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo where we paid an entrance fee of S 10 each (luckily we had a S 20 note or we would have waited an eternity for change!) and then embarked upon a highly interesting tour of the premises. Visited two beautiful cloisters and a number of chapels as well as a Library of some antiquity. We were also able to visit S. Martin’s cell and tomb (plus the relics of the other patron saint of Lima, S. John Macia) as well as Sta. Rosa’s crypt – all very atmospheric.
The highlight of the visit was undoubtedly being able to climb up the Bell Tower to its summit from which we had extensive views of the city.
Visit over, it was now time for lunch and once again we found a very good-value S 9, two course meal (ceviche for entrada followed by pollo milanesa/bonito frito.) Restaurant was, in fact, just around the corner from the artesanal market to which we returned in search of some llama-furred slippers for our little grand-daughter; the owner of the shop where we saw the said footwear was out for lunch so we meandered upstairs and found just what we were looking for at half the price!
Determined to leave plenty of time for getting back to Miraflores we decided upon just one final visit; a return to the Casa de S. Martin but primarily to investigate the museum which we had been obliged to omit yesterday. Paid S 3 each for entry and entered into a quaint but very informative exhibition of the Saint’s life (he was actually born in the house in 1579); I particularly liked the story of S. Martin getting a dog, a cat and a mouse to share one bowl of food!
S. Martin’s house was our final objective and lies between the Convento de Santa Rosa and Las Nazarenas however, on our way down Callao to Tacna and the bus stop we were enticed into nipping into another museum we had previously only been able to see but fleetingly – La Casa de la Gastronomía. Paid S 3 for an immaculately curated history of food in Peru through the ages – another attraction well worth visiting and deserving of a longer time than we were able to spend.
Arrived at the Tacna bus stop at 2.45 pm which gave us plenty of time to get back to Parque Kennedy for the 4.00 pm Costa Verde tour bus…the #301 came along, packed, and proceeded to crawl its way to Miraflores being caught at every one of the myriad red lights along the way! By the time that we reached the MiraTura cabin it was already gone 4.00 pm but, happily, the bus was yet to set off!
Paid S 25 each and took our seats on the top floor of the open-topped bus and it was then that we realised that we were ill-prepared for a two hour journey, open to the elements on a day that was cloudy and decidedly cool! Luckily M had a scarf and a thin fleece in her mochilla and these kept us from freezing but, nonetheless, it was uncomfortably cold and, interesting though the tour was, I was none too sorry when it came to an end!
Dashed back to Kusillus to warm up and to pick up my faithful travel shirt (really, the temperature this afternoon was worthy of London at this time of year!) Headed back into the centre and returned to Mezzaluna 2 where we had experienced yesterday’s superb pisco sours and found that Happy Hour seems to take place 24/7! We were more than happy to sit under cover and order more of this celebrated drink – this time we went for limon which proved slightly more expensive than maracuya (S. 26) and though very satisfying, not quite the taste sensation of yesterday evening.
Funnily enough, just up the road from Mezzaluna 2 and facing Parque Kennedy is another restaurant/bar where we once had a rather expensive beer…well, we noticed that on the fencing in front large notices had been posted to the effect that due to a failure to comply with the requisite regulations the authorities would be closing down the establishment! Lo and behold! By the time that we had finished our limon piscos and got back on to the pavement, the offending restaurant had been closed and was in darkness!
We wandered down Calle San Ramon looking for somewhere suitable in which to eat our final Peruvian meal and had no shortage of suitors! All the menus seemed virtually identical and everyone seemed to be offering one sort of incentive or another! Sorely spoiled for choice we finally opted for the one restaurant , Las Pizzas Bar ( C. San Ramon #236), which offered Pollo Milanesa! (They were also offering free maracuya pisco sours!…).
We certainly had no cause to regret our choice of eating-house! We enjoyed a very fine meal indeed beginning with a shared ensalada campesina and followed by Pollo Milanesa for M and Lomo saltado for me; we were also the beneficiaries of four maracuya pisco sours! The final bill came to S 104 and we considered it to be worth every cent!
Hasty return to Kusillus to pick up our bags and say goodbye to the night manager with whom we had become quite friendly. Got down to Ave. 20 Julio and the José Antonio Hotel by 9.25 pm and were picked up by the bus five minutes later; within little more than one hour we found ourselves in the airport.
