River Trip to Iquitos

We survived the river trip. Yurimagus to Iquitos. The famous three story boat that takes 3 days. With Hugo we pitched our hammocks on the 3rd floor, above the cows and mountains of plantains that were traveling below us. We were squeezed (I mean this boat was more than filled to capacity with hammock dwellers) into an open air room, two sides that had walls, and two sides that had plastic curtains that went down at night. Our trip consisted of hanging out in our hammocks, making new friends with our neighbors and watching the jungle pass us by. The boat stopped periodically to pick up passengers and more plantains, and when the people missed the boat, little wooden canoes would bring passengers to the boat and they would board as if the middle of the river was their boarding spot. As we stopped in little jungle towns to pick up passengers and cargo, kids and women would get on the boat to offer fruits and sodas. Hugo and I had a delicious coconut half way through the trip; it was the last thing we ate before we both got a little sick in the stomach.

Our boat route hugged the pacaya.samiria nature reserve. We did not see much wildlife, but the sunset on the river was spectacular.

The trip was unforgettable. Uncomfortable. Hot. Beautiful. Fun. If you had never tried sleeping in a hammock, I wouldn´t recommend it. It is hard to do in extreme heat. We are happy to have a bed in Iquitos tonight.