Amazonia!!!

The boat in the middle (Henry V) was my home for 3 days on the Ucayali River, enroute to Iquitos, Peru...









My first morning aboard the boat in Peruvian Amazonia ... just after sunrise!






Can you tell hammocks are popular in Amazonia? There were almost 200 people on our boat; most slept like this between two decks... if you were not in a hammock, you slept on the floor or on a bench!






One of the numerous villages we stopped at or passed by on the 3 day journey. Some villages were bigger, and some were smaller than this... Taken by guest photographer Yennifer!








This photo was taken by my guest photographer... 9 year old Yennifer (not pictured here), who was aboard the ship with her mother, selling food... more of her pics to follow!!! Incredible natural eye for photos!




Hello,

Just a few pics from my last week traveling the river systems of the Peruvian Amazon region... Some pics were taken by me, and some (to be posted in another entry) were from a young 9 year old girl that we befriended while traveling the Ucayali River...

I am currently in Iquitos, Peru which is the largest city in the world with no direct access by road. The last week has been spent sightseeing with new friend and temporary travel mate Glenn (from England), who I met in Pucallpa. The trip from Pucallpa was just under 3 days by boat, and all along the way we saw some really cool things; people, nature, etc...We arrived in Iquitos with the intention of seeing some good jungle, spent just one night amongst the hustle and bustle of Iquitos, then headed north along the Amazon River to stay at the Amazon Eco Vagabond Lodge, which is about 3 hours away from Iquitos by slow boat (1 hour by fast boat)... Realizing that the EcoVagabond Lodge was nice and hospitable but lacking in true primary (deep) rainforest, we set off the next morning for a tiny village called Liberdad, which was 2-3 hours (by boat) away from the lodge. Liberdad is very remote, isolated, and in many respects idyllic in its own ways... They must travel downriver 1-2 hours just to go to the market. In Liberdad we strung up our hammocks, got some great photography done while waiting for the jungle darkness, and after dinner took a night tour into the local jungles with a local guide, and our hostess from EcoVagabond, Carmina. Although we did not see any large wildlife, we saw crocodile nests, got attacked by ants, saw various birds, a lot of insects, and of course some really cool rainforest foliage, including giant trees...

Yesterday we returned from Liberdad, chilled out at the lodge, and continued research on our respective journeys... Glenn is headed west to see more of Peru, and in the next day or two I am headed east, further down the Amazon, and for the tri-border town of Leticia-Tabatinga, which is at the border of Peru, Colombia, and Brazil.

I plan on spending another 2 -3 days on a boat to get to Leticia, then another two weeks or so exploring the jungles arond Parque Nacional Amacayu, which is just inside the Colombian border... After Colombia, I will enter Brazil for more jungle action. All told, I am glad I invested in my hammock, a good machete, and some good mosquito repellent, because I am getting good use out of all of them!

Less writing and more striking photos to follow :) Take care,

Chris