Today was a research day in Iquitos, with 38 degrees, heat and lots of smells. The three of us (Rosa, my companion, the tuktuk driver and I) drove to various places to see what the local stores looked like. All of this in an open tuktuk, wind, smells, exhaust fumes, the road surface, which is actually always bad, and everything flying around has a direct impact on the body. 30 minutes of riding a tuktuk is no longer exactly fun. Of course, it was exciting to see the different situations.
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The first thing we did was take a boat trip. Iquitos lies on the Rio Itaya, on the other side of the city flows the Rio Nanay, both with their “clear” water flowing into the muddy and brown water of the Amazon shortly after Iquitos.
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The seasons in this country are not so much summer and winter, but rather named after the rainy or dry season. Our fall here is the transition from dry to rainy season, which means that the Amazon is still low. The image of the city changes completely when the level rises 3-4 meters. The wealthier houses near the river are built as rafts (the wooden raft has to be replaced every year), others on stilts, which of course have a certain height and are not flexible. The houses in this poor district of Belén have no running water, the toilet is a small room covered in corrugated iron on the Rio Itaya, floating on a raft with planks to help it move. Of course, the laundry is also washed on this raft. I was allowed (and had to) use a toilet and can admit that it was adventurous.
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One of the very typical dishes in Iquitos is marden, which is grilled on skewers. I’m sure I’ll try it, but it wasn’t suitable today.
Finally, we made a detour to the port where goods and people were being transhipped, we could have continued our journey on a ship on the Amazon in the afternoon.
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