I flew from Atlanta to Lima, Peru (6 hours) and then from Lima to Iquitos (2 hours), which is only accessible by boat or plane. It's that one city identified up in the NE corner of Peru, in the green region. (www.geography.com)
Not a fun thing to see upon touching down in Iquitos, Peru
A street on the outskirts of Iquitos. There are almost no cars in Iquitos - just mototaxis.
A boat on the Amazon. From Iquitos, we traveled by motorboat down the Amazon River to Explorama lodge (1.5 hours).
Mmmm . . . a piece of sugarcane is delicious when dipped in sugarcane molasses and rum!
Amazon Kingfisher
I think this is a Scarlet Macaw. There were several living at Explorama.
I caught this parrot sneaking some food.
I've already forgotten the name of this seed that is used as a natural red dye among the Yagua indigenous people.
Poison Dart Frog: "These amphibians are often called 'dart frogs' due to indigenous Amerindians' use of their toxic secretions to poison the tips of blowdarts." (www.wikipedia.com)
The crew at the lodges prepared delicious local food for us. Here we have heart of palm salad (the long white stuff), yam, lima beans & rice, and fried manioc/yucca/cassava.
I believe this is a Tamarin monkey.
One species of many butterflies found in the Amazon
Another gorgeous butterfly
Beginning of a trail into the rainforest
The rainforest has some big leaves!
Along the bank of the Amazon River!
Arriving at a small community called Sapo Playa (Frog Beach) where we helped plant fruit trees and paint houses.
Shannon and a local boy planting a tree
I just love this one! Girls in Sapo Playa
We watched part of the World Cup final with the community. They may live "in the middle of nowhere" but the community had a satellite and TV.
Soccer in Sapo Playa
These two girls showed me some traditional Peruvian dances.
Tarantula!
Purple undersides to green leaves in the rainforest - on our night hike
Walking to visit the shamans.
One of the shamans gave us all temporary tattoos using a natural dye from the rainforest. I asked for a capybara.
Back at ExplorNapo lodge (2 hours by boat from Explorama), this was the scene I encountered. Two parrots, a trumpeter bird, a dog, and a capybara all chowing down on scraps by the kitchen!
I'm so happy to meet a real, live capybara! This is Charlie! Her mother was probably killed for meat and Charlie was kept as a pet when she was a baby. ExplorNapo rescued her and she is now 3 years old. They expect her to go looking for a mate soon.
Duck!
Tree along the canopy walkway
Looking into the rainforest from the canopy walkway
It was pretty rainy in the rainforest.
Starfruit tree! My first time seeing one
Piranha teeth
A Red-Belly Piranha that one of the students caught while fishing
Pink River Dolphin!
Yagua dancing in a nearby community
The Hear the World team!
Can you hear the world?
Hear the World
View from our boat during the ride back to Iquitos.
"Jesus Loves the Deaf" We had the opportunity to visit a small school run by a Peruvian pastor for deaf children in Iquitos. Most people in Iquitos with hearing loss have little hope for a decent future. Many children end up on the streets.
Limes in Iquitos
Palm leaves in the market in Iquitos
Persimmons
View from the market in Iquitos
Aguaje fruit
What?! Not only do they serve gelato in the Lima airport, but they also have a flavor called "speculaas" — I had to get some — we ate speculaas (a spice-filled cookie) in Luxembourg all the time. It was yummy.
