¡TravelSickness!

Hot, steamy Iquitos was one of our last stops in Peru. After five days on a stinky boat surrounded by hundreds of other sweaty bodies, we were glad to set foot on (relatively) solid land again. Iquitos is the largest city in the world which is not reachable by any road. The only way in (or out) is by river on the Amazon or Ucayali, or a plane over miles of thick jungle. It’s an awesome feeling being surrounded by unspoiled jungle in every direction for literally hundreds of kilometers before the next city of any size. Unbroken only by thatched riverside villages, the occasional sugar cane field, or banana plantations, the jungle literally swallows you up. Makes you feel so small and insignificant… Lost out in the middle of such a beautifully wild environment.

We stayed in Iquitos about a week and a half in the end, but wished we could have stayed another few weeks longer exploring the neighboring jungles, small villages, lakes, rivers, and beaches. It would have been a great place to settle down for a while, with plenty of things to explore. The city has a definitively Amazonian vibe, but still manages to offer enough luxuries for the weary traveler, vibrant culture, crumbling Colonial mansions with their colorful azulejos (Hand painted tiles imported from Portugal) from the Rubber-Boom days, and many opportunities to explore the surrounding forest and indigenous communities who make the upper Amazon basin their home.

As well, Iquitos is home to one of the biggest and most vibrant markets in all of Peru, near the floating neighborhood of Bélen. Here also, is the world famous Natural Medecine Market (Mercado de Plates Medicinales) full of an incredible variety of medicines, plants, tonics, for anything which may ail you- All straight from the surrounding jungles. Medicines which can be bought here for very little, are shipped all over the world to holistic clinics, healers, doctors, hospitals, and patients who can benefit from the Amazons’ incredible bounty of plant life. We stocked up on some last minute herbs and supplies to bring back with us, and to share with others back home.

Leaving Iquitos, we finally began the definitive long road home… Our time im Peru was coming soon to an end, but we still had some 1,800 kilometers to cover to make it to our flight in Lima- And of course, a few more stops to make on the way home.

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Amazon River, Amazonas, Iquitos, Jungle, Peru, Rainforest, Rio Amazona, South America