Checked in at 11.40 pm and then proceeded through the various exit formalities which proved more taxing than we might have imagined…Firstly, M’s mochilla was diverted at the hand baggage inspection and, on closer examination, was found to contain an unopened 500cl. bottle of cachaça! Having surrendered the offending bottle of liquor we passed on to Passport Control only to be informed that we had overstayed our entrada and would thus be liable to pay for this oversight! In the event we were each obliged to pay S 4 .10 to obtain clearance.
Obviously a fine of about £1 is not worth complaining about but I was puzzled as to how, given the fact that we obtained our salidas on 31/10 in Islandia and had been given permission to remain in Peru for eight days, we could possibly be told that we had overstayed our permitted time given that this was Wednesday 8/11! Queued up at another counter and paid the fine and it was at this point that everything became clear to me…it was now 00.10 on the morning of 9/11 and we had thus transgressed by about five minutes!
Day 30. Thursday, 9/11/17, Toronto
We passed the time in a very crowded Departure Lounge made worse by the fact that a number of people chose to lie across several seats (some snoring loudly!) Bought a couple of bottles of pisco [s 60.18] and then moved close to the Departure Gate (21) to sit out the remaining time.
Took a strong (50mg.) sleep-aid tablet before boarding which commenced at 2.30 am. Found ourselves in the rear section of the aircraft (seats 44 H & K) where at least we had a luggage locker to ourselves. Take-off was scheduled for 03.15 am after which we were fed a sandwich and a glass of water; read for a little before dropping-off.
Woke again at 06.30 am after a sound, if rather short, sleep, in time for a cooked breakfast. I had been under the impression that we would land at 8.30 am but had miscalculated the time difference; in fact we touched down at 11.05 am.
Pearson Airport is very large but also very efficient; our luggage going straight through to London, we were able to complete transit formalities pretty quickly which allowed us to contemplate a quick recce of the city. For Can. $10 we were able to park our mochillas with Samsonite Security and then, for a further $25, we purchased return tickets on the UP Train which transports one from the airport to Union Station in twenty-five minutes.
At Union Station tried repeatedly to buy tokens for the Metro, losing $3 in the process and, eventually, we gave up and decided to walk to Chinatown. In the event however, we got to about half-way or, perhaps a little beyond, when our eyes were caught by a small and attractive-looking Korean restaurant (Bap Bo, 142 Dundas St.W.) and persuaded ourselves that we had already walked a long way, that we were genuinely hungry and, in any case, we seemed to have eaten quite a lot of Chinese food over the preceding weeks!
Bap Bo proved to be an excellent choice: after an introductory course of six small and appetising dishes we had an avocado and a green salad followed by a delicious Beef Bulgogi; the final bill came to $33.79. By now it was 2.15 pm and seemingly getting gloomier and colder by the minute! In fact the temperature was 8C but, because of the wind-chill factor, it seemed very much lower!
We walked to the lake-side (where I had last stood in August 1979) and then along the waterfront as a slight drizzle began to settle in. Eventually we arrived at the city’s iconic landmark, the CN Tower, but an entry fee of $36 per person deterred us from going any further!
The weather already cold, and seemingly becoming increasingly inclement, we decided to cut our losses and make our way back to the warmth and light of Pearson International! At least we had enjoyed(?) a good walk through downtown Toronto and had seen a bit of Lake Ontario to say nothing of having enjoyed a good lunch!
Boarding was set for 7.55 pm so we had a fair bit of time to kill in the airport – darkness fell hours earlier so that even if it hadn’t been cold and wet we would have been most unlikely to spend any more time in the city itself. According to the TV, by evening, the temperature had fallen to 2C and a warning was issued for snowfall later on as the city experienced its first blast of winter!
Amused myself by looking around some of the myriad airport shops and was shocked by just how expensive everything was – it is cheaper to buy maple syrup in a Tesco in England than to buy it in a Toronto airport duty-free shop!
We boarded on time and departed after a slight delay for de-icing at 9.00 pm. A decent evening meal was served up eventually (chicken stew and potatoes) which we washed down with a couple of small, free, bottles of wine. Took a sleep-aid tablet to help get through the tedium of the flight.
Day 31. Friday, 10/11/17, London
Woke at 7.00 am with a glass of wine still in my hand! A revolting slice of ginger cake was produced for breakfast before it was announced that we should reach Heathrow close to 8.25 am.
We actually landed at 8.35 am and soon found ourselves, and our baggage, on the other side – what an improvement Terminal 2 is!
Tedious tube journey home courtesy of Piccadilly, District and Central lines and then a walk back from Gants Hill finally arriving home at 11:45 am.