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The Amazon

The next day I took an early flight to Iquitos the largest city in the Peruvian Amazon. The "international" airport had no taxiways so after landing, the plane turned around on the runway and then went back up to the parking area in front of the terminal. Iquitos has about 400,000 people and no road access. I was met by Willy, my guide for the next several days. We transferred to the Explorama HQ that was on the river and then to a big motorboat for a couple of hour run up the Amazon to the Lodge. Here's one of my first views of the Amazon.
001Beach at Miraflores * Lima After arriving late at night, I was taken to my hotel in Miraflores, a nice suburb of Lima. The next morning I walked down to the mall overlooking the beach. (two pics) * 1600 x 1200 * (393KB)

002Beach at Mirafloes * 1600 x 1200 * (403KB)

003Plaza De Armas Lima * where I had a late breakfast/early lunch. I then went to downtown Lima (centro). Lima has a population of 8 million people. I walked around the Plaza de Armas * 1600 x 1200 * (429KB)

004Palace of Justice Lima * (each city in the country has one) and a couple of other plazas. Here's an artsy shot through a fountain of the Palace of Justice (where I assume they have their courts) Speaking of justice, it was only a block and a half from this spot, in broad daylight, with lots of people around that I was robbed. I felt something on my wrist and looked down to see a man with his hand around my watch. He gave a good yank down and tore the watch off my wrist and then ran down the street and into a building. I was pretty stunned and following after him but wasn't about to go into a strange building where I might get attacked. In fact, the primary thought going through my head was thank goodness that he didn't push me over and grab my pack because it was a lot more valuable than the cheap watch that he stole. The robber was very distinctive, having long black dreadlocks and a bright yellow shirt, so I thought that I would be a good citizen and report this to the police. They passed me from one person to another until I ended up in a room with several people (not in uniform) at desks with typewriters. One person took my statement and made me give a fingerprint to vouch for what I had said. Then he went and got a couple official stamps and signatures and gave me the form. I asked several times if they wanted a description of the criminal but they just ignored that. So, I got a souvenir but not much else. When talking to a local later, he said that's all the police do is write reports and that they prefer to settle any differences themselves. When I left the area the taxi cab driver pointed out someone else being robbed (at least a policeman was chasing--unsuccessfully--the robber in this case). He also told me about lots of other petty crimes that take place in the city. Welcome to Peru. The woman at my hotel recommended a place where I could buy a watch and I now have a Peruvian watch (made in Japan) as a reminder of the trip. That night I had a nice dinner in a restaurant on the beach in Miraflores getting to see a very nice sunset. * 1600 x 1200 * (400KB)
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005Amazon River.JPG - 1600 x 1200 - (420KB)
12/23/01 7:36 AM
007Two Inch Ants * I settled into my room in a big building with walls that only went partly up to the ceiling. You could hear sounds from other rooms but they were drowned out by the sounds of the nearby jungle. There was a mosquito net to sleep under but no walls or anything to stop creepy crawlies from getting into the room. That afternoon I met the other two members of my group: Ed and Jeremy from Minnesota. The three of us and Willy went on a walk to introduce us to the jungle. The first thing I noticed was the humidity: the temperature wasn't too high but the humidity was intense and we were sweating profusely. The walk was great and we saw lots of interesting things, such as two inch-long ants (that we were told had a wicked bite) * 1600 x 1200 * (808KB)

008mahogany tree * , mahogany trees * 1600 x 1200 * (473KB)

009red flower * , interesting flowers * 1600 x 1200 * (444KB)

010tree * , and lots of interesting trees. * 1600 x 1200 * (472KB)

011parrots * We also saw two types of monkeys in the distance, a poison frog, tarantula holes, and various birds. Back at the lodge, we had a chance to interact with the local animals. They feed the parrots (which speak in both Spanish and English). (two pics) * 1600 x 1200 * (445KB)
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