November 22, 2010

Getting up at 4:30 was really tough for all of us.

We were driven to Puno, this time on them main road, which is remarkably straight. We got our last glimpse of Lake Titicaca.

We again got to see the poverty of Puno, the countryside and Juliaca.

We had a guy from the travel agency with us. He spoke fluent french and we had a good talk with him during the drive. He could tell us that the ministry of agriculture had started a program back in 1968 to support farmers, making it possible for them to rent tractors and other farming machines. Unfortunately the rent is at 120 soles per hour, enough to buy a sheep, The result is that very few use them and rather continue the traditional way. Also, he told us, each farmer normally only has 2.5 hectare. This is because there was a land reform way back during military rule where land was taken from the rich and given to the poor in chunks of 2.5 hectares.

He also called someone in Puno to check the election results. Cristina´s sister had not been elected. On the other ham an Uros had been elected to some sort of governor position in Puno for the first time!

We took another A319 (yawn) to Lima. The plane was full of Norwegians on a group tour.

At the airport in Lima we sent some packages back home. We had bought handicraft on Qhantati and needed to offload it from our luggage.

Our flight to Iquitos was done on yet another A319. After so many outside pictures, how about one from the inside, Marius?

As we approached Iquitos there was nothing but trees and the occasional river to see as far as the eye could reach. What a contrast to southern Peru. Iquitos, by he way, is the largest city in the world without a road connection.

The heat and humidity hit us like a wall as we left the plane, According to our taxi driver the temperature was 38C (100F). The humidity here is at a stable 100%

We were picked up at the airport and driven into town in very old taxis. I tried to get my belt on, but it was completely stuck, so was Adrian´s. The driver said “You don´t need those.” Sure. The opposite was of course the truth, but we survived. Iquitos is a very dirty, polluted and loud city. There are too loud noises everywhere, first and foremost from, traffic.

We´re going to stay at a jungle lodge from tomorrow, but were put in a small hotel in the floor over the travel agency´s offices here in Iquitos for the night. We have a view of one of the three rivers which float thorugh this city. All of them turning into the Amazon river when they join.

We needed to go out to eat and the caretaker and “everything man” here got us a double motortricycle ride. An experience in itself. I didn´t feel very safe, but it was fun.

The restaurant we had been recommended was something like a fast food restaurant. I ordered chicken and rice and got a portion worthy of a US restaurant, I hardly managed to eat half of it. The other portions were also very oversized. What a brutal contrast to the beggars we had seen on the way in! We solved it by asking for doggie bags. On our way out we gave our food to two different beggars.

When we entered our room Hélène found a small bat hanging on our curtains! The kids were fascinated, Hélène less so.

I am now in a bat free hotel room in Iquitos and desperately need some sleep. Tomorrow, eh today, we have a 4 hour boat ride to reach our jungle lodge, There is no internet or even electricity there. We will be off the grid until at least December 1.

Eirik

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