Welcome to the Jungle

After an overnight bus ride from Trujillo, I found myself once again briefly in the friendly confines of Casa Peschiera de San Isidro this morning. Natalia, Luis´s housekeeper, is the bomb - I was there for like 5 hours, and she made me breakfast, a fantastic lunch (some sort of organ meat, I think) and did my laundry: COMPLETE WITH MANUALLY SCRUBBING STAINS OUT OF MY TROUSERS AND SOCKS. Seriously, whatever he pays for her, she is a bargain.

After a circuitous taxi ride to evade Lima traffic, I arrived at Jorge Chavez Internacional for my flight to Iquitos. Two hours in the air over two of Peru´s climates - coastal desert and mountains - left me in its third, the selva Amazonas. I was struck immediately when exiting the plane for the tarmac by a familiar feeling: the smell of slash-and-burn agriculture and the moist heat reminded me of my first foray into the jungle (in Southeast Asia). A motocarro took me on a hair-raising trip through chaotic traffic from the airport into downtown Iquitos, and into my guesthouse (without air-con or hot water).

The Plaza de Armas is pleasant here, with some very attractive lighting on the main catedral. The largest city in the world inacccesible by road, Iquitos is certainly a thriving jungle town. The roar of motorbikes and motocarros is constant!

Wow, is the jungle muggy. I hear that the discoteques of Iquitos are really good fun, and I hope to find out this evening. In any event, a few cervecas are are in order to cool down this noche caliente.

Enjoy the weekend.