Amazon – Arrival – 01
Most of the travel within this city of nearly a half million people is via bus, motorcycle and the auto-rickshaw which is essentially a modified motorcycle with a cabin behind supported by two wheels, seating three. Here we are at the airport in Iquitos.
Amazon – Arrival – 02
Driving is absolutely crazy! the traffic horrendous! Our driver took us directly from the airport to the dock. The trip took about an hour and during this time we were given a box lunch and bottled water. The windows were open as air conditioning wasn’t an option.
Amazon – Arrival – 03
Our destination on the river was the Ceiba Top Lodge down river about 25 miles. In this photo you can see how low the river is, in May all those steps would be under water and the docks would be floating to the level where I took this photo. It was awesome to first view the river, even at it’s lowest level.
Amazon – Arrival – 04
Off we went. the Amazon river has 2,000 species of fish, more than those in the Atlantic Ocean, 4,000 species of birds (including 120 hummingbirds, much larger than the species in NM), 60 species of reptiles such as the caiman and anaconda, the world´s largest non-poisonous snake, mammals like the marmoset, anteater, tapir, capybara and pink dolphin. We actually saw two species of fresh water dolphins, the pink and the gray.
Amazon – Arrival – 05
This is the view of the Amazon from the front door of our room at Ceiba Tops. There were monkeys in the trees all around us.
Amazon – Arrival – 06
The first morning on the way to breakfast we passed the hammock house. That is sort of like a platform 3-4′ off the ground and shaded by a thatched roof, many hammocks available to guests. There amid the hammocks was a little tapir. You can tell he was young by the spots. Just like deer, the tapirs lose their spots as they age. He was a curious little guy, wanting to check out the people. No fear, that was the amazing part.
Amazon – Arrival – 07
Petr with tapir
Amazon – Arrival – 08
We left the lodge for a day on the river, including taking tributaries deeper into the jungle. That’s were we stopped to fish for piranhas. The first instructions were to stir up the water with our stick poles, making it appear like a thrashing animal. The bait, chunks of beef about 1/2″ were attacked by the piranha’s immediately. We threw the little ones back in and saved the larger ones for dinner. Thankfully Pete removed my fish, being careful to avoid the teeth.
Amazon – Arrival – 09
We later hiked into the jungle to find a pond with the Victoria Regis water lilies. The pads are up to 6′ in diameter. Over the week we spent on the Amazon se saw several lily areas but only two blooms. They only bloom for two days. Day one the flowers are pink, a beetle climbs in to fertilize it, the flower closes for the night. The next day the flower opens, the beetle leaves, and the flower is now pink. The flower dies after the second day, the reproductive process moving to the next stage. I used binoculars to see close ups of the pads and flowers. On the way back to the boat our guide came across a red tailed boa constrictor. He was only a little guy compared to ones we would see later.
Amazon – Arrival – 10
The next stop was the Isle De Los Monos, were 8 species of Monkeys are known to live. They are curious, bold and even intimidating at times. Here are a few of the photos. Regarding the stairs….these would all be flooded in the rainy season.
Amazon – Arrival – 11
My walking cane was a curiosity.
Amazon – Arrival – 12
One came out of a tree to check out Petr’s cane too.
Amazon – Arrival – 13
Both macaws and toucans were flying about. Our guide reminded us that these guys can crack open a Brazil nut with very little effort. Think of what they could do to fingers and be respectful of their space.
Amazon – Arrival – 14
This was the list of monkeys that showed up on this date.
Amazon – Arrival – 15
Arriving back at the lodge, part of our dinner were the pan fried piranhas. Tasted like the blue gills my brother caught when I was a kid.