Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(Written by Virginia Velasco)

Noise, traffic, too much work? Unable to rest?

Would you like to wake up to sounds of birds chirping or watch the rain pouring down while you rest in your hammock? Well… Iquitos and the rainforest are waiting for you, very close in time, though more than 1000 km away from Lima.

Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian Rainforest, it has the charm of a laid-back city, which experienced its “golden age” at the end of the XIX century thanks to the rubber export. The old steel buildings and the glazed tiles of the façades give a glimpse of how beautiful the city must have been at the time. Iquitos’ treasure is the Amazon River and its tributaries Nanay and Itaya, all three rivers flow around the city. The Amazon River is the largest river in the world by volume, to experience sunset or dawn sailing on the magic Amazon River is an unforgettable souvenir.

Just around Iquitos is one of the world´s treasures: The Amazon Rainforest. You have plenty of lodges to choose from, often scattered in the surroundings. This time we visited the Amazon Rainforest Lodge.

We arrived to the lodge at night, after we sailed almost 45 minutes with our guide Antonio. We were welcomed by a friendly bartender with lemonade and later we had home made local food which was very tasty and healthy. That night we could hardly see our surroundings, but we could listen to many strange noises. In the morning we enjoyed the lodge’ view from the wooden lodge which used palm tree leaves as its roof – much like the traditional houses of the area. Different animals live there and walk freely in their “home”, Rigoberto the tapir, Aldo the toucan, turkeys, and others who were in cages such as parrots and the world´s largest rodent, the “ronsoco” or capybara.

Having the lodge as your base, it is possible to go on several tours, even for families with small children. There are small villages spread throughout the area. We visited Gen Gen, a village next to the lodge supported both by the owner of the lodge Peter Schneider and the Rotary Sunrise Club. People live primarily from agriculture, fishing, tourism and their handcrafts production; there was a small school and a health care center, using solar power panels to run electricity and water, these are the sole services the people have access to. There are shortages of doctors and teachers in the entire region. Despite the simplicity of their lives, people seem to be happy with the small amount of things they have.

The indigenous community which lives very close to Iquitos is the Bora. These indigenous people have become quite ‘westernized’ due to the frequent contact with people from the big city of Iquitos, though they still maintain some of their traditions such as making handcrafts and art. They produce very nice, unique objects very close to the “naïve art”. At their exhibition center, they welcome tourists with a ceremony based on dances and songs wearing their traditional costumes. They do not require an “entrance fee”, though they depend on selling their products to have some sort of income.

The jungle has an astounding number of animals, insects, butterflies, several types of monkeys, thousands of birds, reptiles, fishes, rodents and larger mammals such as pumas and jaguars. Visit the “Serpentario” where you can see an anaconda, a beautiful puma and other animals. Fishing is a very unique activity as the rivers and ponds contain piranhas, cat-fish and other species. Piranhas are very exciting to fish because they are extremely fast and they have terrific jawbones. Though piranhas represent a voracious side of the jungle aquatic life, there are others which are peaceful, playful, intelligent and gentle, such as the Pink and Grey Dolphins which live in the Amazon River. With some patience and luck you will be able to see many of them!

If you like birdwatching,Peru is home to more than 1800 species. When sailing through the rivers around Iquitos, you will often see the the Amazon Kingfish, canary-winged parakeet, woodpeckers and the oropendolas among others.

Though there are many things to keep you busy, you should still find time to relax, like reading a good book or enjoying a drink near the pool. Amazon Rainforest Lodge has a nicely sized swimming pool with a great slide, a separate swimming pool for children and a Jacuzzi. For those who like games, there is a pool table, a ping pong table and other games like “sapo” and “fulbito”.

This is a good time to visit Iquitos because it is “winter” or the rainy season, temperatures reach up to 30C° (86F°), while in July and August it can peak at 40C° (104F°). Temperatures then fall back down again in September and October, making this another good opportunity to visit. On the way back to Iquitos do not miss the Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm, where Gudrun and Roblar do an amazing job showing visitors butterfly life-cycles, as well as taking care of injured and abandoned animals. One of the honored guests is Pedro Bello, a beautiful jaguar who has lived there for years. If you love animals, you are more then welcome to contribute a small donation to help these beautiful animals from the rainforest. For additional information please visit Amazonanimalorphanage.org 

Once in Iquitos, try one of the many ice creams from La Favorita at the Main Square or the “paiche” sandwich at Ari`s Burgers. Among Iquitos’ excellent restaurants are Fitzcarraldo, Gran Maloka and others located along the riverbank. If you want to try special drinks, you might buy something at Pasaje Paquito at the market, which feature exotic beverages and fruits. One of the best pisco sours around is waiting for you at the El Dorado Hotel.  There are 3 airlines that offer flights to Iquitos: AeroCondor, LAN and StarPeru, find the time and enjoy this unique experience!