711. Peru Trip | Amazon Rainforest Trek

We've been back for a few weeks now and I still go through moments of really missing being in the Amazon and on vacation in general. I enjoy making these posts though to relive it in a way. This is the final post of the Amazon (for now). After this I will go back and finish the rest of the posts from the other cities.

On our second last day, we went on a long walk through a rainforest in a new area. I really loved it. It was exactly how I pictured an Amazon rainforest to be like. Thick with vegetation and a LOT (!!!) of insects. That part I didn't like.

Can you spot our guide in the photo above?

We arrived on the banks of the actual Amazon river, and pulled up to this tiny village. During wet season, the water level goes up several meters and the bridge is absolutely necessary. It was pretty rickety.


The chief of the village lives in this house. To the left corner you can see a very small white cat.


It was so tiny and dirty :(





The cat is also in this photo in case you miss it.


Ready to enter the rainforest!


This one felt more "wild" than any of the others we've explored.




About an hour into the walk we reached this house. The owners were not there (according to our guide they were probably out hunting for animals such as armadillos, anteaters, monkeys, birds etc). They are a very young family. The father is only 22 years old while the mother is 16. They have a 2 year old child. They happily live here in isolation. On the bottom is the kitchen and the top level is where they sleep (I didn't even notice the '2nd floor' at first). The oven for cooking is on the left. They had a pack of very skinny and underfed dogs, a lot of chickens, roosters and ducks..and a bunch of trees containing different fruits surrounding the property. Whenever I travel I love observing how the local people live. It's so interesting to me, especially people who actually live in the Amazon and are completely self-sustainable. Quite a difference to life in the city.




Banana tree


This is a Blue Morpho butterfly. I was trying unsuccessfully to take a good shot of its open wings when I turned around and saw our guide had caught one for us lol


Nearing the end of our walk..we came across another home.


Exotic fruits. Our guide cut one for us to try.


It didn't taste like much. Maybe a slight lychee taste.



The kids were really curious about us and followed us around near the end. I think they are not used to getting visitors.


This man is completely blind in both eyes and spends his days making and fixing fish nets by feel/touch.



We visited a rum factory and had lunch there.



There were a couple cats on the property. I shared most of my lunch with them.

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706. Peru Trip | First Taste of the Amazon: Exploring Iquitos!

While I absolutely loved visiting each city on our entire trip, I particularly liked Iquitos just a little bit more. It gave me the most culture shock which was surprising because I find it similar to Asia in some ways, where I've visited many times. Though I guess Asia doesn't feel as exotic for me since I am Asian..and this is an Amazonian city after all.

As soon as we left the airport I was immediately captivated by the chaotic scenes around me. Iquitos is the gateway city to visiting the Peruvian Amazon which might give you bit of an idea to how the atmosphere is there. The city is loud, dusty, fast-paced, super hot, full of moto-taxis and a bit surreal. We decided to stay 2 nights here to explore. We mainly wanted to visit Belen Market (a crazy place where you can find anything and everything for sale) and Monkey Island (a sanctuary for young monkeys you can play and interact with).


First view of the Amazon River from our plane.

We got a car/taxi to get to our hotel. I soon realized that actual cars are extremely rare here. Everyone gets around in those moto taxis which is the better option since the city is very hot, and riding around in those are very refreshing. Plus it is a lot more fun. But a car was the better option with our luggage.


Even the cops get around using them hahah.


Or like this. I found it pretty amusing. Like they are in a parade or something.

Then we arrived at our nice, air-conditioned hotel! We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton which is actually the only "luxury" hotel in the city. I really loved it and the food at the restaurant was very good. I became obsessed with the pasta and lemonade, and ordered it for every single meal.

After lunch, our plan was to visit Monkey Island. We went to their office to get more information where I met this super cute monkey. We then decided to do the island the following day instead, which turned out to be a very good idea (the whole trip there was like 2 hours each way and quite an extreme journey). I will post more about that in a future post.

So we hopped in one of these and headed to CREA, a rescue centre for manatees and other Amazonian wildlife. To be honest it was a big waste of time. Since we were going to the actual Amazon anyway, seeing the animals in their natural habitats would've been much more interesting. CREA was kind of like seeing them in a zoo, but it is a good organization since they are a sanctuary. I'm glad we went anyway because I very much enjoyed the mototaxi ride there and back, taking in all the chaotic street scenes.








On the way to Belen Market (which I will make another post on soon!)


At Monkey Island! I will make another post on this soon too.



The same meal for dinner again (plus taquitos).

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