Let the Adventure Begin..........

On the evening of May 30 we flew from Cusco to Lima.  This was our second overnight stay in Lima.  Once again we stayed at the Lima Airport Holiday Inn.  Like our first stay this one was also short.  We got to the room around 9:00 PM and were on a 3:30 AM shuttle for our flight to Iquitos, the gateway of the Peruvian Amazon.
We were met at the airport by a representative of Amazonia Expeditions and a driver.  The airport was small and we expected Iquitos to be small as well.  We were surprised on the drive to find the city was actually quite large with a population of just under 500,000.  Iquitos is unique in that it can only be reached by boat or plane.  It was around 7:30 AM as we made our way across town to the offices and port where we would catch our boat.  The road reminded us of India.  Everywhere there were what seemed like thousands of "tuk-tuks" and motor scooters darting in and out.  Cars were few and far between.  We were told that because cars must be shipped in that they can be as expensive as houses. For this reason most people do not own a car.  What they lack in cars they make up for with "tuk-tuks" and scooters.

The Amazon River Basin from the Amazonia Expeditions Office in Quito

The basin was busy with boats of all shapes and sizes

The boat that would take us to the lodge looked like it would seat around a dozen people.  On this particular three hour journey it was Beth, Nixon (our guide for the entire stay), the driver and I.  All the other seats were full of food and water supplies that we would be delivering to the lodge. 

A couple of seats for us and everything behind us was luggage and supplies

We were in the Amazon River, which is quite muddy (like the Mississippi) for part of the journey.  We then moved into the Tahuayo River, which unlike the Amazon, is a very dark but clear color.  It was quite interesting to see the area where the waters meet.  Off one side of the boat the water was muddy brown while on the other side it was clear and black.
We stopped in a small village about half way for a break.  There was a small store that sold snacks and a restroom.  Both the men's and women's facilities went directly into the river.  Beth was pleased that hers actually had a toilet while mine was straddling an open space between two boards!  It's a massive river with billions of gallons of water flowing and our journey would continue to take us up river.

A local village along the way.  This is where we stopped for our "restroom break"

River Village..........notice the difference in the color of the water from the previous picture.  The picture above was in the Amazon River.  This village is located on the Tahuayo River (a tributary to the Amazon)

Arriving at the lodge

From the deck of the lodge

Taking a break

The lodge complex which is built completely on stilts is quite large.  The main dining hall could easily seat over 100 people.  It had a bar, library and sitting area as well.  There was also a large "Wi-Fi" room, a hammock room and a separate seating area back near the rooms.  Our room was two stories with two beds, a sitting area and a bathroom upstairs and a bedroom, closet and bathroom downstairs.  We knew it would be rustic but it was quite nice and comfortable.




Passenger boat delivering locals to and from the local villages

After a welcome drink of local juice we unpacked.  It was time for lunch which was very good.  We then met Nixon for our first "adventure".  We took a small motor boat with a canoe attached upriver.  The plan was to switch to the canoe and paddle into the jungle.  Just as we reached the spot where we were going to make the transition it started to rain pretty heavily.  We waited a while before tying the canoe up and heading back to the lodge.  The rain was actually cool and refreshing.  We told Nixon we appreciated the aquatic massage that the raindrops provided.
The food, especially lunch and dinner, is exceptional.  There are tons of fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, rice or some other type of grain, along with meat, chicken or fish.  We are always anticipating the banging of the meal drum which signals it's time to eat!
After dinner we put on the provided rubber boots for the first time and did a short night walk around and underneath the lodge.  We found a baby caiman (alligator) in the shallow water.  Nixon stealthily
snuck up on it and picked him up giving us an up close look at the little fella.  We also found a huge toad (softball size), bats and a tarantula bigger than my open hand., although I didn't actually hold him.
The motto of Amazonia Expeditions is "Let the Adventure Begin"............it certainly has!