Boat and Road From Iquitos to Tarapoto 6/26/07 - 6/29/07

Well, we hit that dusty river once more and possibly for the last time during these here travels. It was a familiar scene with hundreds of hammocks swinging away as the boat set sail. As seasoned vagabonders that we are, we stocked up on snacks and left our family in Iquitos. The days passed quicker and almost at our stop, we began to see mountains in the distance. I felt like a sailor from days of old, finally seeing birds after months of sailing in the open sea. Wow, could that be the Andes? It was more like the foothills of the Andes, but hey, they were mountains nonetheless. Counting those final days . . . we have been on a boat up the Amazon for a total of 12 days and nights! (Eat that Zhenia with your 8 days on the Trans Siberian Railway. That was a joke. Sorry.)

Unfortunately, there is a lot of animal trade in the jungles of Peru. On many of the numerous stops, local kids would come into the boat and sell baby monkeys, parrots, and turtles besides the fruit and food. What can I say? Poor animals. Peru is a poor country and I can't judge the locals for doing anything to get by, but many animals are stripped of their habitat as they are sold to people who think they're cute and fun to play with. As a traveller, I can only be an observer and learn for myself. Just my opinion.

Doesn't he look like "dedushka"?
Well, this bird had a temper like him and he and his crew attacked a poor turtle who was minding his own business...

While floating up the Amazon, we had a chance to see beautiful sceneries as well as the way people live by the grand river. We have seen countless sunsets and sunrises that surpass any imagination . . .

And it has been an amazing ride.

It might have been almost two weeks but it sure beats taking a flight.

As we got off the boat in Yurimaguas, we were surrounded by moto-taxi guys. All willing to sweep us away from the dusty port and deliver us to our destination. We though, were moving on to Tarapoto 120 kilometers away. The moto-taxis, I must say so you faithful readers would know, are more like rickshaws ( I hope I spelled that right), but half motorcycle and half carriage. Very romantic and the cheap means of transportation that we've seen so far in Peru. As we barrelled down the rough streets, we watched our driver make arrangements to Tarapoto with another guy who was driving next to us. Really fun to watch.We got off and jumped into a car as we begun our supposedly 2 hour journey to Tarapoto. But we didn't exactly leave town until we watched our driver make suspicious pick-ups. Shady? Possibly.
We passed beautiful countryside until we ran into a roadblock which lasted 5 hours. "No problema!" Can't let a little roadblock slow you down.

Well, maybe just 5 hours!

But what´s five hours when you´re in Peru?

We played cards, danced, talked and laughed with our stranded conpadres. Where ever Sasha goes, good times follow...

(Sasha´s yellow Havayana bracelet has a new home now. . . Isn´t she cute?Ah!)

And when Sasha gets tired, she needs flowers to recoup...

Sometimes, she gets really tired...

And I. Well, I take pictures of plumbing every chance I get. Yes, its a urinal, but its made with tiles. Isn't that great? Isn't it? Anybody?

Anyway,the road to Tarapoto used to be a rough dirt road and travel was somewhat dangerous because the road crosses mountains. Now... yeah, its still kind of dangerous. Even though much of it has been paved, the mountainous part almost hasn't been touched and the construction company isn't in a rush because of it's 25 year contract to build the road. C´est la vie!
Next Stop . . . Tarapoto!