Welcome to the Amazon -Day 1

We were met at the small airport in Iquitos by staff from Amazonia Expeditions and transported by private bus across the bustling city of Iquitos to their office on the banks of the Itaya River.  Walking down the airplane steps we were met by the oppressive heat and humidity I had warned the kids about.  It smothered us despite our expecting it.  Iquitos is the largest city in the world that can only be reached by plane or boat—the only road to or from town simply connects it to another smaller remote inaccessible city.  With nearly 500,000 residents the city is densely populated and it wasn’t hard to imagine how 87% (per our guide) of the residents have contracted COVID in the last year.  We filled out some paperwork, picked up a sack lunch, enjoyed the stray cats and loaded into a covered motor boat for the long trip up river.  

The Itaya is a black river whose color is driven by the endless supply of plant matter that leaves an almost perpetual dank scent.  Within a few minutes still within sight of numerous vessels and the shore side city we reached the merger of the black Itaya River with the monstrous brown Amazon.  We stopped to view the distinct line where the colors changed.  While watching the water, our guide Wellister called out, “Dolphin!”  I assumed he was teasing us, but he responded in earnest and seconds later we saw it surface.  The Pink River Dolphins of the Amazon rarely jump out of the water so a typical sighting consists of a few seconds glimpse of the top of the head, back, a fin and if lucky a tail before they disappear again into the murky water.  We could discern no pattern or way to predict when or where it would next surface but did catch a couple more brief sightings before we gave up and continued our journey.   

We were split between two different boats - I had all the girls with me.  We enjoyed the beauty around us and looked for animals as long as we could but eventually we all drifted off to sleep.

While the rainy season had ended a month or more ago, and the water level had dropped 8-10 feet, it obviously had long ways yet to drop as we approached the lodge dock, a story below the main buildings that were all elevated on stilts.  Walkways snaked out in multiple directions from the dining area leading to a hammock room overlooking the river, the kitchen, a working area for the staff, a learning/technology room and of course to our quarters.  Beneath the walkways water remained and numerous visible fish swam in the shallows.  

 

Our kids quickly learned that each evening at 6:00 hot salty popcorn was set out in the dining room to whet our appetite for dinner at 7:00.  All meals were served buffet style with enough options for all courses to satisfy all 13 kids in our party.  We hardly dented the food set out for each meal and I eventually inquired if the staff ate the leftovers.  It turned out that they ate simultaneously with us but the fare from our previous meal.  Our kids made friends with Siomi who helped serve the food.  They never missed a chance to talk or play with her during our stay. 

 

At 8:00 we went out for our first night excursion with Wellister and Fernando taking turns in the front and rear of the boat.  We learned that it was a bit chaotic to have all of our headlamps on at the same time so Welliser and I were the primary spotlighters.  We paused mid-river and turned the engine and lights off to look up at the wonders above us.  The southern sky glowed with stars and we identified new constellations including the Southern Cross.  Later we found a brown-throated three-toed sloth exposed on a tree along the river’s edge.  We identified several nightjars, a few other birds, and a yellow-crowned brush-tailed rat before heading back to call it a day.  

Lily was stung by something in the dark - our first (of many) bug interatctions.  Luckily, the tears and pain didn't last long and we were all able to fall asleep to the sounds of the jungle.