Days 341 – 342: Journey to Iquitos
We were not sorry to leave the Refugio Amazons – Puerto Maldonado was not worth the trip, and we were starting to look forward to going home. But we still had to visit the northern section of the Amazon, so we started our LONG journey to Iquitos.
We left the Refugio just after breakfast and took a 1.5hr. boat ride back to Infierno (we were travelling with the current this time, so the ride was a bit faster). As it was still dark when we left our room, we *almost* left our camera sitting on the bedside table – luckily, we were so used to documenting every second of our travels, we noticed it was missing just as the boat was leaving the dock. Disaster averted!
Our Star Peru flight back to Cusco was smooth and easy. We had a 4hr. layover in Cusco, but luckily for us, the Cusco Airport has TWO VIP lounges – one before security and one after, so we were able to grab lunch before the Peruvian airline ticket counter opened for check-in. Seriously, LOVE Cusco.
Lounge #1 – Puerto Maldonado
Lounge #2 – Cusco, Landside. Chicken salad sandwich and a pisco sour – now THIS is VIP service!
Lounge #3 – Cusco, Airside. Igor now wants to buy this elaborate fresh-squeezed orange juice machine.
When we got to the gate for our next leg from Cusco to Lima to Iquitos, we discovered there was a projected 15min delay. We looked at each other – this was not good. We only had a 45min layover in Lima. The delay got worse and worse – 15min became 30min, and 30min became 45min. The purported reason for the delay was weather in Cusco was too dangerous for takeoff, despite the fact that it looked partly sunny outside and we saw another plane land safely while we were waiting. A LCPeru flight at the next gate was scheduled to leave 30min after us, and when it started boarding before us, passengers on our fight started flipping out. Our gate agent assured us that their plane was NOT going to take off – they would just wait in the plane instead of in the terminal. Long story short, we eventually took off just late enough to ensure we would miss our connecting flight – the last flight of the day to Iquitos.
During our flight, a fellow passenger overheard our predicament. Apparently this guy was in the airline industry and had worked for 10 international airlines over the years. He recommended that we ask for a comped hotel room. “Just tell them to ‘please help me,’ don’t get angry,” he advised us. We exited the terminal and went straight to the Peruvian ticket counter and explained our situation to the agent, Mayor. First, he assured us that we would be put on the first flight the next day, at 6AM. When we asked for a hotel room, he excused himself to go to the back office and check with his supervisor. Since we were the only travelers that were stranded by this weather delay, the manager must have decided the expense for putting us up for the night would be minimal, so he approved the request for a hotel, taxi to and from the airport, AND dinner! Even better, our hotel in Iquitos let us cancel our reservation without penalty, so the inconvenience didn’t cost us a cent (good thing too – Lindsay was NOT looking forward to filing an insurance claim).
The hotel was no frills: no AC, and close to the airport in the Bellavista neighborhood of Lima. Reviews online claimed it was a rough neighborhood, but it didn’t look to bad to us. However, it’s not like there were any attractions to tempt us to walk around outside anyways. After check-in, the manager told us they would call us to come down when dinner was ready. The hotel had a restaurant area, so we assumed they were preparing something for us. When we sat down at a table, however, we saw a delivery guy bring a large brown bag to the back of the bar. A few seconds later, two large plates with roasted chicken and French Fries came out – they actually ordered take-out for us! The serving sizes were HUGE, so we were more than pleased. Thanks Peruvian Airlines – ya did good.
Take-out chicken dinner, courtesy of Peruvian Airlines
We sprung for a couple of beers to help us unwind in our non-air conditioned room at the Vista del Sol Hotel
Everything went smoothly with our flight the next day. We checked into our hotel (really pretty historical building near the river) and dropped off our stinky clothes at a nearby laundromat. The only attraction we were interested in in town was the Manatee Rescue Center, so we had our hotel call us a taxi.
Iquitos is not connected to the rest of Peru via paved road – if we want to drive to Lima you actually have to drive through Brazil! As such, there is not much demand for full-sized cars, as most people only shuttle around town, so the streets are full of motorcycle rickshaws instead. We catch one to the rescue center – a good 20min drive to the outskirts of town. Bring sunglasses – the dust was fierce.
The Manatee Research Center was cute – they had several animals besides manatees as well (monkeys, turtles, even otters!). Their mission for all animals they receive was Rescue, Recovery and Release. Over the years, they’ve acquired around 25 manatees (many were orphaned, victims of hunting by locals who both want to eat them, and mistakenly kill them because they think the vegetarian manatees are eating the fish population), and they have successfully released 15 back into the wild. These gentle giants need all the help the center can give them – we never saw a manatee in the wild.
Hotel Epoca – a charming riverside hotel in a historical building in Iquitos
Grabbing a USD $15 moto-rickshaw to the Manatee Rescue Center outside of town
Our guide, Kelly, walks us through the research complex. This sandbox is a “faux beach” where the turtles can lay their eggs in safety
Plastic dummies showing the maximum size of some of the Amazon’s aquatic residents: a Pink River Dolphin and a Black Caiman
“Grandfather Tree” in the “Children’s Forest” – where the local rangers teach local school kids about cultivating a sustainable relationship with nature
Badass Amazon turtles. Two fellas got into a fight, and one got knocked over onto his back. Poor guy was still stuck like that when we left an hour later
A baby Ocelot and a forlorn Capuchin Monkey
A Bald Uakuri – what an ugly little monkey!
The “River Wolf” – a Giant Amazon Otter
Our guide asks for a volunteer – Lindsay raises her hand because she thinks she’ll get to pet a monkey. Instead, Kelly asks Lindsay to close her eyes and put her hand inside a mystery bag – WTF? What’s in there?!? Turns out to be just a Brazil Nut shell, but Lindsay was freaking out thinking it would be something slimy.
More jungle babies! Baby caiman and baby turtles
BABY MANATEES!!!!!
Kelly shows us some river plants that manatees love to eat – these animals are strictly vegetarian and are very helpful in keeping waterways free from overgrowth. The orphan babies in the rescue center are fed cow’s milk via bottles at first, but part of their “recovery” mission is to wean them onto eating plants
Lindsay finally gets her manatee moment.
That evening, we walked down to the riverside restaurants and found a great vegetarian place. We came back to the hotel and popped open a surprisingly delicious bottle of Peruvian bubbly. We flipped on the TV for a while – most TV shows and movies were dubbed in Spanish, except horror movies, so we found a scary flik. Around 10PM, we turned off the lights and went to sleep.
Fast forward a few hours. I don’t know what I ate, but Lindsay woke up with the WORST case of food poisoning either of us had had on the trip. She tried to keep quiet, hoping it would pass…but it didn’t. She finally had to wake up Igor, crying, asking him to get her some Imodium…which she immediately threw up. After a few hours, things finally settled down enough for Lindsay to go back to sleep. Ugh. BAD night.
A delicious vegetarian causa dinner and a bottle of Peruvian sparkling wine